Bruce Webster writes about the parallels (and differences) between the design of legislation and the design of software systems.
(via a thread at Bookworm)
3 thoughts on “Interesting Post”
Comments are closed.
Some Chicago Boyz know each other from student days at the University of Chicago. Others are Chicago boys in spirit. The blog name is also intended as a good-humored gesture of admiration for distinguished Chicago School economists and fellow travelers.
Bruce Webster writes about the parallels (and differences) between the design of legislation and the design of software systems.
(via a thread at Bookworm)
Comments are closed.
Great article.
Lots there to think about, but one thing that comes to mind when reading this passage:
“I think that the Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress badly miscalculated public support for rushing sweeping (and unexamined) health care reform into law given the profound economic problems facing the country (not to mention the massive Federal deficits).”
I think they did understand the public was solidly against it and that it would not work well once implemented.
That’s why they pushed the start date after the 2012 election in order to defer the hell to pay to the next poor saps who had to run.
The Jan 2010 special election for the Kennedy seat was really a referendum on Obamacare and they lost. They knew they were running out of time so rammed it through lock, stock, and barrel.
Political desperation and fear of losing a once in generations opportunity to fulfill Progressive Dream #1 had as much to do with the disaster as anything.
Ford, in the 1970s, put accountants in charge of making cars and got into trouble. Xerox misunderstood what Xerox PARC was doing and missed out on the computer revolution. There are many examples of industries which took the production out of the hands of engineers and people who knew what they were making and placed it in the hands of financial analysts. It has failed every time. That is what Obamacare is.
It’s not just the Democrats. In 1995, I was finishing a masters in health care analysis at Dartmouth, probably the best source of information about the topic in the US. When the GOP took Congress, I went down to Washington and met with some folks, with the help of Senator Gregg’s office. I wanted to volunteer to work for nothing to try to help design an alternative to Hillarycare which had just crashed. I was told by multiple people, including the hospital association chief lobbyist, that any healthcare legislation from the new Congress would be written by tax lawyers. They weren’t interested in any doctors or other providers’ input.
They weren’t interested in any doctors or other providers’ input.
Or in input from economists.