Hello fellow anti-kakistocrats, this post is to announce that I am changing the name of this blog from "Rage Against the Kakistocracy" to "Kakistocracy Report". I mean, who needs all that rage, anyway? The Islamists are all enraged, and look where that's getting them. Occupy Wall Street are all enraged, and look where that's getting them. I don't need all that rage. My blood pressure is high enough already. I think "Kakistocracy Report" is pithier and easier to remember. It's not as grumpy.
I had originally modeled the name after the musical group, "Rage Against the Machine". I replaced "Machine" with "Kakistocracy", which I imagined to be equivalent, even though the original band members were raging against capitalism and the American work ethic. It was my way of getting even. There was a parody act who called himself, "Lounge Against the Machine". Maybe "Lounge Against the Kakistocracy" would work too. Some other names I considered include, "Kakistocracy Retort" and "Kakistocracy Update" (K.U., get it? My initials). Too clever by half, I decided. "Kakistocracy Report" it is. Same bat time, same bat channel (http://antikakistocrat.blogspot.com).
Showing posts with label Introduction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Introduction. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Engineering the US Federal Government
For the past 250 years, give or take, the US Federal Government has been designed, implemented, run and analyzed by lawyers, politicians, lawyers, economists, lawyers, historians, lawyers, "journalists", lawyers, a professional wrestler, lawyers, at least two actors, and maybe even a few lawyers.
I am an engineer by trade, and I could not help but notice that there have been remarkably few engineers in government. That's too bad, because I think we engineers would bring a good perspective to government. Engineering is one of the few professions that must deliver things that actually work. If we deliver a bridge that starts twisting in the wind and crashes into Tacoma Narrows, it is obvious who failed, and we lose our jobs. If we deliver operating systems or software applications that crash too frequently, we lose our jobs. If we deliver hard drives, DVD players, or high definition TV sets that don't work, we lose our jobs. If your power grid goes dark, guess what? If we deliver life critical systems such as medical equipment, airplanes, or nuclear power plants, and they fail, people die, we lose our jobs, and the lawyers come after us. We're ruined.
By contrast, politicians, lawyers, economists, and "journalists" (except for Dan Rather perhaps), can leave a wake of death and destruction a mile wide, and they usually manage to slither away from any responsibility for their mistakes. And the response is nearly always "we didn't do enough -- we need to enhance that last solution". For engineers, repeating the last failure with even more intensity is almost never our strategy. In addition, engineers understand natural systems, especially inverse feedback. Inverse feedback is what keeps electronic amplifiers stable, your body temperature at a constant 98.6F, and your cruise control at 65MPH. It also keeps prices and wages stable in a free, unmolested market. Too few people understand that concept. We need more engineers in government.
I am an engineer by trade, and I could not help but notice that there have been remarkably few engineers in government. That's too bad, because I think we engineers would bring a good perspective to government. Engineering is one of the few professions that must deliver things that actually work. If we deliver a bridge that starts twisting in the wind and crashes into Tacoma Narrows, it is obvious who failed, and we lose our jobs. If we deliver operating systems or software applications that crash too frequently, we lose our jobs. If we deliver hard drives, DVD players, or high definition TV sets that don't work, we lose our jobs. If your power grid goes dark, guess what? If we deliver life critical systems such as medical equipment, airplanes, or nuclear power plants, and they fail, people die, we lose our jobs, and the lawyers come after us. We're ruined.
By contrast, politicians, lawyers, economists, and "journalists" (except for Dan Rather perhaps), can leave a wake of death and destruction a mile wide, and they usually manage to slither away from any responsibility for their mistakes. And the response is nearly always "we didn't do enough -- we need to enhance that last solution". For engineers, repeating the last failure with even more intensity is almost never our strategy. In addition, engineers understand natural systems, especially inverse feedback. Inverse feedback is what keeps electronic amplifiers stable, your body temperature at a constant 98.6F, and your cruise control at 65MPH. It also keeps prices and wages stable in a free, unmolested market. Too few people understand that concept. We need more engineers in government.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
OK, Here's the Deal
The US Government is severely and grossly out of spec with the Enumerated Powers listed in the US Constitution. Any government that refuses to honor the contract between itself and We the People is untrustworthy and dangerous. Things have been getting gradually worse for a long time, with major inflection points during FDR's presidency, again during LBJ's presidency, and now the rampage that Barack Obama and this congress are inflicting on our individual liberty.
We are 100 years late for a constitutional uprising. I am not talking about a violent uprising (unless the kakistocrats do not back down peaceably). But we have to take back 100 years of government encroachment on the liberty guaranteed in the Constitution. If you look at the size and scope and oppressiveness of the US Government today, you can see that bringing it back into compliance with the Constitution is a daunting job, both politically and socially. People have become dependent on big government, and they have to be weaned off of it. Please see my proposal for a Limited Government Amendment to the US Constitution, permanently posted at the bottom of this page.
We are 100 years late for a constitutional uprising. I am not talking about a violent uprising (unless the kakistocrats do not back down peaceably). But we have to take back 100 years of government encroachment on the liberty guaranteed in the Constitution. If you look at the size and scope and oppressiveness of the US Government today, you can see that bringing it back into compliance with the Constitution is a daunting job, both politically and socially. People have become dependent on big government, and they have to be weaned off of it. Please see my proposal for a Limited Government Amendment to the US Constitution, permanently posted at the bottom of this page.
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