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vc in a nutshell: heads i win... tails you lose.

adam neumann in a nutshell: looks like a nut... must be a nut.

but clearly media today can bypass each of these channels — better ideas have to reach the paranoid conspiracy-believing masses in their own whisper-networks...

“We let alt-truth talk,” Rauch said, “but we don’t let it write textbooks, receive tenure, bypass peer review, set the research agenda, dominate the front pages, give expert testimony or dictate the flow of public dollars.”

makes me question the conventional wisdom about defined contribution retirement savings— if holding wealth in large cap stocks is simply reinforcing the mechanism that exploits workers to improve shareholder returns... whoa.

also, a handful of wealthy millennial heirs giving money to non profits won’t make a dent — people voting against their selfish interests _ taxing corporate profits, high earners, capital gains, wealth, and large estates might better create programs that enable upward mobility than what’s described here which seems at best symbolic.

the entire college admissions process is decentralized ... someone should make a “handshake for college admissions” to connect guidance counselors to resources, help students manage tests, connect w consultants and manage applications.

also — sad to see how covid exacerbates gaps for folks from disadvantaged backgrounds at every step.

it’s the economy stupid

gen z will be the collectivist generation — taught empathy from a young age, with society’s shortcomings front and center for much of their lives. expect self-organized kibbutz-like living from these guys as they age...

silicon valley demontana-ing montana is unintended consequence du jour of 2020...

maybe rural areas don't want expanded broadband?

where will tech bros go for solitude if montana is no longer pristine? canada? siberia?

hmm — i don’t see the political right doing a particularly better job of entertaining dissent... both sides can do a better job seeing nuance, giving grace to others when their views don’t align...

whatever a biden doj decides on whether to prosecute Trump admin officials— at a minimum hopefully there can be bipartisan support for measures to ensure IGs have protections, congressional oversight has teeth (can’t disregard subpoenas), and anti-corruption laws can actually be enforced. Maybe sprinkle in requiring divestment from all businesses and sharing sources of foreign income... if we learn nothing from the trump years, then that may be the lesson (that everything he did is above board).

this one really resonates-- the pandemic has shone a light on how much working parents take affordable, dependable, childcare for granted. until we can address this in the pandemic response (i.e. allotting moneys so schools/daycares can reopen responsibly) many households will continue to cut back on spending and parents will remain out of the workforce.

e.g. “I was wanting to work and wanting my business to succeed so badly,” she said. “I didn’t realize. …” She paused, interrupted by a voice: “Mommy, I want some applesauce.” ... very much my life this year.

100% what we’re seeing in America right now. 50 years of policy pushing more secondary school students towards four year college, without a growing need for folks with these degrees, coupled with stagnating living standards, ballooning debt, and social upheaval... more than 30% of recent college graduates are underemployed or unemployed. reestablishes a need to push towards better vocational training and more efficient means for educating and re-education the labor force.

the scientific equivalent of “ boys will be boys”

haven’t much liked what brooks has had to say for the past few years; again find that his suggestion that McConnell might be persuaded to bring votes to the floor during the first year seems misguided given recent history of congress rejecting the presidents party in mid terms.

the next abe lincoln ... at least in stature and style of dress...