[Superman]

And frankly, I'd be fine with all this deregulation crap if there were a provision for a public competitor in these markets. Or at least a nonprofit co-op. But that's not how it works. When an industry is privatized, the new model does not tolerate a competitor in the market that is still a 'public' utility. That would be unfair, they say. It would put the private companies at a competitive disadvantage because of their obligation to return an attractive ROI to the stockholders. Governments and co-ops don't have this expense. Privatization doesn't work unless the playing field is leveled by prohibiting a non-profit competitor.

Another current privatization attack is on the US Postal Service, and it's been very successful so far. Underfund the agency sufficiently that it can be seen or characterized as "inefficient." Go to town with a public defaming campaign. This sets the industry up for privatization. Does anybody think that FedEx is going to deliver your First Class Mail for $0.44 per piece? If so, I have a real estate deal that will make you filthy rich.