Pragmatism and data-driven evolution of beliefs

Theoretical utopias are fun to think about but generally represent a waste of time in regards to actual societal advancement. Sure, defining an “ideal state” can also be a practical exercise, but only if you work backwards from that ideal to identify the tangible actions possible in the interim for incremental progress. In my youth I focused predominantly on defining and debating over idealistic societies, essentially screaming into a void populated only by other idealists, with any debate limited to trivial semantics. Today I attempt to check myself daily to ensure I am acting in as pragmatic a fashion as possible, evaluating policy in a way which emphasizes outcomes over intent and consistently refining that policy to remove those which are not achieving the intended outcomes – much like a private company might evaluate its profit and loss statement quarterly to determine what changes need to be made to achieve targeted goals, so too it should be with government policy.

Although I will be the first to admit that I am still frequently guilty of unconscious bias, I acknowledge that inherent bias and attempt to mitigate it wherever possible, and it is for this reason that I always attempt to assess all available qualitative and quantitative data available before making critical decisions. In such situations I attempt to disregard whatever my bias (or “instinct”) says and instead defer as much as possible to the outcomes actually demonstrated in the available data. For this reason, I attempt to cultivate a growth mindset, avoiding the pitfalls associated with a fixed mindset and leaving myself open to changes of opinion inspired by supporting data. However, there are a number of core beliefs on which I will not compromise.

Unshakable core beliefs

• The Constitution and its Amendments, although not perfect, is the supreme law of the land and all public servants should face dismissal and/or criminal prosecution for failure to uphold it while in office.
  
• Various agencies and actors within the United States Federal Government act indistinguishably from an international criminal enterprise, a dangerous imperial force which should be deconstructed as peacefully and as urgently as possible with an eye towards restoring international relationships and free trade.
  
• The state of Israel is a European colony operating under an apartheid legal system and actively perpetrating a genocide against the Palestinian people.
  
• The United States should never participate in expeditionary and/or preemptive warfare.
  
• Conscription is contrary to the principles of self-ownership and should be eliminated permanently via Constitutional amendment.
  
• Those persons capable of becoming pregnant have complete self-ownership, including the ability to choose if and when to undergo an abortion, a right which should be codified via Constitutional amendment.
  
• Bigotry is reprehensible and should be actively but peacefully eliminated wherever possible, including through the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and other similar amendments and bills.
  
• Covertly meddling in foreign countries is always counter-productive, as it always yields more negative blowback for the American people over the long-term than any potential short-term gains.
  
• All international relations should be as free and open as possible, as strong, interdependent, and decentralized business relationships are the best way to maintain peace between countries.
  
• The Federal Reserve System represents an international banking cartel and should be decommissioned by Congress through a complete and total revocation of its charter.
  
• Economic laws like those of Supply and Demand are inescapable and therefore governments should only interfere with markets where there is an intense social imperative to do so (e.g. healthcare, firefighters, etc.).
  
• Taxes are almost always a mechanism for wealth preservation and transfer for existing financial elites, are almost always unethical, and are always economically destructive. Furthermore:
  • That which a person creates by the sweat of their brow is fundamentally beyond taxation.
  • There is only one object or asset class today which no one can claim to have created: Land.
  • The only ethical tax, and the least economically destructive, is a tax on the Unimproved Value of Land.
  • All other existing Federal taxes – income taxes, excise taxes, tariffs, etc. – should be eliminated.
    
• Humans have a fundamental right to free movement and any border policies should reflect this. Further:
  • Humans cannot themselves be illegal simply based on where they stand and/or documents in-hand.
  • Those facing threat of illegal kidnapping for deportation or otherwise have a fundamental right to resist.
    
• Regulation tends to favor the regulated, so every effort should be made to eliminate the “revolving door” between industry players and regulatory agencies, preventing favoritism and other corruption while maintaining credible and trustworthy regulatory bodies necessary to protect the American people from fraud, abusive contracts, and other potential violations by powerful business interests.
  
• A rich and prosperous society like the United States should dedicate adequate public funding to ensure all persons have access to food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare, whether via UBI or otherwise.

We need radical change

If we are to achieve a more fair and just society, we must consider some pretty radical changes to public policy.