4 ms·

What I don't understand is why a bunch of entrepreneurial types (or at least this blogger for a web start-up site) would be in favor of more government regulati

by reedlaw 17y ago

What I don't understand is why a bunch of entrepreneurial types (or at least this blogger for a web start-up site) would be in favor of more government regulation.

thras 17y ago
Sometimes, though rarely, government regulation helps the entrepreneur more than it helps the entrenched players.
- reedlaw 17y ago
  Then why not just get rid of all of it and make a level playing field? Why favor entrepreneurs over big business, or vice-versa?
  - tolmasky 17y ago
    There is also a third player on the web which is non-businesses. Now, you may argue that there is no place for non commercial entities, and this may very well be a valid argument, but there is also an argument for the web being a place where data can flow without discrimination regardless of the capital behind it.
  - jeromec 17y ago
    reedlaw - I think you're too caught up with ideology. I'm now more libertarian than I've ever been, but I temper that wonderful ideology with real world considerations. Historical events in the U.S. have caused such imbalances that simply making "a level playing field" now, in many situations, would never self-regulate everything back into balance solely from free market principles. Even Ron Paul who is against pork barrel projects ideologically "brings home the bacon" with pork projects for his district because that is part of the reality of how government currently works. He would take heat for staunchly passing on it all. The best he has been able to do is purposely draft pork into legislation he knows will pass, then vote "No" on it himself for symbolism only. If we admit to ourselves that the world we live in is not perfect (and unlikely to change soon) then we ask ourselves should legislation be sensitive to that or guided only by ideology?
    - jeromec 17y ago
      reedlaw - I just read a recent quote which illustrates my point nicely: >The "biggest driver" for the more intense opposition to his administration's proposals, Obama told the network's "This Week" program, is more likely to be from people who are "passionate about the idea of whether government can do anything right." The president similarly told NBC's Meet the Press program that it is an argument "that's gone on for the history of this republic – and that is what's the right role of government? How do we balance freedom with our need to look after one another?"
  - derefr 17y ago
    You wouldn't just have to take away all the laws that created the monopolies, but also all the money those monopolies earned. Right now, they have accrued fiscal resource to the point where they no longer need legislative resource; they can simply buy their competitors (or the things their competitors need to get started) rather than relying on any governmental body to stop them.
jsz0 17y ago
Because many existing laws & regulations are bought and paid for by big business to preserve their dominant position through the use of legally sponsored anti-competitive tactics. You can't undo the past but you can make new laws & regulations to level the playing field some.
- bokonist 17y ago
  Then you should unwind the existing laws and regulations, not add a new regulation that will inevitably favor narrow interests. And if you cannot role back the existing detrimental regulations, what chance of success do you have making new positive regulation?
  - natrius 17y ago
    I can pretty much guarantee that eliminating the regulations that led to the current telecommunications oligopoly will not result in Bell competitors sprouting up all over the place. It's a done deal.
    - reedlaw 17y ago
      Why shouldn't it? Didn't Mint successfully take on Intuit? I don't understand this lack of faith in entrepreneurship in such a place as HN. Not just picking on the parent, but my downmodded question and the general fervor towards legislation such as "net neutrality".
      - natrius 17y ago
        Telecommunications is one of the most capital intensive industries in existence. Intuit is nothing like AT&T.
        reedlaw 17y ago
        What about after the airlines were deregulated? Didn't we get great prices and service from lots of newcomers? Would you rather we go back to airline regulation?

by reedlaw 17y ago

What I don't understand is why a bunch of entrepreneurial types (or at least this blogger for a web start-up site) would be in favor of more government regulation.

thras 17y ago

Sometimes, though rarely, government regulation helps the entrepreneur more than it helps the entrenched players.

reedlaw 17y ago
Then why not just get rid of all of it and make a level playing field? Why favor entrepreneurs over big business, or vice-versa?
- tolmasky 17y ago
  There is also a third player on the web which is non-businesses. Now, you may argue that there is no place for non commercial entities, and this may very well be a valid argument, but there is also an argument for the web being a place where data can flow without discrimination regardless of the capital behind it.
- jeromec 17y ago
  reedlaw - I think you're too caught up with ideology. I'm now more libertarian than I've ever been, but I temper that wonderful ideology with real world considerations. Historical events in the U.S. have caused such imbalances that simply making "a level playing field" now, in many situations, would never self-regulate everything back into balance solely from free market principles. Even Ron Paul who is against pork barrel projects ideologically "brings home the bacon" with pork projects for his district because that is part of the reality of how government currently works. He would take heat for staunchly passing on it all. The best he has been able to do is purposely draft pork into legislation he knows will pass, then vote "No" on it himself for symbolism only. If we admit to ourselves that the world we live in is not perfect (and unlikely to change soon) then we ask ourselves should legislation be sensitive to that or guided only by ideology?
  - jeromec 17y ago
    reedlaw - I just read a recent quote which illustrates my point nicely: >The "biggest driver" for the more intense opposition to his administration's proposals, Obama told the network's "This Week" program, is more likely to be from people who are "passionate about the idea of whether government can do anything right." The president similarly told NBC's Meet the Press program that it is an argument "that's gone on for the history of this republic – and that is what's the right role of government? How do we balance freedom with our need to look after one another?"
- derefr 17y ago
  You wouldn't just have to take away all the laws that created the monopolies, but also all the money those monopolies earned. Right now, they have accrued fiscal resource to the point where they no longer need legislative resource; they can simply buy their competitors (or the things their competitors need to get started) rather than relying on any governmental body to stop them.

jsz0 17y ago

Because many existing laws & regulations are bought and paid for by big business to preserve their dominant position through the use of legally sponsored anti-competitive tactics. You can't undo the past but you can make new laws & regulations to level the playing field some.

bokonist 17y ago
Then you should unwind the existing laws and regulations, not add a new regulation that will inevitably favor narrow interests. And if you cannot role back the existing detrimental regulations, what chance of success do you have making new positive regulation?
- natrius 17y ago
  I can pretty much guarantee that eliminating the regulations that led to the current telecommunications oligopoly will not result in Bell competitors sprouting up all over the place. It's a done deal.
  - reedlaw 17y ago
    Why shouldn't it? Didn't Mint successfully take on Intuit? I don't understand this lack of faith in entrepreneurship in such a place as HN. Not just picking on the parent, but my downmodded question and the general fervor towards legislation such as "net neutrality".
    - natrius 17y ago
      Telecommunications is one of the most capital intensive industries in existence. Intuit is nothing like AT&T.
      - reedlaw 17y ago
        What about after the airlines were deregulated? Didn't we get great prices and service from lots of newcomers? Would you rather we go back to airline regulation?