Foundational Concerns
2020 was a very clarifying year for the governed. Of, by and for the people?
The last year provided a window into answers to some basic but important questions (choose your own rabbit hole via supplied links).
Q: How much corruption can we as a society accept from our government?
A: Pretty much unlimited, “we” may not even see money as a tool of influence anymore. Yeah, it’s normal to have billions of dollars directly invested in political outcomes. Yep, they can point guns at us, command and control our actions and shoot us with chemical weapons.
Somebodies contributed around $14 billion dollars this election to get better outcomes from their representatives.
Q: How ineffective can a government be?
A: When more than half of its representatives want to show how ineffective government can be, pretty ineffective. Maybe that’s the goal.
Q: How cold can the government be?
A: When it comes to food benefits, housing, mental health care, prescription or medical costs pretty fucking cold.
Q: How much more indirect could our government be?
A: Not much. We can occasionally go to town halls, place call, we can protest, and we can vote but also our representatives have to believe it’s their job to represent us, all of us! If we don’t get to make or influence policy, we aren’t being heard!
Q: How opaque could our government be?
A: It’s pretty hard to get a look in there. Lots of convoluted language that is supposed to protect us but doesn’t seem to when it gets right down to it. Why don’t the committees of congress have teeth? When will we pass useful laws?
Even when information is “revealed”, somehow it never seems to really get out.
Or you could just read this on for yourself… https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/report_volume5.pdf
Q: How slow could our government be?
A: It’s hard to imagine something worse, glacial in a time of melting icebergs. Mostly we are moving backwards. We had an impeachment in 2020. And the slow reveal? The investigation started the day he became president.
Why can’t we remove a bad president while (s)he is still in their first term?
Q: How antiquated is our government?
A: Older than cars, older than trains, its horse and buggy stuff. Is it ready for Bitcoin and Besos?
Q: How important is an independent, verifiable media?
A: Terrifyingly important.
Q: How ludicrous is it to assume that corporate capitalism will solve our problems?
A: It’s pretty far out there. The internet enabled mega (please feel free to read maga) corporations will eat everything and sell us the shit.
What did big tech do for homeless people or hungry people during the pandemic?
Q: How unprepared are we for a future we haven’t reckoned with?
A: I get it… we live inside of a cake factory, it’s easy to be distracted by the sweet stuff. It’s like larping but everyday for life. You’re all ready for the great outdoors but not ready to share a murder hornet for dinner with your self sustaining family.
It is 100 seconds to midnight.
Why would any of us be satisfied with this? We need a better way to work together. Like yesterday.
