We stratify people in terms of income, when we should measure value.
Hilary and Trump are both rich. Hilary has produced absolutely nothing in her entire lifetime. Trump has developed real estate worth billions of dollars. Regardless of wealth, I respect productive people. People who, like Hilary, live off of other people's efforts are what is sinking our country.
For some sick reason, we are judging people by their level of income instead of their level of productivity.
I agree with a lot of what you're saying here, but I think something important is missing: Kamala raised lots of money from wealthy donors. There's a ton of very wealthy people on the left. As such, I think the marxism bit is just a ploy; the coalition is between people who want the government to hand out money to favored classes, which is the coalition partners.
Charts about 'who pays taxes' based upon income ignore the fact that for extremely wealthy people, they often don't have a lot of income. Income comes from working, and the wealthiest people aren't working as employees.
So I think the real dichotomy here is 'productive' vs 'plundering.' When you have a high level of income, it's because you're working for someone else; income taxes do indeed represent a form of plunder. But the plunder isn't just going to the poor - it also goes to very wealthy and well connected people as well.
Yet we also have things like a massive tax deduction for owners of giant sports teams, which everyone agrees is deeply unfair, but nobody does anything about. SALT deductions effectively subsidize crazy blue state tax policies, because the direct effects of that taxation aren't felt by the people voting for them. And when it comes to money printing and inflation - this is GREAT if you've got a bunch of financial assets, especially if they are levered. So I think the actual divide here is something like what Thomas Pikety calls the "Brahmin Left" and the "Merchant right."
The rich pay most of the federal INCOME tax. Joe Sixpack pays FICA, Medicare, excise taxes on gasoline, and state and local taxes aplenty.
Fun fact: the income tax was originally supposed to be a tax on the rich only, to offset the fact that tariffs and excises were regressive. Need to go back towards that.
Beat me to it. The problem is even worse in cities controlled by the Left. The recent kerfuffle about SALT deductions shows this very well. The House Republicans raised this to $40k (though the final outcome is pending). Romney deserved to be pilloried because of his cluelessness on this.
How about an openly voluntary tax, you only pay specifically for the government you want, nothing else. Oh, what would that look like?. Taxes are voluntary now, they pretend they are not.
At this point it would look like hyperinflation and societal collapse followed by either conquest or dictatorship.
The money has already been spent. Debt service is now more expensive than national defense. As such my politics has moved from libertarian to supervillain. I want to cut spending and raise taxes. As the Birchers were pointing out a half century or more ago, deficit spending is a subsidy for the already rich. Thanks to the petrodollar arrangement, our deficits subsidize passive income over earned income worldwide. This offsets our foreign aid bigly.
No matter how taxes are raised, corrupt politicians will waste them, and overspend if they can. Corruption is the problem, the system is designed this way to reward corruption and punish accountability.
The two times we had a balanced post WWII budget were under Eisenhower and Clinton. Taxes were high both times.
If the elite had to pay for big government, the elite would lobby for less government.
And, once again, the money has ALREADY BEEN SPENT. If all the waste exposed by Doge were to be permanently eliminated, we'd have but a small dent in the deficit. The budget is dominated by Social Security, Medicare, and debt service, with national defense as a runner up.
"Raise families that will value building and beauty instead of destroying and ugliness. Have fun in real life with them and your friends. Forge high trust communities. Keep your mind and body strong. Support local craftsmanship of unique, high quality items. Adapt with agency and motivation to create a unique skill stack and network. Become irreplaceable and ungovernable. That is the key to happiness."
This is a great point that I've often pondered from the perspective of education which is currently geared to guide children to do the exact opposite of each of these recommendations. Although I would replace "ungovernable" with "un-coerceable."
For example, how do we grow children into adults that are truly independent to the point where they can't be intimidated into taking a vaccine for fear of losing their job?
We need to inculcate the next generation to cherish humanness (note I am deliberately avoiding the use of the word "humanity"), beauty, and community as well as prioritize personal agency.
I have ideas of my own which I may write about in the near future, but I'm interested in what others have to say.
Income and wealth in America is no different than fitness. I doubt 80% of America can run a ten minute mile. Running a ten minute mile does not make you even a mediocre runner by any stretch but compared to everyone else, you're top 20%! A household earning $165k combined (a nurse and a cop) are considered "rich" in America but it's because so much of our population is doing nothing, have no economic skills, and have joined the growing underclass that our policies make so attractive. There is no better place in the world to be a shitbag than America.
Income quintiles are a massive distortion. The top 20% includes all of the middle class and arguably part of the working class. Below 70% we have working poor, poor, and destitute. If we carve out the elderly, disabled, and people under 25 from that group, we are left with a group that is really hard to sympathize with.
But let's keep pounding the productive citizens for more of their tax dollars for our great ideas!
Absolutely. In the last federal election - we had to use a big fat pencil to mark our ballots. Not a pen….a pencil. When we questioned it we were told we could have brought a marking device of our choice and were told no one was going to change our ballot…..yeah, ok.
I have heard reports ( from door-to-door canvassing) that 90 percent of people voted conservative, despite the suicide self-sabotage run at the end, it magically disappeared in the final tally. I have several podcast episodes explaining the fraud of elections. You will appreciate that link above.
He was a polymath philosopher, mathematician and social engineer in the late 1800's - early 1900's. In addition to the Pareto Principle he has a large body of relevant work on optimization, distributions, efficiency, and the Circulation of Elites (will come back to that later). One of his notable students was a young Benito Mussolini. Mussolini built upon Pareto's teachings, as he developed what he believed to be the perfect, most efficient form of government. Cato Institute has a good write up here:
The Economic Leadership Secrets of Benito Mussolini
“The Fascist conception of life stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only in so far as his interests coincide with the State. It is opposed to classical liberalism [or libertarianism, as it’s also called] that denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State… If classical liberalism spells individualism, Fascism spells government.” Individualism seemed to be the ideology that Mussolini and fellow fascists hated the most. They repeatedly disparaged it, referring to “the evil influence of individualism… the debacle of individualism… the individualistic conception of life in which man is subject only to the rule of his animal nature… individualism led to class struggle and national wars… [by contrast] fascism is an idealistic philosophy of life… the citizen in the Fascist State is no longer a selfish individual who has the anti‐social right of rebelling against any law of the Collectivity.” [Fauci, Biden, Schwarzenegger "F your selfish freeDUM!"]
FF - Young Benito evolved in his thinking in the years following his instruction under Pareto. Communism had its appeal. Socialism had its appeal. He settled into Fascism, as his quote above reveals his way of thinking by the time he became Italy's strongman. Fascism had many supporters at the time, and not just Mussolini and Hitler. Many in the US, household names, leaders of industry, media and in political power:
(exploring the information in the links that contains are even more insightful)
FF - One of the most meaningful supporters of Fascism in American history was Prescott Bush, father to George HW Bush. Granddad Prescott Bush was Hitler’s banker in WWII, a proud fascist himself:
FF - Unlike the history we are taught would have us believe, Fascism and Communism have much more in common with each other than with western liberal capitalism. The Hitler-Stalin Pact was about more than just a temporary truce between bitter adversaries as is widely taught. It was an ideological alignment of Fascism and Communism that made sense:
The Hitler-Stalin pact: Discussion of the Non-Aggression Treaty and the Secret Protocols
The paper discusses the Hitler-Stalin act and Secret Protocols. The 100-pages explore the role of propaganda, disinformation, Nazism and Marxism united against western democratic capitalism and freedom. And how the US took over Nazi Germany's role in geopolitics after the fall of Nazi Germany.
All is an important read, but p30, p47, p61 discuss their common foe: western liberal capitalism, how propaganda highlighting their differences was malleable for their needs (and provides historic context to Russia-Ukraine conflict today.) And a bonus interesting quote by Stalin about propaganda found on p. 61 that we can relate to:
“Don't you think that we have to pay a little more attention to public opinion in our countries? For many years now we have been pouring buckets of slop over each other's heads and our propaganda boys could never do enough in that direction; and now all of a sudden are we to make our peoples believe that all is forgotten and forgiven? Things don't work so fast. Public opinion in our country, and probably in Germany too, will have to be prepared slowly for the change in our relations this treaty is to bring about, and it will have to be made familiar with it.”
FF - Even though the Allies had just prevailed over the Fascist Axis powers in WWII it wasn't long before the old supporters of Fascism who helped Hitler and Mussolini get into power were back at it, lamenting how much more "efficient" Communism was:
'Damned Efficient Slavery’ vs. ‘Inefficient Freedom’
SAN FRANCISCO (AP), January 4th, 1958
[Address to British-American Chamber of Commerce Trade Centre, San Francisco World Trade Association and the World Affairs Council of Northern California]
"Because the Soviets mobilize and direct all their economic resources from one centre, he said, they have a great advantage. “Vice-President Nixon called the Russian system slavery. All right, slavery it is. But damned efficient slavery."...“We cherish our freedom. All right, freedom it is, but sadly inefficient freedom.” - Sir David Eccles, President, Board of Trade of the United Kingdom.
FF - After father Prescott Bush supported Hitler’s Fascist regime, son George H W Bush became point person on recognizing Communist China over Nationalist Taiwan as the legitimate government of China in the UN as US Ambassador, and then as the first US Ambassador to China under Nixon. Later serving as CIA Director - when he relaxed prohibitions on Communists serving in national intelligence allowing self-describing Communists like John Brennan into the agency, eventually becoming Director himself. Bush 41 and Bush 43 also oversaw the consolidation of American industry and media with the destruction of anti-trust protections in order to allow for "more efficient" (and controllable) consolidation of American industry and information. And the de-industrialization of the US in favor of industrializing Communist China, building it into the largest threat/rival/adversary of the US and western liberal capitalism in the world. Much like was done in Germany, Italy and Japan in the 1920's-1930's. For his contributions to making Communist China the most powerful threat to the US and western freedom values, Bush 41 was recognized by the CCP in China as their greatest US ally, ever, following his death. Bush 41 helped author an updated Hitler-Stalin Pact between Fascists and Communists. And they greatly appreciated it!:
Both Fascism and Communism have always viewed western democratic liberal capitalism as their shared enemy to be defeated, both have acknowledged systems of totalitarian, authoritarian governance is incompatible with individual liberty and freedom.
And finally, back to Vilfredo Pareto's "Circulation of Elite." Which describes how the same 'elite' maintain the same status in society under any governing power, but will circulate between the latest leaders, jockey for position in the 'elite.' A concept that Noam Chomsky has often expounded upon, the same corporate champion for capitalism can easily become the Commissar champion for Communism, depending on where the center of power is at the time. Loyalty to status, not ideology. He also wrote "Mind and Society", a social engineer's why and how-to.
By bringing up the Pareto Principle, 80-20 Rule, optimization, efficiency you tap into the REAL drivers of the modern world we are seeing the ugly side of today. He is an under-recognized influencer of the ideas and understandings of governance and society our leaders today hold. Makes sense to familiarize ourselves with his work. It matters.
Back in high school, my social studies teacher said the political spectrum was not liner with communism at one end and fascism at the other. It is a circle, with both ends meeting up.
Political ideologies and spectrums as we've been taught and understand them are BS. They are useful tools of control for the social engineers, creation of artificial teams and divisions. That allow society to be conquered and ruled.
The only real distinction between political beliefs and values is do you support individual freedom, self-governance? Or do you support collective obligation, authoritarian governance?
That's it. The rest is noise. The United States founding was on a unique political governing value, self-governance, individual liberty. That had only been tried a few times in all of man's existence. Each time ultimately failing. The system of government they established tried to learn from the failings of previous attempts. For their legacy, "as long as they could keep it."
Is this generation committed to true individual liberty and self-governance? So committed it will fight harder for it, sacrifice more for it than those who seek to rule us, demand our submission to their "expert" governance of betters, for our own good?
I've been thinking about this shift for the past ten years as well, unavoidable on any social platform in which the algorithm is designed to scrunch a normal distribution into a sharp head with a looong tail of digital serfs in the shadowbanned wastelands.
Even if someone is a pure of heart, intention and conviction, the 'Administrative State' is designed as a power structure to maintain power for the powerful in the shadows. I explain the system in this podcast:
“Buy from local craftsmen”. We are disappearing and find it difficult to compete with the big automated companies. As a guitar builder it takes hours to build a component vs. minutes by automation. We are also losing personal contact with customers and people in general. It seems there is less (and disappearing) interest in Art and individual craftsmanship. When someone can receive instant satisfaction and buy a product that fits their needs, admiration and purchasing hand crafted art takes a back seat. This is one big ship to turnaround. I’m a devoted Capitalist. Socialist see and are promised everything from the government so we are producing lazy, non-thinking, non-productive, and identity politics driven Americans. This article nails it
Not personally super into being an apologist for the rich, but I don't hate them either (especially if they're morally sound individuals). Anyway, "the rich" aren't really the ruling class, with some exceptions.
"In an age of artificial intelligence, authentic humanity will matter more than ever. Raise families that will value building and beauty instead of destroying and ugliness. Have fun in real life with them and your friends. Forge high trust communities. Keep your mind and body strong. Support local craftsmanship of unique, high quality items. Adapt with agency and motivation to create a unique skill stack and network. Become irreplaceable and ungovernable. That is the key to happiness."
We stratify people in terms of income, when we should measure value.
Hilary and Trump are both rich. Hilary has produced absolutely nothing in her entire lifetime. Trump has developed real estate worth billions of dollars. Regardless of wealth, I respect productive people. People who, like Hilary, live off of other people's efforts are what is sinking our country.
For some sick reason, we are judging people by their level of income instead of their level of productivity.
Some get rich off production and trade, while others get rich off rent-seeking.
You are witnessing cloaked communism.
I agree with a lot of what you're saying here, but I think something important is missing: Kamala raised lots of money from wealthy donors. There's a ton of very wealthy people on the left. As such, I think the marxism bit is just a ploy; the coalition is between people who want the government to hand out money to favored classes, which is the coalition partners.
Charts about 'who pays taxes' based upon income ignore the fact that for extremely wealthy people, they often don't have a lot of income. Income comes from working, and the wealthiest people aren't working as employees.
So I think the real dichotomy here is 'productive' vs 'plundering.' When you have a high level of income, it's because you're working for someone else; income taxes do indeed represent a form of plunder. But the plunder isn't just going to the poor - it also goes to very wealthy and well connected people as well.
Yet we also have things like a massive tax deduction for owners of giant sports teams, which everyone agrees is deeply unfair, but nobody does anything about. SALT deductions effectively subsidize crazy blue state tax policies, because the direct effects of that taxation aren't felt by the people voting for them. And when it comes to money printing and inflation - this is GREAT if you've got a bunch of financial assets, especially if they are levered. So I think the actual divide here is something like what Thomas Pikety calls the "Brahmin Left" and the "Merchant right."
Those wealthy people you speak of are receiving government money showered onto them to launder back into the government.
Yup, that's how the game works. Until that game is stopped, i suspect any other attempt to fix things is fruitless.
Fixing a system designed for this purpose is impossible. It's like trying to fly with a car.
Agree - any proposals?
Requiring a balanced budget every year at the Federal level.
Rugged individualism, decentralization, and collectively grow a pair for starters.
The rich pay most of the federal INCOME tax. Joe Sixpack pays FICA, Medicare, excise taxes on gasoline, and state and local taxes aplenty.
Fun fact: the income tax was originally supposed to be a tax on the rich only, to offset the fact that tariffs and excises were regressive. Need to go back towards that.
Beat me to it. The problem is even worse in cities controlled by the Left. The recent kerfuffle about SALT deductions shows this very well. The House Republicans raised this to $40k (though the final outcome is pending). Romney deserved to be pilloried because of his cluelessness on this.
Theft is theft no matter the propaganda dressing.
How about an openly voluntary tax, you only pay specifically for the government you want, nothing else. Oh, what would that look like?. Taxes are voluntary now, they pretend they are not.
At this point it would look like hyperinflation and societal collapse followed by either conquest or dictatorship.
The money has already been spent. Debt service is now more expensive than national defense. As such my politics has moved from libertarian to supervillain. I want to cut spending and raise taxes. As the Birchers were pointing out a half century or more ago, deficit spending is a subsidy for the already rich. Thanks to the petrodollar arrangement, our deficits subsidize passive income over earned income worldwide. This offsets our foreign aid bigly.
No matter how taxes are raised, corrupt politicians will waste them, and overspend if they can. Corruption is the problem, the system is designed this way to reward corruption and punish accountability.
The two times we had a balanced post WWII budget were under Eisenhower and Clinton. Taxes were high both times.
If the elite had to pay for big government, the elite would lobby for less government.
And, once again, the money has ALREADY BEEN SPENT. If all the waste exposed by Doge were to be permanently eliminated, we'd have but a small dent in the deficit. The budget is dominated by Social Security, Medicare, and debt service, with national defense as a runner up.
Clinton was so busy with his personal schemes that the country had a break for a minute. Lol
"Raise families that will value building and beauty instead of destroying and ugliness. Have fun in real life with them and your friends. Forge high trust communities. Keep your mind and body strong. Support local craftsmanship of unique, high quality items. Adapt with agency and motivation to create a unique skill stack and network. Become irreplaceable and ungovernable. That is the key to happiness."
This is a great point that I've often pondered from the perspective of education which is currently geared to guide children to do the exact opposite of each of these recommendations. Although I would replace "ungovernable" with "un-coerceable."
For example, how do we grow children into adults that are truly independent to the point where they can't be intimidated into taking a vaccine for fear of losing their job?
We need to inculcate the next generation to cherish humanness (note I am deliberately avoiding the use of the word "humanity"), beauty, and community as well as prioritize personal agency.
I have ideas of my own which I may write about in the near future, but I'm interested in what others have to say.
Income and wealth in America is no different than fitness. I doubt 80% of America can run a ten minute mile. Running a ten minute mile does not make you even a mediocre runner by any stretch but compared to everyone else, you're top 20%! A household earning $165k combined (a nurse and a cop) are considered "rich" in America but it's because so much of our population is doing nothing, have no economic skills, and have joined the growing underclass that our policies make so attractive. There is no better place in the world to be a shitbag than America.
Income quintiles are a massive distortion. The top 20% includes all of the middle class and arguably part of the working class. Below 70% we have working poor, poor, and destitute. If we carve out the elderly, disabled, and people under 25 from that group, we are left with a group that is really hard to sympathize with.
But let's keep pounding the productive citizens for more of their tax dollars for our great ideas!
As long as the definition of happiness is predicated on the producer/consumer model of the purpose of life, it will remain elusive.
The value of life lies far beyond economic utility. Until more substantial meaning is widely recognized, the human condition will improve but little.
I suspect the graph would be even more extreme in Canada…..
Canada is more openly docialist.
Elections are fraud. Offset blame on mythical voters rather than the tyrants.
https://open.substack.com/pub/soberchristiangentlemanpodcast/p/the-canadian-election-deception-2025?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=31s3eo
Absolutely. In the last federal election - we had to use a big fat pencil to mark our ballots. Not a pen….a pencil. When we questioned it we were told we could have brought a marking device of our choice and were told no one was going to change our ballot…..yeah, ok.
I have heard reports ( from door-to-door canvassing) that 90 percent of people voted conservative, despite the suicide self-sabotage run at the end, it magically disappeared in the final tally. I have several podcast episodes explaining the fraud of elections. You will appreciate that link above.
I have it bookmarked and will watch it tonight! I do doubt the last election results….
Are you interested in law and legal things?
UNDRIP, DRIPA in BC. Those definitely interest me. But yes, open to as much info as I can absorb.
Reading up on Pareto's theories you'll find he was much more influential on the world we live in today than just his 80-20 rule:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilfredo_Pareto
He was a polymath philosopher, mathematician and social engineer in the late 1800's - early 1900's. In addition to the Pareto Principle he has a large body of relevant work on optimization, distributions, efficiency, and the Circulation of Elites (will come back to that later). One of his notable students was a young Benito Mussolini. Mussolini built upon Pareto's teachings, as he developed what he believed to be the perfect, most efficient form of government. Cato Institute has a good write up here:
The Economic Leadership Secrets of Benito Mussolini
Cato Institute, February 22, 2012
https://www.cato.org/commentary/economic-leadership-secrets-benito-mussolini
“The Fascist conception of life stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only in so far as his interests coincide with the State. It is opposed to classical liberalism [or libertarianism, as it’s also called] that denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State… If classical liberalism spells individualism, Fascism spells government.” Individualism seemed to be the ideology that Mussolini and fellow fascists hated the most. They repeatedly disparaged it, referring to “the evil influence of individualism… the debacle of individualism… the individualistic conception of life in which man is subject only to the rule of his animal nature… individualism led to class struggle and national wars… [by contrast] fascism is an idealistic philosophy of life… the citizen in the Fascist State is no longer a selfish individual who has the anti‐social right of rebelling against any law of the Collectivity.” [Fauci, Biden, Schwarzenegger "F your selfish freeDUM!"]
FF - Young Benito evolved in his thinking in the years following his instruction under Pareto. Communism had its appeal. Socialism had its appeal. He settled into Fascism, as his quote above reveals his way of thinking by the time he became Italy's strongman. Fascism had many supporters at the time, and not just Mussolini and Hitler. Many in the US, household names, leaders of industry, media and in political power:
http://www.rationalrevolution.net/war/american_supporters_of_the_europ.htm
(exploring the information in the links that contains are even more insightful)
FF - One of the most meaningful supporters of Fascism in American history was Prescott Bush, father to George HW Bush. Granddad Prescott Bush was Hitler’s banker in WWII, a proud fascist himself:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar
FF - Unlike the history we are taught would have us believe, Fascism and Communism have much more in common with each other than with western liberal capitalism. The Hitler-Stalin Pact was about more than just a temporary truce between bitter adversaries as is widely taught. It was an ideological alignment of Fascism and Communism that made sense:
The Hitler-Stalin pact: Discussion of the Non-Aggression Treaty and the Secret Protocols
January, 1992
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234008336_The_Hitler-Stalin_pact_discussion_of_the_Non-Aggression_Treaty_and_the_secret_protocols
The paper discusses the Hitler-Stalin act and Secret Protocols. The 100-pages explore the role of propaganda, disinformation, Nazism and Marxism united against western democratic capitalism and freedom. And how the US took over Nazi Germany's role in geopolitics after the fall of Nazi Germany.
All is an important read, but p30, p47, p61 discuss their common foe: western liberal capitalism, how propaganda highlighting their differences was malleable for their needs (and provides historic context to Russia-Ukraine conflict today.) And a bonus interesting quote by Stalin about propaganda found on p. 61 that we can relate to:
“Don't you think that we have to pay a little more attention to public opinion in our countries? For many years now we have been pouring buckets of slop over each other's heads and our propaganda boys could never do enough in that direction; and now all of a sudden are we to make our peoples believe that all is forgotten and forgiven? Things don't work so fast. Public opinion in our country, and probably in Germany too, will have to be prepared slowly for the change in our relations this treaty is to bring about, and it will have to be made familiar with it.”
FF - Even though the Allies had just prevailed over the Fascist Axis powers in WWII it wasn't long before the old supporters of Fascism who helped Hitler and Mussolini get into power were back at it, lamenting how much more "efficient" Communism was:
'Damned Efficient Slavery’ vs. ‘Inefficient Freedom’
SAN FRANCISCO (AP), January 4th, 1958
[Address to British-American Chamber of Commerce Trade Centre, San Francisco World Trade Association and the World Affairs Council of Northern California]
https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist0158uvic_1/mode/2up?view=theater
"Because the Soviets mobilize and direct all their economic resources from one centre, he said, they have a great advantage. “Vice-President Nixon called the Russian system slavery. All right, slavery it is. But damned efficient slavery."...“We cherish our freedom. All right, freedom it is, but sadly inefficient freedom.” - Sir David Eccles, President, Board of Trade of the United Kingdom.
FF - After father Prescott Bush supported Hitler’s Fascist regime, son George H W Bush became point person on recognizing Communist China over Nationalist Taiwan as the legitimate government of China in the UN as US Ambassador, and then as the first US Ambassador to China under Nixon. Later serving as CIA Director - when he relaxed prohibitions on Communists serving in national intelligence allowing self-describing Communists like John Brennan into the agency, eventually becoming Director himself. Bush 41 and Bush 43 also oversaw the consolidation of American industry and media with the destruction of anti-trust protections in order to allow for "more efficient" (and controllable) consolidation of American industry and information. And the de-industrialization of the US in favor of industrializing Communist China, building it into the largest threat/rival/adversary of the US and western liberal capitalism in the world. Much like was done in Germany, Italy and Japan in the 1920's-1930's. For his contributions to making Communist China the most powerful threat to the US and western freedom values, Bush 41 was recognized by the CCP in China as their greatest US ally, ever, following his death. Bush 41 helped author an updated Hitler-Stalin Pact between Fascists and Communists. And they greatly appreciated it!:
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/01/asia/george-h-w-bush-china-intl/index.html
Both Fascism and Communism have always viewed western democratic liberal capitalism as their shared enemy to be defeated, both have acknowledged systems of totalitarian, authoritarian governance is incompatible with individual liberty and freedom.
And finally, back to Vilfredo Pareto's "Circulation of Elite." Which describes how the same 'elite' maintain the same status in society under any governing power, but will circulate between the latest leaders, jockey for position in the 'elite.' A concept that Noam Chomsky has often expounded upon, the same corporate champion for capitalism can easily become the Commissar champion for Communism, depending on where the center of power is at the time. Loyalty to status, not ideology. He also wrote "Mind and Society", a social engineer's why and how-to.
By bringing up the Pareto Principle, 80-20 Rule, optimization, efficiency you tap into the REAL drivers of the modern world we are seeing the ugly side of today. He is an under-recognized influencer of the ideas and understandings of governance and society our leaders today hold. Makes sense to familiarize ourselves with his work. It matters.
Back in high school, my social studies teacher said the political spectrum was not liner with communism at one end and fascism at the other. It is a circle, with both ends meeting up.
Political ideologies and spectrums as we've been taught and understand them are BS. They are useful tools of control for the social engineers, creation of artificial teams and divisions. That allow society to be conquered and ruled.
The only real distinction between political beliefs and values is do you support individual freedom, self-governance? Or do you support collective obligation, authoritarian governance?
That's it. The rest is noise. The United States founding was on a unique political governing value, self-governance, individual liberty. That had only been tried a few times in all of man's existence. Each time ultimately failing. The system of government they established tried to learn from the failings of previous attempts. For their legacy, "as long as they could keep it."
Is this generation committed to true individual liberty and self-governance? So committed it will fight harder for it, sacrifice more for it than those who seek to rule us, demand our submission to their "expert" governance of betters, for our own good?
I've been thinking about this shift for the past ten years as well, unavoidable on any social platform in which the algorithm is designed to scrunch a normal distribution into a sharp head with a looong tail of digital serfs in the shadowbanned wastelands.
Even if someone is a pure of heart, intention and conviction, the 'Administrative State' is designed as a power structure to maintain power for the powerful in the shadows. I explain the system in this podcast:
https://open.substack.com/pub/soberchristiangentlemanpodcast/p/s2-ep-14-the-truth-about-the-administrative-1b5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=31s3eo
What is the source for the Happiness/Unhappiness Liberal/Conservative chart??
“Buy from local craftsmen”. We are disappearing and find it difficult to compete with the big automated companies. As a guitar builder it takes hours to build a component vs. minutes by automation. We are also losing personal contact with customers and people in general. It seems there is less (and disappearing) interest in Art and individual craftsmanship. When someone can receive instant satisfaction and buy a product that fits their needs, admiration and purchasing hand crafted art takes a back seat. This is one big ship to turnaround. I’m a devoted Capitalist. Socialist see and are promised everything from the government so we are producing lazy, non-thinking, non-productive, and identity politics driven Americans. This article nails it
Why is it that no one ask how can you raise taxes on the 45 percent who don't pay taxes?
Not personally super into being an apologist for the rich, but I don't hate them either (especially if they're morally sound individuals). Anyway, "the rich" aren't really the ruling class, with some exceptions.
Your perspicacity that "In an age of artificial intelligence, authentic humanity will matter more than ever." is a truism for the ages.
"In an age of artificial intelligence, authentic humanity will matter more than ever. Raise families that will value building and beauty instead of destroying and ugliness. Have fun in real life with them and your friends. Forge high trust communities. Keep your mind and body strong. Support local craftsmanship of unique, high quality items. Adapt with agency and motivation to create a unique skill stack and network. Become irreplaceable and ungovernable. That is the key to happiness."
Hear hear.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/modern-communities