For A Brief Moment I Almost Agreed With Kevin Drum, Then I Got Over It
Kevin Drum seems here to be making the case for Federalism
Via Vox, here's a colorful map from Broadview Networks that helps illustrate one reason that policymaking in Congress often seems so disconnected from the real world. It's because policymakers tend to be pretty well-off folks living in a pretty well-off region that shelters them from the problems many of the rest of us encounter. If you live in Missouri, you might be annoyed [about a local problem]. But if you live in Washington DC or northern Virginia, guess what? [Your local situation is much better]! Virginia is ranked #1 in the nation, and DC is right behind it. So is it any wonder that this really doesn't seem like a pressing problem in Congress?
Wow, this seems like a great argument for Federalism, as well as a number of libertarian critiques of government in general. Good going, Kevin!
But then I realized he doesn't really believe this. Drum is as much a supporter as anyone on the Left of Federal mandates over local action (e.g. Common Core).
Further, I realized that he was essentially nuts. Because the issue he is lamenting is Internet speeds. Some people have faster Internet than others, and he is just so frustrated that Congress does not realize this. He actually seems to be hoping Congress will somehow intervene to equalize Internet speeds. I would love to know, in these people's minds, if there are any issues to trivial for Congress to wade into.
By the way, if Congress had stepped into Internet regulation, we would still probably be surfing at 1200 baud. After all, all that high speed Internet stuff might kill jobs at Hayes and US Robotics (makers of old telephone modems for those too young to remember). Look at how long it took to get a political/corporate consensus on HD TV standards. Ugh, we would probably all have that goofy French TV-computer solution the Left wanted to force on the United States 15 years or so ago.
Postscript: The UN ITU spent a lot of time driving phone manufacturers to using micro-USB in a bid at government-led standardization. The only problem is that micro-USB sucks. It is ubiquitous, which is nice, but from a form and function standpoint is far harder to use and plug in than Apple's lightning connector, which is much easier to insert, less prone to damage, and can be inserted in either direction. Perhaps young people with better eyes do not notice but I spend a lot of time jamming micro usb cables in the wrong way. I hate having to put on my glasses just to plug in my phone, which is why I like my Nexus 5 with wireless charging.
