Interesting thoughts, and great points re culture and food. Will have a think.
The birthrate thing seems pretty obviously just about home, education and healthcare costs. No one can afford a middle class life and kids, and so part of the pitch will be to drive those costs down to zero to unlock that higher birthrate.
The notion of the social contract ("deal") that has sustained U.S. exceptionalism is powerful.
I'd be curious to hear your take on 'cost' or 'responsibilities' part of the deal - which is critical. Citizenship is a contract between the government and its people that demands responsibilities in exchange for rights.
In "Deal 1" if you were a male between 16-60 you *had* to serve in the militia to protect it from inevitable Indian / Native American threats (and eventually British ones).
Today, we're missing both the benefits and the responsibilities. If you asked people what it means to be an American Citizen today, I'm not sure what the response would be.
Any future deal needs to take into account the benefits, but also the responsibilities of our citizens.
Well done, agreed. Tariffs, in my view, are a multi-purpose tool injected into this old System to force change... notably the reshoring of Critical Product Productive Capacity. Which, to your point, sits at the foundation of solving a lot of issues. The strategy is certainly already beginning to bear fruit (on paper).
Yup, the GFC was the beginning of the end of these contradictions that are inherent in any system that tries to manage outcomes and artificially eliminate complexity. There has to be a release valve and then the system resets and the cycle restarts. Have written about this a lot and really like Tocqueville’s work on the subject.
Well done. Love your optimism.
I would add:
1. some significant upgrades to the Standard American Diet.
2. a lot more IRL high quality interaction and way less time on FB, Insty, TikTok, Fox News, CNN, and YouTube.
3. a big campaign of Parenting Classes that would inspire young adults to take parenting as seriously as possible.
4. ways more fiscal discipline in congress.
Etc.
Interesting thoughts, and great points re culture and food. Will have a think.
The birthrate thing seems pretty obviously just about home, education and healthcare costs. No one can afford a middle class life and kids, and so part of the pitch will be to drive those costs down to zero to unlock that higher birthrate.
🤮
https://youtu.be/OfzLnItF6Oc?si=Hdck3wcIgMzYZbGd
Came here from the 2026 narrative.
The notion of the social contract ("deal") that has sustained U.S. exceptionalism is powerful.
I'd be curious to hear your take on 'cost' or 'responsibilities' part of the deal - which is critical. Citizenship is a contract between the government and its people that demands responsibilities in exchange for rights.
In "Deal 1" if you were a male between 16-60 you *had* to serve in the militia to protect it from inevitable Indian / Native American threats (and eventually British ones).
Today, we're missing both the benefits and the responsibilities. If you asked people what it means to be an American Citizen today, I'm not sure what the response would be.
Any future deal needs to take into account the benefits, but also the responsibilities of our citizens.
Well done, agreed. Tariffs, in my view, are a multi-purpose tool injected into this old System to force change... notably the reshoring of Critical Product Productive Capacity. Which, to your point, sits at the foundation of solving a lot of issues. The strategy is certainly already beginning to bear fruit (on paper).
The System Series: Tariffs (Part I) - The Unbalanced System & The Tariff Shock: aquavis.substack.com/p/the-system-series-tariffs-part-i
The System Series: Tariffs (Part II) - Tariffs & The Re-Balancing of the Global System: aquavis.substack.com/p/the-system-series-tariffs-part-ii
Yup, the GFC was the beginning of the end of these contradictions that are inherent in any system that tries to manage outcomes and artificially eliminate complexity. There has to be a release valve and then the system resets and the cycle restarts. Have written about this a lot and really like Tocqueville’s work on the subject.
https://open.substack.com/pub/cedarshillgroup/p/chg-issue-140-modern-aristocracy