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Given how extensively studied minimum wage policies are, the city council may as well commission a study on how gravity impacts construction and propose a law to reduce it.
42 sats \ 4 replies \ @kepford 1h
Indeed. It's stuff like this that explains why we still have killed socialism. Far to many non-socialists don't understand the price system.
But, more likely is that is is just a stalling tactic
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72 sats \ 3 replies \ @kepford 1h
Been rewatching "Yes, Minister!" and doing a study is a classic stalling tactic as well as a way to look productive.
Even as skeptical people of government I think we often are not cynical enough. This is just how government works. It doesn't.
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yeah, i wouldn't mind it as a stalling tactic if the eventual outcome was to kill the bad ideas, but it actually moves the overton window and makes the bad idea seem more acceptable over time.
And, these "study commissions" often get staffed with ideologues, because the non-ideologues feel like they have better things to do with their time!
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They also get staffed by cronies. It's one of the easiest ways to funnel money to your buds.
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42 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 28m
Yep... And this was so known even 40 years ago that it was in a BBC comedy show. Let that sink in. The population isn't qualified to elect "leaders". It's not a broken system. It's the system. It's working as it should. It the system that is the problem. Not the people.
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Having sat on enough policy committees I now see how this stuff works.
"Commissioning a study" is what happens when the majority thinks it's obviously a bad idea or a waste of time to talk about, but they don't want to say it outright for fear of the blowback they'll get from the wokies.
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Seattle made the mistake of actually doing a decent job forming their committee to evaluate the minimum wage effects.
When the prespecified empirical approach didn't yield the results they wanted, they just brought in a different batch of economists who would give them the right answers.
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Dang, I hadn't heard this story, but is not surprising
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42 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 1h
This is how government works. Not new. Not unique. If you haven't seen it watch the BBC show "Yes Minister!" from the 1980s. Over and over again I see things from that show done in US government. And it's a hilarious show.
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