After 41 days, I was wondering how Americans are feeling about the lockdowns. Of course, it is going to depend on the American, right? As perhaps the average person doesn't see that much disruption, but there are apparently over 40 million people who rely on food credits to make ends meet. There are also thousands of flights being cancelled across the country. and almost a million furloughed government workers.
Anyone here affected?
Almost 17B in government costs so far and counting, which is more than 3x as many as the next longest, which was 35 days back six years ago, when Trump was in government again. That is quite the bill.
The Big Beautiful Bill?
It might be that because I am not American, I don't understand what is going on in regards to why it is even a possibility for a government to shutdown like this, but I suspect that a lot of Americans don't really understand it either. And those that do understand, think that it is normal. Normalcy is an interesting concept in a global environment, because what is normal in one place is abnormal in another due to exposure. Which points to how conditioned we are in regards to what our cultural habits become. It seems that Americans have decided that this dysfunction in governance is acceptable, perhaps even necessary.
Is it necessary?
At least through the talks I have with people from around the world, much of what happens in the US is considered "only in America" kind of stuff. At least, from the developed world. And often the topics and arguments seem pretty infantile and often contradictory. For instance, many of the same people who are fighting for the freedom of their speech, believe they have the right to control other people's bodies and how they use them, and who they use it with. Isn't that strange?
Perhaps people should define what freedom means first.
Freedom
noun
the condition or right of being able or allowed to do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited.
Not sure if the definition for freedom should include "being allowed to..." since that sets up conditions, so isn't really freedom. However, freedom also doesn't mean without consequence. For every movement there is a reaction of some kind, so "being free to say what one wants" doesn't mean that others are going to accept what is said, or not respond to what is said with their own freedom.
Am I free?
Well, given my available resources, I can act as I choose, but there are consequences to my actions. Technically free as a human constrained by the universe, but also restricted due to human laws, which are completely made up. Are human laws really that important considering they can change quite significantly over time? Or are they only important in the moment when there are people willing to abide by them?
If no one abides by the rules?
It would be an interesting thought experiment to think through what might happen if everyone just stopped some aspect of the law currently followed. For instance, what if everyone stopped abiding by the current tax laws of their country, but instead used another set? For example, what if corporations and people decided that there would be a flat tax system at 20% and just changed all their processes to suit. The government would still get the 20% transferred to them from salaries and goods and services etc, but that was it. All the red tape and bureaucracy forked out. Sure, I get it isn't quite this simple, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if everyone just decided to follow a different governance model.
Governments are highly inefficient decision makers, which is likely a good thing because so many of their decisions are also ineffective and often pretty poor. However, what we should be looking for are ways to make good decisions that are able to be approved and implemented quickly, with minimal fuss and argument. And once implemented, it applies to all, like the rules of a blockchain. Rules can change still, but the next iteration is again made and implemented efficiently, and again applies to all.
We should be simplifying governance.
Instead, what the governments are doing is making it more complicated, which creates ambiguity, conflicts, and a lot of loopholes. Code isn't law in the current system, because the code is so very poor, that there are ways around having to apply it. And those who don't have to adhere to it, tend to be the people who are also able to make the laws themselves. Everyone else is controlled, with no chance of breaking free.
The government lockdowns in the US should make everyone take a step back, look at the situation, and then realise that it is a ridiculous and unnecessary pile of complication that should be replaced by something far more robust and suitable for human empowerment. Governance laws should be implemented to improve our lives, not restrict our freedom to act. This doesn't mean a free-for-all society, but rather one that is flexible enough to shift for all kinds of people and their behaviours, without breaking under the burden of its own complication, and the asshats that control it for their own agenda.
There is no such thing as perfect.
But there is better.
Taraz
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