But you were asking about leadership/ideas for the future; I figured the hope is, that part, the part you mentioned — when you said, if we’re not doing that, then what the hell are we doing? — that doesn’t have to come from representatives in office; it can come from private innovation, like I was just saying.
Maybe a little comparison would illuminate the issue? It is claimed the election will be about ‘now’. It is suggested that running on ‘the Dems are terrible’ amounts to a position since, yanno, the Dems are terrible. This is disputed, taken as evidence that the GOP is pretty empty when it comes to public policy proposals.
Let’s take a look at something the Dems are actually proposing, in their own words. Check out the table of contents of HR1, The For the People Act 2019. (Note: text of entire bill).
It goes on for hundreds of pages with suggestions on how to make registration and voting better, various ethical suggestions, more proper campaign finance and so on. I’d say it is ‘now’- a live bill in the current Congress? Sure. Ok, which of those ideas are sinister? Why hasn’t this bill been discussed in the Senate rather than gagged by McConnell?
Has the GOP produced anything comparable to HR1? The only relevant legal document stretching hundreds of pages that I can think of is the Mueller Report, which is quite the litany of misdeeds and pretty ‘terrible’ if read as a policy roadmap for America.
In this light, the vast quantity of (obviously debatable) Democratic proposals compared to the miniscule production of GOP formal public policy makes the OP look like he has a point, at least.
Many of us are just trying to survive. The American Dream is dead. We can’t spare much thought for the future when simply paying the bills takes all our time and money.
The American Dream is easier to achieve than ever before. There is dissonance between the preferences people demonstrate through their haphazard spending and choices and the preferences they want everyone to think they have, so they find a boogieman. Depending on the boogieman they envision, they join a tribe.
Let’s hear more of this kind of beautiful, faith-based, self-help, infomercial-type mantras! Preach, brother! You too can be rich and successful, and all it will cost you is the price of a sandwich each day! PM me for the address to send checks!
Sure, sure… Well, actually no - if you look at what is happening, rather than just spouting feel-good slogans.
Who is going to find the American Dream? Fewer and fewer people. Who are these people? Those who pay big money to go to top universities (or get mommy or daddy to bribe people or fix their SAT’s). Those who inherit large sums.
So the American dream IS certainly available… if you family is rich. If you were not born rich, then it is your own fault for being born in a stupid way.“”
Here’s an old report from 2007 - and it has gotten worse since then. Bottom line; The US sucks for intergenerational economic mobility.
"Recent studies suggest that there is less economic mobility in the United States than has long been presumed. The last thirty years has seen a considerable drop-off in median household income growth compared to earlier generations. And, by some measurements, we are actually a less mobile society than many other nations, including Canada, France, Germany and most Scandinavian countries. This challenges the notion of America as the land of opportunity. "
So these are the facts. But I’m sure that they can be countered with some more feel-good platitudes.
I’m sorry that very many resign to take government jobs or government-financed jobs instead of trying for the American dream of entrepreneurship. This is bound to lead to lack of fulfillment.
They decide to saddle themselves with debt by emulating a decades-old career template. If they had been taught real deal economics and entrepreneurship, they’d be much better off. Sadly state education is…not good.
Still more leaning on old careet templates. That’s why you should teach your children the facts about money and success, not simply entreat them to follow these old, obviously failing, formulas.
Yes, this rhetoric speaks to an ideology forwarded by unsuccessful Boomers. It has unfortunately pervaded much of American society.
Many factors can account for this including the ascendancy of the ideology mentioned above. There is also the fact that the US has become more statist while other countries went through a phase like that and are rebounding and becoming more liberal. Entrepreneurship is not sneered at as it is by many Sad Boomers and their disciples in the US.
What are the net immigration statistics with these countries? May give you a hint towards the reality of the situation.
“Entrepeneurship” is the American dream? Here I was, thinking that the country needs doctors, engineers, tradespeople, teachers, artists/creators, etc. – people who just want to do fulfilling work and take care of their families, in addition to the folks who have the desire and temperament to start a business. Starting a business can certainly be a worthy thing to do, but so can many other paths.
But I commend WillFarnaby once again on his psychic powers – he and he alone knows that I (and many others who he’s never met) have a “lack of fulfillment”. Bravo to you for your mind powers! Once again, I’ll urge you to use them for good.
If more people pursued entrepreneurship, there would be more economic activity and innovation. They would hire more of all the workers you mentioned above, spreading the American dream in all its interpretations. Sadly the dominant ideology fromTrump to Bernie to Hillary is stagnation and boogiemen.
All hail the sacred entrepeneurship! The answer to all our dreams and hopes! Kudos to you for your incredible, unwavering and cite-free faith that this single concept can solve all of our problems!
Boo to stagnation and boogiemen and all who advocate for them! I certainly stand with you against any politicians who advocate for stagnation and boogiemen. I promise not to vote for any pro-stagnation and pro-boogiemen candidates.
Wonderful to see how we can come together!
Hey, it’s the SamuelA of economics!
My cite is the previous two centuries of capitlaist growth. If readin’ is a chore, they have picher books of the ol’ days.
As for your belief in political transformation, the candidates are a symptom of bad ideology in society. It can’t be fixed by your vote.
Indeed! Why make any actual effort at arguing, when you can spout platitudes and say “history”? Especially when it doesn’t appear that you’re actually challenging anything I’ve said?
Even better than platitudes and effort-free appeals to history – meaningless gobbledygook that has nothing to do with anything I said. Kudos again!
Queue for your mind-reading ability… this is when you usually tell me something about my deepest feelings and thoughts.
You get fucking stupider every day. You’re in another thread today blasting a national health care system that is being offered as a boost to entrepreneurism.
I hadn’t put the pieces together. I think you’ve nailed it.
Yes I “blast” nationalization of industries. I wonder how many insurance entrepreneurs there will be under your left wing fantasyland plans.
WillFarnaby is the boy who cried DERF!
This. I love how the GOP waxes on and on about entrepreneurship and “small business“ while insisting on keeping the old method of obtaining health coverage for most people, which is getting it from an employer.
And like other posters, I’m not sure that entrepreneurs would somehow fix everything anyway.
Oh, those poor, poor insurance entrepreneurs.
I’m not sure about other nations, but private health insurance still exists in Canada - it branched off into fields the single-payer system didn’t cover or only partly covered, like dental.
If American entrepreneurs can’t similarly adapt, I guess that’s just a reflection of the weakness of Americans. Do better, you silly silly people!