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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery
OK. You're right. About everything. It's all so clear to me now. Thank you so much for your patient tutelage. I've seen the light.

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ORIGINAL: tj444

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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ORIGINAL: tj444

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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i hate the idea that China could have a monopoly on certain metals and hold the rest of the world hostage to whatever they wish to charge..

Is it just china or would you hate the idea of any country doing that?

any country that has a monopoly, just as any corp that has a monopoly.. are ya'll for monopolies or something? do you see a monopoly as a good thing (for anyone other than the monopoly, that is)???

The u.s. controls the market in rock drilling bits worldwide. With out those dirlls no oil wells,no water wells etc.
Russia pretty much controls the world mkt in titanium. Without titanium no compressor blades on jet engines.
The police department is a monopoly.
The fire department is a monopoly.
Most municipal services are a monopoly.
Most utilities are monopolies.
Some monopolies work for the benifit of society others work for the benifit of the monopoly.

Rock drilling bits- not quite sure why the US would have a monopoly on that unless they have the only metals/materials going into it or unless the price is too low that even the Chinese wont bother making them or some other reason like patents, etc..


My point was that the u.s. has a monopoly on that item.

the police dept does not have a monopoly on security service as there are gazillions of private security corps providing private policing..

Is it your position that those "gazillions" of private sevurity corps compete with the police monopoly? The "monopoly police" can detain and arrest all of the "gazillions" of private security corps note likely vice versa


the govt is a monopoly if you want to think that way but I dont include the govt or various govt controlled sectors/depts in my definition of monopoly

You were whining about china having a lock on "rare earth" minerals.

I am opposed to utility monopolies or services like cable or land line telephone corps.. which is why i like off the grid as a concept, to keep from financially supporting the sobs.. I dont know enough to do that tho, at this point.. maybe one day when i can dig into all of that..

I have been living off grid for the past 25 years. I am fully aware of how difficult it is to shift from one to the other.
So sure there are monopolies but that doesnt mean i have to like them..

As I said some work for the benifit of society and others work for the benifit of the monopoly.

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ORIGINAL: tj444

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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ORIGINAL: tj444
I question if they last anywhere near as long as the mfrs claim.. I have bought ordinary light bulbs, the package says they are to last like 1,000 hours.. but it seems they last no where near that..

I dont trust what bulb mfrs claim at all, especially since mfrs will throw a product out in the market and wait to see what the problems are, like the public/customers are guinea pigs for their projects.. So to pay $50, or $20/bulb for led.. and then have it crap out after not much time.. pfffffttttt

The traffic signals have been in use for long enough to acquire quite a bit of data about the leds. I notice a lot of them showing up surplus as a result of x number of the individual leds failing. It would seem a sure bet that the cities involved are keeping track of lifespan data.

ok.... if i ever decide to use traffic signal lights in my house i will keep that in mind and see if i can tap that info..