The combination of Public Choice theory, which explains how politics works and why it doesn’t, and understanding social change, plus lived experience of working in politics, policy, education, and finally entrepreneurship have made it abundantly clear to me that politics is at best a ridiculous spectator sport. At worst a terrible addiction that makes you an asshole and a moron all at once.
Category: Blogs
The official Everything-Voluntary.com blog.
Falling Back on Principle
Sometimes it takes awhile to fashion a topic, so I search Google for the keyword “politics,” using the “news” tab. Now I’m struggling to define for myself what are the differences among a regular news day and a slow news day and a no news day and a fake news day. But this is clear, there is no difference between yesterday’s news day and today’s news day.
Gun Rights are Decent Political X-ray
Libertarian science fiction and nonfiction author L. Neil Smith has pointed out that you can know what a politician thinks of you and your rights by examining his or her opinions on gun rights. Smith says it’s as good as an X-ray into politicians’ minds.
A Good Response to Coronavirus Fears? Read More History
Every generation has its crisis: coronavirus may just be ours.
Is Nature Delicate or Resilient?
At any one snapshot of time, the balance is complex and apparently precarious. Big change can result from small changes. But when you unpause the scene and observe through time, the self-correcting and adaptive nature of the systems turns out to be a more powerful force than any insurgence at any single moment.
Process and Product
In the long run, it makes no difference which employees were there on time, or even which employees were there at all. All that is necessary is buy-in among the positions filled.
Dumb Activist vs the Mountainmen
One year during the mountainman rendezvous I was attending somewhere in the Rockies, a guy wearing cut-offs and mud (the mud was apparently intentional) suddenly rode his dirt bike into camp and into the rather active shooting range, between the shooters and their targets. Shooting paused. Mountainmen grumbled, laughed, and watched to see what the idiot would do next.
Glimpses of Hidden America
I don’t believe the “United States” has very much to do with a good vision of America. The bureaucrats and the enforcers typically just control, manipulate, and harass. The politicians grandstand, and the legislation corrupts and impoverishes. The corporate types join in. But there’s a whole lot more to America than the government, the big corporations, or the culture wars. I catch little glimpses of this “hidden America” here and there.
Being Late Is for Slaves
An appointment should already require enough of a performance from you. You don’t need to make things harder by adding the desperation and rushed feeling of a latecomer. Feeling rushed is for slaves, not for people who are masters of their time.
Fads and Phases
Here’s a little rule of thumb I use to navigate all the trends, buzzwords, advice, and expertise in the world: If it seems dumb or boring, ignore it.