Thursday, May 15, 2008
Best Definition of Freedom I've Heard
I saw Ralph Nader speak at Google yesterday, and he had the best definition of freedom I've ever heard. An excerpt from Nader's 2004 commencement address:
"Cicero, while we are quoting the ancients, once defined freedom as participation in power [bold added]. I think it is the best definition of freedom that I have heard. Freedom is participating in power such as a deliberative democracy, such as government, such as corporations, such as trade unions. People have to participate in those areas of power that affect their lives so intimately."
It sets a high-bar and makes me ask how the open systems I'm engaged in live up to it. I'm also not sure yet how to integrate meritocracy into this, which I think is important, especially for open source. Any ideas?
"Cicero, while we are quoting the ancients, once defined freedom as participation in power [bold added]. I think it is the best definition of freedom that I have heard. Freedom is participating in power such as a deliberative democracy, such as government, such as corporations, such as trade unions. People have to participate in those areas of power that affect their lives so intimately."
It sets a high-bar and makes me ask how the open systems I'm engaged in live up to it. I'm also not sure yet how to integrate meritocracy into this, which I think is important, especially for open source. Any ideas?
Labels: freedom, open source, politics
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Facebook's Experiment
If you're watching the US Presidential Primary debates right now I highly suggest you tune into the FaceBook politics application -- it's very cool and is well done, hinting at the future when social networks collide with politics.
Labels: politics
Monday, March 26, 2007
New York Times: Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers
If you've been paying attention to the canaries in the coal mine, you must have noticed that health insurance is seriously broken here in America. From statistics such as fully 1/3 of Americans have no health insurance, to the fact that most middle class families can't afford it, to the facts that have been coming out about insurers playing some serious evil games with the seriously ill. Here's one more data point in the slow-going collapse of the health industry in America:
New York Times: Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers:
"The bottom line is that insurance companies make money when they don't pay claims," said Mary Beth Senkewicz, who resigned last year as a senior executive at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. "They'll do anything to avoid paying, because if they wait long enough, they know the policyholders will die." In 2003, a subsidiary of Conseco, Bankers Life and Casualty, sent an 85-year-old woman suffering from dementia the wrong form to fill out, according to a lawsuit, then denied her claim because of improper paperwork.
New York Times: Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers:
"The bottom line is that insurance companies make money when they don't pay claims," said Mary Beth Senkewicz, who resigned last year as a senior executive at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. "They'll do anything to avoid paying, because if they wait long enough, they know the policyholders will die." In 2003, a subsidiary of Conseco, Bankers Life and Casualty, sent an 85-year-old woman suffering from dementia the wrong form to fill out, according to a lawsuit, then denied her claim because of improper paperwork.
Labels: health care, insurance, politics
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