The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
Under communism in the Soviet Union, a burned-out lightbulb cost more than a brand-new lightbulb. You might think. “No way!”
This couldn’t possibly be true!!!
But it is…
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Under communism, when the government controlled the means of production, new lightbulbs had a fixed, relatively low official price. The problem was that not enough lightbulbs were produced and demand greatly exceeded supply. In the rare times when new lightbulbs did appear in government stores, massive lines formed to buy the lightbulbs, and they sold out quickly. The Soviet Union didn’t have supply and demand pricing.
But burned-out lightbulbs had a black-market price higher than the official price.
If you had a burned-out lightbulb, you could sneak it into a government building. Then you could find a working lightbulb, unscrew it, then screw in the burned-out bulb. Then you snuck the working lightbulb home!
Communism doesn’t work!
Rolf Lindgren is the Pints & Politics Director of the Republican Party of Dane County. He is a singer known as Wisco Rolf and his website is www.wiscorolf.com
