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Carl Sagan Predicts the Decline of America (1995)

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Re: Carl Sagan Predicts the Decline of America (1995)

#3
There was a much more thorough treatment for the reasons and causes in the body of work of Chalmers Johnson. Dismantling the Empire: America's Last Best Hope was recommended reading at the CIA. And here's an hour video from May 2004: https://youtu.be/oOjYteh-ZRs

Re: Carl Sagan Predicts the Decline of America (1995)

#6
post #2

My current joke is we've overshot the point where nepo baby political and business leaders are smart enough to maintain our technological civilization.

I think the people are capable, given the right environment. I think what destroys it is not letting people in Congress write laws in relative secrecy. When the most powerful, including the political parties, can monitor how every Congress person votes in committee, they can micro-manage and micro-terrorize them into doing what they want.

Let them deliberate without us watching over their shoulders (because it's mostly just the powerful who do) and we might get back to writing laws that solve problems.

Check the work at https://congressionalresearch.org/ for a lot of evidence on this topic.

Re: Carl Sagan Predicts the Decline of America (1995)

#7
post #4

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“Carl Sagan married three times. His first wife was legendary biologist Lynn Margulis, who discovered mitochondrial endosymbiosis, then went off the deep end and became an AIDS denialist and 9/11 truther. His second wife drew the Pioneer plaque. His third wife was one of the women who designed the Voyager golden record.”

Re: Carl Sagan Predicts the Decline of America (1995)

#9
post #2

My current joke is we've overshot the point where nepo baby political and business leaders are smart enough to maintain our technological civilization.

I think the people are capable, given the right environment. I think what destroys it is not letting people in Congress write laws in relative secrecy. When the most powerful, including the political parties, can monitor how every Congress person votes in committee, they can micro-manage and micro-terrorize them into doing what they want. Let them deliberate without us watching over their shoulders (because it's most…

Bernie said it best. Get money out of politics. Full stop.
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