It would have been much more positive for the environment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
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It would have been much more positive for the environment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
I bought my 2014 Tacoma with paper profits from the great recession Obama recovery stimulus, which arguably did less to increase the national debt than the T bump.
I was doing a little internet googling and it appeared to me and some of the analysts that the in the last few decades economy generally does better under a democratic president. However, I think much of this, but not all, is a coincidence of the cyclical nature of things. I think we are at the end of a cycle, although T can still print up some more money and string out the inevitable.
When you factor in market externalities like climate change, a degrading environment, public health, poverty levels, and any sort of happiness index it gets muddled, but people tend to not measure those sorts of things.
How reasonable is it for us to hold our politicians and bureaucrats responsible for our prosperity and happiness?
What do we surrender when we think we can pass the burden of our welfare onto them?
There is actually a global happiness report. From Wiki, "The 2018 iteration was released on 20 March and focused on the relation between happiness and migration. As per 2019 Happiness Report, Finland is the happiest country in the world,[23] with Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, and the Netherlands holding the next top positions." Considering the commonality of these places, one could conclude that politics and happiness are connected, although coincidence and causality can be confused.
Leaving aside the question of whether we can measure happiness, as opposed to how people respond to polls about their emotional state, is happiness really a legitimate policy goal? Different people are happy in different circumstances. How should government adjudicate between different concepts of the good life?
I really don't know. Apparently there are experts of some sort who believe in all of this. I wouldn't rule it out based on any sort of biased. I've met people in other countries who live a very primitive poor lifestyle, but seemed as happy or more so than my corporate America work mates. Though I suspect their life expectancy was shorter.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
I can see measuring a set of agreed upon values to a certain culture or country and then tracking them over time using the same criteria. It might get sticky comparing one culture to another. I would think that there are certain things like access to decent nutrition and health care, a bit of nice living space common to the area, and some sort of daily challenges other than idle unemployment or exhaustive menial labor to be universal measures, but it is probably still subjective. Those things are not exclusive from government.
The constant drama with Trump causes unhappiness. If he would keep his trap shut it would help immensely.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
And if someone would confiscate his damn phone. Permanently.Quote:
Originally Posted by frugal-one
I try not to let a bonehead like Trump rule my day to day happiness. My life under T is pretty much the same as under Obama and nothing has really changed for me once we got out of the 2007 financial mess. What does make me unhappy is looming environmental changes, but pretty much any Republican would tow the same line as Trump, although with a different rhetoric. Matter of fact the general American public doesn't seem that concerned. If I were a young person being left the environmental legacy of our generation, I'd be extremely unhappy. In some respects we are living in a golden time and place and I feel very fortunate. Trump is irritating, though.
I noticed a new Politico polls say Sanders and Biden are the only candidates to beat Trump.
I think you’re right about Trump. If people grant him a rent-free tenancy in their heads, they share responsibility for the resulting mental discomfort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
One of the 1% guys, I think Bennet, said something about wanting to be a president you only heard about every two weeks or so. I liked that.