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Originally Posted by All Darc
So, it's in danger of self destroy, like kids playing with gasoline in a home with no grow-up around.
Hard to change the laws with congressman in the pocket of huge corporations.
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It goes back to the Upton Sinclair quote Al Gore used in An Inconvenient Truth,about 'It's hard to get someone to understand something when the their salary is dependent upon them not understanding it.'
One Congressman says something to the effect of,'You don't want to upset the folks who brought you to the dance.'
And in capitalism-speak it makes perfect sense.Capitalists like a secure investment environment with no surprises.And if things are going to change,they'd like 12-years to rearrange their investment portfolios,so as to be positioned to take advantage of emerging industries,while industry,eclipsed by new technology withers on the vine.
It costs a lot of money to campaign for election and re-election.If you'll just kinda hold your place and not really do anything of consequence,you can have a long and illustrious public career.
In 1975 I had dinner with my dad,at the home of Graham Purcell,US Congressman from Texas,in Alexandria Virginia(if I remember correctly).Graham and my dad grew up together in Archer City,Texas.My dad loved his friends,and if he was ever within 500-miles of one,he'd make an attempt to visit.
Graham,a trained attorney, spoke of the magnitude of legislative paper that crossed a Congressman's desk,and how they all relied on their staff to help them navigate the morass of paperwork,often totally deferring to staff,and signing upon nothing more than their recommendation.It sounded busy!
There's probably a lot of well-meaning folks in government,but the system isn't designed for grand gestures and broad strokes of the brush.
Play along,or find yourself buried in committee after committee,with no time to look up,let alone do anything for the constituents back home.
The system here is designed for slow,incremental change.Freshmen Congressman/women can promise anything they want during a campaign,but once they get inside the beltway in Washington,all bets are off.