| | | Re: The EPA
Sure, they blew it. But, this was a worldwide scam of an audacious nature, probably not even possible until the last few years with advanced computers working their way deeper into all sorts of consumer goods. *The IoT. * Regulators are going to have to get smarter - and fast - to prevent stuff like this from happening more often.
On the other side, one of the critiques of capitalism - and a fair one, I think - is that the profit motive constantly challenges one's moral bearings. There is the constant temptation to cheat. My father-in-law, who started several successful businesses, used to say that if he wasn't audited every year, he was clearly paying too much taxes. He would *cheat* just past the point of legality, as best as he could determine it.
An old professor of mine, Gregory Bateson, told an instructive story of the difference between Americans and Brits. In American football, trick plays and sneakery are encouraged. In rugby, tradition informed the rules and it was considered bad form to try something new and sneaky. Apparently, VW was playing by American rules... as does most of the world now...
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