I work in a heavy equipment/semi truck shop. The torque wrench used on the wheel lugs is cal'd every 6 months, and the details are recorded. Similar to aviation work, everything is logged. 80,000 lbs at 65 mph causes a lot of oh shit in a hurry if something isn't right. At best its just massively expensive. Cal and double checking is absolutely necessary for everyone's safety, for our company reputation, and for the insurance lawyers.

I wonder if anyone else recalls the Mexico had a huge problem with NAFTA because the US insisted on being able to sell this shit there. Mexico's economy isn't the only thing that got destroyed by so-called "free trade".

Perverse incentives lead to perverse results. Management by nihilist bean-counters is concerned mainly with the next quarter's financials. Wall St. ultimately doesn't give a fsck as long as they get theirs. Longer-term thinking usually comes from the company's founders and engineers.

Funny thing about it is, all that shit happened anyway, regardless of unions. Its like the delusional assholes who think there is no motivation to get ahead in Russia because you won't make any more, when there are factory workers right here and now in America who have spent decades living on $12 an hour with no bennies. I have actually witnessed that conversation in person, several times.

Companies have been breaking those laws, or having them repealed/rolled back at every opportunity since then, including within the last year. It was in the headlines about child labor, wage theft, etc etc all reported (ironically) by the google news aggregator.

In a free market situation, both parties would have equal knowledge and negotiating power. Unions provide this for workers. Otherwise you peons will get whatever the employer thinks they can get away with. Source: decades upon decades of lived experience by millions including myself. Education and qualifications/experience had zero to do with it.

Actually there were articles about doing just this in the National Review during Clinton and Gingrich. Mid-1990's. So yes, it is indeed court packing as a political tool.

Has ERCOT paid off the families of those who died the last time ERCOT failed? And in what world is death OK?

You mean profiteering gluttons have nothing to do with prices? Wow, that's an interesting country.

American here. I think the UK has been in a downward slide since Thatcher. It's just accelerating noticeably. I think the UK *can* do independence, and do it well -- but restructuring their entire economy will take a few generations.

That's what craiglist is for. You'd be amazed at how a 30-year-old Maytag outlasts and outperforms the modern ones. As a bonus, the older machines were far more repairable, not single-use designed to take your money.

IMHO it's a result of being delusional. Where "delusion" is to have a very sincerely and deeply held belief, that is also completely and utterly wrong. I like to say that Americans excel at propaganda because they fail at History, and Critical Thinking.

Idaho vs New York

In a similar way, I have long held that we can do away with regulations such as EPA and OSHA just as soon as we do away with limited liability, and executives become personally liable for the actions of their companies.

Our society is owned and operated by those who cannot govern themselves, IMHO we need to start there.