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That's what's wrong with economics: a focus on incentives and expected profit.

Even minimizing a loss is not good enough. If you're going to lose money anyway, presumably you just liquidate the venture.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Jun 14th, 2007 at 01:04:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I was, for instance, thinking of the lack of incentives to development builders to produce energy efficient homes. They're not going to pay the energy bills, so what do they care?

Or moving jobs out of the country. The companies don't pay the social costs, so what do they care?

Or the loss of animal or plant species. What do they care?

Or the sale of cluster bombs or mines that will kill for years to come.

Or, or, or. There are a million examples - or rather 6 billion examples.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Thu Jun 14th, 2007 at 02:14:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Which is why capitalism is ultimately destructive.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jun 15th, 2007 at 04:39:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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