[latj]

Here is an alternative account of what has happened.

The government is trying to reduce protections of civil liberties, the environment, etc.

Why?

Because the party in control of the legislative and executive branches are removing those protections.

Why?

Because it is in their best interest and because they promised to do so in their election campaigns.

Why?

A. Because their corporate sponsors want less regulation.

B. Because their supporters want less regulation.

Why?

Because less regulation means more profits (If you ignore the environmental and human costs).

And, because many Americans equate regulation with infringement of their personal freedom.

We need to stop assuming that bad things are happening because a few bad apples tricked roughly half the population to support them. They are making America great again. Look at any point in time before now in American history and you will find less civil liberty, more oppression of workers, and more destruction of the environment. It was promised. Its being delivered. And no one was fooled. It is straight up whathalf the population asked for.

[pnathan]

I'm sorry for not responding to your post earlier.

> We need to stop assuming that bad things are happening because a few bad apples tricked roughly half the population to support them. They are making America great again. Look at any point in time before now in American history and you will find less civil liberty, more oppression of workers, and more destruction of the environment. It was promised. Its being delivered. And no one was fooled. It is straight up what half the population asked for.

You're correct by and large. I won't get into the remarks on the (effective) propaganda efforts Fox & crew have done. Much deception has happened there.

But, this specific bill is troublesome in part because the lawmakers often are very ignorant of what's going on, much like many of the senior judges in the US. This is one part generational divide, one part tech avoiding law, and one part lobbying. Some of that is avoidable by engagement, and if adult geeks had realized this in the 80s & 90s instead of disengaging from politics, the world would be different.

[kartan]

> Because less regulation means more profits (If you ignore the environmental and human costs).

This is completely false. Less regulations helps the status-quo as companies stop to need to be innovative. And it helps old-fashioned contaminating industries.

> Look at any point in time before now in American history and you will find less civil liberty, more oppression of workers, and more destruction of the environment. It was promised. Its being delivered.

Yes. That's it. And that's why so much powerful people want bad schools and worse education. If people knew how the world works, they will be less prone to populism.