Thread: SOPA
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Re: SOPA
Old 01-23-2012, 04:09 PM   #45
KillerGremlin
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Default Re: SOPA

You know things are bad when Prof S is rallying for Ron Paul.

I kid, I kid....

I have a few observations, and a couple of questions that I want to ask as launching points for future discussion in this thread. My observation is that we now face a global crisis similar to the Religion vs. Government crisis that resulted in many revolutions in the 1700s and 1800s. The US Constitution is a system of checks and balances that attempts to limit government. I feel like the next big war is going to be a global war where we flush out both politicians and the business folks who pull the strings in politics. We need a separation of Government from Business/Lobbying. This is a topic well beyond my area of expertise...and obviously the Government needs to regulate ethical business practices so that we do not have another Great Depression. But you get the feeling that we need A) Transparency, and B) A law that prohibits conflicts of interest.

What is a conflict of interest? When someone who gets to decide on laws also receives funding that could influence that decision.

The US Political system is bloated beyond belief anyway. You don't need a billion dollars to run for President, or at least you shouldn't. And more importantly...if you are running a business...you shouldn't have elevated influence because you can throw money at a problem. Everyone should have the option to vote equally: whether you are a poor inner-city family or a billionaire CEO of some huge banking company.

My observations/questions:

It seems like the economy is going to get worse again before it gets better. How will that impact the state of government affairs?

There is a myth that the US doesn't manufacture things. That's not true. So I won't even go there. However, it seems like many of the industries that do a lot of lobbying are made up of FARTS: Forced ARTificial Scarcity.

The RIAA and MPAA shouldn't exist. They peddle an industry funded by FARTS.

Big Pharma also peddles an industry funded by FARTS. Medical pricing has inflated ridiculously over the past few years.

I'm sure there are other industries peddled by FARTS. If you kill lobbying, the RIAA/MPAA will disappear in a few years, I think. I think you will also see a huge drop in the cost of healthcare and medical expenses.

The issue is...there are wealthy, powerful people who want to sell American culture and profit on these FARTS. The goal of SOPA seems to be to spread FARTS to all corners of the world.

I honestly think that the world is going to be a shitty, depressing, dystopian society if we cannot nip this in the butt. You will have governments being strung along by a handful of uber powerful billionaires, while a lot of poor people will just manage to get by. You have laws like SOPA and the Patriot Act which allow the government the shortest route to imprison people for violating the wishes of people peddling FARTS. Pretty depressing.

Thoughts? What to do? Where to go? How do you stop the lobbying and create a separation of Business and Government, but still keep some of the necessary regulation...

To me, it is all about healthy boundaries. Your doctor or therapist doesn't hit on you because it is a violation of boundaries. Teachers shouldn't flirt with their students: it is a boundary issue. To some extent, you probably shouldn't fuck your coworkers....because it is a boundary issue. When you become a Congressman or a Governor or a Senator or the President, you shouldn't have certain conversations or accept money from groups/people/organizations that you will then go vote on.

The Government is supposed to support the interests of the people, not a few business CEOs.
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