President Trump: Making America Great Again...

[USUC]

I get it. You believe in a minimal level of regulation approaching zero as much as possible. I don't. I believe there is a place for regulation because there are bad and dishonest actors out there that will take advantage of an environment with minimal oversight. Any cuts to that should be done in measured manner. That's why we will just talk past each other.

I certainly don't believe that regulation is a primary reason for high healthcare costs (those being aging population, obesity, labor, a bloated healthcare industry). As for education and housing, those are largely, if not totally, locally regulated. That should be addressed at the local level. And most of these are for safety. I'm happy to live in a house that complies those minimum standards.

Fair enough. I'm much more cynical of the "good" that these bureaucracies actually do. Also, there just isn't enough money to sustain this level of bureaucracy.

For the record in not odd the belief that what this administration is doing is achieving the necessary cut backs in a smart way because they are being such assholes about it, I worry that it will set back the essential streamlining and efficiency measures needed. But I also think that what is happening is a natural consequence of a highly partisan civil service. Government employees, in particular federal employees, vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. They have injected politics into the civil service. A lot of this attack certainly against their politics.

[USUC]

Florists? No. Physicians, Teachers, Cops, Psychotherapists, Drivers who transport dangerous chemicals, pharmacists, even barbors. I think licensing and regulations are needed with areas like this. He have plenty of stories of how thinks went without it

Inner city women aren't allowed to do hair because... safety?

[myboynoah]

Fair enough. I'm much more cynical of the "good" that these bureaucracies actually do. Also, there just isn't enough money to sustain this level of bureaucracy.

For the record in not odd the belief that what this administration is doing is achieving the necessary cut backs in a smart way because they are being such assholes about it, I worry that it will set back the essential streamlining and efficiency measures needed. But I also think that what is happening is a natural consequence of a highly partisan civil service. Government employees, in particular federal employees, vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. They have injected politics into the civil service. A lot of this attack certainly against their politics.

I take issue with this. Until Trump came along I voted Republican. I was actually happy he beat Hillary. But everything since that time, especially the MAGAification of the repub party, has be very much an independent against Trump.

I'll write more later.

[LVAllen]

Fair enough. I'm much more cynical of the "good" that these bureaucracies actually do. Also, there just isn't enough money to sustain this level of bureaucracy.

For the record in not odd the belief that what this administration is doing is achieving the necessary cut backs in a smart way because they are being such assholes about it, I worry that it will set back the essential streamlining and efficiency measures needed. But I also think that what is happening is a natural consequence of a highly partisan civil service. Government employees, in particular federal employees, vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. They have injected politics into the civil service. A lot of this attack certainly against their politics.

From Michael Lewis, the author of The Fifth Risk:

And the idea that these people are lazy or stupid or dead weight on the society is — I think it's the most sinister idea alive in this country right now. I really do.

And I think — and it's because they are — they're very mission-driven people. They're very knowledgeable people. What they aren't is money people. You don't take these jobs to be famous — rich and famous. You take these jobs because you really care about the thing. And they're the government. And without those people, this [society] collapses.

It's not like the government is a tool that we might use to address the biggest problems we have. It's the only tool for most of the biggest problem. You're going to deal with climate change, that's going to be from the government.

If you deal — anything having to do with science and technology, all the basic research, the very basic research is done with government — through the government, because if it's not going to pay out in the next 10 to 15 years, industry doesn't want to have anything to do with it.

The future is driven by what the government does. And it has been in this country forever. I mean, you don't get the Internet without the government. You don't get the iPhone without the government. You don't get GPS without the government.

We are drastically cheating the future when we beat the government, the way we treat it. It's not just Trump. I mean, we have been doing this here for several decades, this — playing with the idea that the government's the problem, not the solution. He is just the ultimate expression of the problem.

And I think if it's like there is this exquisitely important machine that we have allowed, through our own neglect, to accumulate rust over the decades. And now he's come in with a sledgehammer. And, yes, we're going to play a real price if we don't pay attention.

That was in 2018. Maybe the issue isn't that government workers vote Democrat. Maybe it's that people who are drawn to public service, who want to help others and solve problems when there's little chance for large monetary benefit, don't vote Republican.

[PaloAltoCougar]

From Michael Lewis, the author of The Fifth Risk:



That was in 2018. Maybe the issue isn't that government workers vote Democrat. Maybe it's that people who are drawn to public service, who want to help others and solve problems when there's little chance for large monetary benefit, don't vote Republican.

I wish the Muskrats would read and truly understand that book, and stop hastily slashing away stuff they know little about.

[frank ryan]

Inner city women aren't allowed to do hair because... safety?

Exactly what I said. Verbatim

[BlueK]

Inner city women aren't allowed to do hair because... safety?

For virtually all of these professions mentioned, the licensing is at the state, not federal level, for what it's worth.

[myboynoah]

Hurry Hillbilly, run to Twitter and respond!

Then the Germans can hand you your ass wrapped up in a nice bow a la Pope Francis.

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[LVAllen]

Maybe Ukraine would gin up more support from MAGA if they called the Russian Army "Illegal immigrants" or "caravans from Moscow."

[frank ryan]

There is value in the constant debate and balancing act when it comes to regulations. A complete gashing of them is wildly dangerous for regular people. Counties have health departments for a reason.

"A Libertarian Walked into a Bear" is an interesting read that outlines how strict libertarianism doesn't work well in real life.


https://www.amazon.com/Libertarian-W.../dp/1541788516

Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched the Free Town Project, a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government. In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a barely populated settlement with one paved road. When they descended on Grafton, public funding for pretty much everything shrank: the fire department, the library, the schoolhouse. State and federal laws became meek suggestions, scarcely heard in the town's thick wilderness.
The anything-goes atmosphere soon caught the attention of Grafton's neighbors: the bears. Freedom-loving citizens ignored hunting laws and regulations on food disposal. They built a tent city in an effort to get off the grid. The bears smelled food and opportunity.
A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear is the sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying tale of what happens when a government disappears into the woods. Complete with gunplay, adventure, and backstabbing politicians, this is the ultimate story of a quintessential American experiment -- to live free or die, perhaps from a bear.

[frank ryan]

Oh brother.

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Let's all keep pretending Musk is acting out of positive intent. Meanwhile all the mechanisms to hold someone like him accountable are gutted, taxed, overburdened or politicized.

If Elon is so amazing and economically messianic, then did he allow this leak to happen? More likely, he is so careless he needs to be put in check. This should be a scandal.

[Jeff Lebowski]

How can it be this difficult to dismiss federal charges?

lol



Sounds like a job for the Hillbilly.

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Wow. Legend.

[Moliere]

Ha, I was waiting for you to weigh in. I did a google search. Is that even a federal entity? In other words, is it staffed by civil servants that might be subjected to getting let go?

I am curious as to why this body is so objectionable. What does it do? Why was it even established?

That’s a lot of questions. The idea of the PCAOB isn’t bad, but it’s staffed with lawyers and beaurocrats instead of former auditors that understand the profession. It’s way over grown its purpose and continues to add very little to investor confidence even as it’s staff, budget and power grow. It’s overreach is causing serious administrative costs to auditors and companies in the form of useless documentation.

It is a federal entity as far as I know. It was create by the Sarbanes Oxley act and the SEC appoints its board. It’s separate from the SEC but also kind of overseen by the SEC. It’s also stupid.

[myboynoah]

That’s a lot of questions. The idea of the PCAOB isn’t bad, but it’s staffed with lawyers and beaurocrats instead of former auditors that understand the profession. It’s way over grown its purpose and continues to add very little to investor confidence even as it’s staff, budget and power grow. It’s overreach is causing serious administrative costs to auditors and companies in the form of useless documentation.

It is a federal entity as far as I know. It was create by the Sarbanes Oxley act and the SEC appoints its board. It’s separate from the SEC but also kind of overseen by the SEC. It’s also stupid.

Well, the way you describe it, it sounds dumb and needs to be reformed.

The info page says "The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports." It also says that "The largest source of funding for the PCAOB comes from the companies whose financial statements must be audited by PCAOB-registered firms."

It's not clear to me that these are civil servants. It's primary funding does not come from taxpayer dollars. But maybe DOGE could do something about it.

[frank ryan]

Hurry Hillbilly, run to Twitter and respond!

Then the Germans can hand you your ass wrapped up in a nice bow a la Pope Francis.

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Saw this one coming a million miles away. The position that Trump/Vance really care about the average person's interests, safety and opportunities is going to get harder and harder to defend.