[croon]

> When government is unable or unwilling to act, business should not wait.

I hope this is all based in good intentions, and have no real reason not to believe so, other than past experience.

I just had this idea though: Seeing the current state of US regulatory capture; I wonder what would happen if companies that felt the way Marc Benioff claims he does (as well as the other companies in that roundtable) would just start paying the same lobby money as business has done previously, but instead ask for sane regulation, aiming for what they claim to be working towards.

If I was a politician beholden to corporate money, but also still had a sliver of a soul left in me, and was given the option of the same money, but to work for the people that elected me, I could actually get some real legislative work done. At least if the same was true for other representatives and senators.

Or campaign finance reform and outlawing outside payment to politicians, but that's a catch 22 given the above.

[BurningFrog]

If you don't lobby for your selfish interests, you'll get out-regulated by companies who do. Lobbying is not an optional luxury. You have to do it. At least in politically sensitive industries.

As a partially made up example, I'm guessing the plastic straw industry didn't think they had to lay a groundwork lobbying for their existence over the decades. And now they're dead.

[jiveturkey]

I see your point, but bad example. There isn't a plastic straw industry. There is a plastic industry and a restaurant supply industry. There is no single focus on straws ...

And no they are not dead. Get our of your bubble. The places where plastic straws are not allowed is tiny, tiny tiny.

[BurningFrog]

I'm in San Francisco. Straws are as hard to find as housing or republicans.

Glad to hear there is more choice in other areas. But... what starts in SF tends to spread.

[Qworg]

Well, some automakers are trying at least: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2019/07/25/california-and-major-autom...

[Aeolun]

At that point you just get paid more to make the wrong decisions again.

Buying the soul of politicians seem to be surprisingly cheap.