It’s easier to change the rules than follow them. Radical egalitarianism results in:
– The electoral college
– End the filibuster
– Pack the court
– Add new states
– Nationalize voter laws
– Apportion senators by population
– Enlarge the house
– Nullify federal law
– Redefine impeachment
Respect federal, state, the courts — and the people.
Should we not look askance of the tearing down? Do the beautiful colors bleed? Not spoken of in prophecy, the fabric of democracy flutters in the breeze. Old ideas not so old, our lifespans but inches on the yardstick. Remember the profundity, remember the novelty, from voice to voice spread the call to arms. Something deep and wonderful.
I’ve had to put down the Musk biography because of the new job. But I did have some opinions of what I have read so far.
There’s obviously some venom toward him. Some people think he’s brought chaos to the world; others, a new freedom for discourse. Both are true. I certainly wouldn’t want to work for him. Yes, it’s true that he is an inspiration, especially for those on the spectrum–and I thought that for the first 500 pages of Isaacson’s book. But when the stories become repetitive, you get the idea of what it’s like in that brain of his.
He has “surges,” where he pushes his employees to outperform. Many times, his demands are successful–other times, not. He sleeps on the factory floor or in a conference room and has a preternatural ability to sleeplessly work through technological problems until they are solved.
My biking buddy Lennie said a friend who worked for Musk told him of his holding one-on-ones with employees where he doesn’t look up while you are sitting there and asks difficult questions. He’s certainly a genius in engineering and asks those Google-level interview questions.
But there may be a trail of beat-up workers: the ones that have managed to survive his firings. (He asked who wanted to remain at Twitter/X when he took over, but then fired some of the same people who decided to stay.)
So, interpersonally, he sounds like an intimidating man. But he certainly has made a dent.
I forgot about the need for free time when you work full-time. I miss my mornings reading. But I am doing some really cool stuff for work.
In the news, some alarming items about the middle east. It’s easy to get into apocalyptic thinking.
Still thankful for fam and friends, people who prayed for me.
Been taking Jax to a new park when possible, but he gets overheated.
Unbelievable: Disgraceful.
https://dnyuz.com/2024/03/30/donald-trump-blasphemous-bible-thumper/
Happy Easter?
I read this morning about Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis. Prayers for her all the time.
I have recently had notice of members of my family combatting various illnesses. You never know.
As I mentioned last November, Eric Metaxas wrote Letter to the American Church, asking believers to exercise their faith in the ballot box and in action. Metaxas juxtaposes the American church with the German church up to and during the Third Reich. I have a friend who thinks Metaxas is offbase.
Isn’t what Metaxas is saying just hyperbole? If not, then is the call upon the church loud enough?
The debate on what the church should do is a perennial one. We’re called to exercise our faith and we should put our faith into action. What is too far?
Still reading Isaacson’s Elon Musk:
“Wokeness wants to make comedy illegal, which is not cool. Trying to shut down Dave Chappelle, come on, man, that’s crazy. Do we want a humorless society that is simply rife with condemnation and hate and no forgiveness? At its heart wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It gives mean people a shield to be mean and cruel, armed with false virtue.”
I would add that it is stifling; can’t breathe.
Had some time to reflect on Haley’s loss. The party has turned the corner. I hoped that I would not have to support the opposition.
Just watched the PBS Newshour segment on Brad Onishi, who is a former evangelical minister who once identified as a “Christian nationalist.” The term is just too broad. During the segment he assumes that white evangelicals are the source of pro-Trump activism. He now hosts a (supposedly-popular) podcast “Straight White American Jesus” and wrote “Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism and What Comes Next.” Let’s just say that not many people are going to buy something the mainstream media gives them for free every day.
His failure to differentiate a small minority of people who actually say they are “Christian nationalists” from other right-wing and mainstream evangelicals is just an attempt to promote himself. The segment interviewed no subjects who would consider themselves Christian nationalists.
Poor segment, poor analysis.
Just reading more of AI in Isaacson’s Elon Musk.
“The danger comes when artificial intelligence is decoupled from human will.”
We have to maintain control of AI. It should remain aligned with human goals. AI bots should be an extension of the will of individuals not systems that could follow their own goals and intentions.
This goes all the way back to the human development of tools. That’s what AI should be. But the question of consciousness has not really been answered.
The decision rule says we do something as long as its added benefit is greater than the added cost. Profit is the reward for innovation, and is intrinsic to freedom.
Our rights to property hinge on three things:
– Private ownership under the right rules. Life, liberty and the acquiring and possessing of property. The king gave property to whom he wished, but the Americans wanted equality of opportunity.
– Market freedom.
– Reliable money. Government is for everyone, thought the Founders, so the purpose of government was to safeguard others’ rights to property.
In the end, the right to acquire is a public good, and bureaucratic rules that are unpublished and complicated stand against freedom.
I can’t do any better than to point out that Google incognito mode shares your IP address, device data, and browser history despite seemingly offering a private browsing experience. “Google has updated its disclaimer in Incognito Mode according to MSPowerUser, and lawyers have been working to finalize a settlement.”
Read for more.
Markets allow us to operate according to our own plan. The price system–supply and demand–is the creation of a spontaneous order. It creates wealth for consumers and interference in the market brings unintended consequences, such as removing a species from an environment. Naturally, the demand curve works like this: if prices fall, then more people buy, and if prices rise, less people buy.
Self-interest is not the same as selfishness. Self-interest is doing what you are better off doing, and philanthropy functions on it. Mother Theresa felt she was better off doing what she did; she felt better doing it.
Price is what you give up to get something else. Mother Theresa felt the added benefit of working was greater than the cost of working.
Contrary to current thought (from among others, college-age Americans) about capitalism, the spontaneous order of the market fosters philanthropy. The pricing system is based on voluntary exchange and mutual benefit occurs because everyone is better off. This is freedom. Outside interference with the market system will reduce freedom. Most people do not think of how the market involves enormous coordination with no central planner. Cooperation brings efficiency and innovation. Innovation takes X (raw materials) and makes it more than X. Profit is the incentive to innovate and creates things others want.
Consumer demand and the will to serve and please others leads to philanthropy. Acting to one’s own plan actually allows us to bless others from our excess. The market is moral because it is based on merit and it requires you to think of others.
I use the term frenemies very loosely. My friends from college are generally anti-politics in the church. I can see that that is needed. But I am just burned out on this subject and plan to take it up in October.
On to other things, I was intent on starting to read the classics I own from college and read part of the life of Johnson and some Middle Ages material, but after having read the introduction to the Canterbury Tales, I no longer continued to read The Wife of Bath. Since I didn’t have the desire to read the footnotes in every line of Chaucer, I faded out.
I am now reading Isaacson’s Elon Musk. Yes, a big change, but I love it so far. What an interesting man. He is determined and aggressive–but even with his problems, accomplishes great things.
There are, of course, many anti-capitalist people out there today, but many people do recognize his brilliance.
Listening to Michelle makes me aware of what is possible. She is almost as articulate as Barack.
I still hope Trump will be in prison in enough time before the election. Trumpies are only part of the GOP, a part that must die. I think they don’t have enough numbers to reelect, so we need another candidate.
Because of the incredible use of credit today, Americans, many of them young, are in bondage. This is a classic.
SNL: Don’t buy things you can’t afford
Here’s to a new year. This is the year of the election: more lies, scandals, and plain-out criminal behavior. This from both sides.
I will spend my time better, reading and learning all I can. Trying also to be a better human. Being a light.
I can’t wait for November to be over.
A knee-jerk progressive doesn’t need to read Shakespeare or any other white male. They know the answer to any encounter with greatness.