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Doesn't much of the US economy already work like this? "Don't make it illegal to do things that will cause harm but make people liable for when they do cause ha
by hnbad 1y ago
Doesn't much of the US economy already work like this? "Don't make it illegal to do things that will cause harm but make people liable for when they do cause harm"?
Of course due to the power imbalance of individuals against corporations and ordinary folks against billionaires it's usually very difficult to get reimbursed for the harm some will inevitably face and even when it succeeds it requires very expensive lawyers while the other side tries to stall for time - if the harm doesn't outright kill you or make you unable to seek reimbursement.
But yes, from a purely entrpreneurial point of view I can understand this desire. But at the end of the day the economy (and that includes the very concept of corporations, private ownership, public works, etc) exists to serve the people, not the other way around. People can exist without an economy. An economy can not exist without people (unless you consider simulations equivalent to the real thing). So in a way, increasing the potential for harm in the economy runs directly counter to the justification of the economy.
- zdragnar 1y agoPlenty of things are illegal for no reason other than they might cause harm. Speed limit laws on roads, fire hazard regulations in buildings, negligent discharge of a firearm, etc They tend to civil, rather than criminal, offenses, at least up until a certain level of severity or until they actually cause harm. The tricky bit with the corporations you mention is that responsibility becomes diffuse, unless there is concrete evidence of a direct order to violate the law. What you're basically asking for is to make people into scapegoats because it feels good, not because there's actual justice involved.
- potato3732842 1y ago>They tend to civil, rather than criminal, offenses, because accused criminals have rights and those rights would impede the building commissioner, health inspector, traffic cop, etc, etc, from levying fines. Fixed.
- potato3732842 1y agoThe parts of the US that HN likes to characterize as "developed" and "forward looking are the worst of both worlds. You do a million step bullshit process to get government permission to do a thing and then if it goes wrong you still get sued. And then the government exercises their discretion to screw you after the fact. The paces in the US that HN characterizes as backwards still for the most part do "seems reasonable, have fun" based permitting.