Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think about them

Re:Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think... by geogra4 on Tuesday November 03, 2015 @12:07PM (#10500874)

We are all dependent on government in at least some ways. Unless you don't drive on public roads, don't send your kids to public schools, and don't use US Mail.

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Re:Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think... by xrange on Tuesday November 03, 2015 @02:07PM (#10501774)

Here's a great opportunity for a little informal HN poll. When was the last time you used the postal service to send a letter? Sure, I've got a box that gets junk mail every day, but the only time I send anything are one-off bills where they don't have an option for on-line payments.

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Re:Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think... by DanBC on Tuesday November 03, 2015 @02:09PM (#10501785)

I post mail about twice a week.

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Re:Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think... by nationcrafting on Tuesday November 03, 2015 @02:44PM (#10502014)

So, if you're looking at .gov as a service provider, why give it a monopoly on providing those services if that makes its users dependent on it? Roads may be a little tricky, of course, but some services like US Mail could surely do with a few competitors to bring prices down and service up.

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Re:Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think... by AnimalMuppet on Tuesday November 03, 2015 @05:06PM (#10503086)

UPS and FedEx. They don't do individual letters, of course, but they compete with the US Mail on packages, and compete by offering better service, not on price.

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Re:Advanced economies are so sick we need a new way to think... by ArkyBeagle on Tuesday November 03, 2015 @01:06PM (#10501302)

It would be nice if we could have ... global understanding of public goods.

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