> So is the problem just that politicians don't relate or understand something like a medical study as well as they do driving, and don't understand the tradeoffs and burden required to try to make sure nothing went wrong, ever? If anything, I'd expect that to result in industry lobbyists pushing deregulation to have a much easier go of it than they have. So I don't get it.
Yes, it's that politicians and importantly members of the public don't relate. Driving is so ubiquitous in the US that almost everyone does it. Almost everyone with the ability to decide things in America or who has the time to lobby for something has been a driver and can empathize with a driver who was doing their best but encountered something unexpected on the road and ended up in a crash (note my usage of passive language, specifically to build up this frame-of-mind, even though in reality it isn't like this.)
The average American doesn't see themselves as the creators of new drugs nor do they see themselves as airline pilots. Even if the harms American perpetuate via driving are actually worse than the harms of the other two, without the ability to empathize as the creator of a drug or a commercial airline pilot, they're much more likely to favor heavy censure for wrongdoing for something they see as being done by someone else. It's a case of "Look grandma was trying her best when she accidentally crashed into the kid" vs "Those elites at Johns Hopkins trying to pull the wool over our eyes." The less likely the average American is to work a job, the more likely the average American is at heavily regulating that job.
It's a big problem with American regulations because everyday harms are swept under the rug while rare harms perpetrated by a minority are dealt with harshly.
Yes, it's that politicians and importantly members of the public don't relate. Driving is so ubiquitous in the US that almost everyone does it. Almost everyone with the ability to decide things in America or who has the time to lobby for something has been a driver and can empathize with a driver who was doing their best but encountered something unexpected on the road and ended up in a crash (note my usage of passive language, specifically to build up this frame-of-mind, even though in reality it isn't like this.)
The average American doesn't see themselves as the creators of new drugs nor do they see themselves as airline pilots. Even if the harms American perpetuate via driving are actually worse than the harms of the other two, without the ability to empathize as the creator of a drug or a commercial airline pilot, they're much more likely to favor heavy censure for wrongdoing for something they see as being done by someone else. It's a case of "Look grandma was trying her best when she accidentally crashed into the kid" vs "Those elites at Johns Hopkins trying to pull the wool over our eyes." The less likely the average American is to work a job, the more likely the average American is at heavily regulating that job.
It's a big problem with American regulations because everyday harms are swept under the rug while rare harms perpetrated by a minority are dealt with harshly.