While he misleadingly presents himself as a "scientist", billionaire DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy is just another Martin Shkreli-style Wall Street speculator accused of running pump-and-dump schemes.
And decades of wasting talent - not educating Black and poor people - in under resourced schools and then sending them more often to prison - often for same offences rich people do not go to prison for - is a big part of why we have failed education system.
Agree 100%. See my reply to Daman below. It took years to develop DEI, these people all want to kill it. That's why they kicked out the the presidents of UP and Harvard.
There are more despicable, mostly men on the entire government apparatus of the USA than the Mafia, I guess. It’s such a sham not mention criminal and corrupt. Nothing of this can surprise me anymore. It’s very very contagious! “ monkey see monkey do”. Thank You, Ben for making it so clear in this one story.
But what will his publicly funded salary be? And what scores on his background check and security clearance?
My biggest takeaway, Ben Norton, is you made me think about our STEM production - update us on that? And our education system in general compared to the Global Majority. Stats seem a little old in my search. Which countries produce the educated wizards (critical thinkers and ethical problem solvers?) and how, and how does the USA compare really?
PR, thanks for the two expressions 'critcal thinkers and ethical problem solvers'...WOW! My book on Amazon. 'Restructure America, Inc.' /Simple Solutions to Complex Problems tried to deal with those expressions. Unfortunately, there are laws here that make criticism an offense (ex Gaza) and looking for Ethical Problem Solvers look no further than the 'United Death Consortium' in American healthcare.
Mr. Kelly, WOW! to you too - my comments swoon over such appreciation. Sorry I don't know your book, it sounds intriguing if by America, Inc. you mean the business of government being public service with public participation for public good. Our government seems too captured by the corporate greed model to make that business analogy comfortable but you may be pegging this uncontrolled western madhouse recognized for how long? by the Global Majority at the windows. Here's hoping you'll catch the attention of some inhabitants.
Yes, govt is the business of the people and we are SUPPOSED to be shareholders. I wrote the little book as a guide for young voters and as a Business Plan for Congress. The Inmates are now running the Asylum!
Sorry but that 'shareholders' still makes me cringe, government is not business for profit. I am a CITIZEN, i.e., per Britannica, "a person who legally belongs to a country and has the rights and protection of that country," presumably of a democratic government with its distinct rules and conventions, i.e., per Britannica "the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated."
No, it's not okay. I appreciate your wanting to present information appealing to an audience but how is that not marketing, AKA propaganda? Not about civics in which anymore we're skills-deficient.
And your reply doesn't specify which four letters in what words. I can't agree unless I know what you're talking about, another IMO sloppy expectation in the nature of 'sign here' when we have no idea what we're signing or even what it means. And where it may be expected we'll go along and not ask questions. This can be dangerous.
At least I think you and I agree on some problems, and I appreciate that.
I’m not a big fan of this old boy and his bud elon, 2 narcissistic publicity whores, but I am curious about your statement concerning DOE? How did we educate scientists and engineers before jimmy carter created the department of education in the 1970’s? It seems as though education has taken a turn for the worse compared to the 30’s to the 60’s (look at the achievements realized then from medical science to automobiles to nuclear energy to transistors and computers to space travel) since the creation of a federal DOE and has especially given us a decline in the quality of student excellence in the last 40 years, more pointedly, the 19-20 covid brain death period of isolation and masking contributing to an industrial scale illiteracy
Daman good point. In the time frame you mention, foreign students financed by their govts have pushed American kids out of the top schools making it unaffordable. Many of these foreign students then go back taking their research with them. Call it a 'reverse brain drain'. Many also stay here, found companies and out-source production.
This is most noticeable with foreign born CEOs of the top 100.
And the longer decline in the quality of education contributing to that questionable student excellence? Such that now wealth buys degrees too? With what percent facts and what percent propaganda? And what clampdown on intellectual curiosity and debate? And what government constraints via public funds on curriculum?
I agree with this Ben, though not with the premise that what the US lacks is scientists and engineers making people's lives 'better'.
In terms of health, and Alzheimers in particular, we know what the cause is, but the pharma/animal ag/agro chemical profit model won't allow anyone to talk about it. Herbicides, pesticides and other toxins, such as aluminium, may contribute but PMs of patients show atherosclerosis and occlusion of the arteries leading to brain. A high saturated fat diet should be avoided.
We don't need innovative expensive drugs- we need prevention, ie availability of organic, regeneratively grown, fresh fruit, veg and legumes.
This is what American 'little people' should be campaigning for, not cancer screening nor cancer treatment ('life-saving' chemotherapy, on average, only extends life by 2.1 months) but freedom from requiring Alzheimer drugs or chronic disease health care cover in the first place.
A slick presentation also detracts from the weight of laws and government impacting real people's lives and too often anymore, deaths. You may well be able to help forward meaningful discussions. Please don't take short cuts.
All the STEM graduates in the world are powerless in the face of the oncoming storm. Multilateral degrowth and economies based on regenerative agriculture, care (not drugs), service and not on production or innovation is the only way to a slightly more viable future for Homo sapiens, though not for all 8 billion of us.
He’s also a climate change denier and thinks that America needs fossil fuels
And decades of wasting talent - not educating Black and poor people - in under resourced schools and then sending them more often to prison - often for same offences rich people do not go to prison for - is a big part of why we have failed education system.
Agree 100%. See my reply to Daman below. It took years to develop DEI, these people all want to kill it. That's why they kicked out the the presidents of UP and Harvard.
There are more despicable, mostly men on the entire government apparatus of the USA than the Mafia, I guess. It’s such a sham not mention criminal and corrupt. Nothing of this can surprise me anymore. It’s very very contagious! “ monkey see monkey do”. Thank You, Ben for making it so clear in this one story.
Well said!
But what will his publicly funded salary be? And what scores on his background check and security clearance?
My biggest takeaway, Ben Norton, is you made me think about our STEM production - update us on that? And our education system in general compared to the Global Majority. Stats seem a little old in my search. Which countries produce the educated wizards (critical thinkers and ethical problem solvers?) and how, and how does the USA compare really?
PR, thanks for the two expressions 'critcal thinkers and ethical problem solvers'...WOW! My book on Amazon. 'Restructure America, Inc.' /Simple Solutions to Complex Problems tried to deal with those expressions. Unfortunately, there are laws here that make criticism an offense (ex Gaza) and looking for Ethical Problem Solvers look no further than the 'United Death Consortium' in American healthcare.
P.S. How much of a dead giveaway to a madhouse is governance by [apparently] illegal laws?
Mr. Kelly, WOW! to you too - my comments swoon over such appreciation. Sorry I don't know your book, it sounds intriguing if by America, Inc. you mean the business of government being public service with public participation for public good. Our government seems too captured by the corporate greed model to make that business analogy comfortable but you may be pegging this uncontrolled western madhouse recognized for how long? by the Global Majority at the windows. Here's hoping you'll catch the attention of some inhabitants.
Yes, govt is the business of the people and we are SUPPOSED to be shareholders. I wrote the little book as a guide for young voters and as a Business Plan for Congress. The Inmates are now running the Asylum!
Sorry but that 'shareholders' still makes me cringe, government is not business for profit. I am a CITIZEN, i.e., per Britannica, "a person who legally belongs to a country and has the rights and protection of that country," presumably of a democratic government with its distinct rules and conventions, i.e., per Britannica "the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated."
https://www.britannica.com/topic/government
https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/citizen
If you change four letters you get stakeholder. Stakeholders have 'rights and protection'. Sound OK? 😊
No, it's not okay. I appreciate your wanting to present information appealing to an audience but how is that not marketing, AKA propaganda? Not about civics in which anymore we're skills-deficient.
And your reply doesn't specify which four letters in what words. I can't agree unless I know what you're talking about, another IMO sloppy expectation in the nature of 'sign here' when we have no idea what we're signing or even what it means. And where it may be expected we'll go along and not ask questions. This can be dangerous.
At least I think you and I agree on some problems, and I appreciate that.
I’m not a big fan of this old boy and his bud elon, 2 narcissistic publicity whores, but I am curious about your statement concerning DOE? How did we educate scientists and engineers before jimmy carter created the department of education in the 1970’s? It seems as though education has taken a turn for the worse compared to the 30’s to the 60’s (look at the achievements realized then from medical science to automobiles to nuclear energy to transistors and computers to space travel) since the creation of a federal DOE and has especially given us a decline in the quality of student excellence in the last 40 years, more pointedly, the 19-20 covid brain death period of isolation and masking contributing to an industrial scale illiteracy
Daman good point. In the time frame you mention, foreign students financed by their govts have pushed American kids out of the top schools making it unaffordable. Many of these foreign students then go back taking their research with them. Call it a 'reverse brain drain'. Many also stay here, found companies and out-source production.
This is most noticeable with foreign born CEOs of the top 100.
And the longer decline in the quality of education contributing to that questionable student excellence? Such that now wealth buys degrees too? With what percent facts and what percent propaganda? And what clampdown on intellectual curiosity and debate? And what government constraints via public funds on curriculum?
I really cannot stand this leach
I agree with this Ben, though not with the premise that what the US lacks is scientists and engineers making people's lives 'better'.
In terms of health, and Alzheimers in particular, we know what the cause is, but the pharma/animal ag/agro chemical profit model won't allow anyone to talk about it. Herbicides, pesticides and other toxins, such as aluminium, may contribute but PMs of patients show atherosclerosis and occlusion of the arteries leading to brain. A high saturated fat diet should be avoided.
We don't need innovative expensive drugs- we need prevention, ie availability of organic, regeneratively grown, fresh fruit, veg and legumes.
This is what American 'little people' should be campaigning for, not cancer screening nor cancer treatment ('life-saving' chemotherapy, on average, only extends life by 2.1 months) but freedom from requiring Alzheimer drugs or chronic disease health care cover in the first place.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...
T-Rump has picked one hell of an Israeli govt!
all the grifters showing up to wet their beaks
A slick presentation also detracts from the weight of laws and government impacting real people's lives and too often anymore, deaths. You may well be able to help forward meaningful discussions. Please don't take short cuts.
All the STEM graduates in the world are powerless in the face of the oncoming storm. Multilateral degrowth and economies based on regenerative agriculture, care (not drugs), service and not on production or innovation is the only way to a slightly more viable future for Homo sapiens, though not for all 8 billion of us.