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Discussion » Questions » Finance » Should your electric bill be based on your income?
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Should your electric bill be based on your income?

Posted - April 16, 2023
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Responses


  • 5451
    The idea sounds good on paper and I understand why people would want to do it that way.  That’s the system my doctor uses and it’s also the system my school district uses for the price of school lunch.  The school lunch program‘s billing isn’t nearly as bad as my doctor’s billing but the system creates a ton of extra paperwork for the customer. This post was edited by Livvie at April 17, 2023 1:58 PM MDT
      April 16, 2023 4:14 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    School lunch is normally a Federal program that assists those who need it for lunch fees.  
    I only know of one place around here that has an income based program for medical....they refer to it as a sliding fee. I think the patient only has to fill out the income paperwork once a year. But I do not think it is a gov program. 
     
    I do not like the idea for electricity. There are programs that help people with their electric bills. I would have a problem even giving that kind of information to my electric company to start with. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
      April 16, 2023 7:43 PM MDT
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  • 5451
    When I was in high school, my parents submitted their income statements to the school district and the school district told them how much my school lunches would cost.  I had a school lunch account that my dad paid so at lunchtime, my lunch was always there.  My twins are still in preschool.  Next school year, they’ll be in kindergarten so I’m going to find out exactly how paying for school lunch works this autumn.
      April 16, 2023 8:06 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    In our town you could buy a McDonald's Happy Meal for less than they charged for daily lunch.  Unless you received free/reduced  (.50 a day) lunches. 
      April 17, 2023 5:02 AM MDT
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  • 5451
    I had to look this up.  I actually don’t take my kids to McDonald’s so I didn’t even know the price of a happy meal.

    Average price of school lunch in the poorest school district in my state: $0.30

    Average price of school lunch in my state: $2.55

    Hamburger Happy Meal: $3.69

    4 piece Chicken McNugget Happy Meal: $3.99

    6 piece Chicken McNugget Happy Meal: $4.49

    On average, your district is charging way more for school lunches.
      April 17, 2023 11:37 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    A regular priced school lunch in my town was $4.00 in 2020.  (I no longer have children in school so I do not know the cost now but I am certain it has not went down.)
      April 18, 2023 5:43 AM MDT
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  • 2999
    Yes, that is a good idea. 
      April 16, 2023 5:49 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    Personally, I would not like sharing my income information with my electric company.  
      April 16, 2023 7:44 PM MDT
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  • 844
    To answer this question, I first looked up the difference between Communism and Socialism because I thought that could influence my answer.

    What I found is that the theory of socialism sounds like a good system and communism sounds like the same system as run by human beings with all of their inherent flaws.

    That was no help. But what about those countries that have successfully established universal health care. Some of those countries got it right.

    It seems that the success of such a program would depend on how the rules were written and the competence of the government agency in charge of executing it. So, the answer is maybe.
      April 16, 2023 6:56 PM MDT
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  • 5451

    I try to avoid using the word socialism because while it has a definition in the dictionary, it means something completely different to different people.  If an American tells someone from another country that their country is socialist, they’re just going to start an argument.  This just inspired another question, lol.

    Basically, nobody wants to be North Korea but a lot of people want to be northwestern European countries.


     

    This post was edited by Livvie at April 18, 2023 11:16 PM MDT
      April 16, 2023 7:15 PM MDT
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  • 844
    That's why I looked it up. As you see, doing so was no help at all!

    On the other hand, the comparisons you made with you doctor's billing and the school lunch program are more appropriate.
      April 16, 2023 7:24 PM MDT
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  • 5451
    I’d rather have the system my family members in Colorado have.  They have the option to pay for their doctor visits up front.  The price they pay is a lot cheaper than what the doctor would pay the insurance company.  It probably costs more in the long run, but cutting out the insurance company makes it super convenient.  There’s no waiting one, two or three months to get the bill for the remainder of what the insurance company chose not to pay.  My doctor doesn’t give me option of paying up front.
      April 16, 2023 7:40 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    To my knowledge this is not a government program but it was ordered my the government. I do not think the gov is paying any of it...so I do know if it qualifies as socialism or not. 
      April 16, 2023 7:47 PM MDT
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  • 17596


    "There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism - by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide."

    Ayn Rand Favorite Ayn Rand (1988). The Ayn Rand Lexicon: Objectivism from A to Z
      April 17, 2023 1:47 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    It is a matter of who owns the means of production.....in communism it is the government.  In socialism, it may or may not own but definitely is in control. 
      April 17, 2023 5:31 PM MDT
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  • 17596
    No.  We should pay for what we use.  Government wanting to pay for "stuff" is simply building a voting block.  Don't confuse that with caring.
      April 17, 2023 1:50 PM MDT
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  • 34283
    Absolutely it is not caring...it is control. 
      April 17, 2023 5:33 PM MDT
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  • 844
    After reading everyone's posts, I would not be in favor of it.

    A lot of good input folks!
      April 17, 2023 8:23 PM MDT
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  • 1817
    No but I think speeding tickets should be
      April 18, 2023 10:53 PM MDT
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  • 13277
    Quite impractical, unless the patrolman is supposed to ask for license, registration, and income tax return.
      April 18, 2023 11:18 PM MDT
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  • 1817
    maybe based on the value of the car they are driving.  if someone is speeding in a car that costs a quarter of a million dollars a 150 dollar fine is likely nothing to them and hardly a reason for them to stop speeding. 
      April 18, 2023 11:26 PM MDT
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  • 13277
    That’s BS as well. The car someone is driving isn’t always one they own or have the means to buy. It’s just a ridiculous idea on many levels.
      April 19, 2023 5:12 AM MDT
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  • 1817
    If someone has the means to even rent a Lamborghini they have the means to pay a ticket based on the value of that car. Don't speed and you have nothing to worry about
      April 19, 2023 7:09 PM MDT
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  • 13277
    I'm not speeding and I don't even own a car. You're the one who brought it up.
      April 19, 2023 8:38 PM MDT
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