|
Jump to navigation
Interesting rant on how the government doesn't really suck at everything...![]() Here is a link to a screenshot of a rant posted on www.4chan.org. The /b/ forum is general host to scat pics, sex, anti-scientology, racism and anything else that is even marginally offensive. But occasionally are these gems. Here is the text below, corrected for grammar and readability: This morning, I was awoken by my alarm clock, powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly (and) regulated by the US department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state and federal Departments of Transportation (DOT), possibly stopping to purchase fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door, I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school. After work, I drive my NHTSA car back on the DOT roads, to a house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshall's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables, thanks to the local police department. I then log onto the internet which was developed by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right. OK...here are some corrections/comments: - Most weather satellites are made by private industry but REGULATED by NASA - The FCC has WAY overstepped its authority with respect to censorship...but it is good at regulating the frequencies on which stations send their broadcasts - The NHTSA is not the greatest example of a well run organization with the whole Toyota debacle - The EPA doesn't regulate the quality of the fuel - that is the Department of Energy - The Federal Reserve is a private industry and should be abolished (Go Ron Paul!) So yeah...the government does do things right, from time to time.
Category: News
Posted 03/23/10 by:
sleze
CommentsRCorbi wrote:
06/01/10 00:57:45
sleze wrote:
- Any sufficiently large organization will become mired down in bureaucracy because there needs to be standard processes for doing things. This is due to the fact that employees are human and without the accountability of a small firm, people will cut corners/take advantage of the organization. What goes wrong is when the processes run amok, which is what happens in all too often in governments. But large private organizations suffer the same problems. Try to get a privately owned HMO to accept a referral the first time without "losing it" and denying your claim.
- NOAA is also the best in the world at forecasting the weather (the best details are never actually released to the Weather Channel). - PECO has been providing power to Southeast PA for as long as I can remember. PSE&G does the same for South Jersey, I believe. Although I have heard about being able to get electricity from green energy companies, they come through power lines owned by PECO. Also, all my natural gas is owned/transported by PECO. It is more of a monopoly than Verizon has on telephone calls (now that VOIP is taking root). The whole point of the rant is in response to people characterizing healthcare reform as the socialization of medicine. Although many conservatives probably feel that Glenn Beck and O'Reilly are idiots, they have a great influence on HUGE numbers of the public. During the healthcare debate, they each referred to Obama's plans as socialized like 4 times a show. Yes, Mr. 4chan's references have nothing to do with the economics of socialism vs free market. They have to do with identifying government run or regulated agencies that silently do work that we rely on without the use realizing it. Great comments, Ryan (albeit 2 months after the fact). Want a regular column on the website?
06/01/10 07:36:33
sleze wrote:
"without the use" = "without us"
I'm not sure what I was going for when I wrote that. "Without the user" perhaps?
06/01/10 09:30:38
Add Comments |
||
| Blog by Nucleus | Design by Ringtones | Chinese Bad Words - 破壞性的自由 | Tunisian Bad Words - الحرّيّة التّخريبيّة | ||
- NIST is a group of laboratories with zero regulatory power. It is essentially a Commerce-dept.-funded Consumer Reports.
- the Naval Observatory is under the purview of the (ahem) Navy and has a narrowly-defined mission: be the best in the world at positioning, navigation, and timing.
- The DOTs are horribly inefficient. DOT projects are reliably past-deadline and over-budget.
- There is no public power monopoly. There are a great many privately-owned power companies throughout the country.
The biggest problem with government-run agencies is that they tend to be bureaucratic, with all of the inefficiencies that entails. Having a specific, narrowly-defined mission at the outset helps.
The 4chan author/poster is also largely ignorant about the distinction between federal, state, and municipal control. S/He's also apparently ignorant about what 'socialism' is.
Socialism does not mean "government-regulated". It does not mean "government-funded-but-with-no-regulatory power". And it certainly does not mean "run by the local town council".
Socialism is the ownership of all means of industry and production by a central, national government. As it's usually used, it means the centralization, on a national scale, of local services (including utilities). So: decisions about the water supply in Auburn, WY, or what temperature the thermostats are allowed to be set at in Fairbanks, AK, are determined by a board or individual in Washington, DC.
Very few of those who oppose the transformation of the US medical system into universal Medicare are anarchists. We're not anti-government -- we are anti-too-big-government, and especially anti-out-of-control-politicians.