4 ms·
It's cute that people still get worked up about stuff like this, as though they're honestly surprised that legislators are bought and sold. Here's the thing: t
by duncan_bayne 15y ago
It's cute that people still get worked up about stuff like this, as though they're honestly surprised that legislators are bought and sold.
Here's the thing: the system is broken, and it impossible to fix. It will fail, though, and that's when there's an opportunity to replace it with something better (or, something far far worse).
- narrator 15y agoYou go against the big media companies and their news services will make sure you don't get elected again. The news networks pick who wins and who loses elections. Propaganda works. Look at all the legislators who signed the net neutrality pledge. They were all defeated, 100%. http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/127441-every-candidate-supporting-pcccs-net-neutrality-pledge-lost http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/127441-e...
- gbelote 15y agoWhile you may be right in that the system won't be fixed, the correct response is to not get worked up about it and sit around waiting for the system to fail. It's not like government will disband and people will look around and say "Ok, that didn't work. Anyone have any other ideas?" Keep getting worked up, and keep making noise about it. More people need to care more.
- yuhong 15y agoYea, it is not impossible to fix if people would simply wake up in time for the next election.
- knieveltech 15y agoYeah? Wake up and vote for...who? Neither side of our current two party system has made noteworthy improvements. So...it's election day....I'm wide awake...and who am I supposed to be voting for?
- JamesBlair 15y agoA naive question: we have a lot of wealthy people sympathetic to the idea of a minimal government, why aren't they buying legislation that prevents this blatant corruption?
- russell 15y ago"Minimal government" is just a slogan used by the people who are buying our government. Their idea of minimal government is eliminating the EPA, fewer bank regulations, and the like. Homeland security, more IP laws, restrictions on privacy? Oh, we have to make some sacrifices for our own security
- politician 15y agoIndeed, the other day I heard some guy on the radio talking about how garbage collection should be provided by the private marketplace rather than as a government service paid for by taxes. Look, that might be a cute experiment in New Hampshire where the population is described in terms of villages, but not in any serious metropolis. I probably should have called in and explained the tragedy of the commons.
- anamax 15y ago> Look, that might be a cute experiment in New Hampshire where the population is described in terms of villages San Jose's garbage service is nominally provided by a private firm. What is it about garbage service that you think requires govt employees?
- anigbrowl 15y agoSan Jose's garbage service is nominally provided by a private firm. Under contract to the city. The competition happens at the tender level, it would be highly inefficient to have multiple garbage pickup companies vying for the business of each individual resident. Past experience with private fire engine companies and the like suggests that this would end badly.