Love these two!
Love these two!
I think the Right in U.S. is organized enough to win & the Left is unorganized enough to lose. But I see almost everyone judging by in & out-groups & blaming. And identity politics. Left = “billionaires” etc. But far Left criticizes even Left whereas Right & far Right agree about enough.
I think if the question was framed differently, 18-44 would have far-right high, just as this showed far-left high. For the 2 reasons. Young Leftists do the same. External blame for their condition.
bsky.app/profile/gues...
Just listened to the whole debate. 2 things: 1. Frame as in-group & (versus) out-group 2. External blame for position. Out-group heavy blame. I think these are common by both sides of the aisle. In a lot of Western countries. Worse in young people that are becoming the biggest voting bloc.
What is an example of a policy in a Socialist-state that only helps rural poor & not “support corporations” AND doesn’t have a mixed-economy equivalent policy? If Socialism does the same or if mixed economies have equivalent (I’d say yes to both), then there is no real criticism.
How to react & handle the stress & disappointment that comes with life in general. Sorry. You must have triggered something.
I’m also thinking about general values. Work hard, don’t give up (with growth mindset), mistakes are normal & good, figure it out yourself but ask for help too. You don’t control anything/others but you control yourself, what you do & say &, most importantly, how you react to things.
“Growth mindset” is a newer idea but encapsulates these things. How to adapt, grow & handle failures as well as accepting the day to day as being a good day; not a “grind.” And how to “love life” in general. Show, if you can, by example.
I always see (judge) people by how well they adapt. To me, this is the big difference in intelligence. Not rigid/fixed/rote. Saying that, I would try to relax as a parent & just make them “prepared.” Making sure they learn how to learn. They learn how to grow. They learn how to handle adversity.
“I cannot imagine what you’re going through.” WE NEED TO IMAGINE. PAIN = ACTION. #NoMoreSchoolShootings
Spouses tend to share psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, OCD, substance-use & anorexia. Study in Nature Human Behaviour of >14.8M in Taiwan, Denmark & Sweden. The trend increases with time, across cultures & generations.
Yes, political-economic systems are expressions of culture. They are built on what a society already believes & practices. They aren’t separate. Culture is the soil & politics-economics are the plants. They influence each other. #Econsky
Paywall. “Broken ” but unless you produce viable alternatives, criticisms aren’t solutions. The real work is solutions. The easy work is showing flaws. (Human Nature to criticize & solve nothing) What before FEMA (1979)? What good alternative is proposed?
Does every comment have some small influence on cultural change? I say yes.
Also, isn’t my original comment made for cultural change? I’m influencing others to see the good of the approach to someday have more support for the political-economic changes. The question involves the reader to move them toward a better system.
Sure, eliminating gerrymandering et al requires legal rules & political will, & culture shapes the will. But the public only has indirect, representative power. We simply need cultural support for *fairness* to highlight culture’s role. Which culture doesn’t have this?
So to change gerrymandering, we change the culture? What cultural change? Not just make better laws based on basic fairness that gives unbiased outcomes without direct coercion from some? Do you think tolerance to coercion is cultural?
Politics shapes culture & culture shapes politics. Outcomes are real. Coercion is real. Systems aren’t void of culture but have measurable outcomes & coercion levels. Again, are you suggesting people change cultures?
Oops. Some swear words. Should have warned.
Video short #AGoodPlace youtube.com/shorts/2Pj17...
And I want to give the positive feedback while you’re doing it, that many of us appreciate it. I’m trying to post (more) positive too!
Your stance can be interpreted as “change the culture” not the political or economic system to produce outcomes & coercion levels.
Outcomes aren’t determined, only influenced by, culture. You also gave a selective history. There are measurable, real outcomes & coercion levels & real-world evidence that show systems succeed (or fail) regardless of culture. Culture is intertwined, but not the cause of all things. 1/
Dems aren’t without criticism, but they support rural & poor Americans through laws like the Farm Bill, Rural Electrification Act, community health centers, USDA rural programs, SNAP, Medicaid expansion & housing assistance. Some GOP say those are Socialism.
I’m always impressed with your ability to post daily. You are making a positive impact on people’s lives: #AGoodPlace Thank you!
#Dance #LoveLife #LifeIsGood #AGoodPlace youtube.com/shorts/5V3E2...
It is the model with the best outcomes / material needs met & the least coercion / done to limit the flaws of Capitalism. #NordicModel #SocialDemocracy #TrueFreeMarketsHaveFreePeople #PublicGoods #SafetyNets
But the coercion by Govt serves 2 things. Deny coercion by individuals: lowers /removes exploit. Supports market failures: by Public Goods & Safety Nets. 3/
Social Democracy (Nordic Model) Outcomes: Best overall. High equality, strong protections for minorities, universal healthcare/education & political freedom. Coercion is spread broadly rather than targeted. Material security is highest. Coercion: Higher taxation & regulation. 2/
Which political-economic system has the best outcomes for all including those without power & with the least coercion? #Econsky 1/
Remember the grocery store bagger asking “paper or plastic?” I remember many of us not knowing which was better & wanting to save the trees.
Congress needs to pass a law that people in science-related Government jobs are required to have a science-related degree. #Science
An autopsy will determine the time and cause of death, but the sheriff’s office said it believes Gardner “succumbed to a tragic accident as we all have surmised.” www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...
We are walking backwards through our life. The past fades from our view & there is no clear vision of the future. #Philosophy
Yes. Any switch between generic brands or between generic & Brand-name can have a difference. But the difference between batches (of even Brand-name) can too. Most drugs & most people even with the few drugs it matters could use generics OK. But, there are people that need only Brand-name.
Thyroid study of 17,598 patients compared generic & brand-name levothyroxine & found similar outcomes, normal TSH levels within 3 months. Generic users 75.4% Brand users 76.9% (No significant difference P = .23)
It can be true with some people. Any medicine that levels are needed. “Narrow therapeutic index” medicines. Especially in the few people that it matters more. Example: 1/
“I love the U.S., but sometimes like loving a child that often misbehaves.” -me
American Exceptionalism sometimes means the very last developed country to do the right thing. I love the U.S., but sometimes like loving a child that often misbehaves.
I’d rather not say my background for privacy reasons. But thyroid replacement is one medicine where some people need Brand name, many others may do fine with generic. It is often sited that generics aren’t equivalent with the 80-125% number, but that is misapplied/misinterpreted.
I had a German relative here this past summer & they looked at a plastic straw in disbelief.
American culture has several oddities that keep it from being “Great.” Most friends & family (Americans) have no idea how much of an outlier we are in some of our ways & beliefs.
Life is better in a union. Unions helped build our Social Security system. Strong unions make a strong Social Security system.
“As I approach the end of my life, I have even less and less interest in examining what have got to be very superficial evaluations or opinions about the significance of one’s life or one’s work,” Leonard Cohen said, in 2016.
#Philosophy youtu.be/OtutStgt15M?...
Argentina Inflation, although high, has retreated to pre-crisis levels. Poverty has decreased below pre-2023 crisis levels. Their economy has stagnated for over a decade. Economic activity has rebounded, in export-oriented sectors. #Econsky www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
#MedSky
Review of 2,070 studies, average difference between GENERIC & BRAND was: Cₘₐₓ (peak concentration): ±4.35 % AUC (overall exposure): ±3.56 % Studies on BRAND vs. ITSELF: Cₘₐₓ ±8–12% AUC ±5–10% It matters if you take a medicine that needs levels measured. Otherwise, it is a Pharma hoax.
#MusicSky #EduSky #Music #Education youtube.com/shorts/Uc_bP...
In the U.S. 2025, a family of 4 would pay at least $13,000 per year for healthy food & water. That’s $6.25/hour of the full time work for 1 person for 1 year just for food & water. Up to $9.68/hour for more expensive foods. #Econsky
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are an ancient family of enzymes essential for building proteins. A new mathematical model inspired by their evolutionary tempo suggests that bursts of change punctuate the history of life, including speciation and human language.
The inconsistency comes when people switch frameworks. On one hand, there is a deontological standard (means matter absolutely & should be criticized.) On the other, they use a consequentialist standard (ends can justify the means that is then pardoned.)
Yes & no. One is critical with some end goals met & one pardons without the end goals met. It seems to me, you’d pardon if some end goals are met & criticize if some end goals aren’t met?
Nobody answers the difficult questions? #Leftist #Communist #Socialist #Communism #Socialism
Above #Leftist #Communist #Socialist #Communism #Socialism
Far Leftists, Communists, et al Help me understand Why dismiss a moral end (all needs met) if reached by questionable means, but excuse Authoritarian Socialism’s questionable means because of its promised ends? Isn’t that inconsistent?
i'm quite sincere in my belief that we're much closer to better things than we would imagine. for all the faults in our world, you're not alone, or even in anything close to a minority, in feeling this way. change is coming, i think.
Life is a series of pulls back & forth. …A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle. tues w Morrie #AGoodPlace
1. I don’t like X (whole) because of x (detail.) 2. I don’t like x (detail) out of X (whole.) (X is all bad because of x or x is a bad part of X) Which is more thoughtful? #Philosophy
“Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others.” Morrie Schwartz (tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom) #AGoodPlace
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” Morrie Schwartz (tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom) #AGoodPlace
Before 2025, I would have said healthcare costs in the U.S. was (arguably) the biggest issue facing the nation. Change will eventually happen out of pure need. As a society, we need to demand it sooner.
Sand batteries are literally just silos of sand that retain heat exceptionally well -- so well that they can be tied to heat exchange systems to serve as proxy *electrical* batteries. Finland's new model can store enough power (100 MWh) to heat an entire town for a week. newatlas.com/energy/large...
“You’re a reply bot.” Well, you replied to my original post first. I’m a reply-reply bot? Is it normal to ignore?
Every voice has the right to speak, but not every idea deserves an audience.
Excitedly clicked on meta ethics to find out it is about Meta’s ethics. #Philosophy
“Everything is bad, even that very good thing that I would have otherwise applauded.” - a lot of kids these days.
Have you tried @costplusdrugs.com ?
@mcuban.bsky.social Hang in there. Don’t let the few loud negative people make you believe we are all bad!
If the country you are in did something bad in the past, but they redistribute to all citizens to take care of needs, that is good, correct? We can criticize the past while applauding the present? There are no traditional Imperialist countries today. They are all neo- or never.
I did not make the original comment. Where is the backlash to the original comment? If X means is bad, but A ends is good. Why not agree that Y means that can also be called bad, can also have A ends that are good? Many traditional imperialist countries have social democracy now; redistribute.
I think we are misunderstanding each other. Are you suggesting the Socialist States are actually Communism? (My point is they aren’t) Which gives real power to the people, the former or the latter? (Communism)
I’m not the one that wrote that it would be redistributed. I didn’t even agree that it would happen. I asked that if it did happen in a scenario, would that be a good or bad thing?
Yes, I made a statement that it is similar to my criticism. You stated it cannot be similar because it Isn’t imperialism. So I quoted you to show what I meant about State Socialism not giving up power to the people to become Communism. Why would they?
Except if global, as I wrote above, there is no “others;” they are now a part of the whole. And if all spoils are redistributed, then it is redistributed to all humans. Global Socialism.
“what obligation or reason would a single uniform () power have to hand over power to the people”
Trust matters. But if a power is providing for all their people already, you’d trust (but verify) they’d continue.
I don’t mean to start a fight, but that is my very criticism of Socialist States. I was originally asking about the statement about being OK with a regime if the ends are matching the goals. Since means are an issue no one can adopt, the ends can still be applauded, right?
Yes. But my first comment was saying that if there was a single power controlling the globe & can choose to wield power as they wish, they can, in fact, create Socialism, maybe Communism. So, criticizing people OK with redistributing all to everyone as an ends should be actually supported. No?
I don't comprehend what it means except for the dictionary definition. It means expansion of power over others. How would you layer on more meaning? www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/i...
Imperialism etymology = "supreme administrative authority."
Imagine an immoral entity gradually controlling the world. Then they have the power to implement any policy without challenge. This includes controlling the means of production to be democratically managed to share resources to meet human needs, where power & production are communally controlled.
bsky.app/profile/gues...
I think I just clarified above.
Except, imposing on 194 countries is Imperialism, but 195 is not any longer, because you've run out of countries to have power, authority & influence over. The means didn't change. The 1 step worse isn't less. It is a contradiction.
Imperialism = "extension or imposition of power, authority or influence." The extreme extent of which could be considered global, 1 state (no more others to impose), & can choose to (not defying definitions) equally distribute all needs to everyone with the power they wield.
If it is global imperialism & the spoils are equally distributed, would that be good?
Apparently, Bluesky plans include enabling creators to monetize their content, similar to YouTube, by taking a revenue model.
Star Trek is space Communism?
Hunter-gatherer daily toil Foraging & hunting: 3–5 hours per day Household tasks: 3 hours per day of work-like activity. Total: 6-8 hours per day x7 days per week = 42-56 hours per week. Not too dissimilar to today.
I just did more research. Of all U.S. healthcare spending, $ come from: 41% taxes (>3/4 from the top 1/3 American incomes: income taxes & payroll tax) 30% individuals 18% businesses (not including taxes) 8% other (philanthropy mostly) (rounding errors)
a la the Nordic Model that created, arguably, the combination: happiest, wealthiest, most free countries in the world.
I don’t have favor for anyone. I do favor policy. There are a lot of strong opinions, but I believe there is a good (best?) approach to bridge the divides. The gist of which keeps good parts of Capitalism & fixes the flaws with Public Goods & Safety Nets… 1/
Yes, my friend. Social Democracy. Nordic Model. Public Goods & Safety Nets fix flaws of Capitalism without creating larger flaws.
Yes to lower costs. Yes to a lot paid already. I think we need to detach health insurance from jobs. But keep a mandate of $ contributed based on employer size. Progressive? Employers paid ~$0.9T of $4.9T ~18% (2023) Payroll taxes ~ $0.37T ÷ $4.9T ~ 7.5% (2023) Combined ~26%.
2023 National Health Expenditure $4.9T Total household income $14T Top 1% share of income 21% = $2.94T Needed tax rate for top 1% to pay for Universal Healthcare $4.9 ÷ $2.94 ≈ 167%
2023 National Health Expenditure $4.9T Total household income $14T Top 10% share of income 46% = $6.4T Needed tax rate for top 10% to pay for Universal Healthcare $4.9 ÷ $6.4 ≈ 76%