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I have no idea why, in EA circles, donating to politicians is high on the list of priorities. The couple of billion or so dollars (directly) spent by each side

I have no idea why, in EA circles, donating to politicians is high on the list of priorities. The couple of billion or so dollars (directly) spent by each side of the US election strikes me as the least effective, most wasteful use of money man kind has ever dreamed up.

Tiktaalik 4y ago
Things like poverty and homelessness are a policy choices. If you can identify politicians that are going to make different policy choices, make systemic and structural changes to improve peoples' lives, getting them into power is a way to solve these problems. (not sure SBF was actually doing that though, considering the list of people he was donating to...)
- shapefrog 4y ago
  > Things like poverty and homelessness are a policy choices. Since the 1880's the presidency has swung between Republicans and Democrats with a frequency of roughly 8 years (sure not overall control house+senate but I can not be bothered to look this up properly). Poverty and homelessness dont change on that frequency - getting them into power is a way to solve these problems. https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/poverty-rate https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/pove... https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/10/19/homelessness-is-declining-in-america https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/10/19/homelessn...
  - Tiktaalik 4y ago
    The issue is that most of the Democrats aren't really interested in ending poverty and implementing the systemic policy choices that would do that. That outcomes don't really change regardless of whether Democrat or Republican are elected is evidence that: 1. The legislators elected are not distinct enough in policy terms regardless of their party vehicle. 2. The political system doesn't allow for enough policy change even when the legislators change.
    - shapefrog 4y ago
      So for billions every few years they change the (R) to a (D) next to the persons name and for a couple of billion more a few years later they change the (D) to a (R). I would happily swap them over for 1 mil a year, the other 999 mil is a total waste
      - Tiktaalik 4y ago
        There's definitely big differences within this tick tock between team D and R, but the only differentiating policy changes possible are within the set of possible policies. When we have these big seemingly intractable problems that never seem to get solved regardless of R or D, like structural homelessness, it's a sign that the policy actions required are outside of the set of the possible that these two parties operate within.

Tiktaalik 4y ago

Things like poverty and homelessness are a policy choices. If you can identify politicians that are going to make different policy choices, make systemic and structural changes to improve peoples' lives, getting them into power is a way to solve these problems. (not sure SBF was actually doing that though, considering the list of people he was donating to...)

shapefrog 4y ago
> Things like poverty and homelessness are a policy choices. Since the 1880's the presidency has swung between Republicans and Democrats with a frequency of roughly 8 years (sure not overall control house+senate but I can not be bothered to look this up properly). Poverty and homelessness dont change on that frequency - getting them into power is a way to solve these problems. https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/poverty-rate https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/pove... https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/10/19/homelessness-is-declining-in-america https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/10/19/homelessn...
- Tiktaalik 4y ago
  The issue is that most of the Democrats aren't really interested in ending poverty and implementing the systemic policy choices that would do that. That outcomes don't really change regardless of whether Democrat or Republican are elected is evidence that: 1. The legislators elected are not distinct enough in policy terms regardless of their party vehicle. 2. The political system doesn't allow for enough policy change even when the legislators change.
  - shapefrog 4y ago
    So for billions every few years they change the (R) to a (D) next to the persons name and for a couple of billion more a few years later they change the (D) to a (R). I would happily swap them over for 1 mil a year, the other 999 mil is a total waste
    - Tiktaalik 4y ago
      There's definitely big differences within this tick tock between team D and R, but the only differentiating policy changes possible are within the set of possible policies. When we have these big seemingly intractable problems that never seem to get solved regardless of R or D, like structural homelessness, it's a sign that the policy actions required are outside of the set of the possible that these two parties operate within.