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Think of presidents as figure heads. They represent an idea but they don’t have as much power as many think. There’s plenty of other influencing bodies of power

Think of presidents as figure heads. They represent an idea but they don’t have as much power as many think. There’s plenty of other influencing bodies of power in our society and most of them are hidden or at least not democratically elected. As a society we put a lot of emphasis on our politicians because it’s the one body of power that we feel we have any agency over. When you realize that our politicians are relatively insignificant, it’s easier to stop worrying about them. Most people’s influence only extends to their local community anyway, and that’s a good thing to realize. Focus your energy there—on your family, your friends, and your neighbors—and you’re much more likely to feel satisfied.

colpabar 5y ago
But isn't that worse? You basically just said that the people we vote for aren't actually the people in charge. How is that supposed to make anyone feel better? And as for the whole "focus on your loved ones" notion, I reject it. I refuse to just give up and let the evil people who run the country do whatever they want with my tax dollars. I'm going to stay mad about it, because it's infuriating.
- goldenchrome 5y ago
  Go ahead, it’s your life. Perhaps ask yourself how useful your anger has been, versus how much stress it’s brought.
- gremlinsinc 5y ago
  I thought Bernie was apparently more popular and gonna change things I was naive...lately I've discovered a wealth of anarchist ideas that basically hinge on the idea of creating dual power. Create a co-op, the co-op builds companies that compete w/ brick and mortar companies. Consumers and Employees who use the companies get shares for keeping them going. Those shares are good towards qualifying for healthcare and dividend payments, so you have like 30% towards healthcare, 30% towards growth/salaries, 30% towards dividends... Eventually you buy up hospital/pharmacy businesses and eventually you control the prices that insurers pay while being your own insurer for those who don't have other options but at least spend all their extra money at your Krogers, or Fast food joints, etc.... Essentially a bunch of union/co-op businesses that say FU to the govt we don't need you, we've figured out an alternate way to get healthcare and feed the masses that's self-sustaining. Being worker/democractically owned by the workers and consumers who get to vote on how things change, etc... you can still have inspirational/thought leaders leading the charge but you have people deciding to trust you or not, and you can't just stab them in the back for a buck. Eventually we could be the Medicaid provider for states, and eventually lobby congress to get tax payer dollars to basically be a privatized (albeit partially public) medicare/medicaid alternative that techinically isn't socialized healthcare at the govt level because we're a 3rd party managing it all... or tldr: Do what Kaiser Health does but remove the profit motives and add basically every profitable business you can that average people buy from normally to get people supporting it through their normal economic output. Be nice to eventually also create a total Amazon competitor that really threatens them.
  - jokethrowaway 5y ago
    We definitely agree on the anarchy side. The government is just the biggest around business with a monopoly on violence and stealing. In regards to your idea: How are you going to force employees to take risk and switch from being employees to being self employed? Especially if you're running things not for profit. You can't, unless everyone is as idealistic and non corruptible as you are. This may work for a subset of people but not for society. Pure capitalism is the solution to this problem. Not the crony version we have nowadays with big businesses buying the government and getting them to add regulations to keep newcomers out and tax exemptions - real capitalism: an economic system based on the private ownership and control of the means of production and their operation for profit. I invite you to read http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf
rootusrootus 5y ago
> they don’t have as much power as many think. Maybe not regulatory power, but certainly they have the power to stand in front of 330 million citizens and proclaim the election a lie, refuse the kind of peaceful transition we've grown accustomed to, and really degrade the stability of our democracy in the process. However, it is good that we've now learned how much our country relies on everyone acting in good faith. At some point we might be able to translate that into a stronger democracy.
pm90 5y ago
They do have the power. Just not the desire to use it in certain ways. This is where lobbyists come in.
thrwawy283 5y ago
I think in normal times this is true. Bare with me, this is all disorganized: The last President, and the comments he made, have 3 times lost me over $100k in value from the investments I hold. It's like just waiting to recover from it, and that takes half a year to a year if I'm lucky. I don't sell, I just wait out the dip/depression. It has seriously delayed my ability to buy a house and start the next step of my life. We just saw the stock market dive and I attribute all of it as a delayed penalty to our terrible response to the pandemic and the inflation it caused. I work in emergency management and we waited for a year to begin things like contact tracing because we weren't directed to do it. We have to be explicitly directed by the President. It's purely frustrating that this person who shouldn't have as much direct influence on our lives so directly changed mine. My financial future is another 5 years out. Working so directly for a part of the government that should have helped, and wasn't invited to... well I feel so disgusted with myself. I feel like I let it happen. My grandpa died this last year. He was vaccinated by the government and it's campaign to roll out Pfizer/Johnson/Moderna. We finally convinced him to go get it, and not 2 months later he died anyway (pneumonia from covid). The last 5 years I'd come home, and much of that I'd visit family. From my grandparents i'd hear nothing but conspiracies. How I'm a "deep state actor" trying to destroy America. My grandfather was 1 of the 1st graduates from Texas A&M and a master Electrician. He was a genius once. He died in a warped reality of conspiracy theories. My father is the most wonderful father I have ever known. Compared to other dads I've been sure my whole life I have one of - if not - the best dad in the world. He's my moral compass. My mom taught me to be smart and my dad taught me to be kind. My dad isn't racist. Except we routinely have arguments where I'm trying to tell him how there are modern efforts to rewrite history, and make it palatable for people who come from bad times/lineage. No one in the South wants to reminisce. I argue with my dad that the President is an elected leader, and expected to lead by example while not undermining other parts of the same government. My father shoots back that people have to have "personal responsibility" and think for themselves in regards to things like mask mandates and not ingesting bleach. There was very real harm being done by a very public figure. I remember I kept asking my good dad: Do you blame him for 1 death? It was only after the election of Biden that my father began to see some of the harm from Trump. I tell my dad it's not the same, both parties are not the same. I'm employed in a humanitarian agency and even our budget is being attacked by 1 party who would rather put the individual states at risk. They'll cut our budget to make it impossible to operate, then point to us and say "look, it doesn't work!". My dad says both parties are monsters, and the Democrats were the ones to hold slaves. Republicans ended it. It's still a debate - with my dad - if the civil war was about slavery or "states rights". It's impossible to get him to look at the harm being done right now. What is happening now and who is doing it. This was a disorganized commentary, but I'm so damn tired. Most of my adult life has been spent in wartime. Social services are inching toward something better, but people are dying right now. I have 3 nurses in my family. 2 of them think the vaccines are poison. I was happy to celebrate with the 3rd aunt that hospitals are now required to transparently publish the cost of services and commodities. Another friend of mine has an extreme allergy to nuts. There's now a $35 cap on epipens thanks to the last President. We're making some progress, it's just too slow to help all of us. Everything from social services to education to being overworked to the cost of living to... it's the slowest burn, and there's less oxygen in the room every year. There's too much power in the hands of the perceived figure head.
marcusverus 5y ago
> Think of presidents as figure heads. They represent an idea but they don’t have as much power as many think. This is a bad take. The presidential veto is hugely powerful, since a veto can only be overridden if two-thirds of both houses of congress vote to override. Meaning only bills with strong bipartisan support (i.e. the kind that don't get vetoed) can survive a veto. If you don't have the Presidency, you don't pass legislation.
- klipt 5y ago
  But even with the presidency it seems not much legislating gets done thanks to the senate filibuster.

colpabar 5y ago

But isn't that worse? You basically just said that the people we vote for aren't actually the people in charge. How is that supposed to make anyone feel better? And as for the whole "focus on your loved ones" notion, I reject it. I refuse to just give up and let the evil people who run the country do whatever they want with my tax dollars. I'm going to stay mad about it, because it's infuriating.

goldenchrome 5y ago
Go ahead, it’s your life. Perhaps ask yourself how useful your anger has been, versus how much stress it’s brought.
gremlinsinc 5y ago
I thought Bernie was apparently more popular and gonna change things I was naive...lately I've discovered a wealth of anarchist ideas that basically hinge on the idea of creating dual power. Create a co-op, the co-op builds companies that compete w/ brick and mortar companies. Consumers and Employees who use the companies get shares for keeping them going. Those shares are good towards qualifying for healthcare and dividend payments, so you have like 30% towards healthcare, 30% towards growth/salaries, 30% towards dividends... Eventually you buy up hospital/pharmacy businesses and eventually you control the prices that insurers pay while being your own insurer for those who don't have other options but at least spend all their extra money at your Krogers, or Fast food joints, etc.... Essentially a bunch of union/co-op businesses that say FU to the govt we don't need you, we've figured out an alternate way to get healthcare and feed the masses that's self-sustaining. Being worker/democractically owned by the workers and consumers who get to vote on how things change, etc... you can still have inspirational/thought leaders leading the charge but you have people deciding to trust you or not, and you can't just stab them in the back for a buck. Eventually we could be the Medicaid provider for states, and eventually lobby congress to get tax payer dollars to basically be a privatized (albeit partially public) medicare/medicaid alternative that techinically isn't socialized healthcare at the govt level because we're a 3rd party managing it all... or tldr: Do what Kaiser Health does but remove the profit motives and add basically every profitable business you can that average people buy from normally to get people supporting it through their normal economic output. Be nice to eventually also create a total Amazon competitor that really threatens them.
- jokethrowaway 5y ago
  We definitely agree on the anarchy side. The government is just the biggest around business with a monopoly on violence and stealing. In regards to your idea: How are you going to force employees to take risk and switch from being employees to being self employed? Especially if you're running things not for profit. You can't, unless everyone is as idealistic and non corruptible as you are. This may work for a subset of people but not for society. Pure capitalism is the solution to this problem. Not the crony version we have nowadays with big businesses buying the government and getting them to add regulations to keep newcomers out and tax exemptions - real capitalism: an economic system based on the private ownership and control of the means of production and their operation for profit. I invite you to read http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf

rootusrootus 5y ago

> they don’t have as much power as many think. Maybe not regulatory power, but certainly they have the power to stand in front of 330 million citizens and proclaim the election a lie, refuse the kind of peaceful transition we've grown accustomed to, and really degrade the stability of our democracy in the process. However, it is good that we've now learned how much our country relies on everyone acting in good faith. At some point we might be able to translate that into a stronger democracy.

pm90 5y ago

They do have the power. Just not the desire to use it in certain ways. This is where lobbyists come in.

thrwawy283 5y ago

I think in normal times this is true. Bare with me, this is all disorganized: The last President, and the comments he made, have 3 times lost me over $100k in value from the investments I hold. It's like just waiting to recover from it, and that takes half a year to a year if I'm lucky. I don't sell, I just wait out the dip/depression. It has seriously delayed my ability to buy a house and start the next step of my life. We just saw the stock market dive and I attribute all of it as a delayed penalty to our terrible response to the pandemic and the inflation it caused. I work in emergency management and we waited for a year to begin things like contact tracing because we weren't directed to do it. We have to be explicitly directed by the President. It's purely frustrating that this person who shouldn't have as much direct influence on our lives so directly changed mine. My financial future is another 5 years out. Working so directly for a part of the government that should have helped, and wasn't invited to... well I feel so disgusted with myself. I feel like I let it happen. My grandpa died this last year. He was vaccinated by the government and it's campaign to roll out Pfizer/Johnson/Moderna. We finally convinced him to go get it, and not 2 months later he died anyway (pneumonia from covid). The last 5 years I'd come home, and much of that I'd visit family. From my grandparents i'd hear nothing but conspiracies. How I'm a "deep state actor" trying to destroy America. My grandfather was 1 of the 1st graduates from Texas A&M and a master Electrician. He was a genius once. He died in a warped reality of conspiracy theories. My father is the most wonderful father I have ever known. Compared to other dads I've been sure my whole life I have one of - if not - the best dad in the world. He's my moral compass. My mom taught me to be smart and my dad taught me to be kind. My dad isn't racist. Except we routinely have arguments where I'm trying to tell him how there are modern efforts to rewrite history, and make it palatable for people who come from bad times/lineage. No one in the South wants to reminisce. I argue with my dad that the President is an elected leader, and expected to lead by example while not undermining other parts of the same government. My father shoots back that people have to have "personal responsibility" and think for themselves in regards to things like mask mandates and not ingesting bleach. There was very real harm being done by a very public figure. I remember I kept asking my good dad: Do you blame him for 1 death? It was only after the election of Biden that my father began to see some of the harm from Trump. I tell my dad it's not the same, both parties are not the same. I'm employed in a humanitarian agency and even our budget is being attacked by 1 party who would rather put the individual states at risk. They'll cut our budget to make it impossible to operate, then point to us and say "look, it doesn't work!". My dad says both parties are monsters, and the Democrats were the ones to hold slaves. Republicans ended it. It's still a debate - with my dad - if the civil war was about slavery or "states rights". It's impossible to get him to look at the harm being done right now. What is happening now and who is doing it. This was a disorganized commentary, but I'm so damn tired. Most of my adult life has been spent in wartime. Social services are inching toward something better, but people are dying right now. I have 3 nurses in my family. 2 of them think the vaccines are poison. I was happy to celebrate with the 3rd aunt that hospitals are now required to transparently publish the cost of services and commodities. Another friend of mine has an extreme allergy to nuts. There's now a $35 cap on epipens thanks to the last President. We're making some progress, it's just too slow to help all of us. Everything from social services to education to being overworked to the cost of living to... it's the slowest burn, and there's less oxygen in the room every year. There's too much power in the hands of the perceived figure head.

marcusverus 5y ago

> Think of presidents as figure heads. They represent an idea but they don’t have as much power as many think. This is a bad take. The presidential veto is hugely powerful, since a veto can only be overridden if two-thirds of both houses of congress vote to override. Meaning only bills with strong bipartisan support (i.e. the kind that don't get vetoed) can survive a veto. If you don't have the Presidency, you don't pass legislation.

klipt 5y ago
But even with the presidency it seems not much legislating gets done thanks to the senate filibuster.