tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post8244592591654713589..comments2024-02-29T12:38:32.191-08:00Comments on MUSINGS ON IRAQ: Iraqi Government Attempts to Reduce Power ConsumptionJoel Winghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-27718404884503081182010-06-11T04:46:28.057-07:002010-06-11T04:46:28.057-07:00I should add that the government probably doesn...I should add that the government probably doesn't cut anybody off because they're afraid of more social unrest. They're just coming out of a civil war, there's still an insurgency and terrorism, it's almost 120 degrees each day right now in Baghdad. The government is probably afraid what cutting people's power off in those conditions would do to most people, especially because almost everyone has an AK in the house as well.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-57572454065628998952010-06-11T04:29:58.371-07:002010-06-11T04:29:58.371-07:00I know I know, but the fact that no one does shows...I know I know, but the fact that no one does shows how dysfunctional the government can be.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-57862518064677963362010-06-10T23:32:09.034-07:002010-06-10T23:32:09.034-07:00We have a solution for that. If they don't pa...We have a solution for that. If they don't pay the bill, cut them off completely. Geez. I promise you that markets work.Jasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-67882889050645252572010-06-10T09:09:14.250-07:002010-06-10T09:09:14.250-07:00The government shouldve started the payment system...The government shouldve started the payment system they just started long ago, but now it probably wont matter since most Iraqis dont pay their bills because power service is so shoddy.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-87058372269355830022010-06-10T06:07:37.384-07:002010-06-10T06:07:37.384-07:00You know a high school econ student should be able...You know a high school econ student should be able to figure out that they should the increase the price to bring supply and demand into line. Price-fixing ALWAYS causes shortages. ALWAYS have and ALWAYS will. At a minimum, raise the price just above that of neighboring countries and begin purchasing it from them. Remember when all the gasoline was being smuggled out of Iraq because the price was much lower than its neighbors?Jasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-10071240303574470902010-06-09T15:54:49.940-07:002010-06-09T15:54:49.940-07:00From what I understand Saddam built up a pretty la...From what I understand Saddam built up a pretty large welfare state with plenty of services and raised the living standards towards the top of the region with the oil boom in the 1970s. That all began to fall apart with the Iran-Iraq War, and it never fully recovered. Basically, from 1980 to the present Iraq's infrastructure has been falling apart, and much of it is still in dire need of work despite all the reconstruction money spent. <br /><br />In terms of electricity, just the rough numbers seem to show that it was pretty good in 2003 before the war. I have read stories that Saddam was depriving all the provinces of power to keep the lights on in Baghdad, but I don't know if that was true or something the U.S. came up with to justify the lack of power after the invasion. <br /><br />The power system ran into 3 problems post-2003. 1st the lack of security undermined the rebuilding of the power system and the lines would routinely get knocked out. 2nd the end of sanctions unleashed a huge buying spree by Iraqis, so demand shot way up. 3rd the Iraqi government is pretty incompetent and has wrecked a lot of their own power plants.<br /><br />Today more power is produced than under Saddam, but as the chart in the article shows, demand has gone up at almost the exact same rate as the power supply has increased.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-15537170767116424502010-06-09T13:42:35.800-07:002010-06-09T13:42:35.800-07:00How much of these weaknesses of Iraqi institutions...How much of these weaknesses of Iraqi institutions are weaknesses that were inherited from the monarchy and Ba'ath years and how much of these problems do you think were Bremer, Allawi, and Jafaari not really being able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again? Because it seems to me that pre-sanctions Iraq had decent electricity for one thing.AndrewSshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12092217847584427587noreply@blogger.com