Jonathan Duncan wrote:
This has been the longest thread I have seen on PLUG in quite a while. And a good one at that. I think we should all stay. I think we just had a very good conversation. It might have even been more entertaining over dinner.
Threads like this are indeed far more interesting in person. I'd rather hear a shortened version of everyone's viewpoint rather than read all these essays. OTOH, writing essays improves writing skills, so the time is not wasted. :-)
FWIW, I have my own take on tough political matters: I think we need to apply agile development techniques much like we do in software development. In other words, we need to be more scientific.
Health care seems like a good candidate for this technique. Many Americans need better health care, but can't afford it. The right solution is not the least bit obvious, so we should test different solutions in different cities. Some cities can try taxing the rich to fund universal health care, others can attempt to rely on donations and incentives, others can provide universal care for children only, others can create a donation system where health insurance policy holders voluntarily raise their premiums in order to fund others, and so on.
The tests must have a fixed time limit and each experiment must produce scientifically sound reports. The best solutions will surface and will have not only opinion but facts to back them up. There will be room for creativity and innovation, since individual cities will be expected to invent their own solutions rather than wait for the federal government. Solutions that would require a constitutional amendment will be automatically disqualified. Cities whose solutions were proven less effective will be required to adopt more effective solutions once the testing is over.
Are there downsides to this approach? Formalized testing should dramatically raise the probability of overall success. People will engage their own local government if they think they have a good idea for a solution. Parties will continue to banter over solutions, but much of the arguing will be squelched when the best solution emerges and it turns out that neither of the leading parties thought of it.
Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
