Two recent events illustrate why we have no faith in our government.
The Federal Communications Commission has finally approved the merger of the Sirius and XM satellite radio services. It took more than one year to decide! The FCC was concerned about the combined company being a monopoly. First, if the price gets too high and if the service is poor, a consumer can simply get rid of it. It's not a "must have." I wish the government would spend more time worrying about the monopolies the utility companies enjoy with essential services. Anyway, no one kept their eye on the ball here. If the merger was blocked, one company was going to go out of business, and the remaining company would still be a monopoly.
I was watching C-SPAN the other day. Senators were debating a plan to drill for oil in areas where it's currently forbidden. One senator says the plan to drill is a waste of time because it would take years for all that oil to make it to market. It's because of all the necessary environmental reviews. I'm not saying if the plan to drill is good or bad, but why does an environmental review take years? Yes, look at the impact on the environment. That's important. It shouldn't take years. Come up with a plan. Take a good, hard look. Decide. It's not complicated.We've very good at talking in this country. We're not very good at doing.
