[ExI] climate change et alia

[John Clark]

On Sun, May 8, 2016  William Flynn Wallace <foozler83 at gmail.com> wrote:

​> ​
> What do Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, climate change have in
> common?  (you could probably add to this list)
> ​
> All of them share this:  nothing currently going on with them is dire and
> needs fixing right away.  All are long term problems.
>

​Yes, and that's why I don't give them much thought.​


The people we elect seem focused on short term problems,
>

​Good. The longer range the prediction is the more likely it will be wrong
and the more likely the proposed solution to the hypothetical problem will
turn out to be ridiculous. A long rage problem might not turn out to be a
problem at all, and even if it is you're not going to know how to fix it
now. ​


> Tell someone we are 20 trillion dollars in debt and I think it is likely
> he will say "So what?"  Climate change will bring significant problems in
> the year 2030.  "So what?  I'll probably be dead by then."
>

​And that is a perfectly rational attitude to take. ​The people of the
future can solve their own damn problems, we have problems of our own.

​> ​
> Current money goes to fix current problems,
>

​Right, people in 1916 didn't solve our problems they solved their own, and
we don't even know what problems the people (or Jupiter Brains) of 2116
will have much less know how to fix them. ​


​ John K Clark​
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