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Pyramid Scheme
Been a listener since the beginning, and a subscriber since subscription was available. I’m hoping that the Realignment can maintain its original feel and intent, even as ya’ll become titans of media. Here’s my question: Religions push the for the population growth of their followers. Governments push for the population growth of their nations. Corporations push for the population growth of their workforce. Each of these pushes is marketed differently: nature’s calling, spreading the gospel, the American dream, etc. Why do I never hear anybody say this?: “These population growth campaigns are about adding bodies to the base of the pyramid so that those higher-up can benefit. And since everyone with a 3rd grade education knows that we live on a finite planet with finite resources, these campaigns are not only cynical but are also only considering the very near-term.” I’m not anti-natalist or anti-humanist. I guess I’m just trying to understand why this gigantic, literally earth-periling issue, isn’t discussed more. Josh in Oregon
Is Zeihan Right About Globalization?
Which of Zeihan's predictions about the future of globalization do you think are likely, just plausible, or downright unlikely? He also assumes that significant U.S. political change or reform is unlikely, and you've said you don't think it's possible in this climate. What do you think would need to change for reform to be possible and is there anything the average voter can to do encourage that? How bullish are you on the 20-year trajectory of the U.S.?
Breaking Up Disney
Are there any mechanisms in which the government would be able to break up Disney, specifically to make Star Wars an independent company? If I became president, why authority would I have over Disney to disconnect them from Star Wars? I think it’s out of the question that Disney would ever sell Star Wars, even if I had billions and billions of dollars. That being said Disney + is the only streaming service I have and I’ve enjoyed their Star Wars shows, but I want movies in the theaters that don’t suck.
Political Coalition for American Dynamism
Following up on your recent podcasts with Katherine Boyle and Marc Andreessen, I’ve been considering what a political coalition would look like that focused on, to use Katherine’s thesis, American dynamism. In short, a political philosophy that focuses on building, in service of national greatness - more housing, infrastructure, clean energy, schools, rockets, defense technology, and institutions that ambitiously aim to solve hard problems. In particular, building more supply of the “Big Three” areas that Marc noted as having escaped the deflationary effect of technology: housing, education, and healthcare. There seems to be a lot of interest in these broad ideas in certain wonky circles - for example, Ezra Klein’s “supply-side progressivism”/“liberalism that builds,” Matt Yglesias’ “One Billion Americans,” “Progress Studies” from Tyler Cowen and Patrick Collison, the new “Institute for Progress” think tank, and many more focused on creating abundance as an antidote to rising costs. What are your thoughts on the potential to create such a coalition? One interesting parallel is to the cross-party “reform” movement that arose in the late 19th century as an antidote to systemic corruption. Could you see elements of the right and left come together on policy ideas as an antidote to stagnation and sclerosis, like de-regulating zoning or the building of green energy projects? What areas might be most ripe for that kind of coalition?