Subscriber Mailbag: Questions
And an update
First, heartfelt thanks to all paid subscribers and, especially, to founding members. As I explained in About, the primary goal of generating revenue is to support researchers in my group. This will make us much more effective in bringing new results to share on this blog. Starting a Substack, thus, is a kind of experiment for me.
Next, a question from a recent subscriber prompted me to try a new rubric. Use the discussion associated with this post to ask questions. Don’t “ask me anything”—only questions related to my expertise! I have no idea how many questions will arrive, but if a lot, I will then organize them and respond in batches. It’s another experiment. And, of course, only paid subscribers get to ask questions. If you haven’t subscribed yet and have a burning question you’d like to ask me, now’s your chance to become a full member.
Today I am flying to New Mexico to participate in a Santa Fe Institute workshop, Science of History. This should be very interesting—right down my alley! I’ll report on any notable developments in a future post.
Thanks for all these questions! Answers are forthcoming in the next post later this week.
I’m trying to summarize/paraphrase our current situation in the U.S. for personal planning purposes. Please comment if needed on any areas I’m misrepresenting.
1. The money pump has been running for decades and shows no signs of slowing.
2. Elite overproduction is advanced, also shows no signs of slowing, and has already resulted in a quiet overthrow of the federal government and many state governments.
3. Popular immiseration is deeply established, reflected in finances, health, and social mobility.
4. There are no quick fixes.
5. U.S. society is unstable, consistently becoming more unstable/undemocratic, and there are currently no significant corrective forces at work.
6. The U.S. can expected to remain unstable for the next several years, possibly 20+ years.
7. Best case scenario is a U.S. version of the U.K. ‘Troubles’.
8. Less favorable but plausible scenarios include various temperatures of cold to hot civil war, up to Spanish Civil War levels.