TED Community » Joe Fletcher

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I am passionate about, evolutionary theory, global development, and any other topic that provides me with a new playground of ideas.

An idea worth spreading

Anything plus time is possible.

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Everything!

People don't know that I'm good at

Blowing bubbles with my gum! (Its the little things in life;)

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Comments

• TEDCred score: +4.70 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Conversation: Why are or why aren't food stamps considered in investment?

  Apr 9 2013: It's different in each state but generally they come on a card like a credit card with a monthly allotment that can only be spent on food.

• A reply on Talk: Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim

  Apr 6 2013: I strongly back unions and think unions should not be allowed to raise campaign funds. I also think non-profits shouldn't be allowed to or individual citizens themselves. Simple straight forward publicly funded elections. Not sure how to address the issue of issue based caimpaiging

• A reply on Talk: Jonathan Haidt: How common threats can make common (political) ground

  Jan 23 2013: Well yeah but I think I was going for a little deeper than that. I mean if we are going to start reaching across the aisle I think the conversation should begin with much more fundamental questions and criticisms of the government and society at large. Neither party is functioning. We are not allowed to have "third parties." Jill Stein who ran as the Green Party was arrested for trying to enter the presidential debates last election cycle. Neither side seems to do anything whether we agree with their policies or not.
  The ENTIRE political spectrum representing over 350 million citizens in United States has been boiled down to four or five issues, where only an Extremely narrow perspectives are even artificially represented.
  I think one of the fundamental assertions that Mr. Haidt is false. The assertion that only extremes of these two sides of these few issues we are allowed to have a conversation in the political context are playing out. This is false. While there does seem to be extremism, most of the policies that come down are right of right center, within a western neo liberalist capitalist framework. Obama is a left of center conservative. Bush was a less left of center conservative. Clinton was a right of center liberal first term, then left of center conservative second term.
  The diatribes of both sides have just become this painful endless cycle of scapegoating, misinformation, and political pissing contests.
  Not to mention our inability to adapt our government at all.
  We do not have proportional representation because of a building size. What if the number of people in congress went up?
  ALL of our institutions are crumbling and we need to start working together to build better ones NOT trying to hold the roof up while it falls on our heads.
  At the very least can we agree that maybe it might be good to try and experiment. To find alternatives.
  
  When did we all get so scared to try something new...

• A reply on Talk: Jonathan Haidt: How common threats can make common (political) ground

  Jan 23 2013: I don't know it used to be a pretty bipartisan issue. Well not specifically climate change but ecological stewardship that is.
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Jonathan Haidt: How common threats can make common (political) ground

  Jan 16 2013: Yeah what's a truth seeker? This is really pretty balanced. He spoke very generally on political issues, there are conservative people who want to stop climate change, etc.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Jonathan Haidt: How common threats can make common (political) ground

  Jan 16 2013: There is a major problem with this talk. The fact is neither side really seems to be doing more than the absolute minimum of what they or their party preaches, whether you agree with the rhetoric or not.
  
  1. What is the political establishment of the left doing to help stem climate change?
  
  Watch the presidential "debates" its as if the two heads are trying to up one another on who is going to pillage more of the Earth better.
  
  Obama has all but signed off on the XL Keystone pipeline. As Jim Hanson claims it is "the fuse to light the climate bomb."
  
  2. What is the right really trying to do reduce our deficit?
  
  The Republican party has become the "never raise taxes ever for any reason even if it makes complete and utter sense to do so" The only acceptable solution to anything is to privatize, privatize, privatize.
  
  3. The religious right seems to be mostly concerned with keeping people of the same sex from marrying. Oh and making abortion illegal again for some reason. Plus a bunch of other weird things. Like creationism. I don't really know where they are going with any of this.
  
  4. The left on economic issues of income inequality?
  
  How about a minimum wage increase? Nope. More access to healthcare? Sure, oh wait just kidding. Investmens in young people, through education, community development etc? Meh.

• A comment on Talk: Leslie T. Chang: The voices of China's workers

  Sep 13 2012: It seems in the 21st century Plato's cave is a Chinese factory.

• A reply on Conversation: Is There a Future for Money?

  Aug 25 2012: Hey I know because I have seen you around on TED and don't relay care about ideas or conversation just proving yourself right even when your blatently wrong but if the " buzz word" of resource based or access based economy scares your world view look up participatory economic system Wikipedia has a good overview. Could with relatively little difficulty could be implemented today.

• A reply on Talk: Lisa Kristine: Photos that bear witness to modern slavery

  Aug 12 2012: Mitch I just wanted to say I am always thrilled to read your thoughts when I come across them in TED discussion.
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Lisa Kristine: Photos that bear witness to modern slavery

  Aug 12 2012: She is a photographer sharing her exhibit. She is a story teller. She tells her story. Want cold hard calculable data go find it yourself. It isn't her or TED x Maui's job to deliver information in the manner that you prefer.