It’s Time to Build • Hacker News Board

Re: It’s Time to Build

#591

Post by m0zg » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:45 AM UTC

projektfu wrote: post #582

m0zg wrote: post #14

> New York City has put out a desperate call for rain ponchos to be used as medical gowns. Yeah, NY also put out a "desperate call" for "40000 ventilators" in spite of needing only 6000. So that's really not a good indicator of anything. Not to disagree with the core premise of the article, of course. We must be able to manufacture all critical equipment and supplies on US soil, with significant surge capacity. > In…

Small businesses were approved for $350B, most of which has not yet been disbursed, and only about 50% of the needed amount has been approved.

False. It's all gone by now: https://www.geekwire.com/2020/federal-governments-350b-small...

I do agree it's not enough though. Take it up with your representative.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#592

Post by camgunz » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:46 AM UTC

There are two problems: rapidly ballooning income and wealth inequality, and ladder pulling. That explains everything. Why are schools bad? Because we disproportionally fund schools for rich people's kids, and there isn't money or regulatory freedom to innovate there. Why is transportation bad? Because rich people have drivers and private jets, and there isn't money or regulatory freedom to innovate there. Etc etc etc.

Until a16z starts investing seriously in lobbying to end federal corruption, establish a far more progressive tax code (that also considers wealth) and to aggressively prosecute monopolies, I have to assume they're just greenwashing.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#593

Post by lnsru » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:47 AM UTC

darawk wrote: post #572

KirinDave wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Markets would love to build more housing... But they're prevented from doing so by the regulatory state Interesting claim. Do you want to detail this more? Most of my experience is not with the State itself being an obstacle, but as a tool in the hands of landlords and capitalists to help enforce scarcity.

> Interesting claim. Do you want to detail this more? Most of my experience is not with the State itself being an obstacle, but as a tool in the hands of landlords and capitalists to help enforce scarcity. I'm not even sure I really understand your question. Rents in San Francisco are extremely high. What that means is that if you build a new apartment building there you can charge a lot of money for your apartments.…

I’m in Munich with skyrocketing prices. And you are wrong about your halfway intelligent capitalist. You see, doing nothing will end in more money earned anyway while doing nothing. So halfway intelligent capitalist can build couple hotels elsewhere. If this halfway intelligent capitalist builds apartment building, it will generate more rent from the new building, but less in total. That is not good for him and he will not build. And zoning laws is an argument to cover ugly truth.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#594

Post by ijidak » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:47 AM UTC

Sadly, every human attempt at creating a successful system of allocating capital begins to decay as time passes.

With all respect to Andreesen, it is unlikely any of these problems will be solved before the entire post-WWII system collapses.

Climate change, sovereign debt levels, permanent-QE...

Honestly 6 months ago, even those who see doom around every corner weren't really talking about a pandemic.

The problem is, the problems are outpacing the solutions.

This here, written 16 years ago, is still true:

"Consequently, for thousands of years, uncountable coronations, revolutions, coups, appointments, elections, assassinations, and regime changes have occurred. Kings, prime ministers, princes, presidents, secretaries-general, and dictators have found themselves in and out of power. Unexpected changes have removed even powerful rulers. (See the box “Suddenly out of Power,” on page 5.) Still, competent and enduring leadership has proved elusive."

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2004800#h=5:0-7:728

Re: It’s Time to Build

#595

Post by sneilan1 » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:49 AM UTC

What if the problems we face today are harder than the problems people faced from before roughly 1980?

What if we're comparing apples to oranges when we say people in the past had more ambition? People would build an entire suburb in the 1950s without filing an Environmental Report to the EPA because didn't even exist. (An environmental report for those who do not know is a massive piece of legal documentation that shows how a prospective development will effect the natural landscape.)

Perhaps Singapore is building gleaming skyscrapers because they've taken the baton from us and have no "baggage" per se.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#596

Post by neilparikh » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:50 AM UTC

amasad wrote: post #321

worik wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a problem. Ten years is not long term. In the long term we are all dead. So we have to want to do these things for people who are not born yet and who will never pay us or pay us back or be able to even thank us. We have to do these things because these things are the right thing to do. That will decrease our wealth. Now please explain how capitalism can do that?

Having children will give you that incentive. People with no children will have higher time preference -- they prefer today's consumption over investment in the future. That's why I find a lot of the antinatalism of modern western culture to be concerning.

> People with no children will have higher time preference -- they prefer today's consumption over investment in the future.

I don't think that's required, or requires blaming antinatalism. I don't have children, but I recognize that others will, so I'm motivated to address long term problems for the sake of future lives.

There's also some cognitive dissonance in recognizing that the future world faces existential risks like climate change, but then choosing to have children (who will have to live under those risks!).

Re: It’s Time to Build

#597

Post by crawfordcomeaux » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:51 AM UTC

Agreed. Let's start by building a new nation. I propose we rewrite the Declaration of Independence so as to strike out the myths and update it with what science has learned since.

And let's set out with a more ambitious dream than simply providing the opportunity to have a home. A nation not explicitly designed to take care of our needs, such as housing, is inefficient by design.

Myth 1: Independence. Reality: Interdependence and autonomy.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#598

Post by Fede_V » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:51 AM UTC

I'm quite sympathetic to a lot of what's in that blog post but... A16Z directly invests gobs of capital, and, indirectly, shapes the outlook of other VCs who follow their investment decisions, and they plow way more money into software/bitcoin than physical companies. Why? Because they are really good at what they do, and they realize that building physical stuff is really hard, and they'd rather invest in areas that have better returns.

I remember during the Theranos saga, Marc Andreessen kept defending Elizabeth Holmes over and over (he deleted most of those tweets unfortunately) - yet he was smart enough to not put any of his own or A16Z's money into Theranos. Words are cheap: let's see A16Z actually lead the way into investing in physical goods before we praise them too much.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#599

Post by camgunz » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:51 AM UTC

IG_Semmelweiss wrote: post #287

justicezyx wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any recent example of a societal issue affecting American lives got fixed in American system?

I can think of 1 It used to be very expensive to travel between US cities because a govt agency (forget the name, maybe the board of air travel?) set the who what how could fly planes from a to b, and at what price. Think mad men times, panAm, etc. That agency was eliminated circa 1980 by some stroke of luck and perfect alingment of planets. Ticket prices plummeted and this opened flying to the poor. That was also th…

This wasn't because of regulatory overhead, it was because they had created regional monopolies for the airlines. It's exactly like insurance (or prescription drugs, if you're thinking internationally) is now, and that industry wages a life and death fight every time that"deregulation" comes up. It's corporate welfare created by federal corruption.

Re: It’s Time to Build

#600

Post by simonh » Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 5:54 AM UTC

hyko wrote: post #566

kebman wrote: post #428

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody want's a new McDonald's destroying their old status quo in their country. People don't want one-world-gov. They want disparate nations, that have charm and local uniqueness. Except that goes directly towards harmonizing international (trade) laws. If you want a lesson, check out how Lidl did in Norway when they challenged local chain stores.

The failure of Lidl in Norway due to vested interests is an argument for one world government. Maybe if we had one government we’d finally be able to settle on one electrical plug, which side of the road to drive on etc. etc. Imagine if every country developed its own indigenous WiFi standard? How lovely, until you want to read your email. Charm and uniqueness is great on a postcard, but not when you want to actually…

I sympathise, but you don’t need one world government, just agreement and consensus between governments. That’s hard work though, it requires sacrifice and compromise, and recent history (Trump protectionism, Brexit) is against compromise or sacrifice.