More evidence that we should not be leaving the people who are making money making the problem in charge of that problem.
The current climate crisis is a crisis of impasse.
The impasse is because we continue to insist on solving the problem using social structures that have repeatedly proven to be not the right structures for solving this problem. We rely on regulation in the absence of self-regulation.
Both of these approaches, regulation and self-regulation (Government/politics and Markets/corporations), leave the people who are making money making the problem in charge of solving the problem they are making money making. As between making money or socking the problem, they keep choosing to make money by not solving the problem. And we keep insisting THAT is the problem: that they shouldn't want to be making money by making this problem.
The solution we need will take control of the problem away from people who are making money off the problem, and give it to people who will make money off the solution.
Such a solution requires an innovation is social decision making, to move us beyond the impasse of regulation in the absence of self-regulation.
Bill, I admire and respect your many years of activism, scholarship, and public service, but I don't think it is fair to say that the loss of the Democratic majority in the the House is "mostly because of ineptitude in the New York state party, of all places." The situation in NY began with the failure of the bipartisan redistricting committee, which NY voters had put in place to try to make our districts fairer. Previously, the divided NY legislature had drawn less populous but more Republican-leaning districts upstate, so the NYC districts had Democrats in Congress who were representing populations that were larger than they should have been. When the Democratic legislature passed its own maps after the commission failure, the Republicans challenged what were actually fairer maps than our 2010 ones. Unfortunately, the map drawn by the court caused a delay in the primary and enough shifting of lines that it was difficult for candidates to campaign effectively, even as incumbents. (As a voter in NY-19, I wrote about our travails on my blog here: https://topofjcsmind.wordpress.com/2022/12/02/election-reflection/)
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court allowed four states to use maps in the 2022 election that had been found unconstitutional by their own state courts. All these maps favored Republicans, as did the heavily gerrymandered maps in Florida and Texas.
So, yes, you can blame NY to a certain extent, but I don't think we deserve the "most" blame. SCOTUS, Abbott, and DeSantis deserve the lion's share.
Thanks for your encouragement, Bill. It only took about 5 minutes of my day and here's what I sent:
Senator Schumer,
As you may know, having women as a part of the mix allows a more full perspective of every situation being reviewed as women bring a viewpoint that has been stalled in being allowed participation for long centuries now. I believe this to be a key reason for much of our failure in this country.
As you may not know, allowing a proportion of 30% or more women to participate brings HUGE SUCCESS as discussed at length in the book "Broad Influence". Women are crucial to good decision-making, something we've seen lacking for some time in our heavily male, mostly white, mostly very rich "representative" government, while many of us are living on scraps.
It's sad to see this country largely in the same position we were about a hundred years ago. Where big money interests had taken over and workers lost their rights, as we watched the Senate recently do to Railroad workers. Does no one in government think of the humanity being served anymore? Is this a true oligarchy where rich are served from the backs of the working class? It seems this is where we are again. And you, sir, have the power to change that. I ask that you also have the willingness.
Please appoint as many qualified women into positions of authority as possible to work towards, and eventually to ensure, an equal voice to women in the workings of our government's administration.
More evidence that we should not be leaving the people who are making money making the problem in charge of that problem.
The current climate crisis is a crisis of impasse.
The impasse is because we continue to insist on solving the problem using social structures that have repeatedly proven to be not the right structures for solving this problem. We rely on regulation in the absence of self-regulation.
Both of these approaches, regulation and self-regulation (Government/politics and Markets/corporations), leave the people who are making money making the problem in charge of solving the problem they are making money making. As between making money or socking the problem, they keep choosing to make money by not solving the problem. And we keep insisting THAT is the problem: that they shouldn't want to be making money by making this problem.
The solution we need will take control of the problem away from people who are making money off the problem, and give it to people who will make money off the solution.
Such a solution requires an innovation is social decision making, to move us beyond the impasse of regulation in the absence of self-regulation.
Bill, I admire and respect your many years of activism, scholarship, and public service, but I don't think it is fair to say that the loss of the Democratic majority in the the House is "mostly because of ineptitude in the New York state party, of all places." The situation in NY began with the failure of the bipartisan redistricting committee, which NY voters had put in place to try to make our districts fairer. Previously, the divided NY legislature had drawn less populous but more Republican-leaning districts upstate, so the NYC districts had Democrats in Congress who were representing populations that were larger than they should have been. When the Democratic legislature passed its own maps after the commission failure, the Republicans challenged what were actually fairer maps than our 2010 ones. Unfortunately, the map drawn by the court caused a delay in the primary and enough shifting of lines that it was difficult for candidates to campaign effectively, even as incumbents. (As a voter in NY-19, I wrote about our travails on my blog here: https://topofjcsmind.wordpress.com/2022/12/02/election-reflection/)
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court allowed four states to use maps in the 2022 election that had been found unconstitutional by their own state courts. All these maps favored Republicans, as did the heavily gerrymandered maps in Florida and Texas.
So, yes, you can blame NY to a certain extent, but I don't think we deserve the "most" blame. SCOTUS, Abbott, and DeSantis deserve the lion's share.
Thanks for your encouragement, Bill. It only took about 5 minutes of my day and here's what I sent:
Senator Schumer,
As you may know, having women as a part of the mix allows a more full perspective of every situation being reviewed as women bring a viewpoint that has been stalled in being allowed participation for long centuries now. I believe this to be a key reason for much of our failure in this country.
As you may not know, allowing a proportion of 30% or more women to participate brings HUGE SUCCESS as discussed at length in the book "Broad Influence". Women are crucial to good decision-making, something we've seen lacking for some time in our heavily male, mostly white, mostly very rich "representative" government, while many of us are living on scraps.
It's sad to see this country largely in the same position we were about a hundred years ago. Where big money interests had taken over and workers lost their rights, as we watched the Senate recently do to Railroad workers. Does no one in government think of the humanity being served anymore? Is this a true oligarchy where rich are served from the backs of the working class? It seems this is where we are again. And you, sir, have the power to change that. I ask that you also have the willingness.
Please appoint as many qualified women into positions of authority as possible to work towards, and eventually to ensure, an equal voice to women in the workings of our government's administration.
Thank you for your consideration.
Jami Gaither
Retired Metallurgical Engineer
Alida, MN
Here's a link if you too want to send a note: https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck