An adapted version of this story is now Chapter 5 of my book Positive Politics. Here’s a basic economics question: Question: What happens to GDP? According to economists, nothing changed because no new money changed hands. But I met that woman in Coldwater. What changes is she gets 26 hours of her life back eachContinue reading “A Woman from Coldwater”
Tag Archives: Politics
Pax Internet
Old: Convince governments, and people will follow. New: Convince people, and governments will follow. When President Zelenskyy posts videos online, his audience isn’t just his citizens and his enemies. We’re all his audience. We’re all his potential supporters. The power of enough people supersedes the power of any government. China, India, USA, North Korea, andContinue reading “Pax Internet”
Everyday Activism
Utopic Debates
Rules: One hour per debate on a single topic. One on One. Example: Elon Musk vs. Elizabeth Warren on the Value of Regulations. Make these the main event(s) at Utopic Live. Too many people on stage. Too little time per topic. Weak, haphazard mediation. Debaters know the topics and choose their side ahead of time.Continue reading “Utopic Debates”
43North for Detroit
Create a $5M+ per year fund sponsored by the City, State, and/or nonprofits. 43North invests $5M per year in startups that move to Buffalo. This accelerator is funded by the State of New York as part of its Buffalo Billion program. 43North’s Grand Prize winner gets a $1 million investment. Create thousands of jobs inContinue reading “43North for Detroit”
Arsenal of Progress
We don’t have enough food. We don’t have enough medicine. We don’t have enough masks. We don’t have enough semiconductor chips. We must have enough before we can dream of more. Literal factories. Hundreds of them. These factories of abundance are our new Arsenal of Progress. Movement: Detroit vs. Shenzhen Accelerator: YC for Manufacturing Fund:Continue reading “Arsenal of Progress”
Detroit vs. Shenzhen
From the Arsenal of Democracy to the COVID-19 Vaccine, America’s critical products are made in Michigan. Let’s honor and build on this legacy by making Detroit the home of America’s new manufacturing revolution! Idea: Make Detroit an American mass manufacturing hub to compete with China’s Shenzhen. Why? Create an Arsenal of Progress in Detroit, the original Arsenal of Democracy. Key: Leverage Michigan’sContinue reading “Detroit vs. Shenzhen”
Politics is the Biggest Game
What would you cut here? Take it from noted cynic Plato: “The chief penalty is to be governed by someone worse if a man will not himself hold office and rule. It is from fear of this, as it appears to me, that the better sort hold office when they do, and then they goContinue reading “Politics is the Biggest Game”
Cryptocountries
This post builds on Balaji Srinivasan’s How to Start a New Country essay. Here is my breakdown of the path to cryptocountries: Before Internet Cloud Communities Startup Cities Network Unions Cloud Countries Network States Crypto Countries Community(Polis) C D D D D D D Vocation C C D D D D D Money C CContinue reading “Cryptocountries”
Thanedar’s Game
Think: Axelrod’s Tournament meets Model UN. Problem: Real-world political and economic experiments take decades to demonstrate their ultimate successes and failures and can lead to significant hardship and loss of life. Design and implement political and economic systems for your Cryptocountry to compete for Citizens and Wealth. Featuring Protocols and Gameplay that make it easyContinue reading “Thanedar’s Game”