Basement Whatever

Nobody’s saying things have been going great in America over the past quarter century.

Instead, the right is obsessed with the idea that mysterious forces of fraud have run off with all the money, while the left has convinced itself that billionaires aren’t paying any taxes.

But it’s not some huge secret why it seems like the government keeps spending and spending without us getting any amazing new public services — it’s transfers to the elderly.

And:

Individual voters bears essentially no cost for holding inconsistent political beliefs — wanting generous pensions and robust public services and low taxes is essentially free, since no single vote determines the outcome.

Broader than this issue, how do we get more skin in the game when it comes to policy making? Ideally a Republic bakes in accountability, since representatives can be individually accountable. But they’re reliant on voters and corporate donors. My personal take is it’s a combination of public metrics, replacement of gerrymandering with an automated system, and the ability to more easily replace politicians who are poor managers.
— Read on marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/03/demonic-policies.html