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It's interesting to see the negative reactions to this post, which makes me think there is some uncomfortable truth being expressed that hits close to home. I w

It's interesting to see the negative reactions to this post, which makes me think there is some uncomfortable truth being expressed that hits close to home. I won't be surprised if some buecratically inclined take this to heart & foster buercratic innovation. That being said, I resonate with the post. I have no interest in being a manager nor do i wish to be managed...but am interested in mastery of craft. I noticed there is much complexity lock-in in the tech ecosystem offerings & strive to strip away these complexities to uncover at the heart of the functionality. Tech solopreneurs & small teams still have a profound impact on the ecosystem & are empowered to bring innovation as a tide that rises all boats...to distill the essential functionality & focus on the essential complexity (within my control) to improve our conditions. There's all sort of different people & we have the ability to practice what we love & bring value to others. Edit I'm sure Lachlan will find it amusing that this post was flagged on HN. It does help to have a thick skin in light of critique...especially in the game of innovation. It is difficult to respect someone in a leadership position who cannot handle a critique...just sayin

Brian_K_White 3y ago
If there are any valid points in the article, the critiques shown here are also valid, and seem all in all to outweigh. Every bad or ultimately invalid ideology or philosophy that appeals to anyone, necessarily has some sort of bits of rationality here & there to hang all their other arguments on to do that appealing. When a conservative or libertarian wants to sell the idea of deregulation, there are legitimate examples of disfunctional regulation to point to. When a neoliberal statist wants to sell the idea of abolishing guns or home schooling or cryptography or anonymous cash, there are legitimate examples of individuals misusing their individual agency to harm others. Those examples are real, and any sane person should agree those specific stories are bad outcomes, but that does not mean they actually support the argument or that the larger argument or philosophy is valid. It's wrong that Bill Maher can't build a shed. That does not mean that therefor the entire concept of building codes, zoning, epa regulations, etc are wrong and life would be on the whole better and saner without them. I think the bits of truth in this article are like that.
- briantakita 3y ago
  > I think the bits of truth in this article are like that. It's fascinating that the article inspired some people to flag it. > It's wrong that Bill Maher can't build a shed. That does not mean that therefor the entire concept of building codes, zoning, epa regulations, etc are wrong and life would be on the whole better and saner without them. I do not interpret the OP arguing for the abolishment of the bureaucratic class & regulations. I think such talk is akin to art or architecture...people see beauty in things that they desire to move toward & an aversion against what they want to move away from...so the "art" or discussion skews toward a painting of a world free(r) from bureaucratic rules. To your earlier point about taking ideas/philosophies too far...the article seems to imply that bureaucratic class is pushing for TOTAL bureaucratic control over the lives of everyone. That they want to take as much money & agency from everyone else...and I agree. Despite the work of innovators around the world, why are things so messed up? Why are there so many poor people? Why are resource rich countries full of starving people? Why are the profits of the commodities sold by these resource rich countries not distributed into the hands of the people? That being said, there are many rules in the building codes, zoning, epa regulations that overtly or covertly diminish the quality of life of people. Some jurisdictions allow one to buy some cheap land, live in camper while building an alternative structure on it to save money...and many don't. It is also difficult to find small plots of land not run by an HOA which have their own building codes, such as a minimum square footage/footprint & style of the house. These sort of laws do nothing to improve the quality of life of people. They do cause housing to be more unaffordable & buffer the rentier class. The EPA & some state environmental agencies enforce rules, in ways that are often counter-productive to restoring environments. Oregon has put people in jail for building a pond, which is used to capture water in a permaculture setting (slow, sink, spread). Florida has until recently banned home gardens for many people. The fires in Lahaina was made worse by poor water & land management. Upstream water rights are sold as long-term contracts to large corporations. Lahaina once had canals & the land was full of native agriculture & water management...not anymore. Nobody is arguing to remove all regulation, but the over-regulation, taxation, & a cultural mandarin class imposes their vision on the rest us. They work for & facilitate the transfer of wealth from the have nots to the haves. Over regulation stifles innovation & promotes the interests of bureaucrats & their funders who grow wealthy even when they are a net loss to the rest of society (which they often are). People in many other countries are given the freedom to build & live in ways not allowed in the US...and find success & happiness with their effort. Why are we so restricted here in ways that have nothing to do with safety or the environment? The language used to justify actions & rules may sound plausible, but it's the implementation & the effects that really matter.

Brian_K_White 3y ago

If there are any valid points in the article, the critiques shown here are also valid, and seem all in all to outweigh. Every bad or ultimately invalid ideology or philosophy that appeals to anyone, necessarily has some sort of bits of rationality here & there to hang all their other arguments on to do that appealing. When a conservative or libertarian wants to sell the idea of deregulation, there are legitimate examples of disfunctional regulation to point to. When a neoliberal statist wants to sell the idea of abolishing guns or home schooling or cryptography or anonymous cash, there are legitimate examples of individuals misusing their individual agency to harm others. Those examples are real, and any sane person should agree those specific stories are bad outcomes, but that does not mean they actually support the argument or that the larger argument or philosophy is valid. It's wrong that Bill Maher can't build a shed. That does not mean that therefor the entire concept of building codes, zoning, epa regulations, etc are wrong and life would be on the whole better and saner without them. I think the bits of truth in this article are like that.

briantakita 3y ago
> I think the bits of truth in this article are like that. It's fascinating that the article inspired some people to flag it. > It's wrong that Bill Maher can't build a shed. That does not mean that therefor the entire concept of building codes, zoning, epa regulations, etc are wrong and life would be on the whole better and saner without them. I do not interpret the OP arguing for the abolishment of the bureaucratic class & regulations. I think such talk is akin to art or architecture...people see beauty in things that they desire to move toward & an aversion against what they want to move away from...so the "art" or discussion skews toward a painting of a world free(r) from bureaucratic rules. To your earlier point about taking ideas/philosophies too far...the article seems to imply that bureaucratic class is pushing for TOTAL bureaucratic control over the lives of everyone. That they want to take as much money & agency from everyone else...and I agree. Despite the work of innovators around the world, why are things so messed up? Why are there so many poor people? Why are resource rich countries full of starving people? Why are the profits of the commodities sold by these resource rich countries not distributed into the hands of the people? That being said, there are many rules in the building codes, zoning, epa regulations that overtly or covertly diminish the quality of life of people. Some jurisdictions allow one to buy some cheap land, live in camper while building an alternative structure on it to save money...and many don't. It is also difficult to find small plots of land not run by an HOA which have their own building codes, such as a minimum square footage/footprint & style of the house. These sort of laws do nothing to improve the quality of life of people. They do cause housing to be more unaffordable & buffer the rentier class. The EPA & some state environmental agencies enforce rules, in ways that are often counter-productive to restoring environments. Oregon has put people in jail for building a pond, which is used to capture water in a permaculture setting (slow, sink, spread). Florida has until recently banned home gardens for many people. The fires in Lahaina was made worse by poor water & land management. Upstream water rights are sold as long-term contracts to large corporations. Lahaina once had canals & the land was full of native agriculture & water management...not anymore. Nobody is arguing to remove all regulation, but the over-regulation, taxation, & a cultural mandarin class imposes their vision on the rest us. They work for & facilitate the transfer of wealth from the have nots to the haves. Over regulation stifles innovation & promotes the interests of bureaucrats & their funders who grow wealthy even when they are a net loss to the rest of society (which they often are). People in many other countries are given the freedom to build & live in ways not allowed in the US...and find success & happiness with their effort. Why are we so restricted here in ways that have nothing to do with safety or the environment? The language used to justify actions & rules may sound plausible, but it's the implementation & the effects that really matter.