spicyusername
5 hours ago
Is the problem here NVIDIA or is the problem that our government doesn't function unless there's a pac funneling money into decision-making?
Hardly surprising to see a company with strategic interests strategically try to achieve them. A business exists to make money, and if pulling policy levers is required to make money, you'll see them try to pull the levers.
Reverse Citizens United and you solve these kind of problems at the source.
kzrdude
5 hours ago
It's worth listening to Lawrence Lessig, speaking in 2011, "Republic Lost" on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1AK56FtVc (It's a "Talk at Google")
I think he laid it out very clearly, but never found traction to try to change this (I don't think US Congress wants to be changed, though).
nielsbot
4 hours ago
PACs are an investment. You'd be stupid (principles be damned) not to invest. (Not defending this--this is the system that promotes wealth hoarding and theft of government funds)
bpodgursky
3 hours ago
The mundane solution is to give congressional offices more money for in-house staff with expertise on technical issues.
A lot of the "lobbying" is not really pressure groups, it's sort of a corporate-financed knowledge base congressmen can ask questions when they want to understand like, how to expand the semiconductor manufacturing base in their state. Of course it's not all altruistic on the PAC's part, but it is seen positively by individual congressmen because it solves a real need on their side they can't meet with underpaid 24 year old staffers.
y1n0
5 hours ago
Yeah I generally lean libertarian but I tend to agree with reversing citizens united.
cyanydeez
5 hours ago
So the first step down the lobbying-is-good-for-governance that both sides embraced was when they defunded the congressional research office. So a vital way in which congress "informed themselves" was basically minimized to the point that the only way for congress to now inform themselves is via lobbying and th eonly way to write complex legislation is via those lobbyings.
This is the endpoint of that effort and the people who pushed it most likely knew what they were doing.
user
4 hours ago
nonethewiser
4 hours ago
Can you first establish that there is a problem? I'm not sure what problem you are even referring to. It's just assumed.
Plont
4 hours ago
You can't be serious.
darkwizard42
4 hours ago
The problem is that it requires vast sums of money to influence politics.
That is the antithesis of how politics should function (people are the interest, not moneyed companies)
matheusmoreira
2 hours ago
Silicon Valley, the new lobbying monster.
148ag
4 hours ago
Certain general knowledge is assumed in adult conversations. Maybe not for sealions.
jollyllama
4 hours ago
GP username checks out.