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U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

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Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#81
post #16

I think this is pretty consistent with the old school 1950s views of the current administration. Companies can prioritize profits over people again. Yeah, dump in the rivers, dump in the woods, just drive around in circles dumping in an empty lot. You don’t need masks- give everyone cancer and blow some shit up, maybe get some acid burns. Super-fund sites? When was the last one we had anyway- we need more of ‘em- lot…

> I think this is pretty consistent with the old school 1950s views of the current administration. The effects are functionally the same, but I think the ideology and rhetoric behind then and now have changed. There really isn't a purportedly "principled" system of logic behind these decisions, in the past these decisions would be dressed in principled rhetoric no matter how heinous they realistically were. They aren…

The 1950’s were when the US set up many of the post war institutions that are being dismantled now. Maybe you mean the 1850’s? (Though I’d guess the government was probably more forward looking back then too.)

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's always a matter of time before a facility explodes for preventable reasons and costs the company billions in property damage and lawsuits. This decision to stop learning from mistakes and spreading awareness will hurt profits in the long run, not make more money. It'll also be harder to find people willing to work around chemicals if they can't trust the safety measures.

Funny as it sounds, the real problem (or at least one of them) is that no one cares about long run profits anymore.

Why do profits, and the stock market, continue going up then? I've heard this nonsense about corporate short termism for decades, and the long term just never seems to arrive.

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#83
post #16

I think this is pretty consistent with the old school 1950s views of the current administration. Companies can prioritize profits over people again. Yeah, dump in the rivers, dump in the woods, just drive around in circles dumping in an empty lot. You don’t need masks- give everyone cancer and blow some shit up, maybe get some acid burns. Super-fund sites? When was the last one we had anyway- we need more of ‘em- lot…

[flagged]

You're being down voted but you're right.

Bringing manufacturing back is a stated goal of this administration.

Nevermind that you're not going to convince an American to work for Chinese wages in a sweatshop. Ignore that.

But the intended outcome of everything Dump is doing is to de-emphasize advanced education, bring back all basic manufacturing, and restore the "traditional" American values (white, straight, Christian). It's an absolutely stupid idea, but he's been pretty clear about it.

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#84
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CSB investigations still represent an objective source of truth which competes with the PR that companies put out absolving themselves of blame in the event of any mishap. Removing the CSB frees up companies to "self-regulate" and blast out bogus framings.

> an objective source of truth An alternative source with different incentives and culture, not an objective one.

That's technically true but underplays the extent to which company self-enforcement PR is malicious nonsense at odds with reality. Companies are amoral piles of money which will do anything to become larger piles of money, and will resolutely resist any interpretation of events which harms their narrow self-interest.

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#85
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> all over the world Not in India. Here, there is no concept of Big Govt. The concept is "What is this govt. going to give me for free for me to vote for it" Its the other end of the complimentary spectrum.

I'm no American and I am from a country (Turkey, but I moved out) that has some similarities to both Asian and Western style corruption. > "What is this govt. going to give me for free for me to vote for it" The exact line of thinking has caused its own Trump case in Turkey. It is similar for the Eastern Europe. Many voted for Trump for petty small interests and very short term gains too. For all of them, social medi…

[deleted]

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#86
post #16

I think this is pretty consistent with the old school 1950s views of the current administration. Companies can prioritize profits over people again. Yeah, dump in the rivers, dump in the woods, just drive around in circles dumping in an empty lot. You don’t need masks- give everyone cancer and blow some shit up, maybe get some acid burns. Super-fund sites? When was the last one we had anyway- we need more of ‘em- lot…

> I think this is pretty consistent with the old school 1950s views of the current administration. The effects are functionally the same, but I think the ideology and rhetoric behind then and now have changed. There really isn't a purportedly "principled" system of logic behind these decisions, in the past these decisions would be dressed in principled rhetoric no matter how heinous they realistically were. They aren…

The principle is the rate of profit is falling, competing countries are rising, and they want to unleash the private sector in the hopes of raising GDP growth significantly enough to retain hegemony. This won't work, because they're fucking stupid, and they'll damage the health of the population and the productivity of the land and waters going forward, but there is a logic to it.

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#88
post #16

I think this is pretty consistent with the old school 1950s views of the current administration. Companies can prioritize profits over people again. Yeah, dump in the rivers, dump in the woods, just drive around in circles dumping in an empty lot. You don’t need masks- give everyone cancer and blow some shit up, maybe get some acid burns. Super-fund sites? When was the last one we had anyway- we need more of ‘em- lot…

[flagged]

They're gonna be sorely disappointed if they thing de-regulation is the path to bringing back some pre-lapsarian golden age of American manufacturing that didn't actually exist

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#89
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

California can just keep doing its thing and the rest of the country benefits from their regulations. Prop 65 is to thank for all the Harbor Freight stores no longer reeking of outgassing plastics.

Supreme Court will just strip us of our state regulations by invoking the commerce clause.

Re: U.S. Chemical Safety Board could be eliminated

#90
post #36
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It feels that way, but this legislation is ideologically consistent with reducing regulations which constrain companies and force them to take the externalities of their actions into account.

You say "force them" like that's actually going to happen. Historically, companies are terrible at auditing themselves.
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