Funny We’re a Silly People

This country needs a lot of infrastructure work in any shape at this point. High speed rail is nice and will help some - but frankly - just updating the road infrastructure would be great - frankly, building the national grid and supporting EVs is the low-hanging fruit that probably makes the most sense as far as infrastructure work.

 

This video is funny, but it reminds me a little of what my dad said when we saw the (admittedly impressive) pyramids in Egypt: "It's amazing what you can do with unlimited slave labor."

Likewise, it's amazing what you can do in an authoritarian regime. I wonder how China locked down the virus in a few months. How many US politicians could have imposed basically house arrest on their constituency and used drones to go after people without masks? The vast majority of the messiness of US politics is people disagreeing on the right approach and no one being able to say, "That's enough, I'm doing whatever I think is right."

There's been a popular (if half-joking) sentiment among political scientists that the most effective form of government would be "enlightened dictatorship." That is, someone who can act unilaterally but only has the best interests of his/her people at heart. That is, of course, a purely theoretical idea and it gets at the heart of the governance problem: dictatorship is the most effective way to get things done, but it's probably not the most effective way to get the right things done. I don't imagine Maher, for all his belief that China by-god-gets-things-done would want to actually live in China.

 

There used to be extensive electric rail systems in nearly every large city in the U.S. in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s believe it or not. All these electric rail lines were scrapped and replaced with fuel burning buses at the behest of the Rockefeller fossil fuel monopoly. The National City Lines scandal is one of many interesting topics for anyone interested in the power and corruption behind the Rockefeller empire, and how it still effects our society today.

Cleaner burning and cheaper to produce alcohol was also well on its way to being the fuel of the future in the mid-late 1800’s. Henry Ford’s original combustion engine design was alcohol-burning. Farmers could literally make their own fuel to power implements with only a still and the nearly infinite sources of fermentable scrap material around the farm. Enter John D. Rockefeller. His enormous contributions to the prohibition of alcohol through public campaigns and backroom deals had nothing to do with morality and everything to do with eliminating a cheap and plentiful (and competitive) fuel source.

It’s simply mind boggling, actually insulting, that we are just recently being pitched the idea of corn ethanol as some new innovative fuel source when distilled ethyl alcohol as a fuel was being used well over 100 years ago, and ironically being suppressed by the same ones pitching it today as something progressive.

 

Funny, the slave labor and dictatorial government ideas were my exact thoughts when I watched the video. Like any political satire, you don’t want to take Mahr’s shtick too seriously. I do think that our culture does spend too much time on a lot of stuff that doesn’t really matter much and that we’ve kind of lost any sense of focus about big picture changes that could actually make life better. We need some new leaders with bigger ideas.

 

I wonder if that's true, or if our political system with its low incentives on parties working together, has made "big picture changes" close to impossible. For example, whether or not you'd want it to pass, universal health care is a "big picture change" but politically impossible right now. A removal of income tax (and entitlement programs) would likewise be a "big picture change" but also politically impossible. There are plenty of leaders who have these "big ideas" and would love to implement them. But our system is a "big ship"--it's resistant to large changes in the short-term--only long-term changes in course can eventually cause it to deviate from its current path.

 

Those ideas are divide the pie issues. You’re correct that the current political power distribution isn’t likely to allow either to go anywhere. I’m thinking about things like infrastructure improvements that have a little something for a lot of people in the way of jobs, construction contracts, and practical usage. Seems like some deals could be struck in that arena.

 

I realize there are definite efficiencies in mass transit and it provides a reasonable cost of service. If it improves peoples life style and travel abilities, Im all for it.
We jump on Max or use the bus on occasion. When I go to the Casey Eye Clinic I'll take the tram up the hill.
But I also enjoy getting in y truck and hauling or travel trailer to places that mass transit cant get us too.
I was out on the water Saturday and was mazed at how many boats were traveling up and down the river, many fisherman but not all.
Boat sales are crazy now as people are playing closer to home.
Im for anything as long as Im free to do things differently from time to time.

 

I wouldn't have thought infrastructure would count as a "big idea," I thought you meant something that shifted the paradigm, though I of course agree that a big infrastructure bill would be a boon. But then, again, we have the perverse incentives of our system--while infrastructure probably is something people in both parties would like, voters and politicians alike, the "game" aspect of politics incentivizes Republicans to stonewall any infrastructure plan for two reasons: 1. to deny Biden any big, popular bills he (and the Democrats more broadly) can take credit for, and 2. to force Democrats to use reconciliation on that, rather than something else.

When the incentives push you towards blocking bills that you agree with and are in your own interests, you know that the system needs work. But I'm not sure what that work would be. The broad concept of our government seems okay, but the toxicity inherent in the "sport" of partisan politics is the problem and hard to solve.

 

It depends on the infrastructure as to whether it would qualify as a "big idea". Massive investment in alternative energy sources to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions would be a big idea. A high speed rail system would be pretty impressive. Investment in manufacturing to return more basic jobs to this country could be a big deal. As far as the kinds of economic/social ideas you mentioned, I think that there has to be a vision to expand the pie, not just change how it's divided up, if you want a real shot at passing something in the way of basic income or universal health care. The rich and the powerful are only going to go along with major increases in social benefits if they can see a way to make more money for themselves in the process.

I think that there's zero chance much, if any, of this can happen in the current political environment. That's why I said it's going to take new leaders with new visions to put together plans and sell the public on them. That's sure not going to happen during the Biden presidency. At some point, at least I hope, there will be some new blood that can start working together again. Right? Right? If not, we're doomed to becoming a declining society in my estimation.

 

I mean, I think there will be new blood, but I don't think there's any magic leadersauce that punctures the entrenched logic of partisanship. Leadership is very based on perception and right now, I don't think one party's voters are going to see true leadership in anyone put forth by the other side because they're already hostile to anyone who might emerge. I think we're long past the era of broadly popular (in a lasting way) Presidents like FDR or Eisenhower. So I don't think "working together" is going to become a possibility until someone comes up with a clever fix to the political incentives and pushes it through. As I said before, I don't know what that fix might be.

 

People afraid of the cost of infrastructure upgrading sort of ignore how many jobs are created by the work and how that money trickles into the areas where the work is being done....we have a huge economic opportunity to hire demolition crews and engineers and construction firms to revamp our infrastructure....power grid should absolutely come first.....travel right now is in a slump from covid....that will never be the priority....would be nice to have an efficient electrical power grid that works even in stormy weather

 

even driverless cars need sinkholes fixed in the roads....even electric cars need good roads...that doesn't change. Money is generated by the work itself in the form of paychecks...the easiest thing to do is nothing....which is in full swing already

 

The current electrical grid already works in stormy weather - if you are not Texas and are willing to participate in energy exchange. As far as efficient - it is a lot more efficient than it ever was - but there is still a lot to be done going forward.

Resiliency is certainly an important aspect of the grid - and I know that there are a lot of projects currently dealing with it - I am sure that a lot more will start after the Texas disaster.

I still think that the most reasonable thing to do now is transportation related - both from roads, bridges and electric refilling infrastracture - and specifically EV conversion of the fleet. Transportation is crucial to the economy even during Covid - you just replace individual travel with goods travel which has not stopped - probably increased. The other thing is that converting the fleet to EV also supports climate change objectives - so it is a win-win to start attacking the infrastructure on this angle.

 

I understand Texas problem but we still are using creosote power lines above ground....trees fall....power fails....hot summer air conditioners crank up...transformers blow...at this point our power grid should not leave people in sub zero temps without heat or running water in December in my view...must be horrible to have that happen in a place like New York City or Minneapolis in the dead of winter. Now the alternative is to buy ...yes.....a fuel powered generator!

 

... the fact that it does not really happen in Minneapolis or NYC much - is proof that the grid is already resilient. It can be a lot more so - I know it (my wife works in the industry) - but the US grid is nowhere near as bad as some are calling it - and failures are going to happen - the goal is to make the grid recovers quickly via either long distance transmissions or backup facilities - and in most cases, it does.

You will also see a lot of micro-grids with renewable sources and battery backup as additional resiliency backups all over - I know quite a lot of people that are working very hard on innovations in this area.

Let's face it - extreme weather or safety conditions can and will cause interruptions - simply designing a totally never off grid is frankly, unrealistic - it would cost too much - but there are ways to mitigate these issues.

 

I can only speak for Lane county and every winter for over 21 years we've experienced multiple blackouts...mostly from trees and branches, some from transformers....my son has installed power lines all his life in California....he doesn't understand why one power pole is above ground and believes cables should all be buried... .....this winter we had 3 power outages...last winter, about the same....I'm glad people are working hard on these things...I own half a solar panel on the Lane electric grid...bought it years ago but honestly....it has yet to pay for itself through my power bill saving of a couple of dollars a month. Will take about 2 thousand months to break even on the investment so far...to me wooden poles painted in creosote in fire country holding up power lines is an accident waiting to happen....and earth is grounded. That's where I'd start....and installing transformers that can handle a city on 100degree day with all the air conditioners blasting should be obtainable...every time the power company says the transformers were overloaded....so make tranformers that won't overload or add more would be my thought

 

Today I got a promo from Alaska Air you can fly to San Diego, Minneapolis, Phoenix, for $69, other closer cities $59.
Now thats the way to travel if your are in a hurry. Ive got over a million air miles but have never taken the train anywhere.
My son used to take Amtrak to and from UofO which was reasonable.

 

I've taken Amtrak to San Diego twice and once to San Luis Obispo....the train was pretty full...lots of folks use that line. I flew to San Diego about 15 years ago and it was insanely expensive...that's a cheap airfare! The trick with the train is to break the trip into little stop overs....really makes a nice trip of it.