4 ms·

How about the FBI man up and seize the Sackler's $11B, eh? It's easy to pick on the small guy while the whale goes unpunished. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watc

How about the FBI man up and seize the Sackler's $11B, eh? It's easy to pick on the small guy while the whale goes unpunished. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaCaIhfETsM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaCaIhfETsM

spaetzleesser 5y ago
They don't have the courage to do so because billionaires and big corporations have way bigger budgets than the FBI or other agencies. They can overpower smaller guys though.
- ncphil 5y ago
  Not entirely accurate. Many years ago someone in the DOJ joked about how Bill Gates's billions were a "rounding error" for the US government. The problem isn't that the FBI is afraid of going up against the Sacklers. The problem is that they're afraid of going up against the Sackler's entire class. You know, the people that the political leadership of this country refers to as their "base".
  - spaetzleesser 5y ago
    The government budget is not one big pool of money. It’s split up between agencies and within agencies it’s split up between departments. The people who would go after the Sacklers have only a small fraction of the federal budget available to them. Unless congress gives them more money. That’s where your reference to the Sacklers class makes sense. Congress is not going to move against their donor class.
- Y_Y 5y ago
  In defense of corrupt bullshit, it's not necessarily a lack of courage that stops them taking on well-resourced targets. It would be much less likely to work, and there's much more money than they'd know what to do with. It would be downright irrational. I'd say that self-interest is a more likely explanation than cowardice.
a4isms 5y ago
"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protectes but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect. There is nothing more or else to it, and there never has been, in any place or time.” —Frank Wilhoit (the composer, not the political scientist) https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/#comment-729288 https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progre...
- KorematsuFredt 5y ago
  Perfect summary but I do not think it is fair to generalize this for "conservatives". This is true for entire American politics. The progressives for example come up with laws that harass their non-voters in rural areas for no good reason. A lot of these laws are around climate change and guns and about minding your own business.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - jfrunyon 5y ago
    Ah, right, trying to prevent the destruction of the only planet we live on is "no good reason"
    - KorematsuFredt 5y ago
      You are mistaking intentions for outcomes. California's higher energy prices are in the name of climate change but disproportionately impacts the "outer groups" who live in colder climates and need to burn fuel to stay warm. Where as tesla driving coastal "insiders" don't have to worry too much about it.
      - jfrunyon 5y ago
        > The progressives for example come up with laws that harass their non-voters in rural areas for no good reason. A lot of these laws are around climate change Keep moving those goalposts, bud.

spaetzleesser 5y ago

They don't have the courage to do so because billionaires and big corporations have way bigger budgets than the FBI or other agencies. They can overpower smaller guys though.

ncphil 5y ago
Not entirely accurate. Many years ago someone in the DOJ joked about how Bill Gates's billions were a "rounding error" for the US government. The problem isn't that the FBI is afraid of going up against the Sacklers. The problem is that they're afraid of going up against the Sackler's entire class. You know, the people that the political leadership of this country refers to as their "base".
- spaetzleesser 5y ago
  The government budget is not one big pool of money. It’s split up between agencies and within agencies it’s split up between departments. The people who would go after the Sacklers have only a small fraction of the federal budget available to them. Unless congress gives them more money. That’s where your reference to the Sacklers class makes sense. Congress is not going to move against their donor class.
Y_Y 5y ago
In defense of corrupt bullshit, it's not necessarily a lack of courage that stops them taking on well-resourced targets. It would be much less likely to work, and there's much more money than they'd know what to do with. It would be downright irrational. I'd say that self-interest is a more likely explanation than cowardice.

a4isms 5y ago

"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protectes but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect. There is nothing more or else to it, and there never has been, in any place or time.” —Frank Wilhoit (the composer, not the political scientist) https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/#comment-729288 https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progre...

KorematsuFredt 5y ago
Perfect summary but I do not think it is fair to generalize this for "conservatives". This is true for entire American politics. The progressives for example come up with laws that harass their non-voters in rural areas for no good reason. A lot of these laws are around climate change and guns and about minding your own business.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- jfrunyon 5y ago
  Ah, right, trying to prevent the destruction of the only planet we live on is "no good reason"
  - KorematsuFredt 5y ago
    You are mistaking intentions for outcomes. California's higher energy prices are in the name of climate change but disproportionately impacts the "outer groups" who live in colder climates and need to burn fuel to stay warm. Where as tesla driving coastal "insiders" don't have to worry too much about it.
    - jfrunyon 5y ago
      > The progressives for example come up with laws that harass their non-voters in rural areas for no good reason. A lot of these laws are around climate change Keep moving those goalposts, bud.