Massive Change?
Does the system we have built make sense today? I was walking around Williamsburg and Greenpoint this week and began to think about massive change. I noticed a few buildings that had been upgraded with new retail spots inside. They reflect today’s architectural culture. Looks good.
People tend to hold on to the past. Why? Perhaps it is comfort. Personally I love change but that is not the norm. Each generation pushes us forward when it comes to design, food, arts, architecture, literature and more. They take the past and make it their own.
I wonder about the people in politics and if they really have their finger on the pulse of what makes sense now. I read a truly disturbing piece in the New Yorker called A Deadly Mistake by Paige Williams. The question she asks is “Should an overdose be prosecuted as a homicide”? My answer is absolutely not. We should be helping people with addiction to try and live a better life. Tossing them in jail does nobody any good but send that person down a path where they will never fully be part of society again. They can’t vote and are not exactly employable. Not the right way to fight the opioid crisis.
My kids are all Bernie supporters. When I look at how all these things add up between the changes on the street, the ridiculously large division of haves and have-nots, the anger, the massive need for a new country where we change all the dynamics to create a caring society and that means starting in Kindergarten, I get why my kids are all in for Bernie. Sometimes you are too early in business but years later that business finally works. I can apply that to Bernie who is old and has been talking about the same thing for 40 years but perhaps his thoughts for massive change have found its time.
The question from my kids was “what are you afraid of if Bernie wins”? My fear is that he will bankrupt the country. Our debt is so huge that I am not sure that there is enough cash for his ideas but perhaps it is about shifting where the money is spent because certainly, it isn’t working now. Our debt does not seem to be much of the conversation these days but it is a tremendous problem. But the bigger problem is that we don’t have any compassion for people who are not succeeding in our society.
I will say our kids know their shit and the policies each candidate is espousing (or not) a hell of a lot better than I do. It is impressive. If everyone in their generation felt that way and went to the polls to vote then we might find ourselves with Bernie for President.
Maybe it is time? I am not sure it is time for Bernie but it is definitely time for a massive change.
Comments (Archived):
Change is hard. It’s not easy to unlearn, undo, untangle, etc…I think younger voters are more pure in their thinking and beliefs. They probably take the candidates on their face value and believe they are honest enough and that they will do what they say. History shows otherwise. Maybe Bernie is the exception. I’m not taking sides. Just saying in general.Someone in the blockchain space came up with an idea that politicians should be funded AFTER they achieve what they promise to do. Imagine if all these campaign donations would accumulate as debt on the candidates (that can apply to Congress Reps and any elected officials), and the same voters that voted them in can vote a year or two later to “release” funds if they are happy with their performances. If not, the candidates aren’t re-paid. I know this sounds ok in theory. Applying it might be another challenge. Otherwise, we keep voting people in and giving them passes when they are not as effective.
They probably take the candidates on their face value and believe they are honest enough and that they will do what they say. History shows otherwise.I think what you are saying is essentially they are naive. And yes they are naive. Also children don’t fear the downside as much as someone who has ‘been around the block’. To them it’s all potentially upside. There are many things that kids wouldn’t do if they knew the outcome or they had the appropriate adult level of fear.I remember what my Dad told me about his experience in the concentration camps. At the time I guess he was maybe 16? Anyway he said to me ‘If I had been older I would have been much more scared of the situation when I think back’. (Or something like that not exact words this was a long time ago when I was growing up).Bernie isn’t the exception simply because a politicians ideas and what they want to do are only part of getting things done. They also have to work with others to agree to their agenda. Obviously that’s difficult. As such they can promise the moon but w/o others going along that won’t happen. (Even their own party if one party rules then that becomes factions). They promise things that are not fully in any way under their control. I don’t think young people or most people even realize this. Yes the general direction means something but as we all know that rarely happens.Someone in the blockchain space came up with an idea that politicians should be funded AFTER they achieve what they promise to do.Funded for what though? You mean to pay off campaign debts? The blockchain person either has a great idea (‘politicians would promise less since outcome is tied to funding’ (again for what?)) or once again they are very naive and haven’t thought the idea through.
Yes, agreed there is an upside to being naive / pure, and without preconceived baggage. It takes out the fear of knowing too much. (like the example you gave, and many young entrepreneurs are fearless for that reason).(yes, re: donations) Of course, that’s very difficult to implement for several reasons, some of which you elaborated on. Here’s the company in question. They call this “outcome-based donations”. [And side point: you don’t really need a blockchain to do that, except to automatically release payment easier than going through a bank and initiating it; and maybe voting in the long term might become more robust on the blockchain 2-3 years down the line once immutable online identities are solid and pervasive]https://www.govrn.io/
Change is coming whether people are permitted to vote for it or not. The technocrats who control the democratic process need to understand this and offer only change candidates to the electorate. If they don’t they will lose the only effective instrument of control they have, democracy itself. Bloombucks = Clinton. Butterboy = Corporati & dark state.
The most thoughtful investors tend to separate the signal from the noise. The national debt discourse is a great example of noise. In practice, over many decades, the national debt has not had any practical import in either our nation or the lives of individual citizens. Practically speaking, this is because the US has a sovereign currency and no financial constraints in repaying our debt. (Many economists, from Krugman to the MMT scholars, have written extensively on this subject.)In a broader sense, however, our currency is a metonymy for American strength and wealth. Widening income inequality, counter-majoritarian governments, and an unwillingness to confront long-term problems (like climate change or healthcare/education costs) puts American resiliency at risk, which in turn threatens our position of economic primacy. It rarely matters how much something ‘costs’ – certainly when the government is paying for it. What matters is whether we will foster our physical, intellectual, and cultural assets to respond to our changing world. For example, it’s not about how much universal healthcare ‘costs’. It’s about how many doctors and nurses we can train, how many facilities we can erect (and how many skilled workers we can summon to design, build, and maintain these facilities), and how much groundbreaking research we can support. The constraints here are not financial. (We always seem to have plenty of money to design and build elaborate weapons at astronomical cost). The constraints are a matter of political will.
I do not understand why the younger generation sees Bernie as Santa Klaus. The NRA was his best friend for years and he has done nothing in the Senate – and oh yeah – there is his heart attack. I am afraid if Bernie got the Dem nomination not only would he lose to Trump – but the dems would lose HUGE down ballot. I am NOT a Hillary fan – I voted for her, but held my nose and voted for her – but I think she was right when she said nobody likes Sanders. People need to liked (or feared) to get things done. It’s sad. Kamala Harris, Castro and Booker – could of all been great – but they did not make promises they could not deliver on – Bernie has started to admit this week he will not be able to keep his promises – we will see what happens – this pirmary season has been really depressing. We do need change – But first and foremost we really really need to beat Trump. We are in a complete and utter lawless society right now for the rich and powerful…….
What do you think of Bloomberg?
We are in a complete and utter lawless society right now for the rich and powerful…….totally and it makes me very mad
Your kids are wealthy enough to be Bernie supporters. If he wins no one will get the chance to be hour kids anymore. Socialist is like that
Let’s hope that Bernie is NOT the nominee. The Rs will have him looking like Joe Stalin by November. I’ve never once heard him talk about “growing the pie”. I want trump gone badly but somehow don’t see him as the route to go. I am supporting Senator Klobuchar and hope that she can gather enough momentum to overtake others cash supply. National elections are about people pocketbooks and the Ds should no forget this point.
.Looking for change?Why don’t we get behind a 78-year old fossil who just had a heart attack, who has never held an executive job in the private sector, who has never run anything in the last 20 years though he was the 8-year Mayor of a city of fewer than 40,000 population more than 20 years ago.It would help if he was a self-acclaimed democratic socialist who champions every liberal wet dream and who has promised AOC a position in his Cabinet. There is not a single Dem competitor who is to the left of this dinosaur on ………. anything.Even Hillary Clinton — no belle of the ball herself — says the guy is unlikeable.Did I mention this 30-year DC Congressman (House and Senate) has passed fewer bills than I have fingers on my right hand (I could have used my left hand, but thought that was ham handed). Two of the three were Post Office building re-namings.This is the showcase for the brilliance and wisdom of youth. If you are going to test whether Donald J Trump can win every state in the Electoral College, yeah, this old fart is your agent of change — if he lives to Election Day.BTW, to get hyper technical on you — the old boy hasn’t said anything he didn’t 40 years ago. I can’t wait to see how cancelling everybody’s health insurance goes over on the hustings.”My name is Bernie Sanders and I will cancel your insurance, raise your taxes, and put the government in charge of your health. Day one. Vote for me.”Yeah, that’s some meaningful change and those who embrace such bold moves are . . . . . . brilliant. They will, however, come in a distant second.Where do you look for new ideas? At the Senior Citizens Ball?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…