SOPA/PIPA - I hate it. Greatness has never been legislated. Greatness requires people to believe in the best in humanity. Let’s double down on the internet and freedom instead of introducing misguided notions of protection. We have real work to do - let’s not bother with this nonsense.
Politics isn’t about Policy
High school students are easily engaged to elect class presidents, even though they have little idea what if any policies a class president might influence. Instead such elections are usually described as “popularity contests.” That is, theses elections are about which school social factions are to have higher social status. If a jock wins, jocks have higher status. If your girlfriend’s brother wins, you have higher status, etc. And the fact that you have a vote says that others should take you into account when forming coalitions – you are somebody.
Civics teachers talk as if politics is about policy, that politics is our system for choosing policies to deal with common problems. But as Tyler Cowen suggests, real politics seems to be more about who will be our leaders, and what coalitions will rise or fall in status as a result. Election media coverage focuses on characterizing the candidates themselves – their personalities, styles, friends, beliefs, etc. You might say this is because character is a cheap clue to the policies candidates would adopt, but I don’t buy it.
The obvious interpretation seems more believable – as with high school class presidents, we care about policies mainly as clues to candidate character and affiliations. And to the extent we consider policies not tied to particular candidates, we mainly care about how policies will effect which kinds of people will be respected how much.
I work for the Internet.
Spread the word to let Congress know who they will impact.
“It might be argued that I’ve been out of school too long, that if I’d actually been in the 10th grade prior to taking the test, the material would have been fresh. But doesn’t that miss the point? A test that can determine a student’s future life chances should surely relate in some practical way to the requirements of life. I can’t see how that could possibly be true of the test I took.”
Man with multiple degrees fails standardized test for children
We need more of this.
Deutsche Bank: If Merkel Doesn't Budge, 'Our Investment Advice Is To Dig A Hole In The Ground And Hide'
This is real.
“I don’t believe this bill has any chance on the House floor. I think it’s way too extreme, it infringes on too many areas that our leadership will know is simply too dangerous to do in its current form.”
Darrell Issa on SOPA. Great news.
Paul Higgins: Totally agree. People I would describe as pure capitalists often forget or ignore the base on which they build. I find this particularly difficult to stomach when Rupert Murdoch returns to Australia to lecture us on our education system while utilising every loophole he can to not pay the tax to support the system
OK, this is the quote of the year. She’s got my vote here in Massachusetts!
(Source: mgolladwyne)
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