Citizens United and Regulatory Capture.

It’s not a matter of “nobody should be allowed to be ultra wealthy,” it’s a matter of “nobody should be allowed to be unacceptably poor.”

If our civilization can generate wealth at an astronomical rate, then there is no morally defensible reason for anyone to be homeless, hungry, poorly educated, lacking medical care, drinking unsafe water, worked to death, or any of a number of other baseline metrics of civilization. All of those ills exist because wealth is funneled upwards at an unbelievable rate, leading to the existence of billionaires. All of that wealth should be used to raise everyone’s standard of living, rather than give a handful of people more power and luxury than ever appeared in Caligula’s wet dreams.

Of course the way that you accomplish that is by an exponentially progressive taxation system, and that will… probably make it impractical to be a billionaire, but frankly I think that focusing on helping the bottom end of the economic ladder is more productive than just talking about how it should be illegal to have more than a given amount of wealth.

There are people who, disturbed by “big government” today and its tendency to curb the advantages they might gain if their competitiveness were allowed free flow, demand “less govern- ment.” Alas, there is no such thing as less government, merely changes in government. If the libertarians had their way, the distant bureaucracy would vanish and the local bully would be in charge. Personally, I prefer the distant bureaucracy, which may not find me, over the local bully, who certainly will. And all historical precedent shows a change to localism to be for the worse.

—Isaac Asimov, Nice Guys Finish First, collected in The Sun Shines Bright, 1981

As a member of the Oregon Trail generation, I can report that a couple of years ago I made a list of all the things that I was expected to not do when I was a cishet little boy and was afraid of being labeled “queer.” The list of forbidden activities included, but was not limited to…

• Singing
• Dancing
• Reading
• Wearing bright colors
• Taking too much care of my appearance
• Hanging out with girls
• Expressing emotions other than anger
• Being in plays
• Avoiding violence

As an adult I’d describe myself as… like a one or two on the Kinsey scale, but honestly much happier now that I’ve recognized that heteronormativity is a horrible fucking prison. Wearing bright colors is fun, I love who and what I love, David Bowie is attractive, and I’m no longer pretending otherwise.

One way or another, any government which remains in power is a representative government. If your city government is a crooked machine, then it is because you and your neighbors prefer it that way - prefer it to the effort of running your own affairs.

Hitler’s government was a popular government; the vast majority of Germans preferred the rule of gangsters to the effort of thinking and doing for themselves. They abdicated their franchise.

—Robert A. Heinlein, Take Back Your Government

Trump makes it an “official act” to send the Army division of his choice to Musk’s mansion, battering ram the door down, throw him in the back of the nearest C-17, and drop him naked at the gate of Camp Lemonnier.

I give my dog a treat. She drops some on the ground. I point at it and say “What’s this?” She sniffs every part of the ground around my hand. I pick up the piece of treat and hold it under her nose. “What’s this?!” She frantically sniffs around my wrist. She never finds the leftover treat bits.

Potate.

Shake it, baby!

Huh. Today I learned.

https://thepopularflamingo.com/blogs/posts/can-flamingos-drink-boiling-water?srsltid=AfmBOopfUqwKGl52RoqMgHBZA_fi1urS2Sk2unq20CToeQOTFDkQc-xV

It’s to show that the spoon has Wifi.

I wouldn’t even be surprised.

Pinatas

The tape they stretch across race finish lines

Karate dojo boards

I listened to Hardcore History’s series on World War I in that window, so that was my assigned war of interest.

“Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”

I was wondering what happened with Unreal Tournament.

Damien, Jason, Freddie

I think that if you get a position in Congress / the White House / the Supreme Court you should be required to pick from a menu of ego-shattering experiences before you take office. Psychedelics are on the list, but there can be other options in case drugs are no good for you. Things like extended fasting, a round in a sensory deprivation tank, a trip to orbit, being present for an organ donor having their organs removed… I’m sure we could come up with a list of drug-free experiences that would be transformative and drive home that you aren’t the center of the universe.

Or Tank Girl

The entire world is covered in a fine layer of poo particles. Really, anything that isn’t covered in poo is the outlier and ought to be highly suspicious.

Didn’t someone do the math and determine that, adjusted for inflation, Bob Cratchett was making like $20 / hour, which was so sinfully miserly that God sent spirits to intervene?