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Comment by andrewstuart | Hacker News Reader

Tech companies have failed to buy enough politicians over the years.

That message is clear.

The need to employ the lobbyists who not only put big petroleum in a completely unassailable position, but got the government paying vast amounts of money to that industry.

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When the career antitrust officials at the FTC recommend antitrust action against Google back in 2012, it was the political appointees (from both parties) who shut that action down.

>The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday faced renewed questions about its handling of its antitrust investigation into Google, after documents revealed that an internal report had recommended stronger action.

The 2012 report, from the agency’s bureau of competition, said that the agency should sue the Internet search company for anticompetitive practices

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/technology/take-google-to...

I'd say the bribes for both parties had been working as intended.

It wasn't shut down, a deal was settled between the FTC and Google. You can mince words and call it a political conspiracy, but saying it was shut down is misleading when Google changed how it handles mobile patents to appease the FTC:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2013/01/googl...

According to OpenSecrets [0] the "Communications/Electronics" sector spends significantly more than "Energy/Natural Resources" on lobbying. SV has a big presence in DC.

https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=c&showYe...

Creating a large number of jobs across different regions of the country and being responsible for the strength of the petrodollar are two highly consequential factors that need to be mentioned when explaining why the government is propping up fossil fuels. Our government is plenty corrupt, no need to make it sound worse than it is.

Not to mention that energy independence is a good thing when you remember the oil shocks of the past.

Tech independence is just as critical in the modern world. Look at China’s rush for full-stack independence.

Or perhaps they just bet it all on Hillary.

> Tech companies have failed to buy enough politicians over the years.

I doubt it. Facebook getting away with a mere $5B fine from the FTC is a sign that the big tech companies aren't in much danger IMO

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