8 ms·
I feel helpless with everything the current Administration is doing.
by thrillgore 9y ago
I feel helpless with everything the current Administration is doing.
- sjg007 9y agoRegister to vote, get out the vote and vote!
- toomuchtodo 9y agoAnd donate to candidates/campaigns that support your values.
- LeifCarrotson 9y agoI've done that - I suppose it's marginally better than doing nothing. But I still feel helpless, voting for incompetent elitist cronies on both sides who are relentlessly abusing the system for their own benefit, or voting for the rare ethical person who is hamstrung by their honest desire to do the right thing and therefore simply can't possibly win this rigged game.
- jkestner 9y ago@Pinboard has done a huge amount of work here for people like you and me. https://techsolidarity.org/resources/great_slate.html https://techsolidarity.org/resources/great_slate.html First-time progressive candidates that are running in districts the Democratic party hasn't bothered contesting, and outraising the incumbents with just grassroots support. There is a wave. We'll see how big it gets. https://theintercept.com/2017/07/13/democrat-beto-orourke-takes-bernie-sanders-fundraising-model-local-in-run-at-ted-cruz/ https://theintercept.com/2017/07/13/democrat-beto-orourke-ta... Give money; take heart!
- __MatrixMan__ 9y agoWhat this guy said. Also, consider your talents, pick a problem, and try to solve it. For instance, is there anything that the credit bureaus provide that we can't beat with a little game theory and some cryptography? Let's build an open source decentralized alternative and use it to replace the whole cancerous sector.
- untog 9y agoSadly there are so many people in gerrymandered districts that ensure their votes mean nothing. About the only thing they can do is donate - not an answer for less well off folks that are struggling as it is, but I'd wager a good number of people in HN could do it. And if you don't want to donate to the DNC/DCCC (and who could blame you), you can find individual candidates that need help. It's still a long way from a solution, though.
- ThinkingGuy 9y agoEven more sadly, a significant number of Americans, even registered voters, living in gerrymandered districts do not even know the definition of the word "gerrymander."
- lostcolony 9y agoWhich shows another solution - educate. Go out and talk to people. Not about candidates, parties, platforms, but about the fact that they have no voice.
- ImSkeptical 9y agoYou could also sue Equifax in small claims court while documenting and publicising the process to help others repeat it, get involved in local politics, and help undo the weirdness caused by gerrymandering. Personally, I'm not really convinced democracy is such a great idea. I'd prefer tests for knowledge and intelligence to qualify to vote or run for office.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- neuronexmachina 9y agoOn the flip side, during a wave election gerrymandering can backfire. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-02-17/republicans-gerrymandering-could-end-up-helping-democrats https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-02-17/republica...
- nickthemagicman 9y agoVery optimistic!! Gerrymandering and the Electoral College means your vote is absolutely worthless!!! There's cases being presented to the supreme court right now on gerrymandering but do you think the majority conservative supreme court is going to rule against conservative majority thru gerrymandering? They've won.
- bonestamp2 9y ago> Gerrymandering and the Electoral College means your vote is absolutely worthless!!! Don't make blanket claims like this, some people will think it's 100% true for everyone. Sure, there are some people whose vote doesn't count but some of us live in areas where our vote will make a difference.
- username223 9y agoEven people in non-swing states can push for a national popular vote, which could conceivably make their votes matter within their lifetimes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Intersta...
- philipkglass 9y agoSupreme Court denies GOP request to block Pennsylvania gerrymandering decision http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/372352-supreme-court-denies-stay-in-pa-gerrymandering-case-reports http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/372352-supreme-court...
- meddlepal 9y agoThe old addage.. "If you can't beat them then join them" becomes more true to me everyday as I get older. Accumulate wealth and "escape" the system.
- redblacktree 9y agoHonest question: Do you have children? I used to feel as you do, but now that I have children, it's a lot less easy to check out on things.
- craftyguy 9y agoYou actually cannot escape it, no matter how deep you bury your head in the sand.
- wavefunction 9y ago
- mr_spothawk 9y agotry direct action
- omginternets 9y agoSuch as?
- neolefty 9y agoMaking friends across the aisle. Mentoring underserved children.
- omginternets 9y agoThat's all quite vague and undirected. I mean both of those things are morally good, but that hardly qualifies as "direct action" as it's usually understood. I mean no disrespect, but it's not like there's a simple solution at hand.
- neolefty 9y agoDefinitely not simple. But they'll make lasting improvements to society. And they're things that only individuals can do. You can make policy that encourages them, but it comes down to us to build civilization.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- stevenh 9y agoThe phrase "direct action" is an Antifa dog whistle advocating violence.
- geofft 9y agoThis country was literally founded by individuals upset at the legitimate political system they lived under, who decided to engage in violence and destruction of property in pursuit of a radical left-wing agenda by any contemporary standard. Violence is patriotic.
- neolefty 9y agoUnderstandable. Is it useful to direct your frustration toward the current administration, or towards the system that put it there? If you want, you can help build a new system: http://www.bahai.org/ http://www.bahai.org/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahai_Faith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahai_Faith I know it's a religion and all, but it has a genuine centuries-long plan to fix everything. And I think it will work. It's learning-based, progressive, moral, and consensual. And after having studied it and worked on it, I can't see any other actual solution that doesn't require centuries. "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." (With a deep definition of "unity".)
- pjc50 9y agoThis is the most surprising political response I've seen in some time.
- neolefty 9y agoThanks for reading it thoughtfully! I felt compelled to mention it, but it's also my first comment to be flagged that I can remember.
- freehunter 9y ago>Drinking or selling alcohol is forbidden. >Sexual intercourse is only permitted between a husband and wife, and thus premarital, extramarital, or homosexual intercourse are forbidden. Hmm.
- TaylorAlexander 9y agoI feel helpless to move the political system too, so I work on open source projects that I think will make an impact. It seems more effective than anything I can do with voting or door to door canvassing. I’m not saying everyone should do it, but it’s something I can do that feels helpful.
- enraged_camel 9y ago>>It seems more effective than anything I can do with voting or door to door canvassing. On the contrary, door to door canvassing can be extremely effective. It is one of the primary reasons why Democrats made huge gains in Virginia state government races, as well as the Alabama special election. Indeed, a solid ground game is the only way to counter the vast amounts of money Republican donors are pouring into the political system.
- Larrikin 9y agoMake political donations to viable candidates outside your district / state.
- sfifs 9y agoWell in India in arguably far more corrupt systems under the risk of actual physical violence that the police is helpless to stop, people have regularly voted out bad leaders from power. In the US, you get to vote on the congress far more frequently and peacefully.
- jorblumesea 9y agoThe trick is convincing our fellow voters to vote in their best interest. Decades of propaganda has produced a warped mentality and complete disconnect from reality. Fox News will spin this and people will eat it up.
- davidw 9y agoGet involved. It feels a lot better than doing nothing. It won't be easy, and it'll take time, but things will happen. Get a friend involved, too. Wherever you live, there's probably an Indivisible group, and a group of Democrats. Those are decent starting points; both are big groups with room for policy differences within them. This book isn't bad, either: http://amzn.to/2E4mQze http://amzn.to/2E4mQze
- eddieplan9 9y agoAnd you should be glad that the governing system is still working, because Equifax is still facing mountains of troubles with the judiciary system and hundreds of class-action lawsuits: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/11/09/equifax-faces-hundreds-of-class-action-lawsuits-and-an-sec-subpoena-over-the-way-it-handled-its-data-breach/?utm_term=.17291719c467 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/11/09...
- jstarfish 9y agoThat is by design. Abuse flourishes in an environment of learned helplessness. You think things are bad now, wait til you see what they'll try to get away with when everyone starts feeling like a battered wife.
- Roqrqw12 9y agoIf they've managed to make you feel helpless, they've accomplished their job. Don't let them beat you.