595
"Government abandons attempt to electrify lighting, says it's unfair to flammable technologies"
Believe it or not, there actually was an effort to block electric lighting. Because it was someone’s job to walk around the neighborhoods and light all of the streetlights. And “protect the jobs” has historically been a really awful argument against technology.
Has the argument been awful, or just the outcome?
I mean, when have those who lost their jobs due to technological obsolescence actually been looked after directly, rather than left to fend for themselves?
Historically speaking, new technologies tend to create more new jobs than they destroy.
load more comments
(6 replies)
An economist visits a site where a canal is being dug. He asks the foreman why the workers are digging with shovels, when a diesel-powered excavator could do the work of a hundred men. The foreman explains that the canal is a jobs project.
The economist exclaims, "Why didn't you say that it was a jobs project earlier?! These men should be digging with spoons!"
load more comments
(2 replies)
In my brother's neighborhood, more than half the houses have gas fueled porch lights. They burn 24/7, because no one wants to remember to turn the gas on/off with the sun or to light them every night. These are homes built in the last 40 years: the gas lights were a 'quaint' fad.
Jfc.... That's mental, how long have they had those?
I'd never be able to use that, I'd be too worried some shithead would manage to shatter the housing and start a fire
...OK but I used to work in a neighborhood where a bunch of people had actual, period exterior gaslights left over from the 19th century. They had been upgraded with digital timers and stuff. Automatic shut-off/restart. That's ridiculous!
load more comments
(1 replies)
Sounds like Elron got involved and started whining
"We are eliminating the automotive safety standards because they are unfair to the dangerous cars"
actual clown logic
Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what they did.
techcrunch.com/2025/04/10/nhtsas-self-driving-safety-staff-reportedly-disproportionally-affected-by-doge-cuts/
Well? What do you think DOGE did, in addition to grabbing up everyones' data?
load more comments
(1 replies)
Major telecommunication companies collected billions of dollars through state rate increases and tax breaks since the 1990s under the promise of building high-speed fiber-optic networks, but largely failed to deliver the fully realized infrastructure.
So we pay, nothing happened, and now out of fairness, deal with it?
Brilliant!
I think they got like 100 billion or more, might have been several hundreds, in the Obama years, never delivered. Then a later administration, I think Biden's, gave them another such deal.
Probably just a bribe to buy access for projects like PRISM.
load more comments
(1 replies)
so much for a government of the people, by the people, and for the people
When was that ever the case?
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(1 replies)
Technologies have more protection against discrimination than people?
They can't fire Mitch McConnell, it would be unfair to all the living senators.
load more comments
(2 replies)
"Unfair" to telecoms who essentially stole billions from the American taxpayers and didn't build out what was promised
Twice, in Verizon's case
FCC too corrupt to function
Slower technologies like Starlink. Yup.
"Government clousures toilet factories, says it's unfair to diaper companies"
Dont give them such great ideas.
At present, it is impossible to predict long-term technological developments and the evolution of consumer preferences.
Ah yes, it is impossible to know whether a consumer will still want faster Internet in the future. They could enjoy the retro experience of a dial up modem making noises when connecting.
Or maybe the internet will be locked up by new terrible laws and high speeds are not needed for the allowed content.
DEI tech.
That's the fucking point!
Soon the US will be manufacturing external 28.8 kbps modems with a SCSI interface using steam powered tools.
Excuse me I prefer my pixels, packets, and kilobits delivered by horse drawn carriage thank you.
load more comments
(1 replies)
So that's why vaccinations are dialed back, right? It's unfair to diseases?
jfc, you really do get the government you deserve, lol /s
load more comments
(1 replies)
There is still ISDN in the US and it's still there to uphold artificial scarcity and price fixing. Broadband in the US is basically neutered to ensure that the ISPs can buy cheaper equipment and maintain high pricing.
It's also why they wanted to remove network neutrality, so they also could gouge small data centres and make backroom deals with big tech giants.
I know you may hate the word "data centre", but if the small ones can't compete, say goodbye to any form of competition.
load more comments
(2 replies)
They will literally make arguments for affirmative action and reparations as long as the beneficiary is a rich corporation instead of a human in need.
It's no longer the land of opportunity, it's the land of mediocrity.
Those poor cable companies with their outdated tech.
So we now go back to dialup?
load more comments
(2 replies)
Turtles are great and all, but dammit I want my pipes fast.
Ah yes. In Germany we call this "Technologieoffenheit" and do not consider internet speeds, but car's.
So they're in favor of net neutrality?!
Thanks Elon.
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2026
595 points (99.3% liked)
politics
31574 readers
3009 users here now
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles. Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
- Articles must be relevant to US politics and contain quality and original content. Social Media adjacent hosts like Substack are allowed, but ONLY if they tie back to a company/subsidiary. No personal or friend group blogs and no self-promotion. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and re-hosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing other users of being bots or paid actors.
- No memes, trolling, misinformation, or low-effort posts/comments (including reposts). If you see posts like this that anger you, do not engage. Report, block, and live a happier life than they do. Any slap-fight is subject to comment removals. Fights full of rule violations will result in temporary bans to cool off.
- No manipulating votes via bots or alt accounts; this will result in permanent bans. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in an account ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be permanently banned.
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules and use critical thinking when reading, posting, and commenting. Users that repeatedly have comments or posts removed, weaponize reports, or violate the code of conduct, will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users. The reason(s) behind moderator action(s) are publicly available through the Modlog.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS