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Or even small challenges. There are so many little fixes to be made, bureaucracies and applications that could be streamlined or informational asymmetries that

by ajamesm 10y ago

Or even small challenges. There are so many little fixes to be made, bureaucracies and applications that could be streamlined or informational asymmetries that could be smoothed. Even someone applying for food stamps has to jump so many hurdles, sometimes including in-person interviews! As if someone who has difficulty affording food every day has an excess of time and reliable transportation. (Then again, these people aren't easily monetized, unless you're comfortable exploiting them. c.f. check cashing.) I'm hopeful for initiatives like the US Digital Service. And I wish our culture stopped glamorizing startups for being worth a lot of pretend money, and instead valued them on how much they did to advance us as an equitable society.

twblalock 10y ago
Many startups may be worth "pretend" money, but many are worth real money. And even the ones that are worth "pretend" money create jobs, not just for engineers. > And I wish our culture stopped glamorizing startups for being worth a lot of pretend money, and instead valued them on how much they did to advance us as an equitable society. It is not the job of businesses to pursue social engineering goals like an equitable society. That is the job of government, and government needs money to do those things, which can come from taxing successful businesses. People who suggest that businesses ought to pursue social goals don't fully understand what would happen if they got what they wished for -- a world where social goods and services are privatized -- provided by unaccountable private companies instead of elected governments. For example, consider the state of public transit in Silicon Valley. There isn't much of it, and what there is sucks. So companies have started paying for their own bus routes, which are only open to their own employees. Taken together, those bus routes would comprise a very comprehensive public transit solution. But the general public can't use them. This is what happens when companies do the government's job. Consider also the backlash against Bill Gates' education initiatives in Seattle: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13085/charitable-plutocracy-bill-gates-washington-state-and-nuisance-democracy http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13085/charitable-plutocr... Besides, if we rely on corporations for social progress, they could easily promote right-wing policies, which is the opposite of what you seem to want. It's really much better when businesses stay out of politics entirely and maximize their wealth creation, and the government redistributes that wealth to the extent necessary to accomplish its social goals.

by ajamesm 10y ago

twblalock 10y ago

Many startups may be worth "pretend" money, but many are worth real money. And even the ones that are worth "pretend" money create jobs, not just for engineers. > And I wish our culture stopped glamorizing startups for being worth a lot of pretend money, and instead valued them on how much they did to advance us as an equitable society. It is not the job of businesses to pursue social engineering goals like an equitable society. That is the job of government, and government needs money to do those things, which can come from taxing successful businesses. People who suggest that businesses ought to pursue social goals don't fully understand what would happen if they got what they wished for -- a world where social goods and services are privatized -- provided by unaccountable private companies instead of elected governments. For example, consider the state of public transit in Silicon Valley. There isn't much of it, and what there is sucks. So companies have started paying for their own bus routes, which are only open to their own employees. Taken together, those bus routes would comprise a very comprehensive public transit solution. But the general public can't use them. This is what happens when companies do the government's job. Consider also the backlash against Bill Gates' education initiatives in Seattle: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13085/charitable-plutocracy-bill-gates-washington-state-and-nuisance-democracy http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13085/charitable-plutocr... Besides, if we rely on corporations for social progress, they could easily promote right-wing policies, which is the opposite of what you seem to want. It's really much better when businesses stay out of politics entirely and maximize their wealth creation, and the government redistributes that wealth to the extent necessary to accomplish its social goals.