> The only fair system is to make everyone pay in (near) real-time for the actual cost relative to demand.
That's only "fair" if you're limiting your view to the specific transaction at hand.
The reason we try to make systems like this is because many of us recognize that when you zoom out, your definition of "fairness" has to change.
If you look at the whole current socioeconomic system, it's very clear that it is not fair to charge a family of 5 living on a minimum-wage salary (or even two or three) the same amount for a basic necessity like power as you charge a Silicon Valley billionaire—unless the amount you're charging is zero.
That's only "fair" if you're limiting your view to the specific transaction at hand.
The reason we try to make systems like this is because many of us recognize that when you zoom out, your definition of "fairness" has to change.
If you look at the whole current socioeconomic system, it's very clear that it is not fair to charge a family of 5 living on a minimum-wage salary (or even two or three) the same amount for a basic necessity like power as you charge a Silicon Valley billionaire—unless the amount you're charging is zero.