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One of the benefits of a state is that it does not need to operate like a business. It can and should maintain these refuges and keep them stocked. Perishables

One of the benefits of a state is that it does not need to operate like a business. It can and should maintain these refuges and keep them stocked. Perishables get replaced and consumed in the valley. A state has the ability to stand above current whims. At the very least, contingency plans don’t go stale. The second aspect is us facing the pandemic. Playing it down, calling it a hoax, refusing to wear a mask. Stomping around with guns. Making it a partisan issue. War rhetoric. It’s utterly insane. A few calm generations in the flood valley don’t quite explain this.

mschuster91 6y ago
> At the very least, contingency plans don’t go stale. They do if not maintained, especially when there are major changes in population size or spatial distribution, or changes in the infrastructure and its usage (e.g. hospital spinups and closures, traffic/transport). To make it worse, Trump outright gutted the pandemic response team, and Germany hasn't done well in that regard either although we were quick to listen on experts, which mitigated that at least a bit. > A few calm generations in the flood valley don’t quite explain this. They do, actually. In the US, but also in parts of the EU, "science denial" has been moved from "whacko nutjob" territory to outright mainstream, with constant cuts in education funding doing the rest. Democracy requires a demos, especially a demos able (both intellectually and in terms of time) and willing to participate in the democratic process, to work.
karmelapple 6y ago
> It can and should That last word is the problem: there are many people, without a drop of sarcasm, irony, or smiling, who think government should indeed be run like a business. A public information campaign on why that’s not the case certainly seems important to greatly reduce this idea’s popularity. Are there any groups doing this?
KajMagnus 6y ago
> "benefits of a state ... can and should maintain these refuges ..." Real life example: "The Japanese mayor who was laughed at for building a huge sea wall - until his village was left almost untouched by tsunami" https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386978/The-Japanese-mayor-laughed-building-huge-sea-wall--village-left-untouched-tsunami.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386978/The-Japanes... But that mayor was (he died long before the tsunami), I'd think, a rare person.

mschuster91 6y ago

> At the very least, contingency plans don’t go stale. They do if not maintained, especially when there are major changes in population size or spatial distribution, or changes in the infrastructure and its usage (e.g. hospital spinups and closures, traffic/transport). To make it worse, Trump outright gutted the pandemic response team, and Germany hasn't done well in that regard either although we were quick to listen on experts, which mitigated that at least a bit. > A few calm generations in the flood valley don’t quite explain this. They do, actually. In the US, but also in parts of the EU, "science denial" has been moved from "whacko nutjob" territory to outright mainstream, with constant cuts in education funding doing the rest. Democracy requires a demos, especially a demos able (both intellectually and in terms of time) and willing to participate in the democratic process, to work.

karmelapple 6y ago

> It can and should That last word is the problem: there are many people, without a drop of sarcasm, irony, or smiling, who think government should indeed be run like a business. A public information campaign on why that’s not the case certainly seems important to greatly reduce this idea’s popularity. Are there any groups doing this?

KajMagnus 6y ago

> "benefits of a state ... can and should maintain these refuges ..." Real life example: "The Japanese mayor who was laughed at for building a huge sea wall - until his village was left almost untouched by tsunami" https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386978/The-Japanese-mayor-laughed-building-huge-sea-wall--village-left-untouched-tsunami.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386978/The-Japanes... But that mayor was (he died long before the tsunami), I'd think, a rare person.