Only tangentially related, but during the height of the Covid crisis I remember Taiwan's response was particularly efficient. The vice president of Taiwan from 2016-2020 was Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) - a man with a DOCTORATE in epidemiology.
The last time the United States had a presidential figure with any kind of STEM background was probably Jimmy Carter (bachelors of science and served as a navy nuclear engineer) - nearly 50 years ago.
ronsor · 1h ago
It's awfully bold to claim that the US is obsessed with making rules, and China isn't. China is similarly full of rules (in fact, likely moreso), but they have less rule of law, so they aren't enforced consistently. The US has more rule of law (for now), so enforcement is (was) more consistent.
And of course, if anyone's too good at making rules, it's the EU.
laughing_man · 39m ago
Well, okay. But China also has a lot of environmental and governance disasters. One thing lawyers help do is protect normal people from large companies and government officials who exceed their mandate.
Would you be okay with companies near you just dumping toxic waste into the local rivers?
tstrimple · 24m ago
I don't know what you're talking about. That is the current reality in the US. We have no recourse.
> Runoff and soil erosion continually pour dangerous chemicals into bodies of water statewide. The pollution starves fish of oxygen. It causes organic material to grow that threatens to sicken humans unless drinking water providers spend huge sums on decontamination. It similarly makes water unsafe for recreation. This spring’s heavy rainfall ended years of drought — and it also, as predicted, led to levels of nitrates in rivers above or near the highest on record.
gnerd00 · 1m ago
> We have no recourse.
This is just misinformation. This is an international board. Many readers will take this as fact. There are courts and there are laws on the books, and yes many cases are enforced. Not "enough" for some, "too much" for others.. it is a "Goldilocks Problem" .. comparing the situation across the USA does not make a lot of sense either, since State's Rights historically have played a big role.
laughing_man · 13m ago
I don't know what you're talking about either. Farm runoff is a whole different beast than mercury compounds or cyanide.
aurizon · 52m ago
The USA is run by too many dummies, China has a far higher number of graduates in tech, although China also has many 'purchased' degrees - the hiring of a winger to pass exams
bigyabai · 1h ago
But if you deregulate America, then you inherently create a market where lawyers rule. I'm fine with the status-quo.
JumpCrisscross · 1h ago
> But if you deregulate America
...how does building more and putting more engineers in positions of power mean deregulation?
To the extent the article has a position on this, it's for deproceduralisation. Not deregulation per se.
yetihehe · 51m ago
Implementing rules made by lawyers|engineers makes good environment for lawyers|engineers.
Deregulation implemented by lawyers|engineers makes good environment for lawyers|engineers.
Deregulation implemented by politicians or laypersons doesn't make good environment for engineers or lawyers. So yes, not all deregulation and not all regulation will be good for engineers.
Putting engineers in positions of power will mean that engineers will make and remove laws that are good for engineers. When engineers are happy with rules, they can FINALLY go do what they want which typically results in engineering products, which most people like after lawyers say things like "no, a steel sword is not a good educational toy for children". Reality is not simple.
The last time the United States had a presidential figure with any kind of STEM background was probably Jimmy Carter (bachelors of science and served as a navy nuclear engineer) - nearly 50 years ago.
And of course, if anyone's too good at making rules, it's the EU.
Would you be okay with companies near you just dumping toxic waste into the local rivers?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/disastrous-figures-show-poverty-i...
> Runoff and soil erosion continually pour dangerous chemicals into bodies of water statewide. The pollution starves fish of oxygen. It causes organic material to grow that threatens to sicken humans unless drinking water providers spend huge sums on decontamination. It similarly makes water unsafe for recreation. This spring’s heavy rainfall ended years of drought — and it also, as predicted, led to levels of nitrates in rivers above or near the highest on record.
This is just misinformation. This is an international board. Many readers will take this as fact. There are courts and there are laws on the books, and yes many cases are enforced. Not "enough" for some, "too much" for others.. it is a "Goldilocks Problem" .. comparing the situation across the USA does not make a lot of sense either, since State's Rights historically have played a big role.
...how does building more and putting more engineers in positions of power mean deregulation?
To the extent the article has a position on this, it's for deproceduralisation. Not deregulation per se.
Deregulation implemented by lawyers|engineers makes good environment for lawyers|engineers.
Deregulation implemented by politicians or laypersons doesn't make good environment for engineers or lawyers. So yes, not all deregulation and not all regulation will be good for engineers.
Putting engineers in positions of power will mean that engineers will make and remove laws that are good for engineers. When engineers are happy with rules, they can FINALLY go do what they want which typically results in engineering products, which most people like after lawyers say things like "no, a steel sword is not a good educational toy for children". Reality is not simple.