Unfortunately, the German example is quite relevant these days. We seem intent on destroying the leading system of research universities in the world... ;-(
Yep, some of the first things Hitler did when he took power was to reverse the ridiculous large brain drain from most of the world into Germany, and stall most research by the chilling effect of censoring random topics and fighting institutions that harbored people he didn't like.
The Fed intervention was under Bush.
The vast majority of the "COVID response" was under Trump.
If you look at deficit spending by administration, you will also see that you have things backwards.
> just another nitpicking attack on DOGE
I'm not sure that pointing out that DOGE is unconstitutional, a massive security threat, and not designed to save money but to consolidate power and punish enemies is nitpicking...
The "strong" man and his allies are the ones that crippled the legislative branch, except for tax cuts for the rich and appointing unqualified SC justices.
There was bipartisan (Republican-ish) immigration legislation with enough votes pass until Trump told people to vote against it, because he knew that he could blame the problem on his opponents and many people would believe him.
Note that none of this would be possible with Citizens United and dramatic media consolidation in the hands of a few oligarchs. ;-(
> Congress is supine because Republicans are in charge, and Musk has also become Trump’s hatchet man — threatening Republican members of Congress if they deviate from Trump.
> Iowa’s Republican Senator Joni Ernst was firmly set against Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense until Musk hinted that he’d finance a primary challenger to Ernst, who’s up for reelection next year. Presto: Ernst supported Hegseth.
> Indiana’s Republican Senator Todd Young expressed concern about the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence until Musk tweeted against him. A besieged Young spoke with JD Vance, who arranged a call with Musk. Presto: Young announced he would back Gabbard.
> Musk warned Republican lawmakers in December that he was compiling a “naughty list” of members who buck Trump’s agenda. He also pledged shortly after Election Day that his political action committee would “play a significant role in primaries” next year.
> A Republican senator told The Hill that Musk’s wealth makes primary threats “a bigger deal.”
SECOND And Interesting how some Media, Wa Po in this case, coincidentally blocked Paid Advertisement advocating an Anti-MUSK Political takt.
> Musk’s financial and political power have been enough to intimidate even the mainstream media. An advertisement set to run in The Washington Post yesterday calling for Musk to be fired from his role in government was abruptly canceled, according to Common Cause, one of the groups that had ordered the ad. When asked why the Post had pulled the ad, the Post said it was not at liberty to give a reason.
This may work in some situations, but unfortunately commercial building are typically very expensive to convert to residential. Think of an office tower with centralized plumbing and HVAC, with an open floor and no real interior walls. You've got to run plumbing and HVAC everywhere, add real(ish) walls, and depending on the size of the floor plate, there may not even be a good way to get light to the right places.
I didn't realize how rare (and precious) a commodity giving a shit is. I expected it to be the default state, but it's not. I remember calling a customer to apologize for a bug and having them console me with something like, "all my apps have bugs and irritations, but you're the only one who seems to care enough to call me and fix it promptly."
Great book. I remember reading it on the flight out to a job interview with an OS team. Thanks to the book, I sounded much more knowledgable than I really was, and I was more excited about the whole space than I had been a few days earlier. ;-)
(Got the offer, but didn't end up taking the job.)
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