Politics

A cross-cutting theme in Kyle’s reading, recurring most strongly around the question of whether politics degrades or distributes truth. Romney — A Reckoning is the anchor: a “politics-of-character” reading in which “politics will always fetter language” (reduced to signal, not content — the Newt Gingrich pattern from The Death of Expertise), where the post-2016 GOP made beliefs a lagging indicator of group membership rather than a leading one, and where the alternative is “data over dogma” and an Educated Electorate that “can be trusted with hard truths.” It is notably the most approving read in the library relative to Kyle’s usual skepticism.

The two David Perell long-reads supply the media and economic angles. Do You #FeelTheBern- Behind Bernie Sanders’ Quest To Take Over The White House reads modern politics through Marshall McLuhan — “societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication” — arguing social platforms, not the debate stage, are now the arena, and that direct, unfiltered access (Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube) is what builds youth trust. Where Do We Go Next? reads Trump’s election as a symptom of rising global populism and inequality bred by class and racial segregation, invoking Naval Ravikant’s “history’s classic solution is either politics distributing prosperity or revolution distributing poverty,” and prescribing participation over nostalgia.

Where this appears

• Romney — A Reckoning — politics fettering language; beliefs as lagging vs. leading indicators of tribe; data over dogma and the educated electorate
• Do You #FeelTheBern- Behind Bernie Sanders’ Quest To Take Over The White House — politics through McLuhan’s “the medium is the message”; social platforms as the new arena
• Where Do We Go Next? — Trump’s election as a symptom of populism and inequality; politics vs. revolution

Quick Capture links — June 29th, 2021

Reading-list links from Kyle’s June 29th, 2021 Roam daily-note “Quick Capture” log.

• https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/losing-the-democratic-habit/568336/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfQij4aQq1k
• https://represent.us/

From Roam

• Politics Around Me
• The Issues
  • Good example:
    • https://www.yang2020.com/policies/ - #Politics #articles-to-read
  • The Economy
  • Gun Control
  • Gun Violence (See Separate Note)
  • Bipartisanship
    • “The Other Side is NOT Dumb” https://medium.com/@SeanBlanda/the-other-side-is-not-dumb-2670c1294063#.b3e48w4o0
    • http://www.vox.com/2016/6/28/12007932/senate-gridlock-america-government
    • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/01/the-interesting-thing-that-happens-when-a-republican-marries-a-democrat/?tid=sm_fb
    • http://www.vox.com/2016/7/3/12076800/samantha-bee-full-frontal-tbs-review-brexit?utm_campaign=vox.social&utm_medium=social&utm_content=voxdotcom&utm_source=facebook
  • Abortion
    • Should the government continue to fund planned parenthood?
    • http://www.nationalreview.com/article/430152/abortion-roe-v-wade-unborn-children-women-feminism-march-life
  • Gay Marriage
    • What is wrong with offering civil unions but not calling it marriage?
  • Economy
    • Should the government raise the minimum wage?
    • Home ownership: http://www.curbed.com/2016/6/21/11956516/millennial-first-time-home-trends-suburbs
    • http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/capitalism-is-just-a-story-rise-up-and-create-a-new-one/
  • Criminal Justice
    • Should police officers be required to wear body-cameras?
    • Should convicted felons have the right to vote?
    • Should prisons ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles? Or anyone for that matter?
    • http://www.vox.com/2016/7/5/12059448/sex-offender-registry
  • Welfare & other Entitlement Programs
    • Should drug tests be required for anyone receiving welfare?
    • Should we have affirmative action programs?
  • Healthcare
    • What is wrong with Obamacare? Has it helped poor people at the expense of the rich?
    • Should the government require vaccination for preventable diseases?
  • Elections
    • Should an I.D. be required to vote?
    • How does the electoral college work? And does it adequately represent the voice of the people?
    • Is the “Brexit” a good indication that direct democracy doesn’t work?
  • Foreign Policy
    • Should we allow Syrian refugees into the country?
    • Should we decrease military spending?
    • Should foreign terrorism suspects be given constitutional rights?
  • Free Trade
    • Understand the TPP and TTIP
  • Immigration
    • Should illegal immigrants have access to government-subsidized healthcare?
    • Should muslims be banned from entering the U.S. until we can improve our process for screening for potential terrorists? And is this literally unconstitutional?
    • Should illegal immigrants receive in-state tuition rates if they attend public-college?
    • Was the girl who stood up at graduation and declared she was an illegal immigrant then deported? Should she have been?
  • Education
    • Should we increase taxes on the rich in order to decrease student loans?
    • Should public colleges be free or subsidized?
    • Should there be more regulation of student loans and tuition costs?
    • Do you support common core standards?
  • Alternative Energy & Climate Change
    • http://www.fastcoexist.com/3060167/this-new-neighborhood-will-grow-its-own-food-power-itself-and-handle-its-own-waste/2
    • Should fracking be allowed?
    • Should the government offer tax subsidies for developing alternative energy technologies?
    • “How to let go of the world and love all the things that climate can’t change” HBO Documentary
  • Radical Islam & Islamaphobia
    • https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/06/20/i-reported-omar-mateen-to-the-fbi-trump-is-wrong-that-muslims-dont-do-our-part/?wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
      • “Donald Trump believes American Muslims are hiding something. “They know what’s going on. They know that [Omar Mateen] was bad,” he said after the Orlando massacre. “They have to cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad. … But you know what? They didn’t turn them in. And you know what? We had death and destruction.”This is a common idea in the United States. It’s also a lie.”
  • Legalization of Marijuana
    • The data shows that legalizing marijuana will NOT drastically increase the number of young people smoking it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/21/colorado-survey-shows-what-marijuana-legalization-will-do-to-your-kids/?wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
      • “Researchers generally agree that marijuana use during adolescence should be strongly discouraged — younger users are more likely to become dependent on the drug, and teens who use marijuana heavily are at higher risk of a number of mental and physical health problems later in life.”
      • Opponents have often claimed that marijuana legalization would lead to more kids smoking pot, with all the negative health consequences that would entail. But the scant data available until now hasn’t borne this out. National surveys have shown that teen marijuana use rates are falling across the country.
    • What are the benefits of legalization? People talk about regulating and taxing marijuana. How do they do this in Colorado and Washington, and does it represent a significant decrease in costs of prosecuting marijuana users, and/or an increase in tax revenue?
    • According to Lily, there is no argument for legalizing marijuana. In Colorado, there are numerous child injuries and deaths from accidentally consuming parent’s edibles and it has done nothing for their economy.
    • Should the U.S. change the criminalization of other drugs? Or reform the current criminal justice process for drugs are refocus the issue of drugs as a public health issue?
  • Trump’s Accomplishments
    • https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/1258575002