Feb 02

An Antidote to Sickness and Darkness?

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings, Republic of Bloggers 2 comments tags: Components of Human Nature, Human Condition, Human History, Human Misery, Political Opinion, Virtuous Discourse
An open letter to Chris Bateman responding to his blog-letter The New Sickness Unto Death at Only A Game as part of the Republic of Bloggers. Feel welcome to provide your own input via the Comments. Dear Chris, Thank you for engaging me in this poignant discussion about the COVID-19 crisis the world is facing. In addition, thank you for engaging in a private email discussion concerning the dark tone of your post. That was a highly meaningful exchange. I don’t intend to change your mind about the harms committed in reaction to COVID-19, but I will challenge you on some of your specific terminology. I do so to better inform my understanding about your position and to ask you to clarify where I see contradictions in your position. I think we share a common horror that reaction to COVID-19 has done as much damage as the virus itself but would differ about what where our interventions should lie. Now on to parts of your letter: — > Every expectation has now been upended by this monomaniacal fear of an infection that is certainly serious enough to warrant action, yet nowhere near dangerous enough to warrant abandoning democracy. … Are […]

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Aug 18

The Bankruptcy of Detroit (Motor City is Burning)

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings 0 comments tags: Economic Disaster, Human Misery
How do democratically elected political leaders, their well paid bureaucrats, and astute citizens allow for the largest ever bankruptcy of a U.S. city? On July 18, 2013 Detroit declared what was already understood that they did not have enough money to pay for their commitments and obligations. The Mayor and the city Council knew that Detroit was losing jobs and people. But did they do anything to change how they operated the city? The people that the Mayor hired had to know that Detroit’s tax base had eroded over decades and that it was not going to be possible to continue spending money as they were. The people who did not leave Detroit, did not hold the government accountable to find a solution. The bondholders and business elite stood aside and did not demand that changes take place. This is the most startling example of a clusterf*ck. Detroit has been on a decline for decades. They did not lose half of their population (1.5 million to 700 hundred thousand) in the span of a few years according to The Economist. This is what has happened in Europe with is Euro crisis, with nation states not recognizing the limits of their […]
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