At least here in the US, if you want to stop the billionaires, you have to stop voting Democrat or Republican. (Except for DSA’s.) Both ruling parties are wholly owned subsidiaries of the billionaire class, and you’ve seen how candidates who actually intend to tax billionaires are treated. AES and Zohran were called radical Islamists. Platner had an SA allegation weaponized against him. Others have had tens of millions in both Democrat and Republican money used against them.
So, I’m skeptical, but if these two dozen or so DSA candidates get elected, they could throw their weight around a little.
The more likely scenario is that one of these AI companies is the cause of something truly catastrophic. Maybe a Waymo decides to drive a whole family off a bridge. Maybe an AI-enabled police drone tries to stop a school shooting and kills 50 children in the process. Maybe a model goes rogue and a power grid goes down in a major metropolitan area and does such a great job of fucking it up that it takes months to repair.
I hate it, but that’s what it’s going to take most likely, just like how we don’t get any meaningful infrastructure upgrades until a bridge collapses or something.
Do yourself a favor and don’t give an AI agent any of your info or authorize it for any of your accounts. At least that much will help you defend yourself in a minor way.
Historically, billionaires contribute to both parties massively, especially at the national level. This is, arguably, why no positive change happens at the federal level no matter who we elect. I think the best evidence of this is the fact that across multiple Democratic and Republican governments, the minimum wage has remained stuck at $7 an hour, even in the face of massive poverty and inflation. (And that shitty wage is probably going to turn 20 years old a couple of years.) In that time war funding always passes, even if the war itself is illegal and unauthorized. Neither party gives a shit because they don’t have to. They’re getting fat off insider trading, lobbyist gifts, and political contributions from billionaire PAC’s, and as long as they play ball, the money keeps flowing.
In the last two cycles we’ve seen big billionaire spending at the state level, also for both parties. You saw it in this last election with billionaires spending big in California and Texas. This is because whole states’ governance can be captured for a fraction of a billionaire’s wealth, and that’s a great investment for billionaires. If you can buy a Greg Abbott and a few Texas legislators, your data centers get fast-tracked and regulations get cut. If you can buy a few people in California, it’s harder to pass a billionaire wealth tax. And you’ll recall even Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, fought hard against the billionaire wealth tax, because he was paid to by his billionaire golf buddies.
Elon is an outlier and shouldn’t represent the whole of your opinion.
At least here in the US, if you want to stop the billionaires, you have to stop voting Democrat or Republican. (Except for DSA’s.) Both ruling parties are wholly owned subsidiaries of the billionaire class, and you’ve seen how candidates who actually intend to tax billionaires are treated. AES and Zohran were called radical Islamists. Platner had an SA allegation weaponized against him. Others have had tens of millions in both Democrat and Republican money used against them.
So, I’m skeptical, but if these two dozen or so DSA candidates get elected, they could throw their weight around a little.
The more likely scenario is that one of these AI companies is the cause of something truly catastrophic. Maybe a Waymo decides to drive a whole family off a bridge. Maybe an AI-enabled police drone tries to stop a school shooting and kills 50 children in the process. Maybe a model goes rogue and a power grid goes down in a major metropolitan area and does such a great job of fucking it up that it takes months to repair.
I hate it, but that’s what it’s going to take most likely, just like how we don’t get any meaningful infrastructure upgrades until a bridge collapses or something.
Do yourself a favor and don’t give an AI agent any of your info or authorize it for any of your accounts. At least that much will help you defend yourself in a minor way.
Pssst
So don’t vote - just watch the handful of worthwhile candidates flounder, and do nothing to help.
I fucking felt my brain dying as I read this. Fuck sake
You can always count on at least one person to ignore nuance and reply with a thought-terminating cliche.
You kidding right now?
DON’T VOTE. WAAH!
But I’m using thought terminating cliché? What the fuck ever.
If you’re not going to participate (vote), then why is it all somehow still important enough to bitch about?!
Your replies would make more sense if you read the comment first.
Have a nice evening.
If that’s true, why do they spend so much money trying to get you to vote for Republicans and not Democrats?
Good question. (Though kind of absurd, really.)
Historically, billionaires contribute to both parties massively, especially at the national level. This is, arguably, why no positive change happens at the federal level no matter who we elect. I think the best evidence of this is the fact that across multiple Democratic and Republican governments, the minimum wage has remained stuck at $7 an hour, even in the face of massive poverty and inflation. (And that shitty wage is probably going to turn 20 years old a couple of years.) In that time war funding always passes, even if the war itself is illegal and unauthorized. Neither party gives a shit because they don’t have to. They’re getting fat off insider trading, lobbyist gifts, and political contributions from billionaire PAC’s, and as long as they play ball, the money keeps flowing.
In the last two cycles we’ve seen big billionaire spending at the state level, also for both parties. You saw it in this last election with billionaires spending big in California and Texas. This is because whole states’ governance can be captured for a fraction of a billionaire’s wealth, and that’s a great investment for billionaires. If you can buy a Greg Abbott and a few Texas legislators, your data centers get fast-tracked and regulations get cut. If you can buy a few people in California, it’s harder to pass a billionaire wealth tax. And you’ll recall even Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, fought hard against the billionaire wealth tax, because he was paid to by his billionaire golf buddies.
Elon is an outlier and shouldn’t represent the whole of your opinion.