I can’t understand why we continue to supply various welfare programs to immigrants, let alone illegal ones. It just makes no sense at all.
The low hanging fruit of addressing illegal immigration (and welfare abuse) is to let it be known that ICE will demand a list of every non-citizen getting a penny of aid from every single agency and will actively work to capture and deport them.
And this is from a person who is broadly in favor of rational immigration!
It's possible that the incentives of the welfare state have eclipsed political control and grown beyond the bounds of their intended purposes. If these organizations are driven to expand their reach and resources maximally, then identifying the MOST needy populations (even if some of their claims are fraudulent or they're not citizens) and pouring resources into them would be a rational strategy.
James, I've been reading your Substack for a while, and agree with most of your ideas. I was compelled to subscribe today, in order to support you (my first paid subscription!) and also so I could post a comment.
I laughed out loud at your minor - but not really - typo (or maybe it was a Freudian slip?) regarding the students testing below "grave" level in both math and reading. Indeed!
Thank you Kathleen. I need to edit more carefully... but I myself am a school teacher and the problems truly are grave. Graver than most older people realize, I think. I think Freud would have something to say about it.
A very interesting article. As to the constitutioal limits on federal power, they've been ignored or adtively subverted since the FDR administration, so I don't see the federal goverrnmet being trimmed back to its original duties without, as you imply, some general collapse of the system.
"led to believe that they could simply vote for whatever they wanted"
"all of these interviewees are probably entitled to vote"
"These people can vote:"
"And these people can vote:"
"And these people can vote:"
"And these people can vote:"
"When they vote for bloated light rail projects or ..."
"If you live in California, anyone who comes across one of the millions of mail-in ballots that are automatically sent out based on the rotten voter rolls maintained by that state can vote."
"And all of these people vote."
"This is a problem with democracy, alluded to by Heinlein: everyone (more or less) can vote"
"In that circumstance, the “right to vote” becomes an almost laughable."
"Even if 80 million voters focused on one issue and demanded serious rollbacks and reforms, the needle would barely move."
"And nearly all of them can vote."
Yes, everybody can vote but not everybody does.
For example, in primaries only about 20% of voters vote and the median age of the primary voter is 65.
This is why all those crazy voters voting for crazy policies aren't nearly so unbeatable as you make them seem.
Those older voters have their own relationship with the administrative state. But you are certainly correct - a relatively small number of voters could effect political change on the local and even state level (especially in Alaska or Wyoming or New Hampshire, say). I hope my piece doesn't induce total hopelessness with electoral politics. I'm a Civics teacher for goodness' sake! But if those local and state governments don't have effective control over policymaking in their areas, the effects of insurgent victories will be limited and easily reversed. As it stands right now, a single federal court judge can cancel the decision of 500 mayors, even when no strictly constitutional principle is under consideration.
I hope that people DO become more engaged with their local and state governments. Regardless of what you believe that is ultimately the intended design for a republican political model like ours. The fact that so few people do is probably somewhat a reflection of the laziness and ignorance and institutional dependence that has infected everyone. Even myself.
I can’t understand why we continue to supply various welfare programs to immigrants, let alone illegal ones. It just makes no sense at all.
The low hanging fruit of addressing illegal immigration (and welfare abuse) is to let it be known that ICE will demand a list of every non-citizen getting a penny of aid from every single agency and will actively work to capture and deport them.
And this is from a person who is broadly in favor of rational immigration!
It's possible that the incentives of the welfare state have eclipsed political control and grown beyond the bounds of their intended purposes. If these organizations are driven to expand their reach and resources maximally, then identifying the MOST needy populations (even if some of their claims are fraudulent or they're not citizens) and pouring resources into them would be a rational strategy.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/kleptocracy?r=1neg52
50% of the world's population is of below average intelligence. That one concept explains almost everything we see around us.
James, I've been reading your Substack for a while, and agree with most of your ideas. I was compelled to subscribe today, in order to support you (my first paid subscription!) and also so I could post a comment.
I laughed out loud at your minor - but not really - typo (or maybe it was a Freudian slip?) regarding the students testing below "grave" level in both math and reading. Indeed!
Thank you Kathleen. I need to edit more carefully... but I myself am a school teacher and the problems truly are grave. Graver than most older people realize, I think. I think Freud would have something to say about it.
A very interesting article. As to the constitutioal limits on federal power, they've been ignored or adtively subverted since the FDR administration, so I don't see the federal goverrnmet being trimmed back to its original duties without, as you imply, some general collapse of the system.
"led to believe that they could simply vote for whatever they wanted"
"all of these interviewees are probably entitled to vote"
"These people can vote:"
"And these people can vote:"
"And these people can vote:"
"And these people can vote:"
"When they vote for bloated light rail projects or ..."
"If you live in California, anyone who comes across one of the millions of mail-in ballots that are automatically sent out based on the rotten voter rolls maintained by that state can vote."
"And all of these people vote."
"This is a problem with democracy, alluded to by Heinlein: everyone (more or less) can vote"
"In that circumstance, the “right to vote” becomes an almost laughable."
"Even if 80 million voters focused on one issue and demanded serious rollbacks and reforms, the needle would barely move."
"And nearly all of them can vote."
Yes, everybody can vote but not everybody does.
For example, in primaries only about 20% of voters vote and the median age of the primary voter is 65.
This is why all those crazy voters voting for crazy policies aren't nearly so unbeatable as you make them seem.
P.S. Good post overall.
Those older voters have their own relationship with the administrative state. But you are certainly correct - a relatively small number of voters could effect political change on the local and even state level (especially in Alaska or Wyoming or New Hampshire, say). I hope my piece doesn't induce total hopelessness with electoral politics. I'm a Civics teacher for goodness' sake! But if those local and state governments don't have effective control over policymaking in their areas, the effects of insurgent victories will be limited and easily reversed. As it stands right now, a single federal court judge can cancel the decision of 500 mayors, even when no strictly constitutional principle is under consideration.
I hope that people DO become more engaged with their local and state governments. Regardless of what you believe that is ultimately the intended design for a republican political model like ours. The fact that so few people do is probably somewhat a reflection of the laziness and ignorance and institutional dependence that has infected everyone. Even myself.