Saturday, January 31, 2009
Bubbles inside bubbles
Our "news" media exist in an amazingly isolated bubble. The news of today -- or rather the few stories that advance the Leninist cause -- passes through the membrane, but there is never any context, never any application of general knowledge, never any checking of numbers or facts. It appears that the inhabitants of the news bubble are Huxley's retarded Gamma types, with every minute a brand-new discovery.
Latest example: Obama's decision to allow California to make its own pollution regulations, reversing a Sultan Bush decision. The brand-R talking point heads say "Oh no! This will eliminate our freedom! If this goes through, we'll lose the right to choose any car we want! How in the world can Detroit manage this?" and the brand-D talking point heads say "About time. We need to start regulating emissions!"
Fact 1: Federal rules have limited the range of available cars since 1934. First New Deal limits on price and quantity, then WW2 limits on materials and prices, which continued through 1957, then safety and pollution rules starting in 1962 and growing stricter each year since then. We've never been able to "choose any car we want."
Fact 2: California has been setting its own emissions rules since 1967. Detroit has been adapting to this difference for 40 years. Cars have been manufactured in special California versions for 40 years. Anyone who has ever worked on cars or dealt with car specifications, has known this for 40 years. ¶ 3:04 PM
Latest example: Obama's decision to allow California to make its own pollution regulations, reversing a Sultan Bush decision. The brand-R talking point heads say "Oh no! This will eliminate our freedom! If this goes through, we'll lose the right to choose any car we want! How in the world can Detroit manage this?" and the brand-D talking point heads say "About time. We need to start regulating emissions!"
Fact 1: Federal rules have limited the range of available cars since 1934. First New Deal limits on price and quantity, then WW2 limits on materials and prices, which continued through 1957, then safety and pollution rules starting in 1962 and growing stricter each year since then. We've never been able to "choose any car we want."
Fact 2: California has been setting its own emissions rules since 1967. Detroit has been adapting to this difference for 40 years. Cars have been manufactured in special California versions for 40 years. Anyone who has ever worked on cars or dealt with car specifications, has known this for 40 years. ¶ 3:04 PM
