– we had very dysfunctional legislature for last 20+ years
– quality of life is falling for majority of people
This contributes to feeling of unfairness in the society which pushes authoritarian and populist ideas.
Or many things at the same time? One could be globalisation, making those with resources richer, and making workers unemployed?
> quality of life is falling for majority of people
This trend has been evident in the US since like the 1960s. If you would like to verify, try comparing median income levels and median cost of living levels for some of those year ranges.
USA is one of of only three countries to have fallen in the Social Progress Index over the last decade: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2020-09-...
The US economy has been strong, but almost every other well-being metric has declined: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/briefing/the-us-economy-i...
Massive rise in income inequality and concentration of wealth: https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/a-guide...
Housing affordability is at historic lows, both for home ownership and rentals: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/state-nations-housing-2023
Just look at how people's Attention on all sides is being exploited. If no one can remember what they were hysterical about last week, how can they be relied on to solve anything?
People are able to over night get more Attention than Billionaires and then convert that Attention to cash or influence, and its always fleeting as there is someone else around the corner about to capture Attention next.
How can such system do anything useful? I mean people are in la la land that architecture can produce results.
Why do we have central banks that decide what the interest rate is going to be?
Because the govt, banks and the rest of the market is unfit (proven throughout history) to do so.
Social Media/Attention Economy needs a similar mechanism when it comes to Attention.
We can't just go on living in a day dream that Rate at which the population's Attention is switching from one issue to another (thanks to algo's engineering for quarterly profit maximization) can just be left to Fate.
People's Attention both on Demand side and Supply side is being massively squandered more than at any time in history. Its like watching seizures in the brain. And people are like no no the system can function.
It can't. And the choice is to realize is sooner than later.
Has this ever happened, where had some amazing QoL thanks to their countries government.
I expect my government to manage public resources, the economy and defense. It can provide social safety nets for worst case scenarios. But if your eating food and have a home and making money what are people actually expecting from the government?
And yes, government policies can definitely help or hinder in all of these.