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I agree with you. The bridge didn’t exist and a private company saw a need, so they built it. Clearly the private company was right considering the volume of tr

I agree with you. The bridge didn’t exist and a private company saw a need, so they built it. Clearly the private company was right considering the volume of trade that moves over it. Government planners have their own priorities, but it doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Waiting for central planners to make decisions as the ONLY way is always bad.

jacquesm 3y ago
That was fine. What wasn't fine is then to try to manipulate both the American and the Canadian government to stop building additional bridges. And it almost worked.
- brightball 3y ago
  On one hand I want to be outraged, but on the other I realize that corporate lobbying does this every day in other industries to try to lock out potential competitors and protect their territory. I don’t like it, but it’s pretty standard.
  - bombcar 3y ago
    It also happens the other way (but less attention is paid to it) - government bureaucrats will throw roadblocks ahead of attempts to build companies that they feel threaten their jobs. It's usually low-key and less obvious. You can blame the public, as you always can do in a democracy, but the reality is that there's only a limited amount of attention and outrage available, so if people "don't care" about something, it's easy enough to postpone it indefinitely. Usually some sort of disaster eventually brings it to the forefront and then the issues are solved. Many major infrastructure projects are this way - it's held up in court and other areas for decades, until a nearby bridge collapses, and then suddenly it's greenlit and moves forward.
  - latexr 3y ago
    Why does it being standard prevent you from being outraged? On the contrary, it should make you more furious that it’s normalised. Plenty of bad things used to be standard: slavery¹, doctors not washing hands between handling cadavers and assisting in births², radioactive children’s toys³, throwing feces out the window⁴. As a society we should aim to discontinue or change those standards to something better, but we can’t do it if we shrug our shoulders because something is already commonplace. That only makes the situation worse, as the industries which take advantage of that complacency and lack of information continue to thrive. ¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery ² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis ³ https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/holiday-toy-shopping-during-1950s-looked-bit-different-during-2020s https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/holiday-toy-shopping-duri... ³ Alright, not that one: https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/did-people-in-the-middle-ages-throw-excrement-out-windows.html https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/did-people-in-the-m...
    - brightball 3y ago
      Oh, don't get me wrong I am bothered that it's normalized. I'm also exhausted because it's so much. I'm just so used to it at this point that this particular instance doesn't seem like a big deal compared to everything else.
      - jacquesm 3y ago
        And that's how they win... These are all big deals and we should collectively and individually never allow ourselves to be pushed into apathy because it has become normalized.
        brightball 3y ago
        To clarify, I really don’t see this one as a big deal at all. Not even on the radar for me.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    > I don’t like it, but it’s pretty standard. Whether something is 'standard' or not has no bearing on whether it is ethical, productive, makes economic sense and in general improves society or not.
- vdaea 3y ago
  That seems like a problem with the governments, not the private company. If I ask the government for something unreasonable and they give it to me, you should blame the government and not me. I'm within my rights to ask for whatever I want.
- tengbretson 3y ago
  Between two governments and a guy that owns a bridge exactly who should I consider to be the adult in the room?
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    There is no reason that they can't all share some of the blame.

jacquesm 3y ago

That was fine. What wasn't fine is then to try to manipulate both the American and the Canadian government to stop building additional bridges. And it almost worked.

brightball 3y ago
On one hand I want to be outraged, but on the other I realize that corporate lobbying does this every day in other industries to try to lock out potential competitors and protect their territory. I don’t like it, but it’s pretty standard.
- bombcar 3y ago
  It also happens the other way (but less attention is paid to it) - government bureaucrats will throw roadblocks ahead of attempts to build companies that they feel threaten their jobs. It's usually low-key and less obvious. You can blame the public, as you always can do in a democracy, but the reality is that there's only a limited amount of attention and outrage available, so if people "don't care" about something, it's easy enough to postpone it indefinitely. Usually some sort of disaster eventually brings it to the forefront and then the issues are solved. Many major infrastructure projects are this way - it's held up in court and other areas for decades, until a nearby bridge collapses, and then suddenly it's greenlit and moves forward.
- latexr 3y ago
  Why does it being standard prevent you from being outraged? On the contrary, it should make you more furious that it’s normalised. Plenty of bad things used to be standard: slavery¹, doctors not washing hands between handling cadavers and assisting in births², radioactive children’s toys³, throwing feces out the window⁴. As a society we should aim to discontinue or change those standards to something better, but we can’t do it if we shrug our shoulders because something is already commonplace. That only makes the situation worse, as the industries which take advantage of that complacency and lack of information continue to thrive. ¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery ² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis ³ https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/holiday-toy-shopping-during-1950s-looked-bit-different-during-2020s https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/holiday-toy-shopping-duri... ³ Alright, not that one: https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/did-people-in-the-middle-ages-throw-excrement-out-windows.html https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/did-people-in-the-m...
  - brightball 3y ago
    Oh, don't get me wrong I am bothered that it's normalized. I'm also exhausted because it's so much. I'm just so used to it at this point that this particular instance doesn't seem like a big deal compared to everything else.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      And that's how they win... These are all big deals and we should collectively and individually never allow ourselves to be pushed into apathy because it has become normalized.
      - brightball 3y ago
        To clarify, I really don’t see this one as a big deal at all. Not even on the radar for me.
- jacquesm 3y ago
  > I don’t like it, but it’s pretty standard. Whether something is 'standard' or not has no bearing on whether it is ethical, productive, makes economic sense and in general improves society or not.
vdaea 3y ago
That seems like a problem with the governments, not the private company. If I ask the government for something unreasonable and they give it to me, you should blame the government and not me. I'm within my rights to ask for whatever I want.
tengbretson 3y ago
Between two governments and a guy that owns a bridge exactly who should I consider to be the adult in the room?
- jacquesm 3y ago
  There is no reason that they can't all share some of the blame.