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'The Laws Are Written By Lobbyists,' Says Google's Schmidt

Posted by Soulskill on from the bought-and-paid-for dept.

An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from The Atlantic: "'The average American doesn't realize how much of the laws are written by lobbyists' to protect incumbent interests, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told Atlantic editor James Bennet at the Washington Ideas Forum. 'It's shocking how the system actually works.' In a wide-ranging interview that spanned human nature, the future of machines, and how Google could have helped the stimulus, Schmidt said technology could 'completely change the way government works.' 'Washington is an incumbent protection machine,' Schmidt said. 'Technology is fundamentally disruptive.' Mobile phones and personal technology, for example, could be used to record the bills that members of Congress actually read and then determine what stimulus funds were successfully spent." We discussed a specific example of this from the cable industry back in August.

5 of 484 comments (clear)

  1. Re:In other news by arivanov · · Score: 1, Troll

    Exactly.

    The company in posession of one of the best lobbying machines is bitchin' about lobby influence. Gimme a break would ya...

    --
    Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
    http://www.sigsegv.cx/
  2. They can afford to. by AnonymousClown · · Score: 0, Troll
    Google is doing very well these days - they can afford to be the white hat guy.

    Wait till their fortunes start to decline. Then we'll shall see what they're truly made of .

    --
    RIP America

    July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001

    1. Re:They can afford to. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Troll

      Anybody can weather adversity. There's no strength in that, no quality of character to be discerned.

      That is a blatant lie. People kill themselves or just fold up and give up in cases of adversity every day.

      If you truly want to see a man's character, give him power. Give him free reign. Don't try to confine or constrain him, but let him act at his every whim. That's when you learn what someone's made of.

      It's free rein, although in this context it makes sense. Maybe you were just trying to be funny (fail.) You learn different things in the fat years than the lean ones, but if you're not learning in both cases, you're not paying attention.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    (transcript of Schmidt interview)

    Interviewer: We are here with Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, one of the mightest companies in the computer business today. Good to see you, Eric Schmidt.

    Schmidt: "Doctor Eric Schmidt"

    Interviewer: "Dr. Eric Schmidt, PhD who is CEO of Google"

    Schmidt: "And I was CTO of Sun Microsystems and was in charge of Java."

    Interviewer: "Very impressive. Now Dr. Schmidt, what is it that you want to discuss today..."

    Schmidt: "And I was CEO of Novell"

    Interviewer: "Dr. Schmidt is one of the smartest men in all of Silicon Valley. Very well, Dr. Schmidt..."

    Schmidt: "Did you ever hear of 'lex'? I wrote lex, you know, way back in the 1970s"

    Interviewer: "Did you really? Ah Dr. Schmidt, exactly what is it that you want to talk about today..."

    Schmidt: "There's something I just recently concluded as a sort of a summary of the state of technology in America.."

    Interviewer: "Drawing on forty or so years in the technology business..."

    Schmidt: "Has it been that long? Ye-e-e-es. It's been a long time. A very long, strange trip that winded through labs and executive suites.."

    Interviewer: "Ah, your topic for today."

    Schmidt: "Ah yes. The next thing I saw will be my conclusion."

    Interviewer: (leans forward)

    Schmidt: *coughs*

    Schmidt: "The laws in this country are mainly drafted by lobbyists for the companies that are affected by the regulations covered by the laws."

    Interviewer: "Absolutely correct, and inexcusable, it is. And your point.. ?"

    Schmidt: "And that's it! That's my conclusion."

    Interviewer: "Oh, OK. Well, it was a pleasure having you..."

    Schmidt: "I have a second conclusion, one that draws upon my forty years of experience in the technology industry that extends from one coast to the other..." *coughs*

    Interviewer: "Oh, shut up."

    Schmidt: "A career that extends from university labs to corporate headquarters..." *coughs*

    (zoom out and audio fade)

  4. Re:Not news by openfrog · · Score: 0, Troll

    The parent wrote:

    Ahahaha. Sometimes libertarians crack me up. Corporations are too powerful and our government gets controlled by them. To counteract this we should allow companies to become more powerful, less restricted and take powers away from the government, reel it in.

    To which you answer:

    ... There are two aspects to solving this issue. One is to reduce the power of governments, which simultaneously limits the power available for corporations to influence. ...

    And you can write that without laughing? Just as the parent wrote:

    Almost as good as the teapartiers.

    You libertarians do really crack me up too.