Politics

January 30, 2023January 12, 2023

Reconstruction

There is a feeling, often expressed, that we live in particularly tumultuous times. I often politely ask when we were not in “tumultuous times.” My argument is that “presentism” ie giving more weight to the present than the past makes the current situation seem far more important than it really is.

I often explain it as the “car window” effect. If you look out the side window of a moving car things appear to be moving very fast, but if you look out the front window the landscape is moving much slower. We are genetically predisposed to be more excited by what is happening now. That predisposition is magnified by the news media seeking to gain viewers by sensationalizing everything.

A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner, pictured above, is a good antidote to presentism. The period from 1864 until 1878 was a seriously tumultuous time. The former slaves had a glimpse of freedom that was then snatched away. It was another hundred years before the promise of emancipation and equality started to come true for Black Americans. The book is a good read about a time that is mostly skimmed over in history classes because it is both embarrassing and complicated.

January 13, 2023January 10, 2023

Socialist Economics Illustrated

“First Save, Then Buy!”

This illustration on this postcard is a reproduction of a matchbook cover distributed by the East German Government in the 1950’s. West Germany was zooming ahead of East Germany economically and this little bit of propaganda shows that one way the East tried to counter it is by claiming the moral high ground.

Why did East Germany collapse? One reason is that the West Germans with free market, capitalist economy could build the Mercedes Benz. One of the best production cars ever built. Meanwhile the East Gemans were building the Trabant, arguably one of the worst cars ever built.

Want to receive postcards try Postcrossing.com

November 2, 2022November 1, 2022

Election Day Should be a Day

There are a couple of reasons I think that early voting is a bad idea. If during the Civil War when Lincoln was running for re-election there had been early voting people would have voted before the victory at Atlanta and McClellan might have won the Presidency. So my first objection is that we should all be voting at the same time so we all have access to the same information.

My second objection is that everyone voting together is one of the tiny and fragile acts that makes us feel united as a people. Election day should be a day. Doing it together is an important part of that experience.

Now of course there have to be exceptions for the infirm, the aged and those who are traveling but on the whole election day should be a day. Not five weeks like in some states.

For instance what if a hostile nation attack one of our allies with nuclear weapons just a few days before an election. The thirty or forty million people who had already voted would not be able to put that data into their choice.

I am in favor of electronic voting as it becomes feasible and safe. I generally oppose initiatives but these are both subjects for another post.

The photo is the Space X launch from Vandenburg AFB last Thursday.

October 27, 2022October 26, 2022

Russia/Ukraine

I belong to Postcrossing and many of the active members are from Russia and Ukraine. It has been an interesting year for them and for the administrators of the group. I recently received two cards that tell stories that we don’t read in our media.