Current state of US vs. other times in US History
- Thread starter NM11046
- Start date
knapplc
Active member
This is just trading one set of guidelines for another, not solving any problem.
The federal government is not the boogeyman. We create it. If you don't like it, vote for different people than are in power now.
An uneducated electorate who votes primarily on one issue or simply name recognition gets us where we are today.
ActualCornHusker
New member
No... It's not...
It's saying that perhaps people in Utah would choose to feed their children at school differently than people in NYC, and they're not able to currently... Just as importantly as what would be how much
Landlord
Banned
Parents can still do that. Hooray for freedom!
You don't think locally powerful and power-seeking bureaucrats can be just as out of touch as the ones in D.C.? I mean I generally agree with a lot of principles of libertarianism but the way you're arguing for them makes them... not very compelling or convincing, especially because you're not following the actual conviction of your beliefs.
What local community? The state? The county? The town? The school board? The individiual school? Who's involved in the decision making process? How do the decisions get passed? What info are they based on?
You haven't provided any reason why the "local" people could or would do it better or more efficiently or in a way that addresses local needs and desires more effectively.
You know where that misinformation came from? The companies that benefit to make lots of money by people buying more grains and starches.
You know how they were able to get that misinformation through so well? Because there aren't any good regulations against lobbyists peddling lies for profit and getting in bed with our politicians. One of the very real dangers of stripped down and small government; you leave the door wide open for misinformation like that to propagate.
knapplc
Active member
Of course it is. You have to have a governing body, that body will set guidelines, and parents won't have a say.
This is the structure of every organization from the federal government down to the local PTA.
Let's say this plan is enacted, the feds no longer dictate what or how much food your kid gets at school. Your local overseers of school lunch determine that they want to provide less calories/protein than what federal programs have been providing. They base that off their understanding of what kids need, or simply what they can afford.
That's better?
ActualCornHusker
New member
That should be up to the local district to decide. I'm sure some would follow state-recommended protocol, some would choose to follow federal guidelines, and some would do something unique altogether... But they should have a choice.
A lot of that information comes from lobbied research, but a lot does not. Ever look at the ridiculous federal diet recommendations for diabetics? Who lobbied for that? Maybe it was paid for, but it appears to be terrible info disseminated by the federal govt.
I'm not opposed to anti-lobbying legislation depending on how it's implemented and what the language states. I think most regulations should be placed on government, not the other way around.
Regarding the bolded: As opposed to what? There will always be misinformation that's intentionally propagated for personal/business gain. Do you prefer the government to get behind that misinformation? Because that's what happens now... Large, powerful government filled with people who think they know better how to live someone else's life than they do is FAR more likely to spread misinformation and propaganda - because they have far more to gain by doing so as a result...
knapplc
Active member
Gain... like what?
Because businesses have far more to gain than government schlubs sitting at a desk. Businesses are going straight for your wallet, with zero pretense at being there to serve you. Government, meanwhile, is ostensibly created to serve the citizens. And when business or government doesn't serve our interest, we have a recourse to the government - we can vote them out. We can't do that with big monopolistic businesses.
Business must be regulated, by elected officials, or they prey on the working class. We're less than 100 years removed from some pretty hellish working conditions, but here we are with people wanting to take away the very safeguards we have against these predatory companies. Weird.
ActualCornHusker
New member
2 Questions:
1) How do companies exercise their power and influence?
2) Do large companies like or dislike regulations?
knapplc
Active member
1) In thousands of ways. Is there something specific you're getting at?
2) Depends on the regulation and the company.
NM11046
Donor
1). Why should they be able to?
2). Dislike - that's why they love Trump and the GOP, and why then invest so much in lobbyists.
ActualCornHusker
New member
1) The only way companies exert their power is through lobbying the government for special treatment, so I agree with you.
2) I think you'd be extremely surprised on this one. I will try to find it, but I recall a couple years ago watching an interview with a senator who told the story of when he was very new to politics at that level and lobbyists brought MORE regulation to him to pass. This is a tactic that large corporations use all the time today - they actually lobby for more rules and regulations because they have the scale already to be able to handle the added costs, and it makes it WAY more difficult for new competitors to be able to enter the marketplace and take market share from them. Have you asked yourself why Amazon is now supporting a $15 minimum wage? It's not out of the goodness of their hearts...
To clarify, certain regulations regarding welfare of workers and pollution absolutely should stay and be enforced. So before someone accuses me of being anarcho-capitalist, that's not what I'm advocating. There's just FAR too much regulation and unnecessary rules on the books currently - much more than almost every other country on the planet, including the nordic countries that people love to praise so much.
Landlord
Banned
It's fine that you think so, but you haven't given a why. Why should it be up to the local district to decide? Would they make a better decision? If so, why would they but not the fed?
I'm inviting you to give compelling reasons for your opinions instead of just the opinions themselves. I'm open to a good argument based on evidence of those decisions being more effective and less wasteful and better for citizens when they're done "locally".
Terrible info disseminated by the federal govt because deep pockets representing dairy, bread, corn, milk, meat, tobacco, so on and so forth are able to write blank checks to officials, and then lean on them when it counts afterwards in a way that benefits them but is harmful to the public. This is one part of reality that 'generic' deregulation/conservative/libertarian behavior and ideology creates.
NM11046
Donor
Will be interested in seeing that - and will research my thoughs to see if the facts back them up.
ActualCornHusker
New member
Another one that is worth looking into, as I haven't done so yet myself, is the vaping bans that are happening. I'd almost guarantee that there is tobacco money behind a lot of that - just as I'm sure there's a lot of pharmaceutical money that's been poured into making sure that marijuana and hemp are illegal.
Landlord
Banned
Big businesses want regulations to choke out competition. ie, they only want regulations when there is competition. If they have monopolized a market, then they'll fight to get rid of every regulation possible.
There is no such thing as "regulations = good" or "regulations = bad" across the board. And often the attempts in one way or the other can have unintended consequences and backfire to certain extents. But it's a damn important area to be mindful in and dedicated to good policy on.
There is no such thing as "regulations = good" or "regulations = bad" across the board. And often the attempts in one way or the other can have unintended consequences and backfire to certain extents. But it's a damn important area to be mindful in and dedicated to good policy on.