What Did I Do Today?
- Lucian@going2paris.net
- Jul 12, 2020
- 1 min read
Charlottesville
July 12, 2020
I get so busy working off the items on my to do list that I often forget to prioritize those things that are most important to be.
I’ve had some challenging conversations on global warming recently. I don’t know the subject as well as I should. So I’ve worked on that today - and rode my bike instead of hoping in my car to drive eight miles. Saved money, good workout and I didn’t pollute. Not sure I’ll change anyone’s mind yet that we need to take reasonable steps to mitigate our impact on the climate but hopefully I’ll get there!
I also had conversations about the conservative versus liberal mindset that left me frustrated. So I went back and listened to a podcast with Yuval Levin in which he discusses the conservative temperament. I appreciated his keen observation that both parties act as if giving an inch is a catastrophic loss.
And I signed up to help with voter registration. That one probably means the most to me. I am frustrated by how so many of us don‘t vote. I figure if I can get a handful (or more) people to vote in November then I will have helped us have a more representative republic, no matter who is elected president.
Now I can go back to doing open books and planks and digitizing records. 🤙🤪😎😁
Hmmm. Never thought of it that way. I tend toward the Kahnamen/Thaler school of “nudge.” How do you increase participation in 401(k)s? You have people opt out instead of opting in. My assumption is there are young people who may not know how to register to vote. And there may be people who haven’t voted in a while, want to but also don’t know whether they are already registered or might have been removed from the voter rolls. I don’t plan to do the Charlie Wilson. 😁 But do agree that an informed voter is preferred.
I have a different view of voting, Lucian. As a country, I think we have few real barriers to voting these days. People like to talk about barriers, but they fall squarely into the category of first world problems. If someone can't be troubled to register to vote and either go to the polls, do early voting, or do an absentee ballot, I don't want them picking my leaders.
It's a self-filtering thing. I suspect a true democracy with 100% voter participation would not have optimal outcomes. In other words, I'm not going to try to stop anyone from voting, but I'm glad it takes everyone a little effort so you have to care a little bit to do it.