The Sea is Red

[BuckarooBanzai]

Re: The Sea is Red

Our leaders are lawyers for a reason. Our nation is a democratic republic, theirs is a technocratic, totalitarian dictatorship. Engineers are not effective in leadership roles in democratic governments but they can excel in appointed and unelected positions. Conversely, lawyers could never successfully rule a technocratic, totalitarian dictatorship. Each system has its strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. I'm still bullish on our system in the long run for the simple reason that while it's less efficient it's more flexible and resilient. Theirs is efficient but brittle. I get the sense that when things finally start to go wrong in China they'll keep going wrong.

Hmmm...lawyers. Maybe this is a good time to revisit The Myth of the Rule of Law.

http://faculty.msb.edu/hasnasj/GTWebSite/MythWeb.htm

[HisHighnessDog]

Re: The Sea is Red

While I haven't given up hope on the US' ability to remain innovators, I think we are tripping all over ourselves attempting to give away our advantages. Andrew Grove spoke about this recently (see below), calling attention to how we've systematically tossed away all the advantages that come from the performing "scaling process" that takes an innovation from concept to full scale production. There are enormous opportunities for innovating in this space, and we just give those away.

Additionally, we also have to contend with endemic IP theft by the Chinese. Try to make a profit selling software in a nation where 97% of it is stolen, and the government turns a blind eye to all manner of IP theft.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...ndy-grove.html
"... Startups are a wonderful thing, but they cannot by themselves increase tech employment. Equally important is what comes after that mythical moment of creation in the garage, as technology goes from prototype to mass production. This is the phase where companies scale up. They work out design details, figure out how to make things affordably, build factories, and hire people by the thousands. Scaling is hard work but necessary to make innovation matter.

The scaling process is no longer happening in the U.S. And as long as that’s the case, plowing capital into young companies that build their factories elsewhere will continue to yield a bad return in terms of American jobs..."

[vinoveri]

Re: The Sea is Red

Our nation is a democratic republic, theirs is a technocratic, totalitarian dictatorship.

Our Constitution establishes a democratic republic, but as a nation we are moving closer to a bureaucratic totalitarian state and the lawyers are key to this development. Lawyers interpret laws and regulations. The more laws and regs, the more lawyers needed, and a vicious cycle accelerates. The executive branch, comprised of only 2 democratically officials generates more regulations, by and for lawyers, than any other (think EPA, OSHA, and the like).

From Enemy of the State

"we've spent hundreds
of thousands of dollars...
on shyster lawyers
just like you...
because of shyster lawyers
just like you."

"Actually, I believe the slur "shyster"
is generally reserved...
for Jewish attorneys.
I believe the proper slur
for someone like myself...
would be, uh,
"eggplant. "