tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post7456780983248949508..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: New TheoryAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-84611517050631918842012-09-16T04:19:07.383-04:002012-09-16T04:19:07.383-04:00So...as we become more exposed through electronic ...So...as we become more exposed through electronic media to more superficial, bizarre and unmediated 'news' stories, the public appetite for ever more control over society (laws against children riding bikes, Bernie Madoff, supermarket trolleys with wonky wheels) will become exponential.<br /><br />Whatever happened to the idea that life is a risk?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-25408623973292623002012-09-12T20:46:18.011-04:002012-09-12T20:46:18.011-04:00Don't just stand there, do "something!&qu...Don't just stand there, do "something!" Say that to Congress or a regulatory agency , and something stupid is what you get.Sam L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-43275714342012190092012-09-12T08:19:39.390-04:002012-09-12T08:19:39.390-04:00...and I feel like I left my comment half-done.
......and I feel like I left my comment half-done. <br /><br />It appears that when gasoline got kind-of-expensive (late 1970s, and possibly similar to the prices we see now when adjusted for inflation), the President and Congress said "there ought to be a law".<br /><br />Because news reports showed the pain that low-economy vehicles gave to their owners. But news reports didn't show the engineering/manufacturing hurdles necessary to produce high-fuel-economy cars.<br /><br />So they wrote a law.<br /><br />Possibly, the President and Congress were unaware of what foreign competition (who regularly built high-economy vehicles) could do to the American auto industry.<br /><br />More likely, they wanted to be seen doing something. So they did something.<br /><br />Politics driven by the news cycle...karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-15608904725408473002012-09-12T08:07:20.878-04:002012-09-12T08:07:20.878-04:00I guess this explains the wide variety of "th...I guess this explains the wide variety of "there ought to be a law" responses.<br /><br />Come to think of it, a government agency issues fines to automotive companies who don't sell enough fuel-efficient cars. There is a complicated formula for generating the Corporate Average Fuel Economy of a manufacturer's sales, and a fine is levied if it isn't high enough.<br /><br />You would think that if there was a market for more-efficient cars, the companies would build cars that are more efficient...karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-24899785069381068842012-09-12T02:01:26.651-04:002012-09-12T02:01:26.651-04:00There seems to be a need for some people, if not m...There seems to be a need for some people, if not most, to find fault in someone else, providing solace for their own shortcomings.<br />This 'critical thinking' is a natural human tendency, I would guess, but it does lead to easy acceptance of the first burst of information as sufficient to constitute 'a case' in the head.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-6785482096104965242012-09-11T18:44:23.028-04:002012-09-11T18:44:23.028-04:00Yes and the second time you say "Time and tim...Yes and the second time you say "Time and time again..."Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-63962290860988894082012-09-11T17:35:12.617-04:002012-09-11T17:35:12.617-04:00As we used to say where once I worked: One Exampl...As we used to say where once I worked: One Example Is A Trend (For Us).Sam L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-20628842119983651962012-09-10T21:10:28.843-04:002012-09-10T21:10:28.843-04:00Good observation. If the model you use for unders...Good observation. If the model you use for understanding the situation is derived entirely from the over-simplified news report, it will seem to have a simple solution that only needs enforcement.<br /><br />If your model of the wall says it is a blank surface, you will firmly believe that the most aesthetic/best fengshui location is the right place to put the knick-knack shelf. If you know where the studs are you may have a different idea.jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01792036361407527304noreply@blogger.com