Americans believe what the current administration works very hard and spends us bankrupt to make us believe. Conservatives are the ones afraid of change because the way things are works just fine for them.
Our 2 party political choice is which group do we want to be the ones who screw us; Exxon, Amazon, SpaceX, Trump on one side, Goldman Sachs, Chase bank, Merck, United Health on the other.
And yet they constantly bitch and whine about all the things that are wrong with everybody else, and how the wrong ethnicity, religion, education, lifestyle or region of the country that others experience is ruining their lives. I grew up in that environment, and it is so prejudicial and knee-jerk it makes Oz look good.
There are too many "liberal" democrats that are afraid of change. All those liberals that are actually moderates and thing the DSA is the boogy man. Pe,rfect example is the primary race is MIchigan, it shouldn't be this close.
It’s the Dems, especially since 1980, that have allowed the ‘repukes’ to flourish. Corporatism is a big piece of fascism, and most Dems, at present, are corporatists to the core.
Those so called liberals are DINOs. Almost as scared of rocking the boat as republicans therefore conservative to the core. Conservative is not a healthy thing.
Great essay. As a society, Americans have a poor grasp of risk. The story of the boys trapped in the cave highlights very well the perils of making difficult decisions.
In the US, we have spent decades teaching people what to think instead of how to think, while much of today's media profits more from creating consumers than informed citizens. As a result, Americans don't always understand the complexities of decision-making and that progress involves risk. We haven't yet learned to say, "It might not work—and that's okay. We'll learn, adapt, and move forward."
There is nothing pragmatic about incremental solutions to catastrophic problems. Anyone who uses the phrase ‘the perfect is the enemy of the good’ is firmly inside the status quo camp.
The Iran War fiasco might be the thing that finally breaks the back of American hegemony and empire. If so, we’d best be ready with a plan to kill the MIC, and actually fund the things Corbin writes about on the domestic front. We’ll likely have only one bite at the apple.
What a wonderful essay; you truly have a gift. (And hair on fire.) I loved how you used an unrelated event in another country to reframe and provide focus. Our general population does seem to have difficulty evaluating the risk/reward calculus for change, and overall seem to have limited ability to imagine more than a couple months into the future. Btw, extra kudos for your ultra appropriate use of expletives!
Thank you for sharing the story about the rescue of the THAI boys and coach. I had not known how it turned out. And thanks for your on-point tie in to our current political situation. I wish to someday travel to Lenoir City, TN and have a pleasant lunch & chat with you. But we have a fight on our hands (an immediate one leading up to Nov 3rd), and I'm busy doing the various things I can do to further the cause for so much needed change. So, until we have the luxury of time to indulge interesting chats I say THANK YOU for your essays Corbin. And Bless you.
Corbin, you are consistently the BEST political analyst out there in a world of too much pontificating and too few solutions. Thank you for your insights.
The wrong use of will, the wetiko of the Shadow Self that is so twisted it turns gifting into taking, has overwhelmed the society. I have never understood the appeal of the two-sided approach to problem solving. I see it much more as an attempt to avoid solving anything, and the craving to continuously create discord and strife within society. We must have 'debate,' and someone has to win. Well, that means others must lose. That kind of 'society' is doomed. It capsulizes an entire dynamic energy system called 'life' into a pill that must be swallowed, not to become more harmonious, but to claim victory and dominance. That is a joke. 4000k+ years of human misery and carnage have proven that belief system a total failure. But the addiction is all that matters, for it renders progress and evolution almost impossible. It is constant gaslighting, using Newspeak as the only accepted language, a language that avoids the unpleasant outcomes that those inventing the prose will themselves never have to suffer. It creates a true Stockholm Syndrome within the masses, where we worship and adore our misery, and only the fake promise of false gods can save us from our sinful ways. The CON is all that is worshipped in this society, the pill of enslavement that kills faster than any drug slipped through the borders. 'Here, take two of these twice daily, and watch the border for invaders who want to kill you. Then report to us. And here, have a cookie.'
It's not just change vs status quo. We're always willing to make DRASTIC changes, provided that the changes enrich the richest and kill everyone else. Obamacare was a DRASTIC change, adding lots of new and untried mechanisms. Medicare for All would have simply expanded an existing and thoroughly functional machine. Data centers are a DRASTIC change, using up the same resources that could have been used for real factories making real things and employing real men.
Amen. Not a religious word. These are not changes. They are demands, forceful impositions on the masses to feed the coffers and egos of the few, who are indeed very lazy. Talking on the phone all day or flying around in jets is very hard lazy work. It is the hoarder mental illness of those whose lack of inner strength that is so massive the only strength they can muster is to destroy those with strength, not via one to one struggle, but via gangster mentality. The society is led by the sickest and weakest and most amoral of fools who sincerely believe they are superior due to their abandonment of principle.
On healthcare I am beginning to believe that a "single payer" system may be a significant part of the solution. Health Insurance companies could play a role in assuring quality of healthcare but instead seem to simply be fighting for a piece of the dollar pie. Any retired person with one of those "supplemental insurance" plans will quickly recognize this from the fancy monthly benefit summaries they receive, e.g. "Smart Summary" wherein the insurance company seems to be rewarded by the pound of paper they produce to say nothing, e.g. provider billed zero, insurer paid zero, patient owes zero repeated for multiple pages. "Smart" in what world.
Good column. Its seems fear is always an important factor when it comes to change. The powers that be certainly have used the fear factor when arguing against M4A; death panels, having to have a new doctor, and the several reasons Corbin gave, but I wonder if there isn't also a complacency issue? It seems everyone is satisfied with their healthcare until they have to use it for something beyond just maintenance. Those that have enough wealth or high enough annual income grumble about co-pays, appointments being months away, insurance denials, etc. but they accept it as part of a world that simply is dysfunctional now, the bottom line is the bottom line---they can afford it. The can still just pave over the inconvenience of all and "pay the damn bill". The wage earners, the 70% of country that could be referred to as the those of the precariat class; those who are one paycheck away from the streets, and others juggling bills, medications, and jobs find it difficult to believe anyone of any party trustworthy enough to vote for, that is if they think its worth voting at all. It doesn't help the lapdog press gives little coverage to the devastation of peoples health in this country, both physical and mental. Despite the predictable pushback from both establishments of the political parties, people seem to be finding the victories of populist candidates and democratic socialist around the country as something motivating. Hope so.
Proper education is what makes people handle life with their brains rather than their fears. That was an excellent story of accomplishing that!
We no longer have authentic schools and it creates a vacuum sucking too many people into irrational problem solving.
What people don’t know understand is this: about forty years ago our schools were taken over by what I call EducRat$ and real teaching became scarce. Our teachers used to raise us up and make citizens out of us. This nation fell apart because of our schools so we must get leaders to investigate them. Leaders must listen to the whistleblowing teachers like me. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and you’ll learn to get back we must get our schools back.
The per capita cost of the US healthcare system is $5000 more than the next most expensive system – which is Germany’s. Another way of putting it is that we’re flushing $1.7 trillion down the toilet every year.
Americans believe what the current administration works very hard and spends us bankrupt to make us believe. Conservatives are the ones afraid of change because the way things are works just fine for them.
Our 2 party political choice is which group do we want to be the ones who screw us; Exxon, Amazon, SpaceX, Trump on one side, Goldman Sachs, Chase bank, Merck, United Health on the other.
Isn’t that a fine kettle of fish!
And yet they constantly bitch and whine about all the things that are wrong with everybody else, and how the wrong ethnicity, religion, education, lifestyle or region of the country that others experience is ruining their lives. I grew up in that environment, and it is so prejudicial and knee-jerk it makes Oz look good.
The only change they want is for everyone else to become exactly like them.
There are too many "liberal" democrats that are afraid of change. All those liberals that are actually moderates and thing the DSA is the boogy man. Pe,rfect example is the primary race is MIchigan, it shouldn't be this close.
It’s the repukes that have gotten us in this mess. Fascism.
It’s the Dems, especially since 1980, that have allowed the ‘repukes’ to flourish. Corporatism is a big piece of fascism, and most Dems, at present, are corporatists to the core.
Those so called liberals are DINOs. Almost as scared of rocking the boat as republicans therefore conservative to the core. Conservative is not a healthy thing.
Maybe one of the very best, moving, and accurate articles Corbin has provided.
When Substack fixes the "auto renew" subscription issue, this old fart will definitely subscribe.
Great essay. As a society, Americans have a poor grasp of risk. The story of the boys trapped in the cave highlights very well the perils of making difficult decisions.
In the US, we have spent decades teaching people what to think instead of how to think, while much of today's media profits more from creating consumers than informed citizens. As a result, Americans don't always understand the complexities of decision-making and that progress involves risk. We haven't yet learned to say, "It might not work—and that's okay. We'll learn, adapt, and move forward."
Again, great essay.
There is nothing pragmatic about incremental solutions to catastrophic problems. Anyone who uses the phrase ‘the perfect is the enemy of the good’ is firmly inside the status quo camp.
The Iran War fiasco might be the thing that finally breaks the back of American hegemony and empire. If so, we’d best be ready with a plan to kill the MIC, and actually fund the things Corbin writes about on the domestic front. We’ll likely have only one bite at the apple.
What a wonderful essay; you truly have a gift. (And hair on fire.) I loved how you used an unrelated event in another country to reframe and provide focus. Our general population does seem to have difficulty evaluating the risk/reward calculus for change, and overall seem to have limited ability to imagine more than a couple months into the future. Btw, extra kudos for your ultra appropriate use of expletives!
I LOVE this piece. I don't know about your hair specifically, but YOU are on fire.
Exactly! Keep it up, Corbin!!!
Thank you for sharing the story about the rescue of the THAI boys and coach. I had not known how it turned out. And thanks for your on-point tie in to our current political situation. I wish to someday travel to Lenoir City, TN and have a pleasant lunch & chat with you. But we have a fight on our hands (an immediate one leading up to Nov 3rd), and I'm busy doing the various things I can do to further the cause for so much needed change. So, until we have the luxury of time to indulge interesting chats I say THANK YOU for your essays Corbin. And Bless you.
Corbin, you are consistently the BEST political analyst out there in a world of too much pontificating and too few solutions. Thank you for your insights.
The wrong use of will, the wetiko of the Shadow Self that is so twisted it turns gifting into taking, has overwhelmed the society. I have never understood the appeal of the two-sided approach to problem solving. I see it much more as an attempt to avoid solving anything, and the craving to continuously create discord and strife within society. We must have 'debate,' and someone has to win. Well, that means others must lose. That kind of 'society' is doomed. It capsulizes an entire dynamic energy system called 'life' into a pill that must be swallowed, not to become more harmonious, but to claim victory and dominance. That is a joke. 4000k+ years of human misery and carnage have proven that belief system a total failure. But the addiction is all that matters, for it renders progress and evolution almost impossible. It is constant gaslighting, using Newspeak as the only accepted language, a language that avoids the unpleasant outcomes that those inventing the prose will themselves never have to suffer. It creates a true Stockholm Syndrome within the masses, where we worship and adore our misery, and only the fake promise of false gods can save us from our sinful ways. The CON is all that is worshipped in this society, the pill of enslavement that kills faster than any drug slipped through the borders. 'Here, take two of these twice daily, and watch the border for invaders who want to kill you. Then report to us. And here, have a cookie.'
Make AMERICA LOVE Again!
Abba Eban (also attributed to Winston Churchill but later) had it right (could be a paraphrase):
"You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, but only after they've exhausted all other possibilities."
It's not just change vs status quo. We're always willing to make DRASTIC changes, provided that the changes enrich the richest and kill everyone else. Obamacare was a DRASTIC change, adding lots of new and untried mechanisms. Medicare for All would have simply expanded an existing and thoroughly functional machine. Data centers are a DRASTIC change, using up the same resources that could have been used for real factories making real things and employing real men.
Amen. Not a religious word. These are not changes. They are demands, forceful impositions on the masses to feed the coffers and egos of the few, who are indeed very lazy. Talking on the phone all day or flying around in jets is very hard lazy work. It is the hoarder mental illness of those whose lack of inner strength that is so massive the only strength they can muster is to destroy those with strength, not via one to one struggle, but via gangster mentality. The society is led by the sickest and weakest and most amoral of fools who sincerely believe they are superior due to their abandonment of principle.
On healthcare I am beginning to believe that a "single payer" system may be a significant part of the solution. Health Insurance companies could play a role in assuring quality of healthcare but instead seem to simply be fighting for a piece of the dollar pie. Any retired person with one of those "supplemental insurance" plans will quickly recognize this from the fancy monthly benefit summaries they receive, e.g. "Smart Summary" wherein the insurance company seems to be rewarded by the pound of paper they produce to say nothing, e.g. provider billed zero, insurer paid zero, patient owes zero repeated for multiple pages. "Smart" in what world.
Good column. Its seems fear is always an important factor when it comes to change. The powers that be certainly have used the fear factor when arguing against M4A; death panels, having to have a new doctor, and the several reasons Corbin gave, but I wonder if there isn't also a complacency issue? It seems everyone is satisfied with their healthcare until they have to use it for something beyond just maintenance. Those that have enough wealth or high enough annual income grumble about co-pays, appointments being months away, insurance denials, etc. but they accept it as part of a world that simply is dysfunctional now, the bottom line is the bottom line---they can afford it. The can still just pave over the inconvenience of all and "pay the damn bill". The wage earners, the 70% of country that could be referred to as the those of the precariat class; those who are one paycheck away from the streets, and others juggling bills, medications, and jobs find it difficult to believe anyone of any party trustworthy enough to vote for, that is if they think its worth voting at all. It doesn't help the lapdog press gives little coverage to the devastation of peoples health in this country, both physical and mental. Despite the predictable pushback from both establishments of the political parties, people seem to be finding the victories of populist candidates and democratic socialist around the country as something motivating. Hope so.
Proper education is what makes people handle life with their brains rather than their fears. That was an excellent story of accomplishing that!
We no longer have authentic schools and it creates a vacuum sucking too many people into irrational problem solving.
What people don’t know understand is this: about forty years ago our schools were taken over by what I call EducRat$ and real teaching became scarce. Our teachers used to raise us up and make citizens out of us. This nation fell apart because of our schools so we must get leaders to investigate them. Leaders must listen to the whistleblowing teachers like me. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and you’ll learn to get back we must get our schools back.
The per capita cost of the US healthcare system is $5000 more than the next most expensive system – which is Germany’s. Another way of putting it is that we’re flushing $1.7 trillion down the toilet every year.