98 Days to Election Day
July 28, 2020
Good Tuesday Morning.
According to social media, yesterday was #NationalNewJerseyDay. That is very much just a made up holiday without any historic significance, but the Garden State’s official Twitter account declared it as such on Sunday.
Anyway, one of our users shared a nice reminder in the comments:
Remember to reach out to someone who may be alone
Indeed.
Election Day is just 98 days away, and we want to know whether you think it should be a national holiday. We also have some questions about hydroxychloroquine, working from home and denim. Click on the Let’s Talk button to get started.
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Results from July 24, 2020
Question 1: The government should take more actions to help address the problems in people's lives.
That’s an average of 3.1.
the question of government involvement in fixing people’s lives is vague. The answer depends on whether you’re asking about the federal government getting involved, the state government getting involved, or either getting involved on a particular issue. The state governments cannot individually resolve environmental issues; that’s a federal issue out of sheer logistics.
My personal view is that the federal government should use its Spending Clause powers to incentivize states to create novel social programs, with a hard stop sunset provision for federal financing, and then the states will continue those programs on their own if the programs are worth keeping. This keeps states as the bodies of experimentation, while making those experiments financially possible. Low-income housing, former felony works programs, recycling, and public art programs could all be fairly non controversial first options.
Question 2: Capitalism is generally a force for good in the world.
That’s an average of 3.5.
Unchecked capitalism can breed oligarchy, a threat to democracy and social stability. Many great civilizations have fallen because the social inequity became too extreme. Government (and its rules) has a role in the social contract. Capitalism may be the best of the options, but capitalism does not guarantee democracy.
It's a sad day when we have to poll the merits of capitalism. No other economic system in history has uplifted more people. Just look at the United States where, if you live below the poverty line, you still have running water, electricity, a phone, a TV, kitchen appliances, some kind of transportation (public or private), etc. None of this is possible without capitalism. The more limits we place on capitalism and the further we get from capitalism, the fewer people we can uplift.
Question 3: For someone to be "American", it's important for that person to be able to speak English.
That’s an average of 2.8.
To demand that every American speak English in order to be an American goes against the exact principles on which this country was founded. What happened to "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free?" My great-grandparents didn't speak English when they arrived here 100 years ago. Why should it be different now? Capitalism, as in a pure free market system, is generally a force for good in the world in my opinion. That's not the system that we have currently in our country, unfortunately. Our economy is not dominated by free market principles but rather by big, entrenched business interests that are in bed with the government to maintain their grip on the American people. I would call this "oligarchy," not "Capitalism".
Question 4: Most elected officials are generally trying to do the right thing for their constituents.
That’s an average of 2.7.
Most elected officials do what their constituents think is best. They just want to get reelected.
When it comes to elected officials, I believe local officials are almost always working for their community. I question federal elected officials motives much more.
Question 5: Which pizza style is best?
Gonna need definitions for about 90% of those pizzas
New Haven pizza. Detroit pizza. Neapolitan pizza. Sicilian pizza. New York pizza. (And yes, those are just the Wikipedia pages.)
St Louis pizza shouldn’t appear on the list. It is dismal.
^^ St. Louis pizza didn’t get much love in the comments.
Re: pizza...I grew up in California and did not know that California style was a thing. But after reading the description, it’s definitely what I grew up eating, so I picked that!
Chicago deep dish = lasagna. Fine in its own right, with out of town visitors, but not to be consumed regularly. Also, refuse to accept that St. Louis style is pizza...it’s a cracker with pizza toppings.
The fact that you spent the time to research pizza types, including California pizza, before answer is [ chef’s kiss ] perfect.
In terms of Chicago Style Pizza, as a Chicagoan, I feel compelled to remind people that although Deep Dish is famous in Chicago, the "tavern style" thin crust cut in smallish square is also "Chicago-style" and more common for locals to actually order.
This feels a little like Chicagoans clarifying that “actually, it’s not called the Windy City just because of the wind”.
Question 6: On a scale of 0 (the worst) to 10 (the best), how are you doing overall?
That’s an average of 7.2, an increase (+0.1) from last week.
I'd have been a 9 except for a systemic case of poison ivy, which effects my entire body, that I have been fighting for 2 weeks. At least its not Covid!!
The poison ivy is *still* there? That seems… pretty bad.
Make it all the way through but forget to answer today’s questions?
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