tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163586920292933440.post8985319354374985904..comments2023-10-16T01:04:27.653-07:00Comments on Generation Patriot: A Q&A Session with ProgressivesJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10701922461580640235noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163586920292933440.post-2243689379503682062010-08-18T09:58:15.779-07:002010-08-18T09:58:15.779-07:00Thanks for the answer to my question. I'd like...Thanks for the answer to my question. I'd like to first address this statement:<br /><br />"Now that we have tried the government meddling approach, what would happen if the government actually did step back from business? If we want business out of the government, we must first get the government out of business."<br /><br />I'll agree that in theory this approach would lead to less lobbying, but to suggest that the diminished presence of a referee of some kind would lead to better behaviour by big business, in regards to the problems I mentioned, is just absurd. Having less regulation or more lobbying are just different means to the same end, which is disaster caused by the profit-driven recklessness of big business. Massey and BP were indeed poorly regulated, but saying that <i>less</i> regulation might have prevented those tragedies is like saying that leaving a child alone in a room with a plate of cookies, without any instructions or warnings not to eat them, would leave you with some cookies to enjoy upon returning to that room. If, as a libertarian, you're happy with the idea of less regulations on those industries even if it means frequent disasters and death, so long as those businesses can still be successful, then I don't really know what to say in response to that.<br /><br />As for DWRRA, I have heard of it before. It might have been on this blog that I read about it, actually. But to say that deepwater drilling is more or less risky than shallower offshore drilling seems erroneous to me. The day-to-day operation of those rigs is safe enough by comparison. Lots of oil companies make it work on thousands of rigs. The BP explosion was caused by a series of irresponsible safety violations, and a cozy relationship with the agencies that were supposed to be tough on addressing those violations. it wasn't caused because drilling that deep is more risky. The risky part is the cleanup and plugging of the hole in the oil wells at that depth. BP's lack of preparedness revealed an overall lack of preparedness across the board, as it was discovered that all the major oil companies had the same useless cookie-cutter spill response plan. Would a lack of regulations have made that response plan any better?<br /><br />And as for the recession, trust that I am no fan of the Fed. In fact I look forward to seeing this audit that's supposed to happen sometime next year. While the Fed is definitely part of the problem, some decent rules to prevent the entire world economy from being shaken by the actions of a handful of banks would have been nice. Unfortunately the financial reform plan, after being severely watered down from a strong bill to a useless document in the house and the senate, will not help in addressing the route of these problems in Wall Street. And after being the instruments of that watering-down by bowing to their big bank lobbyists under the lie that they're protecting the interests of small banks, the Republican party will turn around and lay the blame on Obama and the Dems when the bill fails to protect us from the next big dive. In the name of free enterprise, we're all screwed.Leenoreply@blogger.com