``..Consider the other 99.9999..% of industrial infrastructure on the other end of the wire that makes the nice little light bulb light..'' CG
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Okay, let's be even more literal. What is in that other 99.9999...%?
Consider the de-forested desert landscape where the rusted rail cars drop the strip mined coal (miners and rail workers early deaths and long term health costs) to burn (to warm up the planet) to help run the steam plant that runs the electric generator, and then consider sometime later a nuclear reacter was build to augment the aging fossil fuel burning power plant, and then subtract the nuclear part (but keep the cost) because of the build up of spent fuel rods and poor maintance, and Yucca Mountain, etc. and then turn that back on after some legislature dropped objections to the plutonium contaminated whatevers.... and you get a slightly more accurate idea of the `cost'.
Well forget that. Remember they rent the wire and the stuff that is supposed to come through the wire---electrons or their virtual ghost, the potential difference between nothing and something---and then remember they rent access to their wire from both ends and numerous places along the way, for that same virtual stuff, and then charge something to your landlord to connect to those wires, and then you rent his meter and wires that go to you place, and pay for that virtual stuff rated at some fabricated unit whatever it is. Then you turn on your rented switch for your one, dull light bulb you bought and claim, shit this is cheaper than candles.
Chuck Grimes