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Comment by WalterBright | Hacker News Reader

> succumbing to political incentives

Why are people surprised when government institutions succumb to political incentives?

I once had a discussion with a PhD research scientists who said how great NSF funding was because they made funding decisions completely on scientific merit. I pointed out all the ways that it obviously allocated funds based on bias and politics.

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Yes, I agree with your point. But I was talking about nastier cases of corruption, for example, in certain latin american countries some low-cost airlines between central and south america got approved for operation, some without even satisfying basic requirements, but god forbid small businesses didn't. After some years, these same airlines filed for bankruptcy or got suspended. The kicker? It was discovered they were never profitable, and have since been suspected to be involved in dropping of foreign illegal workers, coming to their destinations as tourists. The most obvious giveaway apart from the latter is that if a carrier is low-cost, it most definitely should have at least a set of profitable domestic flights, and the ones I mentioned above didn't. One of the politicians suspected to be involved (this started under her presidency) is now sitting at the top of a United Nations office.

"The government has a defect. It's _potentially_ democratic. Corporations have no defects. They're pure tyrannies."

- Noam Chomsky

Tell us about the last time a corporation ordered you to do anything?

you make a good point and i agree with you, especially today.

but, to answer your question in earnest: a long time ago - east india company? dole fruit?

TEIC was a quasi government operation, not a corporation as we know them today.

agreed.

but does that also apply (though obviously not to the same extent i’d admit) to say halliburton?

A corporation can change the world around you to your massive detriment without your input. Poison your river, pollute your air, etc. They don't have to tell you to do anything to harm you without recourse.

You can sue them for harm done to you. People do it all the time.

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