A soggy old legacy

This is what the American people want.” Do you ever hear politicians say this?

No matter the issue, it seems our elected officials are graced with incredible insight once in office. No polls or debates are needed because they know what the American people want. 

It’s the Dunning-Krueger of politics where a thimble-full of buzzwords is all there is to any subject. Our politicians aren’t stupid but rather playing along to the soggy old tune of Washington’s yesteryear.

When the U.S. Federal Government opened shop in 1789, more than 90% of the country’s population of 5.3 million were farmers. Many didn’t read or write and had never traveled more than 50 miles from their place of birth. In those ancient times, there was a clear need for educated individuals who could bridge the gap between what a rural constituency needed and what our newly formed Federal Government could deliver.

Given the advancements of over two centuries and the past fifty years in particular, it’s hard to justify the practices of the 18th century with the needs of the 21st century. This is particularly true when we consider the high cost and bottom-level efficiency of today’s Federal Government.

I’m not suggesting we do away with Congress but rather that we consider better candidates. Individuals who are goal-oriented, good at getting things done, and not necessarily strong on policy and politics of which the country has an overabundance.

Rather than being measured by what they know, future members of Congress should be judged by what they do.

Washington’s Big Bang moment

Since its modest beginning, the size and influence of the Federal Government grew. On balance, this was a good thing. But in the 1930’s Washington went into overdrive. America’s longest-serving President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, faced two of the greatest crises in U.S. history when he took office on March 4, 1933: the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The Second World War would come later.

Roosevelt expanded Washington’s reach far beyond what it had been by introducing massive work projects that included, among other things, the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Given that unemployment was 25% in 1933, one can understand Roosevelt’s reasoning. Also, having witnessed the suffering of millions, Roosevelt introduced Social Security to aid the elderly, disabled, and unemployed. He brought us the Security and Exchange Commission to regulate the stock market in the hope of avoiding another crash and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to restore confidence in banking.

Roosevelt was the right person for the time and arguably one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history. However, it wasn’t what he accomplished in office but rather the New Deal revolution he unleashed that he’s most remembered.

Like the Big Bang that allegedly sparked the creation of the Universe, the New Deal revolution set the Federal Government into perpetual expansion. Eventually, Washington would find its way into every nook and cranny of the country. Wanting to solve every problem and willing to spend every penny to do so.

Roosevelt’s New Deal eventually twisted into an aberration of itself. No longer government for the people, but government for government. If communism fails by repression, democracy fails by overreach.

Almost fifty years after the New Deal, at his first inaugural address in 1981, President Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” 

Reagan was expressing his frustration with the aftermath of the New Deal revolution. Despite this, he accomplished little in changing government’s expansion. Reagan likely realized early in his administration that the New Deal revolution was unstoppable. So, rather than fixing Washington, he joined in. Expanding defense spending, cutting taxes, and adding to the debt.

When it comes to government, we take a lot for granted.

Unlike most aspects of our lives that change with economic and social conditions, government is often seen as a monument: fixed, immovable, and forever. Of course, this notion is wrong.

As its origins are well outside the lifespan of anyone alive today, it can be difficult to see government as a living thing that is vulnerable and not assured. Like the rest of the living world, government needs to evolve to survive and prosper. This can be done by abandoning yesteryear’s soggy legacy and growing a new spine to take on today‘s challenges.

While party politics exploits it, the true source of Washington’s dysfunction is the accumulation of 234 years of rules, regulation, procedures, and code that grind against the wheels of progress.

According to the Library of Congress, it’s “nearly impossible” to know how many laws govern the United States. In addition, the tax code has grown so big – now 9 feet long in hardcopy – that nobody understands it. These are just two examples of hundreds that illustrate Washington’s soggy old legacy.

Even those responsible for watching over Washington, like the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), play along. Not grading its performance on actual savings but rather on potential savings. Why? Because so few of its recommendations are ever implemented. The IG is forced to play with the numbers to justify its annual $500 million budget. A jobs program that pumps out recommendations by the boatload but without expectation of seeing any implemented.

Authoritarianism rules

Swift and unequivocal in decision-making, authoritarian governments are models of efficiency compared to democracies. For this reason, they are tempting in bad times and almost a must in times of chaos. The only problem is that with authoritarian government comes the corrosive element of certainty. Certainty eats into truth and eventually leaves us two choices: submission or madness.

Authoritarians will not wait for the U.S. and its democratic republic to navigate a better course. Just ask Donald Trump as he stands ready to solve all our problems. More than any other politician, he knows what the American people want. A true born authoritarian guaranteed to give the U.S. everything it deserves. A silly simple task for a man whose freedom to pretend has no limit.

AI is the springboard to government’s leapfrog.

Thomas Jefferson warned that it would be a mistake to carry forward yesterday’s practices to tomorrow’s government. Widely respected and revered, his words were widely ignored.

Now is likely our last chance to heed Jefferson’s advice. With internal threats to democracy brewing, we should recognize that logic and Washington are repelling forces. As with understanding countless laws and digesting a gargantuan tax code, the job of righting Washington is beyond the capacity of any one person.

The train to lean management left the Federal Government ages ago. But a new train is here and ready to be boarded. It’s called AI. Even in its current early form, AI puts forward better answers to today’s issues than any politician or head of state, and with considerably less drama. (See the Sample Chat Test below.)

With AI, tomorrow’s Washington will be less about jawboning and more about implementing solutions. Imagine a world where the nightly news on Washington needs no more than 30 minutes. How many hours would that save you? How many foolish arguments would it spare?

Most of today’s politicians would be uncomfortable with this charge. It deprives them of the limelight and forces them to hunker down and do the hard work of government. There are others – thousands in fact – who can step in. Most, however, are unable or unwilling to access Washington’s campaign-driven superhighway.

Election by lottery might be a better approach to tomorrow’s Federal Government. Certainly, it would open the door to talent nationwide, presumably with some conditions.

AI-driven democracy enables us to unravel years of overhead while aligning government resources with the country's needs. This is the task ahead. No room remains in the sandbox of yesteryear’s politics as we progress toward government that’s relevant and puts sound, effective, and economical solutions before all else. In a world of AI-driven government, doers will dominate talkers.

The need for elected officials that was obvious in 1789 is turned on its head in a world with AI. AI provides the United States and its democratic republic an opportunity to leapfrog its soggy old legacy and redefine how future democratic governments operate.

+++

Sample Chat Test. Take any issue from the national debt to climate change, social inequality, and political polarization, and Chat provides a better framework for action than any committee in Congress. This is not to say that AI will make decisions for government, at least not in the near term. But AI frames the political discussion while extracting relevant solutions from government’s vast and disorganized oceans of data.

If you remain skeptical, take any of the answers to the following queuer and drill down further. You will see, as I have, that the depth and clarity of Chat supersedes anything coming out of Washington today.

Question to Chat GPT-4. On the topic of the U.S. national debt, what steps are recommended by the AI Model for fixing it?

Answer from Chat GPT-4.

Increase Revenue:

1.         Tax Reform: Simplify the tax code and close loopholes that allow tax evasion. Some argue for progressive taxation, where higher incomes are taxed at higher rates.

2.         Broaden the Tax Base: Consider taxes that affect a larger number of people but at a lower rate, thus spreading the burden.

3.         Corporate Taxes: Review and revise corporate tax laws to ensure that companies pay their fair share.

Cut Spending:

1.         Review Entitlement Programs: Programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid take up a significant portion of the federal budget. Streamlining these could result in savings, although this is politically sensitive.

2.         Military Spending: The U.S. spends more on defense than the next several countries combined. A review of military spending might find areas where costs can be reduced without compromising security.

3.         Waste and Inefficiency: Regular audits to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in all areas of government can save money.

Economic Growth:

1.         Invest in Infrastructure: Spending money now to update failing infrastructure could lead to economic gains in the future, increasing tax revenue.

2.         Education and Workforce Development: Investing in education and job training can create a more skilled workforce, leading to economic growth and increased tax revenue.

3.         Innovation and Research: Funding research can lead to new technologies and industries, promoting economic growth and providing new streams of revenue.

Borrowing and Monetary Policy:

1.         Interest Rates: The Federal Reserve could influence interest rates to manage the cost of borrowing.

2.         Debt Maturity: Extending the maturity of the national debt could lock in lower interest rates for a longer period.

Political Will:

1.         Bipartisan Cooperation: Any effective strategy will require broad political support, which necessitates compromise.

2.         Long-term Planning: Politicians often focus on short-term gains. A long-term focus is essential for effectively tackling the national debt.