The dudes who founded America wanted a state that was much less powerful so the individual may flourish. The promise was "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness," wrongly interpreted to mean unfettered consumerism, even if it makes you unhappy or even kills you. I am thinking Bhutan where they talk about Gross National Happiness, not GDP.
Today (or at least before the pandemic) the corporations in America are mightier than King George ever was. The corporations look down upon citizens like they were Lilliputians.
Trump does notice things. For example, he noticed the manufacturing base had disappeared and the working poor were poor alright, but they were no longer working. The Dems were in denial. But his was the Pied Piper solution. He was going to cash on the sentiment and drive the herd into all sorts of wrong directions. Trump has also noticed China is now a rival America never had before. China is not hiding that it wants to build an alternative Internet where the state not the corporation will reign supreme, and that new and improved Internet will be global.
America speaks for corporations. China speaks for the state. But no one is speaking for the individual. Corporations are as useful as fire. They are necessary but not when they go wild and burn things down. The state has to serve the individual. If it is the other way round, it is slavery. And data driven slavery might be the worst kind.
Strong corporations are fine. Strong states are fine. But both have to serve the individual. We need a new Internet where the individual reigns supreme.
Covid-19 has upended all past economic theory. It is not money and machines that make an economy. You still have all your cash. You still have the machines. But you don't have much of an economy when people stay home.
We need to build a new Internet where the individual reigns supreme. All data generated around an individual belongs to that individual. Companies may monetize them but the split will have to be something like 70-30 with 70 going to the individual. That will pay for the Universal Basic Income. States may avail some of the data, but they must respect guidelines on privacy and security, enshrined in a new bill of rights.
And ends up, respecting nature makes tremendous GDP sense. Humanity does not seem to have the option to destroy nature. Nature is not a tree you cut. Nature is a beehive that you don't push your fist into. We now know. Relentless encroachment of natural ecosystems does not seem to play well.
Humanity is on strike.
King George The Capitalist https://t.co/NXz35QxZ0p @AOC @RepAOC @AOC_Gaming @BernieSanders @ewarren @AndrewYang @scottsantens @staceyabrams @BarackObama @MichelleObama @KamalaHarris @JoeBiden @TeamJoe #coronavirus #CoronavirusVaccine #COVID19 #COVID #COVIDー19 #lockdown #pandemic
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 14, 2020
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