Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
February 2021 - Science Fiction Microstory Contest (Comments Only)
Wonderful theme and parameter, Kalifer and Alina!
Got mine up. Repurposed an old story for the new theme. (Critiques are welcome).
ugh checked in and it's all Trump bashing instead of sci fi writing.I don't even care if you voted for or against him. I was hoping for more writer chat.
Yes, yes, y'all can throw out the "most science fiction is based around political" etc etc... I understand that.
But y'all wonder where all the writers that used to participate have gone.
Probably to groups that don't mimic facebook.
I for one am struggling with this month's theme. When I've tried writing about the loneliness of space in the past, it either comes out boring or grim, and always much too long.
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Down the road, I'd like to set up a web interface to the game and introduce a writer's contest page. That's still a ways off, but at least I finally took a step in the right direction. Hope everyone is healthy and safe from this dreaded virus.
@Jeremy - same.I've restarted the same story three times, mostly because it just seems so boring.
Hoping pull something out before the deadline!
Carrie wrote: "ugh checked in and it's all Trump bashing instead of sci fi writing.I don't even care if you voted for or against him. I was hoping for more writer chat.
Yes, yes, y'all can throw out the "most sc..."
Don't be so pessimistic, Carrie. One post here or there doesn't mean the group has lost its way. It's the prevailing winds of the time, that's all. It'll blow over. We don't exist in a vacuum, but we're still SF writers.
Jeremy wrote: "I for one am struggling with this month's theme. When I've tried writing about the loneliness of space in the past, it either comes out boring or grim, and always much too long."I found it a daunting theme, too. I just let myself go and let the thoughts flow freely, and it came out shorter than usual. (All internal, and I don't know if it appeals to anyone, but I enjoyed writing it.)
Jot wrote: "Hey all, I created https://jotrussell.com and finally got my ad account approved by Google. The crossword app, Jot, has been released to the Google Play store and could use some help verifying thin..."You as well, Jot. Congratulations, and best of luck with the app.
I rather like the theme--am hoping to get the time to write a wee story to it. FTM, as long as this stays generally a writing group, I see no problem with people discussing politics here. Like, when people here discuss complex details of professional work in computer tech, for instance, I simply skip over the discussion; and presumably those not wanting to read political posts can skip those.
Also, having been in the group during the period when some of us either left the group or thought of doing so, let me clarify--the problem(s) had, fortunately, nothing to do with political discussions/issues.
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If you think Science Fiction shouldn't be political google "political science fiction"Some of my favorites are:
1) Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut that seems to apply to current California Democratic politics,
2) Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell
3) The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick which would have described Trump's second term.
4) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
5) Farenheight 451 by Ray Bradbury
6) The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
I'm sorry if I upset the sensibilities of some of the participants of this forum but I believe Trump was (and still is to some degree) the worst threat this country has faced since the Civil War. Much of what I write in the way of science fiction is political allegory. I think it is one of the roles of science fiction writers to paint alternate futures that project current trends to see where they lead. Several Star Trek episodes did this to great effect. Politics and science fiction have always been tightly intertwined so why should this group be any different.
Sorry Carrie, we violently disagree on this point.
Jot wrote: "Paula, I have no problem with anyone wanting to have a level headed discussion about anything here, especially if it's from a central perspective to help mend a divided world. We are all one race, ..."Very well put.
Kalifer wrote: "If you think Science Fiction shouldn't be political google "political science fiction"Some of my favorites are:
1) Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut that seems to apply to current California Demo..."
I don't think anyone's denying the legitimate role of political allegory in SF, Kalifer. (I loved Farenheit 451, BTW - and, Avatar) - Most of us have expressed our political/social views allegorically in this group - I certainly have. (I don't think it's possible to avoid doing that, consciously or unconsciously.) I think Carrie's objection (though perhaps a bit alarmist) was that this is a writing group and not an appropriate venue for vitriol (political or otherwise.)
But, as the purpose of this group is to sharpen our writing skills, I propose that any member that wishes to express such anger (again, political or otherwise) do so in the form of SF allegory.
I guess none of you are watching TV today. If not, you should!
I spent this evening watching the impeachment hearings. What did I miss??
A whole lot! It was a minute by minute explanation with video and audio clips of how Trump manipulated and revved up the crowd that attacked congress. Some fast-acting Capitol police kept it from being a wholesale slaughter. There was an intention that if they found the Senators and representatives in a room that they would lock it up and gas them. It is quite clear that Trump didn't give a shit about what happens to congress. The Capital police were overrun and were way outnumbered rather quickly and the crowd was seconds behind those evacuating the hall. Trump was repeatedly called to call in the National Guard. These congressmen and support personal were locked away in rooms and didn't get discovered by the rampaging mob racing up and down the halls for hours. Trump waited for several hours before finally giving the okay for the National Guard to move forward. He probably thought Congress and the Capitol police were wiped out by that time. This was a very close call. If Trump was an ordinary citizen, in any court in the land Trump would be tried for murder.The only candidate for president that was this set on becoming a Dictator was Arron Burr. Fortunately, there was an electoral vote tie and Burr lost to Jefferson by House vote so he became Vice President. What he did after Killing Hamilton showed his grandiose ambitions to become king. In many ways, Trump is a lot like Burr. Burr did some good things for political gain.
Yeah, Kalifer, this country--and the world--would be better off had Trump not been president. Even so, since reading 1984 and the 1950s(?) sf novel Squares of the City, years ago, I've some skepticism re any film or vid put out by political partisans of any sort--including the vid/s of the folks running and rampaging through the Capitol.
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Over the summer, due to the sinful acts of one man, the media and democratic leadership supported, funded and helped further incite an uprising against police officers that lead to 25 Americans being killed, our cities burned, and over a $1B in damages. The media refused to describe them as anything other than "mostly peaceful protests." So don't go thinking the media has your back. It has only it's own.
I always thought it was funny when Sanders said that Trump is the most dangerous person, even after he worked to get us out of wars and showed great calm after Iran tried to push us into it. If that were Reagan, he would have destroyed a third of Iran's ability to wage war, as he did in the late 80's.
Trump is an arrogant bastard who clearly deserved to lose the election, especially after the events of 1/6. But think about this, and what might become a dangerous situation again in the future. We elect a president who truly takes what is said about him/her to heart, and is beaten down as much as Trump has, because we all helped to show that it works, to the point that this newer president becomes unstable and snaps in a way which is much more bloody than the death of 1 officer and 4 rioters. The insurrection was just that, and people who care about this country, as myself, were horrified to see it happen. We don't need to be reminded, because we will never forget.
You know what else is dangerous, when one party controls all three houses of government, the voting processes, the media, the education of our youth, and the choice of criminal investigations that are supposed to hold their actions to account.
Sorry to pop your bubble Jot, but Trump has made the world more dangerous by letting China expand its sea borders, by revoking the Iran nuclear treaty, by revoking our participation in the climate accord, by adoring dictators while ignoring world democratic leaders. There is a lot that Biden will have to repair.
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And the country who had the most to lose from the Iran "treaty" is Israel, which was adamantly against the agreement. Guess they don't watch CNN for their facts.
I am also for the control of climate change, but without China being on board, it will greatly give them an advantage over us economically. One method, which the democrats will never mention, is a space shield placed at L1 to deflect some of the sun's energy, and would be a lot cheaper, based on the studies that NASA has completed, then the changes being put into place. Oh, and sorry, this is not science fiction.
Unlike Trump, I am not a nationalist, I am a globalist, but we can do better for the world by doing better to control corruption within our borders, though that seems to be out the window now. The fact is, the more poverty we have, the more immigrants come illegally through our borders, the more people we can get to be dependent upon social programs, the more control the democrat party has. In the past month, we have become more dependent upon foreign resources, seen directly in the 25%+ increase is gas prices.
Trump is out, so let's focus on the future. What should Biden do?
As I wrote ten years ago, I think the dollar needs to be digitized, to automate taxation based on something similar to Herman Cain's 999 plan, including undocumented workers, ensure basic needs for all citizens and residents, bring accountability for squatters who are working and refusing to pay rent for over a year, as with my girlfriend who is 55 with a heart condition, and has had to borrow money from her small 401K to be able to afford to pay her mortgage while scanning 70 covid patients a day at the local hospital, introduce a secure and easy way of casting political and referendum votes, organize the true costs of hospitalizations while guaranteeing emergency care, and allowing small time illegal goods and services until a federal AND state court order is signed to unlock an account based on substantiated police evidence. That is how I would stop the bleeding, drain the swamp, encourage self-improvement and provide basic services (housing, food, education, healthcare) for all, while instituting a debt allowance. Today I fear we only looking to punish those who have achieved while rewarding those who choose not to. How do we bring about a society as Rodenbury imagined? What's the first step?
Kalifer wrote: "A whole lot! It was a minute by minute explanation with video and audio clips of how Trump manipulated and revved up the crowd that attacked congress. Some fast-acting Capitol police kept it from b..."We're all aware of these facts, Kalifer. I'm sure we're all just as shocked by these events as you are. And, the comparisons between Trump and many would-be dictators through history (up to and including Hitler) will keep coming, I'm sure.
My primary concern is not Trump, though, but the fact he was elected, the fact that 73 million people voted for him a second time, and that this insanity happened. That anger, that cynicism, that detachment from reality, was always there. If Trump hadn't tapped into it, someone else (maybe a lot worse) probably would have eventually. And, still might. That dark energy and the things that spawned it are still there.
Our democracy was tested. It failed the first test, but passed the make-up. The question is, what comes next? Can we learn from this as a nation and move forward? We'll see.
Paula wrote: "Yeah, Kalifer, this country--and the world--would be better off had Trump not been president. Even so, since reading 1984 and the 1950s(?) sf novel Squares of the City, years ago, I've some skeptic..."Paula, are you questioning whether the insurrection happened? (And, are you referring to the press as 'political partisans?')
I just read a Linkedin post by David Brin: On looking back at Heinlein's future history "Revolt in 2100" It's an interesting parallel to This Trumpian era.I will say no more on this subject!
Jot wrote: "I would rather not discuss what the media chooses to say, because the last four years they have done nothing but build upon the shallow bias of the masses to direct hatred in a very specific way, n...""because the last four years they have done nothing but build upon the shallow bias of the masses to direct hatred in a very specific way, not that much different than Hitler," -- You're comparing the media to Hitler? Hitler suppressed the free press, just as Trump desperately wanted to, calling them the enemy of the people.
--'The sins of one man?' The BLM protests were not about one officer with his knee on the back of one black civilian, if that's what you're referring to. This was hardly an isolated incident. It was, perhaps, the straw that finally broke the camel's back. And, they were not an 'uprising against police.' They were a protest against the killing of African Americans by what was perceived (not without valid cause) as a systemically racist culture manifest in police brutality and racially disproportionate fatalities. We have to address that as a nation.
Trump refused to even acknowledge this issue or to try to defuse tensions. And, sporadic incidents of violence at the fringes of what was overwhelmingly a peaceful protest movement can hardly be compared to a pre-orchestrated attack on the nation's capitol, or insurrectionists literally screaming for the blood of elected officials. I'd say that's as dangerous as it gets. (And, I don't think there's any doubt how the capitol police would have reacted had BLM done something like that.)
"We elect a president who truly takes what is said about him/her to heart, and is beaten down as much as Trump has, because we all helped to show that it works, to the point that this newer president becomes unstable and snaps in a way which is much more bloody than the death of 1 officer and 4 rioters." - Are you saying Trump became what he was because the media said negative things about him?? Seriously? He was crazy at the starting gate, media or no. This is Donald Trump we're talking about - The birther, the multiple rapist, the wall-builder, the Islamaphobe, the race-baiter. How were the media expected to react to him? And, is he not responsible for his own actions? If he can't handle criticism, that says something about his character, or lack thereof. I don't see Biden snapping quite so easily.
"You know what else is dangerous, when one party controls all three houses of government, the voting processes, the media, the education of our youth, and the choice of criminal investigations that are supposed to hold their actions to account." -- Are you implying the Democratic Party controls the Supreme Court?
The voting process in all states? They clearly don't. (Trump certainly wanted to control the Judicial branch and the Legislature. When he couldn't, he lashed out with mob rule.)
I don't know if the world is safer or worse off right now, but I am glad we're getting back into the Paris Accords, and I hope we can work out a nuclear treaty with Iran. As for withdrawing from trouble spots...Maybe it's my Polish blood talking, but Trump's friendliness with dictators like Putin and his virtual contempt for the Western Alliance did not sit well with me.
Cynicism towards the media seems a legacy of the Trump administration, and that's a troubling sign. A free press is essential to any healthy democracy. I'm not saying there's not a lot of just criticism against the media today, but comparing them to Hitler or accusing them of outright fakery--That's just not right.
Jot wrote: "That's funny, I thought Obama was president in 2013 when "the PRC has resorted to island building in the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands region".And the country who had the most to lose f..."
Rodenberry never bothered to mention the first step. I hope whoever wins this month makes that question the next theme.
Jot, you are right about the Islands. They started building them in 2014 two years before Trump's reign. The funny part of that is, the Islands are sinking and they have never been able to use the runways. What I was referring to were the fishing rights and foreign vessel movement rights. That came later and violated international agreements.
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BLM used hatred against police, who are given rules to follow when an arrest is warranted. They didn't make the laws governing such engagements, and BLM offered no suggested changes to these laws. That is where the changes, if possible, need to take place. Instead, they incited riots and made people feel they had the right to resist arrest, which led to more deaths. The job of police officers (white, black, hispanic, asian, male, female) is to uphold the law and protect communities, especially where kids are not safe walking to school, where gangs draw them away from school and into a life of crime, where in fact, law is not the controlling entity. What about those families living in these dangerous areas? What can we do for them? I'll give you an example of something that happened ten years back in a hispanic controlled area of Long Island. A young teen girl was brutally raped by a gang and when the father, coworker at the hospital of my girlfriend, went to the police, they said there was nothing they could do. However, today, at least for now, they can, because police are back in control of that town. Should we reduce police and empower people to not respect their authority to see more of these criminally controlled regions throughout our country? I think not.
That said, race is still a problem. I grew up in the 60's, where there were bigoted politicians writing laws that were contrary to the will of the Constitution. Thankfully, those have been squelched and we have taken great strides to provide equal protections and further actions to sway hiring processes in the favor of women and people of color. Maybe not as much for Chinese, who are also highly discriminated against, but by their nature, are not ones to protest, which is the right of all Americans.
The large companies throughout the world, including the one I most recently worked for, are placing a huge emphasis on equalizing the board members, the senior level executives, managers, and all the way down. These are good methods to erase the divide between us so that maybe one day, we can forget this notion of race, as Rodenbury would have. I think it also has to start with the education of our youth. BLM hasn't done that, and I do not believe it is the goal of this organization to erase race. What we need is someone more like Martin Luther King, Jr. and maybe even Morgan Freeman. These are the type of people who could help bring us all together, which is what we need.
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Jot wrote: "On a separate note, I received my first dose of the Moderna vaccine yesterday. One of the benefits of being a volunteer firefighter. Even after the second, I'll still be wearing a mask everywhere b..."Amen.
Jot wrote: "What I'm saying is that hatred is a tool, that was clearly used before WWII and will again. I, for one, would like people to stop and realize when such a tool is being used.BLM used hatred agains..."
Trump certainly used hatred; that's what got him into power. Hatred of Mexicans, Muslims, Blacks, Trans people.
BLM is not about hatred of police, and unlike Trump, they did not incite riots. It's about not standing silent when killing after killing takes place. Some knelt before the flag. Some marched peacefully. A few started looting and vandalizing. You can blame the victims all you like, and say they should have had their hands at the right positions on the steering wheel, and not walked in the "wrong place at the wrong time" and all that. But, the statistics are hard to ignore. And, changing police procedure...body cams, community policing, civilian review boards, etc...is something that has to be looked at at all levels, city state and federal. Those procedures and the mind-sets behind them evolved from a society that has developed from slavery to segregation to upheaval.
I hope your optimism on affirmative action is justified, but I have my doubts. I don't think hope comes from "erasing race." It comes through respect and seeing the common humanity in all people. Education is important, yes. But, authoritarian police-state attitudes are not the answer. Diverting some (not all) funding from police towards social programs and education may be a first step. Blind faith in police benevolence in the face of so many killings is neither easy nor prudent.
Trump wanted us to see low-income communities of color as rat-infested disaster areas in need of militarized police intervention. I don't believe this country needs that kind of mind-set. Communities like that have to be helped financially and otherwise to revitalize themselves and work with the police at a community level, to build bridges between the people and the police through mutual respect, to reduce long-standing feelings of enmity and fear on both sides.
Not easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. But, you can't expect whole groups of people to just stand there and accede to the humiliation of stop and frisk or let increasingly commonplace killings of unarmed people go unchallenged and uninvestigated. Would you?
I would remind you...police officers have stood publicly in empathy with BLM and said they understood their grievances and sympathized with them.
And, finally...the Chinese by their nature don't protest? Does Tienanmen ring a bell?
Tom--to answer your questions to me--(1) no, I wasn't "referring to the press as 'political partisans?"; rather, I was suggesting the vid displayed may have been stitched together by political persons from pieces by (for the most part, serious) media persons. (2) Was I "questioning whether the insurrection happened?" Only whether it happened quite as the vid had it, and what percentage of those persons participating were "insurrecting" and what percentage were trying simply to demonstrate; certainly some on-screen in the footage shown on the day of, and after, the event were, at most, rioting, and in many or most cases simply demonstrators. Note I say this even though I'm strongly opposed to nearly everything Trump has done or stood for. Jot, whether or not "the country who had the most to lose from the Iran 'treaty' is Israel" is true--though the phrase is certainly used often as a truism--it's a statement that has normally been thrown into discussions to divert attention from US politicians' actions against the treaty. Not sure what it was doing in your post, there.
Btw, I agree with you that sometimes--some, and only some, of the time--Trump has made some peace-leaning moves that, yes, the mainline Democrats likely wouldn't have. But then he would take them back--and meanwhile was pulling the US out from treaties--one must think of the nuclear treatys--shoring up what peace the world has for now; in other words, he has at times dangerously risked catastrophe.
But meanwhile, even while we discuss all this--and write stories, ftm--if we think of what the current pandemic could mutate into--and many US states' and other nations' vaccine deliveries/priorities/policies may be pushing mutation--some of these subjects may seem considerably less relevant to those who may survive.
Thank you for the clarification, Paula.And, for the perspective.
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I was never a fan of Trump, certainly not after The Insurrection. I had wanted Marco Rubio to become president, as he is a smart, level-headed, moderate republican. Also, Trump is no republican, and he has done more damage to the party than anyone could have. That said, I still agree we need to control our borders and figure out a way to have all residents pay their tax and medical responsibilities. It's not right for an honest American worker to pay taxes and healthcare, when a large group of others do not. Nor is it fair to hospitals who are still required to provide emergency care, when the guy doesn't pay a dime and has large stash of cash at home. Not that I have a problem with the latin countries or people to our south. They are hard working, family oriented and send much of that money home to care for them. I just would like to see the playing field leveled and avoid rewards for those doing the wrong thing.
Yes, the Chinese do protest, as in 88 or in Hong Kong this last year, but have you ever seen them complain about the way many have been treated them here? Can't say much in a public forum, because doing so can impact one's career, but historically, there was something called the Mandate of Heaven, which is kind of like a constitutional amendment which gave the people the right to rise up against an oppressive kingdom.
In terms of some prior statements, no, the party does not control the voting process, but it can greatly influence the pulse of some of the people responsible to supersede their responsibilities based on hatred. As with love or drugs, hatred is a strong chemical response that can allow us to ignore what we know to be the right thing to do in favor of satisfying that chemical need. This past election also saw great changes in the way that people voted, and were directed to vote. How many phone calls or posts on social media did you guys get asking if you had voted yet? I guess the thing that bothered me most was one case where republican monitors were told that election counting was done, and that once they left, more large bins of ballets were pulled out and counted, which swayed the count heavily in Biden favor. I'm not saying there was fraud, but there certainly could have been. Voting should be an elective thing, without interference. 15 years back, there was a race for captain of my engine company, which came out in a tie. During the run-off, one of the guys stood by the ballet room door as a form of intimidation, and it worked. After the recount, only three of us had kept our vote with the other guy, one of those being the man running. I was astounded. And not to use her again, but my girlfriend decided not to vote, as she didn't like either candidate. I certainly respected her decision.
And in terms of erasing race, I would not want anyone to ignore their heritage. My father was born here from Irish born parents, and is considered, by the Irish government, as Irish. That gives me the right to apply for Irish dual citizenship, which I am still thinking of doing. It would give me an European passport and allow me to travel between countries there without going through immigration. Wouldn't that be nice? Of course, I need build a retirement first. My point is for us to achieve a state where race, religion, sex or occupation is not held against someone. That one's merits determine one's credit, capabilities and position. I think we can get their, but sadly feel that the BLM organization has set that back 10 years. Two of my kids were behind the movement, and actually said that police were the problem, and as a whole, were lesser people just for being police. I don't think I understood the level of reinforced bias that was being pushed until then.
Thank you for the follow-up, Jot.I'm sure we all agree with the ideal you expressed in transcending race. I'm under the impression you and I will never agree on the issue of BLM and what it stands for. I certainly respect those who lay down their lives to enforce the law. But, I do believe we can't transcend racial divides until we acknowledge the wrongs of the past and the lingering racist attitudes of the present. And, I just want to say, that when diverse groups come together to protest non-violently against killings like those of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor and challenge the country to address the root causes of such events on all levels, that's not going back ten years; that's going forward.
I don't understand what you meant by "hate" making people neglect their duties. (Though, there's certainly enough hate on both sides to go around these days; hate begets hate.) And, just one point -I'm not entirely sure most unregistered immigrants don't pay taxes. And, I'm sure many contribute in other ways. (Getting rid of all of them at once would be a sharp blow to the economy. Especially considering they do the work no one else wants to.)
Thanks for understanding, Tom. I think we need to be wary of over-accusations around any mass event that has, as did this one, ambiguities and probably multiple factions. Jot, you said "It's not right for an honest American worker to pay taxes and healthcare, when a large group of others do not. Nor is it fair to hospitals who are still required to provide emergency care, when the guy doesn't pay a dime and has large stash of cash at home." Certainly that is true, when the nonpayer in fact has a large financial stash (at home, in the bank, or through owning the bank itself, lol)--but, having lived in neighborhoods, at times, where people were so poor they were either on Welfare or minimum-wage (generally while raising small kids on their own, or in impoverished old age), and read quite a bit on this, beginning with the midcentury classic How the Other Half Lives, I assure that most those persons getting free (generally quite minimal, and sometimes much too minimal) medical care etc. are, indeed, poor, and sometimes desperately poor.
I agree with you on the hardworking warmth and family-orientedness of Latinate cultures--and of Arab culture, Jewish culture, Chinese culture, Irish culture, and many or most other cultures, for that matter. We should probably be happy for just about every group of immigrants who arrive here. My ancestors--and perhaps yours, too--reached American shores in the long stretch of years before the 1922 ff. immigration restrictions were set up--by extreme US nationalists and White Power folks (e.g., the KKK of the time) anxious to prevent persons from groups they called "dirty"/"germ-carrying"/"ignorant" from "reaching our shores" . . . a policy disastrous for the Jews of much of Europe; perhaps if we wish, as clearly you do, a peaceful world of racial and other equality, we may consider loosening rather than "enforcing" what are artificial national borders--?
Paula wrote: "Thanks for understanding, Tom. I think we need to be wary of over-accusations around any mass event that has, as did this one, ambiguities and probably multiple factions. Jot, you said "It's not ..."
Multiple factions all coincidentally carrying white supremacist symbols and converging on the capitol at the moment Trump sent the crowd on its way there. And, I suspect VP Pence saw little ambiguity in that gallows with his name on it. But, point taken.
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Of course, and I am not trying to push my perspective, just to explain it. I am not a politician and would rather have them be able to focus on matters of state while I focus on matters of my business, as Confucius would have me do. Happy Chinese New Year, everyone.
Tom> And, just one point -I'm not entirely sure most unregistered immigrants don't pay taxes.
Much of the farm and manual labor jobs are off the books via cash, even for a number of citizens, as they are rewarded for doing so in the way of less taxes. When I did research on my book, Open Source Government, eleven years back, one fact was that 8% of GDP was in the way of untaxed payments in cash. I'm assuming that number has been reduced by efforts made by the Obama and Trump administrations to require banks to request reasons for cash deposits, with some level of taxation. Don't know much about the details of these changes.
Paula> having lived in neighborhoods, at times, where people were so poor they were either on Welfare or minimum-wage...
There is so much poverty in this country, especially now, and flat checks is not the best solution, but at least Biden is trying to avoid sending these payments to people who don't need them. I have no problem with the $15/hr minimum wage, and am concerned it could cause some small businesses go under. I think the number will be small though. More likely will be a bigger push to robotics to replace human workers, but no matter the rate, that is just the fate of the future.
One thing I think we can all agree on is that governments are not that efficient, and I think every dollar we can save is one more person we can help to get on their feet. With the national debt heading to $30T, the more we will have to figure out how to pay down this charge against our economy, lest we'll see inflation go through the roof.
Paula> we may consider loosening rather than "enforcing" what are artificial national borders
I think it is easier for countries to be controlled under one policy when they have one primary race. But the difficulties raised by our diversity is our strength, not weakness (Kennedy: "not because it is easy, but because it is hard"). And any idiot who thinks that people should be judge or separated by race does not represent this country. We represent what the world can achieve as a single but diverse race. So we have to work harder to make sure every civil right is just and protected, but if we can't feed, cloth, educate, house and care for the people already here, then we have to limit those coming in that would put a further burden on the country. That is the law. I think we can simplify government by digitizing currency, automating taxes, providing basic needs, and perhaps even turning off account access for those with warrants as an alternate method to most arrests, then we can prove this method here and allow other countries to install it themselves for their citizens. If America fails, we can help no one. I do not see our border as artificial.
I like what you said about diversity, Jot.Maybe access to a country should be determined by financial need, personal safety and contribution potential, within the parameters of a national economy. If currency can be virtual, why not national borders?
Kalifer wrote: "Jot, you are right about the Islands. They started building them in 2014 two years before Trump's reign. The funny part of that is, the Islands are sinking and they have never been able to use the ..."This is interesting, Kalifer. Sometime around 1999 or so, I edited an academic book about China's long history re the South China Sea and the region's islands. Such a long, and involved, history; I think US people--and administrations--are mostly not acquainted with any of it.
Jot wrote: "Tom> I'm under the impression you and I will never agree on the issue of BLM and what it stands for. and "I do not see our border as artificial." How are borders, including those of the U.S., not artificial? (Aside from there being some bodies of water around some sides of the nation's land area?)
I like what you said about US diversities being a strength! Am puzzled a bit by this expression: "We represent what the world can achieve as a single but diverse race"; is "race" a correct word there, or would "nation" or "national grouping" or somesuch be closer...? (Probably too much an "editor" question, but the word "race" has for decades or more been so much bandied around--!)
And this--you say, "if we can't feed, cloth, educate, house and care for the people already here, then we have to limit those coming in that would put a further burden on the country. That is the law." Your first sentence goes to the gist of what seems to me the only substantive argument that might--might--make sense re "enforced borders," although we have also the long human tradition of welcoming the stranger (as in "For you were strangers in the land".) Not sure how "That is the law" makes an argument re whether those laws are right or not, lol.
And finally---yeah, AI is/are going to be replacing human workers more and more, definitely. I fear Stephen Hawking may have been all too right re whether humans survive the next century or so.
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Jot, I couldn't let your remark go about the Ballots from under the table. My understanding is the counting of the ballots cast that day was completed. The bins under the table were absentee votes. They were expected to be pro-Biden because as you recall Trump told his followers not to trust the U.S.P.S. and cast their votes on Election Day. That was a clear attempt to cast aspersions on votes by mail because it is well-known democrats vote by mail more frequently than republicans. This would enable him to call foul on votes against him that were counted after hours and say the election was stolen. There was a pseudo-statistician that said the difference between the votes counted earlier and later were impossibly different. The guy was obviously a quack since no comparative statistics can be drawn from two different sample spaces. I'm old enough to remember the Truman-Dewey race when Dewey's face was on Time magazine as the elected president only to be reversed in the final tally that included the absentees and the rest of the inner-cities. In my lifetime, Truman was the best president we have had to date.
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Paula> Am puzzled a bit by this expression: "We represent what the world can achieve as a single but diverse race"; is "race" a correct word there, or would "nation" or "national grouping" or somesuch be closer...?
I see us as a single human race. Let ethnicity, be important to the beholder, to highlight tradition in conversation, to show us different ways of looking at things, in solving problems, in being unique in a diverse world. The United States is an experiment in diversity, one which the rest of the world can learn by, and by that, it must be protected and controlled from sudden changes that might cause it harm and reduce our ability not only to help maintain our country, but lift up other countries in the world who desperately need that help and hope.
Jot, many years ago I met a woman who'd lived in Eastern Europe during the Nazi occupation when she was a child, and she said the American planes flying over were like liberating birds. But by 1970, when I lived in Europe, one would have had to look really hard to find anyone who took the idea of the US as a country that might "lift up other countries in the world" politically. Sorry. The vaccines, yes; the US helped with their development very much--and that is hardly nothing. On the political front, though, and diversity in particular, maybe check with some black persons or with some of the surviving indigenes in the U.S.--which is not to question that for years, until 1922, or earlier for Asian peoples, the U.S. did serve as a refuge--and (I have read, but don't much about), leading up to the French Revolution, the U.S. emerging as a new nation without a king or (formal) aristocracy was something of an example--but, as the saying goes, "That was then, this is now."
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Element to include brought by Alina: an object from Earth or a planet the protagonist comes from that holds sentimental value (if they were born in space, something belonging to their ancestors who lived on a planet).