For many years we’ve known politicians and government workers are corrupt predators harming the public – mostly seeking public service as a way of personal gain and forcing their will on others – particularly minorities and those without voice.
But until Trump 2.0, such policies were never so explicit.
There was at least a pretense that government was at least somewhat legitimate, serving a public purpose even if it was only serving the rich and powerful while handing a few table scraps to a parties’ most loyal supporters. But any shred of legitimacy has come and gone with Trump 2.0.
But there’s also an incentive towards exuberant narratives and over-confidence deeply embedded in the business model of Silicon Valley. In many ways, Silicon Valley looks less like capitalism and more like a nonprofit. The way you get rich isn’t to sell products to consumers, because you’re likely giving away your product for free, and your customers wouldn’t pay for it if you tried to charge them. If you’re a startup, and not FAANG, the way you pay your bills is to convince someone who’s already rich to give you money. Maybe that’s a venture capital investment, but if you want to get really rich yourself, it’s selling your business to one of the big guys.
You’re not selling a product to a consumer, but selling a story to someone who believes in it, and values it enough to put money towards it. That story of how you can change the world could be true, of course. Plenty of nonprofits have a real and worthwhile impact. But it’s not the same as getting a customer to buy a product at retail. Instead, you’re selling a vision and then a story of how you’ll achieve it. This is the case if you go to a VC, it’s the case if you get a larger firm to buy you, and it’s the case if you’re talking ordinary investors into buying your stock. (Tesla’s stock price is plummeting because Musk’s brand has made Tesla’s brand toxic. But Tesla’s corporate board can’t get rid of him, because investors bought Tesla’s stock—and pumped it to clearly overvalued levels—precisely because they believe in the myth of Musk as a world-historical innovator who will, any day now, unleash the innovations that’ll bring unlimited profits.) (Silicon Valley has, however, given us seemingly unlimited prophets.)
Did I mention yesterday I was abusing caffeine popping pills, lapping up coffee at home then more at work, though I quit drinking fairly early in favor of water by mid-day in the office.
Strangely I think I slept pretty well once I finally got to bed at 10 PM last night after the Guilderland Town Board Meeting , frying up saved portion of mom’s lasagna and then working on that essay about affordable small-single family homes that so many of the towns people wanted but don’t exist except in the minds of people remembering yesteryear. That song Georgie Girl is fun, and today is the last day of winter. A fun song from a different era, but one you can secretly sing along like a girly man jacked up beyond belief.
That said, this morning I’m a bit of a wreck. I will ride in this morning, well caffeinated maybe even follow a traffic law or two. At least I haven’t gotten a citation yet for running past that stopped school bus the other day on my mountain bike. And how many red lights I’ve run over the years riding to work. I guess most of them are for the motorists, and that one light I often run, really doesn’t apply to bicyclists. I will see how things work out with the new chain on the ride to wok today.
I probably should put the old chain back on and order a new cassette along with a chain-stretch monitoring tool, and just keep regularly replacing chains. I just hate throwing away so much crap, especially metal that doesn’t burn. I guess I could toss it in my pile of metal that some point I’ll take to a scrap yard as mixed scrap. I priced out chains, and they are about $10 while you can get new cassettes for about $13 if you go for knock off brands. Will the hold up as well as the the official Shemano cassettes? Hard to say. I put so many miles on my mountain bike. Maybe a road bike would better for commuting, but like with my big jacked up truck, I sometimes like to get off the established trail.
It didn’t help that when I briefly awoke this morning, turned on my phone and first article to open up was one about recycling in the Adirondacks. It actually was more hopeful then most. And then I kept dwelling over the night, passing that sign on the Westmere Fire Station saying No Open Burning through May 15th, though that applies only to bonfires and brush burning and not campfires. Still you get reading about all these brush fires out west, including the burning of the big time hunter Keith Warren’s house and then stories about people who have lost their uninsured cabins in wildfires that they put their lifetimes into building. Ultimately though I think land is far more important then building, I hate how so much of a housing market is about the house rather then land. I get it, most people don’t farm on their land. They just need a place with a roof to work in city. Like my dumpy apartment.
One of the things that was pitched by many community members at the Guilderland Planning Board Meeting tonight was the idea of building small single-family houses that are affordable as a solution to high housing costs that make it impossible for many families to afford their own home – as if that was some kind of self-evident goal.
The thing is as the Town Supervisor pointed out, no developer wants to build small single-family houses, as there is no way they could build them affordably and make a profit. Not because the developers are greedy, but because it simply costs too much to build a house with the required infrastructure and building codes to build small these days.
Small houses are a lot like small cars. People love them in theory, but it costs a lot to build a car these days, while complying with all the required safety and emissions standards. Car companies have to also build in the cost of recalls and lawsuits when their products hurt people due to design defiencies. It’s the nature of beast – you have to build high-end enough cars to have enough of a profit margin and enough space to comply with all of the requirements. Small might be beautiful, but it’s not compatible with our modern way of living which says houses have to be safe in fires and other disasters, they have to be energy efficient and provide a wide variety of required modern amenities. Simply said, the house and cars required by today’s laws can’t be the simple thing of yesteryear.
What does that leave us with? When it comes to new housing, it’s going to be large luxury houses, expensive condos and apartments. Then for those with a lesser income, there is the old stuff – namely used housing built under the less safe and efficent codes of years – along with older rental units and condos. The good news is though that new housing won’t last new forever, and what is high end now will over time become affordable as it’s passed on down.
Moreover, it’s a mistake to knock condos and apartment buildings. Shared infrastructure saves costs. A common lawn and landscaping can be shared by many tenetants. Moreover, an apartment building will have only one connection to sewer for many units, only one electric and water connection. Density means fewer miles of water and electricity to run. Density means more access to public transit, as it’s easier to fill a bus with commuters heading downtown when they all live in the same place.
So much of renting a bad thing is a whole load of shit. Yes, you don’t build equity when renting, but you need a place to live and a lot more of housing is a consumable then you want to admit. Buildings get worn out, they need constant repair and maintence. Single-family houses often provide much more space then people actually need, they’re status symbols rather sound investments. People only look at mortgage payments and equity, rather then considering all the other costs of motoring back and forth to work from a suburban house, not to mention the cost of mowing, yard and building maintence – all of which is shared with a condo or renting. It’s true that a same-sized house versus a rental unit, the same-sized house in same location is likely a better economic value then a rental, but if you can rent closer to work in a smaller unit, chances are you come out ahead renting.
Clearly I agree with the Town Supervisor. I don’t think tiny houses or small-single family houses are the answer. Maybe accessory deweling units are one way to density existing neighborhoods, but don’t knock the benefits of apartment buildings and condos at providing affordable housing at a reduced cost, that is once they get a bit worn out and aged, and no longer are the latest new building to be built. It’s not a bad thing when new apartments and condos are built in urban areas, even if they are pricey at first. We need housing, and dense housing is the way to provide lots of housing at an affordable price at least over time.
Is city living from everyone? No. Some people want to raise chickens and hogs, do some farming on acerage. Chop their own wood, raise their own crops. That’s great, that’s a lifestyle for more remote locations when you’re not going to have conflicts of manure versus neighbors. Those are kind of people who should shy away from apartment buildings or densely populated people. But those who seek the urban life should not look down at apartments or condos, which are not only efficent in material use but also land use. Farms belong in farming areas, where people belong in cities.
That’s what some conservative, probably Christian associated drug rehab billboard says outside of Amsterdam. Probably the kind of think you would expect from a small town just like the 97% Fat Free Silage Bales by the dairymen promoting drinking of whole milk in an effort to improve sales of milk and milk components.
Both are pretty laughable things, as the intoxicating herb is pretty darn safe and whole milk, relatively speaking is unhealthy as it loaded with inflammatory saturated fats. It’s not to discount the dangers of cannabis – it’s a mind altering substance and everything in this world contains some risk. Especially if there is some form of reward. Be it the high or those rich fats in milk.
I’m not against drinking milk or smoking pot in moderation. I do think skim milk is a healthier option though as is alternative dairy beverages like plain low fat Kofuir and Greek yogurt. Cannabis should be enjoyed in an enjoyable setting and just enough to feel good and inspired but not an every day use product.
I was out walking and all I could think was thinking how nice it would be to just laying back in a hammock and studying the clouds. Still a bit cool out but I still dream of those summer days in the not to distant future.
, frying up saved portion of mom’s lasagna and then working on that essay about affordable small-single family homes 
that so many of the towns people wanted but don’t exist except in the minds of people remembering yesteryear. That song Georgie Girl is fun, and today is the last day of winter. 
A fun song from a different era, but one you can secretly sing along like a girly man jacked up beyond belief.
I will ride in this morning, 
well caffeinated 
maybe even follow a traffic law or two. At least I haven’t gotten a citation yet for running past that stopped school 
bus the other day on my mountain bike. And how many red lights I’ve run over the years riding to work. I guess most of them are for the motorists, and that one light I often run, really doesn’t apply to bicyclists. 
I will see how things work out with the new chain on the ride to wok today.
I just hate throwing away so much crap, especially metal that doesn’t burn. I guess I could toss it in my pile of metal that some point I’ll take to a scrap yard as mixed scrap. I priced out chains, and they are about $10 while you can get new cassettes for about $13 if you go for knock off brands. Will the hold up as well as the the official Shemano cassettes? Hard to say. I put so many miles on my mountain bike. Maybe a road bike would better for commuting, but like with my big jacked up truck, I sometimes like to get off the established trail.
turned on my phone and first article to open up was one about recycling 
in the Adirondacks. It actually was more hopeful then most. And then I kept dwelling over the night, passing that sign on the Westmere Fire Station 
saying No Open Burning through May 15th, though that applies only to bonfires and brush burning and not campfires. 
Still you get reading about all these brush fires out west, including the burning of the big time hunter Keith Warren’s house and then stories about people who have lost their uninsured cabins in wildfires that they put their lifetimes into building. Ultimately though I think land is far more important then building, I hate how so much of a housing market 
is about the house rather then land. I get it, most people don’t farm on their land. 
They just need a place with a roof to work in city. Like my dumpy apartment.
