Slashdot Mirror
Utah's Third Attempt To Regulate Keywords Fails
Eric Goldman writes "Earlier this month, we discussed HB 450, the Utah Legislature's third attempt to regulate keyword advertising after the past two efforts failed miserably. The latest attempt barely passed the Utah House, aided in part by a 'yes' vote from Representative Jennifer Seelig, who also happens to be a lobbyist-employee of 1-800 Contacts, the principal advocate of HB 450. Nevertheless, HB 450 died in the Utah Senate without a vote when the Utah Legislature adjourned last night. Despite the seeming good news, it would be surprising if the Utah Legislature didn't try a fourth time to regulate keyword advertising in a future session."
But that's what government is for - to regulate. Right? At least that's what (almost) everybody keeps telling me. "We need government to regulate business because a free market doesn't work, as we discovered with the current recession." Utah's Legislature is just regulating the advertising market as it's "supposed" to do. They are doing their job, so where's the problem?
Of course I have to wonder -
- if Bush-era deregulation is the cause of the U.S. market woes, then why is the European Union, the world's most stringently-regulated capitalist "country", in recession too? Apparently their regulated markets didn't help them. (shrug). Well whatever. I don't live in Utah. They can do whatever they want - none of my business.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
The thing I don't get is, if "clearing" the orbit is what's needed for a dwarf planet to become a planet, why is Neptune a planet? It hasn't cleared its orbit of Pluto. It's a silly definition. Just make Pluto, Ceres, Neptune and Eris planets.
Not a sentence!