We’re kicking off 2021 with a different spin on the standard new year resolutions by drafting the official TMK conceptual hit list. We go through some foundational ideas in digital capitalism that we resolve to destroy. In this episode we lay out our case against innovation, disruption, entrepreneurship, and flexibility. Now is a good time to be clear about the techno-political concepts that must be put up against the wall of ruthless criticism. Consider this the first draft of a conceptual hit list that has room to grow as we confront enemies, both old and new, in 2021 and beyond.
Some stuff we reference:
• The Fetish of Technology: Causes and Consequences by David Harvey: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1411&context=macintl
• Technology: The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept by Leo Marx: http://www.f.waseda.jp/sidoli/Marx_2010_Concept_Of_Technology.pdf
• Why Chinese youngsters are embracing a philosophy of “slacking-off” by Jane Li: https://qz.com/1938809/why-chinese-youngsters-are-embracing-a-culture-of-slacking-off/
• Despotism on Demand: How Power Operates in the Flexible Workplace by Alex Wood: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501748899/despotism-on-demand
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Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).
Votes are coming in from the Georgia runoff elections, with the results generally looking positive for Democrats… but we’re still waiting on the final calls. Congress meets today to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory, with about a dozen Republican senators and more House Republicans set to object and add hours of needless debate.
Yesterday, the Surgeon General said that the CDC guidelines for the order of vaccinations should not be used to allow doses to sit in freezers. This runs counter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been doing in his state.
And in headlines: the police officer who shot Jacob Blake won’t face criminal charges, Trump’s EPA fights war on birds, and Amazon is disrupting shirts.
And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: All the president’s less than capable men.
In the interview, it’s part two of a conversation with David Shor, a researcher and consultant for democratic politicians. Dubbed a political data analyst prodigy, Shor developed a voter registration system as a teenager, then at age 20 subsequently moved on to work for the Obama campaign where he oversaw forecasting. Shor shares more of his experiences collaborating with more seasoned colleagues and explains how humbling it was in the process.
In the spiel, needling the needle truthers ahead of the Georgia runoff.
Using a tax-free Roth to save for retirement is a smart move, but the Roth IRA door gets slammed in your face if you make too much money. Laura explains how high earners can still have one using a backdoor Roth IRA strategy.
Today’s podcast steps back from day-to-day politics to feature our friend Daniel Casse discussing his fascinating Wall Street Journal op-ed, “The Future Turns 50 This Year.” How did 1971 change everything? Give a listen. Source
Initially, U.S. officials predicted that as many as 20 million Americans would be fully vaccinated before the end of 2020. And while that many vaccine doses were distributed, only a fraction of them have been administered.
The federal government has given states control over distribution plans which has led to different systems with differing levels of success. In one Florida county, Julie Glenn of member station WGCU reports on the haphazard vaccine rollout that has led elderly residents to camp out in tents to get their first shot.
As vaccinations lag behind schedule, a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus is spreading in many countries, including the U.S. The new variant isn't thought to be more deadly, and scientists believe the vaccines currently being administered will work against it. Additional good news is that masks and social distancing will still slow the spread of the new variant.
