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April 11, 2009
Path Dependence in the News
Once one realizes how past decisions inevitably influence the course of current events (and thus limit options for change) the applicability of Path Dependence becomes even more obvious, as does the fatuous nature of most political rhetoric and the inconsistency of cherished notions of “justice,” as they relate to “fair” and “equal.”A prime example of fatuous political rhetoric is the wave of complaints from the political Right charging President Obama with irresponsibly plunging the nation into debt in his efforts to save big banks from bankruptcy. Just how does one replace an admittedly dishonest system overnight? Weren’t these same banks' recent sales of “toxic” sub-prime mortgages and resales of their complex “derivatives” to gullible investors (including European central banks) what is most responsible for the world's financial crisis? I haven’t heard any suggestions from either Fox News or Congressional Republicans on how to replace the complex international banking system while saving it from itself.
That's an undertaking that may not even be possible, a contingency for which there is no precedent and of which there is little mention.
As for the Department of “Justice,” now headed by Eric Holder, it’s another human bureaucracy that doesn’t always interpret directives exactly as intended. A number of people– several of whom have already been mentioned here, and others I know personally– who find themselves caught somewhere between arrest and prosecution. The detailed reality of their situations is even more complex than suggested by Bob Egelko’s article in today’s Chronicle.
If there’s any good news, it’s that their plight, like that of others detained by the US, is finally receiving some long-overdue attention. The bad news about drug policy, made clear by a study of pot use, but still denied by both the federal government and “reform," is that unjust policies based on years of false assumptions are difficult to change and continue to have their own destructive consequences, which may not even be revealed until years later.
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at April 11, 2009 05:05 PM