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The government could trivially shut down the internet. They could easily raid the ICANN and IANA offices in playa vista and shut down global DNS in about an ho

The government could trivially shut down the internet. They could easily raid the ICANN and IANA offices in playa vista and shut down global DNS in about an hour if they wanted. It's just a single floor, you could probably do it with 2 police officers. The chains that bind them from doing so are those of public accountability. A diligent public strangles the powers of a revanchist government. Again I agree with you there are regrettable policies that should be addressed. Governance offers us that mechanism. That's why it's preferable as an institution in deciding public policy. I'd rather have our imperfect government with their awful War on Drugs running the show than say Beyer, who marketed heroin to kids for mild ailments, or Purdue pharma which peddled opioids, you know, as late as last year, or the huxster Elizabeth Holmes or the price gouging Martin Shkreli or RJ Reynolds or any other profit seeking unaccountable entity. Replacing the FDA with say a board of Shkreli, Holmes and Purdue? Yeah, I'm sure that'd go just great.

scarface74 6y ago
And there you have it. When drugs were affecting the inner city it was all about “lack of morality” and being “tough on crime”. But when it started affecting “rural America” it was “let’s blame the drug companies” and “treat it like a disease”. I doubt people in the inner city or the people who “fit the description” wouldn’t feel the same way about the “War on Drugs”.
- kristopolous 6y ago
  Some corporations will kill people if there's a buck to be made and then intentionally cover their tracks. Pg&e, ge, bechtel, nestle, exxon, rj reynolds, purdue, beyer, exelon... The system as it stands is designed for people to "be as greedy as they can possibly get away with." Then there's this theory that is everyone is exclusively a conniving bastard trying to double cross everyone and snatch profits by stomping on everyone else, the world will be a functional happy place. Building a society by incentivizing what basically every religious text says leads to crime is a big mistake.
  - scarface74 6y ago
    Some corporations will kill people if there's a buck to be made and then intentionally cover their tracks. You have been watching what's going on with the police haven’t you?

scarface74 6y ago

And there you have it. When drugs were affecting the inner city it was all about “lack of morality” and being “tough on crime”. But when it started affecting “rural America” it was “let’s blame the drug companies” and “treat it like a disease”. I doubt people in the inner city or the people who “fit the description” wouldn’t feel the same way about the “War on Drugs”.

kristopolous 6y ago
Some corporations will kill people if there's a buck to be made and then intentionally cover their tracks. Pg&e, ge, bechtel, nestle, exxon, rj reynolds, purdue, beyer, exelon... The system as it stands is designed for people to "be as greedy as they can possibly get away with." Then there's this theory that is everyone is exclusively a conniving bastard trying to double cross everyone and snatch profits by stomping on everyone else, the world will be a functional happy place. Building a society by incentivizing what basically every religious text says leads to crime is a big mistake.
- scarface74 6y ago
  Some corporations will kill people if there's a buck to be made and then intentionally cover their tracks. You have been watching what's going on with the police haven’t you?