The POLICY BLOG
Your Thoughts On Applying CAVEAT To Improving American Policies
America is not prepared for a catastrophe. Recently we spent (incurred debt of) $6 trillion for a mere pandemic of the flu. What would we have done in a real catastrophe, for example, a pandemic of the black death or if our infrastructure were obliterated? How would we respond if America’s entire electrical grid was wrecked by a solar flare from the Sun, like a Carrington Event of 1859? We need a national policy for responses to any catastrophe—a Plan C. These blogs are arranged to solicit and share your better ideas.
Disclaimer: Nothing on these pages should be construed as professional, legal, financial, investment, tax, medical, or golfing advice. Further I have a conflict of interest in my advocacy for saving Social Security because I have a vested interest in saving it, since I am an old codger.
Be forewarned: The better ideas posted here may be used in my book Plan C without attribution or compensation. You waive any claim to your ideas by posting them here. My belief is that good ideas should be freely exchanged except under copyright rules for publications.
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TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: This Website, and any videos, books, blogger comments, or other content may be disturbing or even traumatizing to some of you. The content is about thinking and analyzing anything which may be considered in policy formation. Catastrophic events themselves may be traumatizing or disturbing. This material is meant to be thought-provoking and to challenge your beliefs, expectations, values, politics, and opinions. Often, you may feel ridiculed, laughed at, and insulted by the sarcasm, irony, and satire in these materials. That is my intent. In particular, if you identify with the cancel culture or other forms of self-righteousness, some of this material is meant to attack you and you should avoid it.
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CYBERSECURITY
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to anticipate war, especially new forms of warfare. Cybersecurity is a critical vulnerability of America. Suggested countermeasures include closed architecture and VPN.
EMPs AND THE GRID
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to anticipate natural catastrophes like a world-wide solar flare. This happened in 1859 and was called the Carrington event. It would take years to replace the burned-out transformers and in the meantime we would have no electricity. Immediately write Congress to require circuit breakers and other protection for our electric grid.
FOREIGN BUYERS
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to prevent foreign interests, whether governments, corporations, or non-citizens, from buying Strategic Assets. Farmland should be owned only by American citizens.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to protect minority positions and encourage compromise. The Constitution is not a “majority rules” document but one with checks and balances against the tyranny of the majority. Words like “uncompromising leaders” and “mandates” are causing majority parties to try to undermine the Constitution to get their agendas enacted. Term limits, protecting the filibuster, and making any law passed by Congress to be applied to Congress are just 3 of many ideas.
SEPARATE BUT EQUAL ACCESS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to consider the assumptions, values, and expectations in a catastrophe to be realistic with no social media, no mass media, and no judiciary to air social grievances. Gender agendas will give way to common sense like treating genders separately but giving equal access.
END GERRYMANDERING
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be easily administered in catastrophic conditions. This means policies which can be administered without protracted judicial intervention. Voting districts should be drawn objectively without consideration to any identity-based criteria. Simply make the districts as square as possible within a 5% margin of error.
SAVE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be flexible and neutral, like the Electoral College. In the event of a catastrophe, the Electoral College would still work to select the next president. Our founding fathers trusted that a small group would decide on a successor. The College is an underappreciated CHECK and BALANCE.
SOVEREIGNTY RESTORED
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires governments and policies to be able to function in times of uncertainty. Restoring sovereignty is an example of making the government durable in times of crisis. Among the proposals are restoring sovereign immunity, abolishing sanctuary cities which undermine state or federal authority, and powers to impose martial law in catastrophe zones by a Declaration of Catastrophe.
NEW ROLES FOR THE POST OFFICE AND THE CENSUS BUREAU
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires institutions and policies to evolve with technology, like making the post office in charge of e-mails, or the census bureau in charge of American databases.
JUDICIAL REFORM
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be sustainable and streamlined for governance. The judiciary has not proven nimble enough to work in catastrophic situations. Among the several proposals in this blog is the 13th Judicial Circuit to split duties with the Supreme Court, fix the number of justices at nine, ending judges from imposing nationwide injunctions, and accelerated dispositions for certain national security cases.
FOREIGNER POLICIES
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be risk-averse. We must address border security issues with referring them to the 13th Judicial Circuit, building multiple Guantanamo Bay Detention Facilities throughout Central America, and opening up our internet to help foreigners prep for entry into America.
THE RIGHT TO GOSSIP
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be freely discussed. The Supreme Court has twisted civil discourse beyond recognition so that it has now become the cancel culture of bullying, suppression, coercion, and intimidation. Free speech cannot include trespassing into private property or private ceremonies like funerals and speaking events.
COMPASSIONATE RELEASE FOR VICTIMS
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be protective of Americans first. It is a systemic vulnerability that bureaucrats fail to anticipate unintended consequences of their muddle-headed policies. Examples include the “compassionate release” of jailed inmates and housing Covid-19 patients in nursing homes.
RESERVED TO THE PEOPLE
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be self-governing in times of crisis. To some extent this requires reinstatement of Tenth Amendment protections. People must have certain rights when government is failing or nonexistent. Examples include gun rights, self-defense rights, stand-your ground rights, and protection of the homestead.
DISTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC POWER
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to place no one above the law. Antitrust should be expanded to prevent interference like security forces or private armies. The powers of criminal organizations, gangs and cartels should be limited.
ENERGY AND POLLUTION
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to make America self-sufficient. Nuclear power should be financed by social security and create a hardened electric grid. However, research into microbiological sources for “fossil” fuels should be the long-term solution. Pollution-policies need to address space junk and ocean plastics. We must address the tragedy of the commons.
IMMORTALITY
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to anticipate unintended consequences. We search for medical improvements to extend life without addressing the demographic consequences of when we live longer.
STAY IN SCHOOL
Catastrophic Thinking, using CAVEAT, requires policies to be resilient and sustainable. Education must continue even after a catastrophe. Online-based education should be a backstop to our school infrastructure for when it is destroyed. It would help reach the whole world if posted on the internet.