25 years ago, I chanced upon a book called Republic 2.0, by Cass Sunstein, and I wrote a fairly detailed critique of the concept that people would actually isolate themselves online and exacerbate tensions and conflict by participating in enclaves and not interacting with those who disagreed:
https://www.markwelchblog.com/2002/01/21/54
I was right, and I was wrong. What I missed: oligarchs and media operators would deliberately create propaganda silos to exploit people. Sunstein’s focus was on people making their own autonomous choices, but I didn’t recognize that aggressive evil people would deliberately seek the worse possible outcomes.
I also did not expect potentially “neutral” portals (Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.) would themselves amplify and worsen the tendencies, for their own profit.
Michael Hasty is NOT a serious candidate for Missouri District 135 State Representative
I assume that Mr. Hasty is sincere (if misguided) in his candidacy, and he won a serious share (45%) of the vote as the Republican candidate in 2024.
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Here is what I want to hear from the candidates seeking my vote this year.
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Missouri’s Amendment 5 would end state income taxes, double sales tax rates, and impose new taxes on services, including rent.
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The CommunityTogether417.com web site is now hosting a collection of reports edited by Dale McCurry, as “The Blue Tide Times.” (These are PDF files.)
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[Updated Friday, March 20] The City of Springfield held two meetings to present its “Residential Rental License and Inspection Pilot Program” [PDF] in the West Central Neighborhood.
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(This advice is specific to me, and to Springfield, Missouri. You are welcome to adapt it.)
The full presentation (with images) is here: [Open Document Format (ODF)] [PDF version]
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“I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it. I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.” 1/→
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