Skip Navigation

User banner

TheDemonBuer

@ TheDemonBuer @lemmy.world

Posts
2
Comments
1135
Joined
3 yr. ago

  • US leads record global surge in gas-fired power driven by AI demands, with big costs for the climate

    Jump

  • Any environmental benefits of robot taxis would pale in comparison to reducing car rides significantly, or eliminating them entirely, in favor of walking, biking, or taking public transportation.

  • US leads record global surge in gas-fired power driven by AI demands, with big costs for the climate

    Jump

  • If we were a wise society, we wouldn't be investing all this money in nonsense like AI, robot taxis or rockets to Mars, we would be investing every dollar possible into making our electric grid as efficient and resilient as possible, building out solar and wind with battery storage as much as possible, and building strategically positioned nuclear power plants across the country for grid stability. But, we are not wise, so here we are.

  • ICE Commander spotted in Minneapolis

    Jump

  • They're a parody of themselves.

  • United States Completes WHO Withdrawal

    Jump

  • We need to replace Trump with a rational human being who recognizes the value in the US being a part of a democratic, rules based global order, and so will rejoin important internal organizations. But we also need to reform our government so that a presidential administration can't unilaterally withdraw us from international organizations that we have committed to. Having big pendulum swings, whether in international or domestic policy, is destabilizing and inefficient, and it makes the US an unreliable global citizen. That is unacceptable. We have to do something about that. Yes, it will be politically difficult. We have to do it anyway. Let's grow a pair and get done what needs to get done. No more complaining, no more defeatism, no more declaring failure before we've even started, let's just roll up our sleeves and get it done.

    Edit: there is another necessary change that we need to make, we need to eliminate American supremacism from our culture.

    The concept of "American exceptionalism," which has been embraced by both parties for essentially my entire life, is really just a euphemism for American supremacy. And that's what MAGA is, a supremacist movement. The solution is humility, to recognize that we are not somehow innately superior to all other groups of people. That doesn't mean we can't be a great country, it just means we need to keep things in perspective. There are great things that we can teach the world but there are also great things that the rest of the world can teach us.

  • Hyper independence

    Jump

  • Being hyper independent is lonely, but it's better than any of the alternatives I know of.

  • Canada PM's Speech at the WEF

    Jump

  • The EU has some important things that it needs to get sorted out, for sure, but the rest of the world can't wait on the EU to start building the new world order. In fact, it's happening whether anyone likes it or not.

  • Canada PM's Speech at the WEF

    Jump

  • Its huge and he said what everyone's thinking. But i think the reason people werent saying it was because they dont believe the second part of his statement. I think they dont believe we(democratic countries) CAN build a new democratic rules based order.

    The world needs to try. Declaring failure before we even start is not the way to approach this. You want to proceed with caution, I understand, but you must also proceed in good faith. And that means not entering into a democratic world order with suspicion of every country that isn't white, Western and liberal. The world is a large, diverse place. There are a lot of different cultures, ethnicities and political systems. To limit participation in a democratic world order to only Western style liberal democracies means excluding most of the world. How can we ever hope to have a democratic, rules based world order if most of the world isn't allowed to participate?

  • Videos @lemmy.world
    TheDemonBuer @lemmy.world

    Canada PM's Speech at the WEF

  • The CEO of Microsoft Suddenly Sounds Extremely Nervous About AI

    Jump

  • There's clearly an AI bubble. Let's just pop this shit and get it over with. The sooner the market corrects, the sooner it can start recovering.

  • Blackouts in the U.S. May Be 100 Times More Frequent By 2030

    Jump

  • Transitioning to green energy sources is a delicate balance, and if you shut down the use of traditional fossil fuels without a plan to replace them, then shortages become unavoidable.

    Planning is for Communists. We must put our faith in the invisible hand of the free market. The hand knows all. Trust in the hand. Amen.

  • Danish Pension Fund AkademikerPension to Exit US Treasuries

    Jump

  • I'm thinking it's more about how much of the abuse you can tolerate. It's not like the US has been all that hesitant to abuse our allies in the past. It's more like our allies have previously been able to convince themselves that the benefits outweighed the costs.

    I think you're right. The world has accepted, or at least tolerated US hegemonic dominance because it worked well enough, but that doesn't mean it was ideal. Far from it, for many countries. It's not like the world was given a choice, really. Or, more accurately, the world's choices were severely limited. Perhaps a majority of the world's countries just saw US hegemony as the least bad option. But even those countries that didn't agree that it was the least bad option, what were they supposed to do about it?

  • Danish Pension Fund AkademikerPension to Exit US Treasuries

    Jump

  • “You cannot put the genie back into the bottle,” Schelde said. “Things might get better and more calm a few months down the road, and Trump, he can’t be reelected, and the next president might be somewhat different,” Schelde said. “But what comes then in five, six, 10 years? I think there’s a strong realization across Europe that we need to be able to stand on our own feet.”

    This is truly the silver lining in all of this. The world, especially Europe, has been far too complacent about continued US hegemonic dominance. They figured that the world was fine under US control, because US leadership was generally capable and trustworthy enough. But the thing about that kind of concentration of power is it's not a matter of if that power will be abused, it's only a matter of when.

    The US has proven that we can no longer be counted on to rule competently and ethically enough. That doesn't mean it's time to replace US hegemony with another hegemonic order, it's time for true, international democracy. It's time for a democratic, rules based order.

  • Americans are paying more than ever for cars. Cheap models are disappearing

    Jump

  • The "preferences" of greedy, myopic takers must be disregarded in the face of reality, regardless of how politically difficult it is.

    On that we agree. All the more reason to invest in building out non-car infrastructure in more densely populated areas NOW, so that the ever increasing number of people who are being priced out of the suburbs have a quality, affordable alternative. I think that's better than putting those very same people through unnecessary pain, under some misguided belief that it will cause them to push the government to do what the damn government should have just done in the first place.

  • Americans are paying more than ever for cars. Cheap models are disappearing

    Jump

  • I wouldn't consider those to be the same category.

    I shouldn't have implied that they were. I was just trying to distinguish both from urban areas, not necessarily trying to imply that they were the same. They are different.

    Suburban areas are literally a scam perpetuated entirely by government policy (in the sense that, in the absence of regulation, people do not build that way) and should be abolished.

    But that government policy is not arbitrary, it didn't just happen for no reason. It exists to protect the value of detached, single family homes, which is important to the owners of those homes who see their home as an important investment. Indeed, for most people, the majority of their wealth is in their home. For that and other cultural reasons, people still want detached single family homes, and an area can't be both relatively low density, single family homes and higher density multifamily and mixed used development simultaneously. It's not physically possible, it has to be one or the other. I really don't think that making car dependency more painful is just magically going to change people's preferences, especially if no investment is made FIRST to ensure that better alternatives are available. People ain't moving into higher density areas with non-car infrastructure if those areas don't exist. You gotta build the shit first.

  • Americans are paying more than ever for cars. Cheap models are disappearing

    Jump

  • You're right, finding the best approach probably does depend on whether you're dealing with a relatively densely populated urban area, or a suburban/rural area.

  • Americans are paying more than ever for cars. Cheap models are disappearing

    Jump

  • driving must be made painful first so that the public forces the government to change.

    But that's not how it works in practice either. Driving is already painful, it's been painful for years. Traffic jams, constant road construction, it's awful. Yet, people still drive. They've had more than enough opportunity to demand government change, but they haven't. At least not the kind of change that results in more biking, more walking and more public transit use. No, instead they've demanded the government build more roads, which of course we know only makes things worse due to induced demand.

    Making driving even more painful isn't going to force people to get the government to change towards less car centric transportation, it's going to result in an even more pissed off populace voting into power the next firebrand populist who promises they will build more roads to fix the congestion problem.

  • Americans are paying more than ever for cars. Cheap models are disappearing

    Jump

  • If enough of the population becomes dependent on these means of transportation then local governments are going to be forced to invest in infrastructure that is not car centric.

    The thing is, you need the infrastructure investment first. I don't think very many people will choose to walk, bike, or take public transportation if the supporting infrastructure is minimal or non-existent. Without a forward thinking, planned investment in the infrastructure now, I think what will end up happening is people just hold onto the cars they already have a lot longer.

    Edit: and I think now would be a great time to really ramp up the investment into the non-car infrastructure. Cars are getting more expensive, more and more people are holding onto their old beaters for longer, taking away the status symbol aspect of car ownership. At the same time more bike lanes could be built, more train, tram and bus lines could be added, restrictive zoning laws could be repealed, allowing for more higher density, mix used development. Hopefully this entices people to walk, bike and take public transportation more, so fewer people are driving, meaning fewer people are paying fuel taxes, meaning less tax revenue for car infrastructure maintenance. The car infrastructure further degrades, making driving even more unpleasant and inefficient. This further entices people to walk, bike and use public transit even more.

    I think it could work, but it takes competent leadership to plan and implement. Maybe that's what we need to work on first.

  • Is the US uranium market about to go nuclear in 2026?

    Jump

  • I don't support abolishing the Federal reserve, like some delusional lunatics do. The dollar should be managed by the Federal reserve and the Federal reserve should be run by capable, trustworthy, ethical experts in monetary systems and economics.

    That being said, some reforms are likely necessary, so that our central bank has all of the tools and authority it needs to appropriately manage our nation's fiat currency.

  • Is the US uranium market about to go nuclear in 2026?

    Jump

  • why not just replace the former gold standard with some other resource like uranium?

    Because it's not only not necessary, it makes the currency less dynamic. There's no reason to tether the currency to any single asset or commodity. The basis of any fiat currency is all the products and services in the economy that can be exchanged for that currency. The best way to ensure the strength of your currency is to use your economy's productive capacity to produce products and services that people want and need. As long as that's happening, the currency is fine.

  • Is the US uranium market about to go nuclear in 2026?

    Jump

  • The US hasn't been on the gold standard since 1971.

  • News @lemmy.world
    TheDemonBuer @lemmy.world

    Analysis: The fertility crisis is here and it will permanently alter the economy | CNN Business

    www.cnn.com /2024/06/25/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html