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Making money comes first in this world, and only then comes the realization if our kids or grandkids still have a habitable world. Guess up until now it’s an a

by prox 5y ago

Making money comes first in this world, and only then comes the realization if our kids or grandkids still have a habitable world. Guess up until now it’s an abstraction people couldn’t imagine. Despite years of warning. Recently been thinking we should reform old style political parties. Instead we get to directly vote for ideological topics which we can vote on, and politicians/parties who adhere to them. So instead of parties we vote for ideas directly. Just an idea that needs a lot more work :)

Fauntleroy 5y ago
You're not alone in that thought, but the first step is dismantling the party system. In the United States that would either require extreme campaign finance reform and the elimination of First-Past-The-Post voting systems. Or a violent revolution. Either way it's not looking likely...
- iNane9000 5y ago
  The parties can be improved without dismantling. In fact, that’s exactly what must happen and indeed the fate of our democracy depends upon it happening.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
CameronNemo 5y ago
Political parties are a product of the electoral system they compete in.
gruez 5y ago
>Recently been thinking we should reform old style political parties. Instead we get to directly vote for ideological topics which we can vote on, and politicians/parties who adhere to them. I'm not sure whether it's that. Addressing climate change might be a popular policy, but spending money to address climate change doesn't seem to be. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27686289 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27686289
- jonfw 5y ago
  Gas tax is particularly regressive. People with lower incomes have less access to electric cars, charging infrastructure, and real estate with convenient commutes.
  - toomuchtodo 5y ago
    Use the gas tax as a crude carbon tax, and spend the revenue subsidizing less costly EVs, charging infra buildouts, and incentives to businesses to support remote work.
wk_end 5y ago
> Making money comes first in this world In the past year virtually every major economy in the world shut down to try to ward off a virus that, even unchecked, couldn't kill a fraction of the people or ruin the world the way climate change might. Google tells me that it'd cost anywhere from $300 billion to $50 trillion to end climate change, however that'd work [0]; the amount we've collectively spent on COVID, somewhere around $10 trillion more than half a year ago [1], would at the very least take a big dent out of that. Clearly, there's a point where we can put money aside for other things. It's not just greed; it's short-sightedness and stupidity too. [0] https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/cost-to-end-climate-change/ https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/cost-to-end-climate-chang... [1] https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/world/story/global-cost-of-coronavirus-this-is-how-much-covid19-pandemic-has-cost-the-world-economy-281664-2020-12-16 https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/world/story/global-cost-...
- prox 5y ago
  Yeah, that’s one way to look at it. If we had tackled climate change like we do covid a decade ago or more, we might already have made significant progress.

by prox 5y ago

Fauntleroy 5y ago

You're not alone in that thought, but the first step is dismantling the party system. In the United States that would either require extreme campaign finance reform and the elimination of First-Past-The-Post voting systems. Or a violent revolution. Either way it's not looking likely...

iNane9000 5y ago
The parties can be improved without dismantling. In fact, that’s exactly what must happen and indeed the fate of our democracy depends upon it happening.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

CameronNemo 5y ago

Political parties are a product of the electoral system they compete in.

gruez 5y ago

>Recently been thinking we should reform old style political parties. Instead we get to directly vote for ideological topics which we can vote on, and politicians/parties who adhere to them. I'm not sure whether it's that. Addressing climate change might be a popular policy, but spending money to address climate change doesn't seem to be. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27686289 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27686289

jonfw 5y ago
Gas tax is particularly regressive. People with lower incomes have less access to electric cars, charging infrastructure, and real estate with convenient commutes.
- toomuchtodo 5y ago
  Use the gas tax as a crude carbon tax, and spend the revenue subsidizing less costly EVs, charging infra buildouts, and incentives to businesses to support remote work.

wk_end 5y ago

> Making money comes first in this world In the past year virtually every major economy in the world shut down to try to ward off a virus that, even unchecked, couldn't kill a fraction of the people or ruin the world the way climate change might. Google tells me that it'd cost anywhere from $300 billion to $50 trillion to end climate change, however that'd work [0]; the amount we've collectively spent on COVID, somewhere around $10 trillion more than half a year ago [1], would at the very least take a big dent out of that. Clearly, there's a point where we can put money aside for other things. It's not just greed; it's short-sightedness and stupidity too. [0] https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/cost-to-end-climate-change/ https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/cost-to-end-climate-chang... [1] https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/world/story/global-cost-of-coronavirus-this-is-how-much-covid19-pandemic-has-cost-the-world-economy-281664-2020-12-16 https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/world/story/global-cost-...

prox 5y ago
Yeah, that’s one way to look at it. If we had tackled climate change like we do covid a decade ago or more, we might already have made significant progress.