tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post717432937722846484..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Ko-DPP Negotiations: DPP Pressure forces Ko Apology *sigh*Michael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-86772099294313961442018-05-14T22:22:35.232+08:002018-05-14T22:22:35.232+08:00https://twitter.com/MOFA_Taiwan/status/99602636387...https://twitter.com/MOFA_Taiwan/status/996026363877326848Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-80896985292508129922018-05-14T15:10:16.877+08:002018-05-14T15:10:16.877+08:00Okay, sure, satisfaction and not glee. I don'...Okay, sure, satisfaction and not glee. I don't think "starting somewhere" arbitrarily is in any sense fair or just. But really the crux of my disagreement is not that everyone is to blame therefore everyone involved should have gone to jail. Crucifixion solves nothing. No, this is just really bad engineering to be blaming any single person for what are really collective decisions and policies. Engineers, officials, architects will be unwilling to voice their insights and point out problems or sign their names to projects when they could be going to jail for unforeseen consequences to their complex designs. I disagree strongly with the macro-policies that led to the explosions. But the fact is that people wanted those industries, even in urban spaces, and it was shortsighted but it was public opinion. It is wrong and will lead to reluctance to problem solve and gives the public a false sense of satisfaction when the true factors that created the problems have not been delineated and addressed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-320070361955238682018-05-14T06:51:35.450+08:002018-05-14T06:51:35.450+08:00In the case of Kaohsiung explosions, the problems ...<b>In the case of Kaohsiung explosions, the problems were bad, there was carelessness, and it was chronic.<br /><br />....<br /><br />If you are so gleeful about this, would you call for the jailing of the Transportation Minister and the Taiwan executives of Toyota and Mitsubishi? After all, many more people die in car accidents in Taiwan than died in the explosions. How about executives of Taipower for all the air pollution they cause?</b><br /><br />Too often, nobody gets punished. So its a start, and the systemic issues won't get fixed until people know that someone will be held accountable. <br /><br />Also, you seem to have mistaken satisfaction for glee. <br /><br />Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-67417657933540415712018-05-13T22:46:15.909+08:002018-05-13T22:46:15.909+08:00As an engineer, I really don't see the point o...As an engineer, I really don't see the point of gleefulness at prison sentences for the pipeline explosions in Kaohsiung. Even the victims association has called them too harsh and missing the point of fixing the systematic issues rather than blaming single persons.<br /><br />Taiwan, like many places, has an odd tendency to believe that everything happens due to the malice and benevolence of single human beings. Often times, this is far, far from the truth and things don't happen for single causes. In the case of Kaohsiung explosions, the problems were bad, there was carelessness, and it was chronic.<br /><br />What about the low NT policy that results in low-value industries in Taiwan that take advantage of cheap air, cheap water, cheap labor, and pollute with no consequences or costs to the business? What about the industrial policies that led to the second largest city in Taiwan ever being built up as an oil refining and chemical processing cluster? What about the workers that laid the pipes? Or the engineers that designed them? Should they be sent off to jail too? <br /><br />If you are so gleeful about this, would you call for the jailing of the Transportation Minister and the Taiwan executives of Toyota and Mitsubishi? After all, many more people die in car accidents in Taiwan than died in the explosions. How about executives of Taipower for all the air pollution they cause?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-15336277140229539352018-05-12T21:46:06.906+08:002018-05-12T21:46:06.906+08:00long-term care 2.0 plan is also another major pigg...long-term care 2.0 plan is also another major piggy bank to send money into local politician's coffer. It is not much different than rail projects. Care 2.0 is even longer lasting. KMT politicians no longer have access to money in this election. I predict that KMT will take another major beating unless CCP somehow sends money. With tourist been cut off, I don't think CCP has many effective ways to transfer money. <br /><br />NPP is not a threat to DPP, Ko is and DPP is making move on that. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-64538356222006513042018-05-12T21:34:11.963+08:002018-05-12T21:34:11.963+08:00A lot of DPP do not see KMT as a threat anymore. D...A lot of DPP do not see KMT as a threat anymore. DPP has been working furiously to eliminate KMT everywhere except New Taipei and Taipei city through the initiative on rail and water associations. We will have to wait to see if DPP's effort pay off in the coming election. If things go as DPP's plan. New Taipei will not be a problem in the future election, Ko on another hand can be a major threat if he gets elected for the second term, Some DPP wants to eliminate Ko right now instead of wait for later. They are not stupid. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com