Note: I started writing this blog post in June 2020, when many American politicians had decided to begin reopening their economies. This was based on economic and political factors, not public health or science. Since then, the pandemic caused a second spike in the U.S., especially in Southern states that were the first to reopen …
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed aspects of how the economy works (or doesn’t). It also has the potential to shift the Overton Window (the range of what is politically possible), as progressive solutions previously dismissed as “impossibly idealistic or too expensive” are now suddenly the best option for addressing major societal needs. Two such …
Pandemic reveals need for economic system transformation Read More »
The Bitcoin “market” is spiking, with one Bitcoin now “priced” above $17,000 (by the time this is published it will likely be far different). This latest speculative frenzy has been boosted by the new Bitcoin “futures market.” The quotation marks above allude to the ongoing debate about whether Bitcoin’s current and future value to society …
Monetary Reform Should Be Sustainable, And Bitcoin Isn’t Read More »
This summer’s natural disasters (or, really, un-natural, human-caused-climate-induced disasters) are a Rorschach Test and magnifying glass for pre-existing regional issues which are amplified in times of crisis. The rebuilding and recovery provides an opportunity to address those problems by reshaping the built environment. Optimistically, a shattered status quo can allow for a necessary political breakthrough. …
Climate dividends are about to get serious consideration in California. California’s Cap & Trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could potentially expire in 2020, and must be extended by the State Legislature. A new Senate Bill (SB775) proposed by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), the President pro Tempore …
Ten Years of California Climate Dividends Advocacy Leading to SB775 Read More »
California’s Legislature is considering whether to continue the State’s Cap & Trade system meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming before it potentially expires in 2020. Governor Jerry Brown, some Democrats in the State Legislature, and environmentalists would like to renew it, but opponents question whether it is an illegal tax supporting …
For California’s Post-2020 Cap And Trade, Give Money To People Read More »
The international negotiators meeting in Lima, Peru for the 20th United Nations convention on climate change have all but given up on a new legally enforceable climate treaty to replace the outdated Kyoto Protocol. In preparations for the Paris climate conference in December 2015, the Obama Administration avoids the word “treaty,” since there is little …
With Congress barely able to do simple things like finance its basic operations, it is a stretch to think that they will be able to address a major problem like global climate change. The anti-science, backward-looking members of Congress who held the American economy hostage are the same ones expressing disbelief in basic climate science …
Don’t Flee to Mars, but Maybe Send the Tea Party There Read More »
Is the “end” near? If the pop-culture version of the Mayan calendar’s “apocalyptic” predictions turns out to be correct and the world ends on 12/21/12, then you will probably not be reading this blog. The fiscal “cliff” sounds dire, but luckily it is only an annoying metaphor. This latest round of end-of-the-world hysteria is part …
Have you heard about The Commons? You own a piece of it; we all do. The Commons is something society shares as a public trust, and includes valuable assets such as the Internet, the broadcast spectrum, public lands, the ability to create money, the atmospheric carbon sink, and more. In times of scarcity, access to …
Citizen’s Dividends: Basic Income from your Share of the Commons Read More »
Note: I started writing this blog post in June 2020, when many American politicians had decided to begin reopening their
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed aspects of how the economy works (or doesn’t). It also has the potential to
As a father of two young boys, I was excited to introduce movies and characters from my childhood to my
Epistemology is the study of what we know and how we know it. Previously, it may have been considered an
The Bitcoin “market” is spiking, with one Bitcoin now “priced” above $17,000 (by the time this is published it will
This summer’s natural disasters (or, really, un-natural, human-caused-climate-induced disasters) are a Rorschach Test and magnifying glass for pre-existing regional issues