[LarryMullins]

"The fault" isn't some finite and indivisible thing that needs to be assigned to only one group of people. Politicians are at fault for not cracking down on scammers, and the scammer contractors are also at fault for being scammers. One does not diminish the other, stop thinking of fault as zero sum.

[mrlonglong]

I disagree. It is the Government's responsibility to its people to ensure buildings remain safe during earthquakes. If their building regulations are not being obeyed then it is their job to enforce it. It is their responsibility.

[raincom]

In the third world, building contractors collude with politicians and bureaucrats. This is a mutually reinforcing mechanism.

[Kinrany]

While it's not zero sum, government policies create competitive pressure, potentially creating a situation where only scammers can compete.

Heavily fining the whole industry and using the money to finance new companies being created would likely still be a better policy than letting them off the hook though.

[ilyt]

But if it isn't politician's head on the line they won't do shit

[dotancohen]

Now I realize why it's called a fault line.