NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/org/eff/talk/8247

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-03 | 1.7 KB

Xref: sparky comp.org.eff.talk:8247 alt.amateur-comp:446 soc.culture.usa:9426 alt.activism:19983
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk,alt.amateur-comp,soc.culture.usa,alt.activism
Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!csus.edu!netcom.com!lachman
From: [e-mail] (Hans Lachman)
Subject: Programmers and Libertarians (was: Re: [misc.activism.progressive] Clinton Office Requests Comments)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Organization: Netcom
References: <[e-mail]> <bhayden.726020062@teal> <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 11:34:35 GMT
Lines: 25

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Barry Shein) writes:
>
>>>    If Usenet is any reasonable sample, though, there *does* seem to be
>>>a relation between being a programmer and a libertarian.  I don't think
>>>anyone can prove a definite correlation; but my guess is that the two
>>>are related by the fact that programmers are overwhelmingly white,
...
>>I do not think that it is really because programmers are white, educated,
>>upper-middle-class
...

My guess is that the correlation between programmers and
Libertarians is due to the fact that programmers (the smart
ones at least) keenly understand the KISS principle (Keep
It Simple, Stupid).  They know that the simpler a system is,
the more likely its effectiveness and integrity can be
maintained.  They look at the federal government and see a
"Rube Goldberg" machine in all its glory.  Take the deficit.
(Please!)  The government is hemorrhaging red ink like a
buggy operating system with major memory leaks.  If we stick
with a simpler design, it is less likely that we will foul
things up in the implementation.

Hans Lachman
[e-mail]