Creeping Complexity

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Taxcutter, Jun 19, 2013.

  1. Taxcutter

    Taxcutter New Member

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    Why is it that everything government touches seems to make life more complex for the average Joe and Jane?

    http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2013/06/18/the-complexity-creeps/?singlepage=true

    quote:
    “For the first couple of centuries of the industrial revolution, the goal of modernization was to make life simpler for the common man. The steam engine made transportation simpler, safer and faster than the stagecoach, whether it was a family or a package that was moving cross country. At the dawn of the 20th century, the automobile brought the same revolution for short term distances. It was also more hygienic than the horses it replaced.”

    “…I just hate how slow these gas cans are these days,” he grumbled. “There’s no vent on them.”

    Taxcutter never noticed because Taxcutter has old-style gas cans.

    Quote:
    “Soap doesn’t work. Toilets don’t flush. Clothes washers don’t clean. Light bulbs don’t illuminate. Refrigerators break too soon. Paint discolors. Lawnmowers have to be hacked. It’s all caused by idiotic government regulations that are wrecking our lives one consumer product at a time…”

    Taxcutter says:
    I feel the pain. My clothes washer and dishwasher won’t get the stuff clean without a dash of TSP. I drilled out the jets on my mower carburetor to get it to work right. Toilets (if they are not the $800 Japanese models) require three flushes to get the job done. As a tech-savvy engineer I can work around the sabotage to my life but most people just sit there and suffer.


    Quote:
    “It took one quick search. The whole trend began in (wait for it) California. Regulations began in 2000, with the idea of preventing spillage. The notion spread and was picked up by the EPA, which is always looking for new and innovative ways to spread as much human misery as possible.
    An ominous regulatory announcement from the EPA came in 2007: “Starting with containers manufactured in 2009… it is expected that the new cans will be built with a simple and inexpensive permeation barrier and new spouts that close automatically.”
    The government never said “no vents.” It abolished them de facto with new standards that every state had to adopt by 2009. So for the last three years, you have not been able to buy gas cans that work properly. They are not permitted to have a separate vent. The top has to close automatically. There are other silly things now, too, but the biggest problem is that they do not do well what cans are supposed to do.”

    Taxcutter says:
    Of course the EPA is the villain.


    Quote:
    “Instead of making labor-saving devices, they’re making labor-sucking devices.”

    “Quite simply, the next time your elected local or state official holds a press conference about global warming, the Middle East, or the national political climate, expect to experience poor county law enforcement, bad municipal services, or regional insolvency.”

    Taxcutter says:
    As America’s greatest engineer said: “Keep it simple, stupid.”
     
  2. Casper

    Casper Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    Hmmm second thread posted to day by you on the same exact topic.
     
  3. Taxcutter

    Taxcutter New Member

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    I don't see any duplicate of this.

    Governmental corrosion of our lives is an important topic. Why are you afraid to discuss it?
     
  4. Taxcutter

    Taxcutter New Member

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    Why does government hate the people so much?
     
  5. Sirius Black

    Sirius Black Well-Known Member

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    As an asthmatic I am glad that the government has made it harder for others to pollute the air I breathe. I am also glad that the water I drink has to meet standards. I am glad that the government shut down a business in my town that dumped toxic waste illegally causing an increase level of cancer and lowering homeowners property values. I am glad the medicine I take has been shown to be effective and safe. I am glad that the doctors and lawyers I may hire have to meet certain standards. When riding in a car down the inner state at 70mph I am glad the car I am in meets certain minimum safety standards...does this make me anti business?
     
  6. Taxcutter

    Taxcutter New Member

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    "...I am glad that the government has made it harder for others to pollute the air I breathe."

    Taxcutter asks:
    Are you glad that those same regualtions made everything more expensive and and drove jobs offshore?


    "I am also glad that the water I drink has to meet standards."

    Taxcutter says:
    Drinking water standards were in place long before government regulations came along. Water standards in the US came along because the steam locomotive required much cleaner water than humans. Railroads, as an operating necessity, imposed water standards



    "I am glad that the government shut down a business in my town..."

    Taxcutter asks:
    Are you glad the workers there are now on welfare? Are you glad the tax base in your town was eroded? Do you like payuing higher taxes and/or have less services? Do you pay taxes? might be a better question.


    "... increase level of cancer..."

    Taxcutter says:
    Says who? The government? Do you believe the government?


    "When riding in a car down the inner state at 70mph I am glad the car I am in meets certain minimum safety standards..."

    Taxcutter says:
    Are you glad it costs twice what it ought to and gets much less fuel mileage (due to the increased weight)?



    "...does this make me anti business?"

    Taxcutter says:
    It might make you anti-consumer or anti-taxpayer, and definitely a villain to the American worker.

    Tell the forum, how do your responses in any way refute the assertions that regulations make life more difficult that it should be.

    Do unvented gas cans improve people's lives?
    Do ineffective detergents improve people's lives?
    Do multi-flush (or incredibly expensive) toilets improve people's lives?
    Does unemployment improve people's lives?

    All of your "benefits" come at a price. There is no free lunch.
     
  7. Sirius Black

    Sirius Black Well-Known Member

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    SB evedently you don't care about the cost of anyone's lunch but your own
     
  8. yguy

    yguy Well-Known Member

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    Because complications tend to irritate people; and irritable people - who generally take their frustrations out on those they associate with rather than the real culprits - can be controlled.
     
  9. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

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    We do not need the EPA declaring your clogged drainage ditch a wet land and by refusing to let yuu fix the issue creating a breeding groud for misquitoes.

    We don't need endless rules and regulatons that don't make anything or anyone safer.

    In short, we do not need the federal govarnment trying to idiot proof our lives while using the civil court system as an enforcement mechanism.
     
  10. Taxcutter

    Taxcutter New Member

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    "SB evedently you don't care about the cost of anyone's lunch but your own"

    Taxcutter says:
    Odd. I thought exactly the same of you.
     

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