4 ms·

You created a fictional scenario and fictional people taking fictional actions, and then object to it all. I'm not sure that represents (other than a frustrated

You created a fictional scenario and fictional people taking fictional actions, and then object to it all. I'm not sure that represents (other than a frustrated narrator). I don't have the expertise or time to evaluate ambulance services, or water or police or road safety or much else; I have my own job to do. I don't want direct democracy, which is effectively what the comment describes (voting via checkbook). I like the republican model, where I elect representatives who study and decide these things for me. I call it "government".

humanrebar 10y ago
What makes you think elected representatives have more expertise and time to evaluate ambulatory for every municipality in the country? In reality they don't. They rely on (unelected, rarely held accountable) bureaucrats and lobbyists to make those decisions. As to fiction... the town is a real town. The programs are fictional. But there are actual examples of where the 'experts' are completely absent or otherwise less qualified than the average voter: bridges to nowhere; destroyers and jets built for the last war; subway tunnels that take 100 years to build; veterans hospitals that don't provide treatment; crop-specific agricultural subsidies. The list goes on and on. No president or congressman gets fired because they played favorites or funded even a multi-billion-dollar failed product. People vote on bigger issues (war, 'the economy') and identity. I don't know why calling those perverse incentives 'republican' or 'government' should make me feel better about it.
- hackuser 10y ago
  > What makes you think elected representatives have more expertise and time to evaluate ambulatory for every municipality in the country? They are experienced, full-time professionals in running government. I'm an experienced, full-time professional in IT; I know far less than they do about governing. Like any executive, they don't need expertise in every field under their purview - that would be impossible. But they know what goes into the executive-level decision; they have experts to advise them; they have aides, time, and other resources (e.g., funded studies) to study the question; and they are experts in and practitioners of the highest-order issue of every question, the politics. Not all of them are good at their jobs - which is no different than people in private companies (and in IT). That's the inescapable nature of humanity and human institutions, including voters and also the consumers you have so much faith in, until our AI overlords take over.

humanrebar 10y ago

What makes you think elected representatives have more expertise and time to evaluate ambulatory for every municipality in the country? In reality they don't. They rely on (unelected, rarely held accountable) bureaucrats and lobbyists to make those decisions. As to fiction... the town is a real town. The programs are fictional. But there are actual examples of where the 'experts' are completely absent or otherwise less qualified than the average voter: bridges to nowhere; destroyers and jets built for the last war; subway tunnels that take 100 years to build; veterans hospitals that don't provide treatment; crop-specific agricultural subsidies. The list goes on and on. No president or congressman gets fired because they played favorites or funded even a multi-billion-dollar failed product. People vote on bigger issues (war, 'the economy') and identity. I don't know why calling those perverse incentives 'republican' or 'government' should make me feel better about it.

hackuser 10y ago
> What makes you think elected representatives have more expertise and time to evaluate ambulatory for every municipality in the country? They are experienced, full-time professionals in running government. I'm an experienced, full-time professional in IT; I know far less than they do about governing. Like any executive, they don't need expertise in every field under their purview - that would be impossible. But they know what goes into the executive-level decision; they have experts to advise them; they have aides, time, and other resources (e.g., funded studies) to study the question; and they are experts in and practitioners of the highest-order issue of every question, the politics. Not all of them are good at their jobs - which is no different than people in private companies (and in IT). That's the inescapable nature of humanity and human institutions, including voters and also the consumers you have so much faith in, until our AI overlords take over.