I agree with your thought. At the same time, things have to be really studied to determine the best way forward. The questions really come down to,. “how can we prevent this, what will that cost, and is it worth it?”
One option everyone has is to get their own place and procure their own generation plant. Of course, that would be very expensive.
Or should we just say the free market failed us and let’s try government run everything?
I don’t think it has to be an either/or. You can have the advantages of a free market with accountability to the public for those who oversee it.
A problem with big-entity capitalism, IMHO that the corporate boards of directors who kill companies and/or screw things up for normal people almost never see jail of face the direct wrath of the people, thanks to the ‘corporate veil’, much like the qualified immunity of police. People should be 100 percent responsible for that which they have control over, regardless of corporate status or any other legal stratagem.
None of that means a free and flexible market isn’t the best way to allocate resources (with some societal obligation to help those in GENUINE need, IMHO).