[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

So: if folks naturally and normally try to break the rules, isn't it better to have a handful of sensible, easily understood, demonstrably enforceable regs than volumes of overblown, self-conflicting, arcane, almost impossible to enforce regs?

Ideally, yes, but enforceable is the problem. In a country founded on living by the rule of law, the courts decide. That means the law has to cover every conceivable end run, or the law has to say you have to follow the rules made by X agency that cover every conceivable end run.

Isn't 'mind your own business, keep your hands to yourself, or else' better than 10,000 loophole-plagued codifications that favor the guy with the fatter wallet?

OK I'm minding my own business and keeping my hands to myself while my business is poisoning the water supply, the air, or food. That doesn't work. Like Pittsburgh back in the day, the people who made the city a nightmare lived out of town where the air and water were safe.

When did I bring up capitalism? I didn't, but: since 'you' did...
I've been unambiguous: I'm no fan of capitalism. By defintion, it favors 'capital' and therefore lends itself to melding with 'state'. I favor 'free enterprise' which is all about the individiual.

I brought it up because as you well know, that's reality, that's what we live under.

Capitalism (even the state capitalism we're saddled with now) can be self-regulating cuz the folks who transact 'can' self-regulate. Absolutely, capitalism (in any form) discourages self-regulation. Much easier to bilk folks who've been taught to 'not' cover their own keisters (who've been taught to rely on others for protection), but this is not the same as sayin' capitalism (more accurately, 'capitalists') 'can't' self-regulate.

The only time they self regulate is when it's part of collusion between themselves to screw us.

I'll concede tte point, however, since -- at this late stage of American capitalism -- it's unlikely the big fish will ever play by the same rules foisted up on the small fry.

Agreed.

So: do we toss capitalism out and replace it with state socialism? We're more than half way down that road already. Here's the thing: at some point state capitalism becomes indistinguishable from state socialism. The Central Commitee or Politburo is really no different than the Board of Directors.

Tossing them out is a pipe dream, they won't quit without a fight and have the money, guns, and lawyers to win.

Now, I know we have democracy (one man, one vote) as the bulwark against the concentration of power, but -- really -- how's that workin' out for us?

When you and me step into the voting booth, we merely get to choose from a selection arranged by other folks, folks we don't know, don't have the ear of; folks with agendas that may not mirror our own.

We think we can reform the process by addin' layer after layer of regulation to it, but, practically speaking, we just muddy the water makin' it easier still for us to get hoodwinked.

The only way to fix it is to be involved from selecting the dog catcher on up, and not leave the selection to others until we get in the voting booth. I know I'm guilty, I went to the primary election a couple weeks ago only because of a referendum to buy another piece of ground for open space and saddle the taxpayers with an 8 million dollar mortgage for the next 30 years. But anyway, of all 30 odd candidates running, I didn't know one... even the ones who may have been running for reelection.

So: I suggest, have suggested, will continue to suggest, we should move in another direction, one encouraging self-direction and -responsibility for each and every one, where 'government' is properly seen as limited proxy, where corporation stands as naked to the world as the corner independent. Remove 'their' protections and privilege, don't chain and hobble 'me'.

Yep, some stuff, some people, are gonna get (really 'need' to get) wrecked. Killing' cancer isn't easy or painless. Healthy cells are whacked hard gettin' to the cancerous ones.

*shrug*

'nuff said (cuz nobody agrees or gives a shit anyway).

I wouldn't say nobody agrees, I think most people feel it can't be done, (see money, guns, and lawyers), so the best we can do is pressure legislators to protect the public from them with regulations. Not ideal, but maybe possible.