According to political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, for a political party to accept losing and continue to support America’s political system as-is in the face of uncertainty about the party’s future, two conditions must hold. One, its supporters must feel secure about losing today; that ruinous consequences will not be unleashed tomorrow; and […]
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Republicans fear by sticking to conventional political rules, they’ll lose even more. Economically, they’ve already lost much. According to Levitsky and Ziblatt, authors of Why Democracies Die, this sort of “do or die” strategy is a threat to democratic stability. How so? Economics provides the underlying clue. Their congressional voting districts, rural and ex-urban, are […]
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American Exceptionalism. That’s the head-in-the-sand term used by Trump Republicans to justify Independence Day intransigence. We’re an exceptional country they claim, because of their values; their stuff. Because they say, America honors free markets and laissez-faire social policy. Granted, our nation has been exceptional in many important ways. But where are we now? Has their […]
Read MoreIn our last episode…our zombie Grandpa exclaims…the rush-rush demands of modern society are running ahead of our abilities to keep up. Indeed…according to our newest zombie…the paradigms…narratives…even stories…used to explain how the world works…ought to be scrutinized…shaken down…at times…shaken up…even…to assure accuracy…to assure integrity with reality…with whatever may be the actual way our world has come […]
Read MoreGrandpa…our newest zombie character…reflects on the Industrial Revolution…and its impact across generations of his family…with Georgie…as Grandma was known…to those who loved her….
Read MoreOn the horizon…our challenge is to reclaim…not just economic principles associated with Adam Smith…but the moral spirit associated with him…as well. Actually…Smith’s economics looked quite different from what…typically…the public expects of economists…today. He was a moral philosopher…whose principal ambition was to ask and answer questions about so-called “right action.” What should individuals and families do? […]
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