Friday, August 15, 2008

Flatmate Economics - Dirty Dishes

There are two things that bug me about living with other people.

1. Dirty dishes pile up in the sink
2. We try to hold out for as long as possible without buying toilet paper

When my flatmates return from their summer breaks I plan to institute an intense property rights allocation. We will divide the dishes and cutlery evenly among us and a small section of kitchen space shall be alloted to each of us.

Use of a kitchen counter without the owner's permission will be a crime, punished by a small 'fine'. This may take the form of cleaning. If someone uses my dishes without my permission will be punished by cleaning them. Or cooking for me. Penalties will escalate for repeat offenders.

As for toilet paper, each flatmate should have his own rolls. It would be great if they were kept hidden to prevent theft. I'll never be caught with my pants down in the loo ever again!

This is just an obvious solution to me. Forgive me if I sound like a crockery fascist.

Of course the lesson here is that allocating property rights, not removing them, is the only way for us to combat the Tragedy of the Commons situations that plague the world today.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

How right you are Europe is Doomed Europe is turning into to one big socialist welfare,Politically corrupt monster.In the last 15 years Western Europe has embraced nearly everthing that they had a wall to keep out(Ussr).
Europe is becoming a nanny ,tit feeding ,interfering,regulating monster.The politicians are braindead career,lecturing ,schoolteacher types ,that have never lived or earned by their own wits .They where brought up by the state ,paid by the state,so they believe the state is almighty and will provide if your an obedient little serf.
Now the hammer blows are going to come.The Socialist Welfare State has ridden and Taxed the bejaysus out of anybody that is sucessful.
To pay for minority bluffers and PC spoffers.They spend taxpayers money with impunity,enlarge govenment,buy votes by pretend altrusim .
They have created mad leftist groupings and pcers that they love and satisfy, control by taxing the shite of the middleclasses and the productive ,creating witchhunt envyism.
I came up in an era where you worked hard and enjoyed the fruits of your labour.Where people looked out for each other ,thats gone and been replace by the nanny state.Where people that do nothing are rewarded,people that complain are listened too,and people that produce are battered and penalised.
Enough complaining .Europe in the next 10-15 years will be in shite streets.You can only Tax productive people so far to provide for welfarism.When the money flow stops the recipients of Tax money civil,public servants will strike all over the place .The Dolers, second generation immigrant jobless, will riot all over different cities and countries, because off government created envyism ghettoism and welfare vote buying.
Oh I forgot,the EU also has to contend with Tax competition,something they hate ,and use the OECD as the coercive body to bully smaller countries,but the wee countries are telling them to piss off ,thanks bit to god.