Comments on: Lawmaking While Stupid http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/ Jeff Nolan's take on innovation, entrepreneurship, tech and stuff that interests me Thu, 17 May 2012 21:05:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: dave http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-214545 dave Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:07:15 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/#comment-214545 I hear you, especially about the question of 'optics.' That said -- I think the *sending* of text messages is far less ubiquitous than you make it out to be, especially in this country. Certainly it is among younger people and people in the tech industry; but would the same really be the case for a random sampling of 45 year-olds in Oklahoma? I hear you, especially about the question of ‘optics.’

That said — I think the *sending* of text messages is far less ubiquitous than you make it out to be, especially in this country. Certainly it is among younger people and people in the tech industry; but would the same really be the case for a random sampling of 45 year-olds in Oklahoma?

]]> By: Jeff http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-213770 Jeff Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:55:45 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/#comment-213770 Dave, It's a fair point, but the dividing line is, IMO, a factor of the ubiquity. For example, if I am a lawmaker and the issue at hand is stem cells, most certainly I am not going to be taking courses on cellular biology and chemistry in order to be knowledgeable about the topic. As is the case here, the ubiquity of mobile communications makes it such that I think it rather incredible that Rep. Scott is getting tutored by his "younger daughter" on the technology and use case scenarios. I can guarantee you that at least from an optics standpoint Rep. Scott would have been better off in saying something like "I consulted with many and tried this myself before deciding it was a real issue we needed to take the public time to deal with" rather than "I'm clueless so I asked my teenager about it" (assuming his daughter is a teenager). Dave,
It’s a fair point, but the dividing line is, IMO, a factor of the ubiquity. For example, if I am a lawmaker and the issue at hand is stem cells, most certainly I am not going to be taking courses on cellular biology and chemistry in order to be knowledgeable about the topic.

As is the case here, the ubiquity of mobile communications makes it such that I think it rather incredible that Rep. Scott is getting tutored by his “younger daughter” on the technology and use case scenarios.

I can guarantee you that at least from an optics standpoint Rep. Scott would have been better off in saying something like “I consulted with many and tried this myself before deciding it was a real issue we needed to take the public time to deal with” rather than “I’m clueless so I asked my teenager about it” (assuming his daughter is a teenager).

]]> By: Anshu http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-213724 Anshu Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:29:52 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/#comment-213724 Agree with you on the health-conscious Starbucks lovers. Ditto for Jamba Juice smoothies. And not all organic food is healthy. It may be healthier than the non-organic version but if you are eating more Cheese because it is organic, you are going to be worse off. Agree with you on the health-conscious Starbucks lovers. Ditto for Jamba Juice smoothies. And not all organic food is healthy. It may be healthier than the non-organic version but if you are eating more Cheese because it is organic, you are going to be worse off.

]]> By: dave http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/comment-page-1/#comment-213638 dave Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:14:02 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2008/01/13/lawmaking-while-stupid/#comment-213638 Isn't that the essence of being a lawmaker though? They make laws about all kinds of things that they don't know well: environmental policy, public safety regulations, drug use... The point is not that they're very knowledgeable about everything, but that (ideally) they're intellectually flexible, and that they know how to ask the right questions and to make sensible decisions. Obviously, it doesn't always play out the way we would like, but in this case, it seems to me like the outcome was the right one. Isn’t that the essence of being a lawmaker though? They make laws about all kinds of things that they don’t know well: environmental policy, public safety regulations, drug use…

The point is not that they’re very knowledgeable about everything, but that (ideally) they’re intellectually flexible, and that they know how to ask the right questions and to make sensible decisions. Obviously, it doesn’t always play out the way we would like, but in this case, it seems to me like the outcome was the right one.

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