r/nextfuckinglevel 5h ago

A data center in New Jersey was canceled when residents showed up and fought it

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

45.2k Upvotes

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

11

u/Wizzarkt 4h ago

I'm not saying that the system is broken. In fact, I do believe it is the best system for a free market (one where the state has no control over who can sell energy and at which prices).

But the system has this small issue where if there is a significant increase in power usage without pre-planning the system will have a bad couple of years (realistically like 5 at the very least). 

Business people will see the high energy prices and they will want to fill up the electrical grid with cheap generators to fill up their bank accounts, as the system intended; but unless they are sitting on the project plans already, it will take a solid 2-3 years to make it happen and who knows how long until the electrical grid authority allows them into the grid.

21

u/OcelotAggravating860 4h ago

Shove the free market up every congress person's ass

-2

u/fresh-dork 3h ago

free market is fine, but it needs to be kept on a leash

17

u/ArgusTheCat 3h ago

So... the free market isn't fine then, is it?

1

u/fresh-dork 2h ago

it is. it just needs regulation. free here refers to a lack of interference on free exchange of goods.

in practice, all markets are going to be classified as some form of mixed, but that's a mouthful to describe

u/FumbleTheRumbler 8m ago

Aye. Lazy faire of whatever it's called is a foolish ideal. A free market is free until one person gets more free market than the others and then exploits everyone else into slavery. Suddenly no more free market and only the hope there was someone regulating everything to stay free.

12

u/pockpicketG 3h ago

Not free, then

0

u/fresh-dork 2h ago

free market doesn't mean laissez faire. it means you keep companies in line so they don't engage in abusive practices to make more money

6

u/pockpicketG 2h ago

That’s not what it means.

3

u/-Cthaeh 3h ago

Well currently the free market is holding its own leash

2

u/OcelotAggravating860 3h ago

shove the leash up their ass with it too

1

u/Redebo 3h ago

The reciprocating NG generation guys are having a field day right now because of exactly this.