Below is a mental model that helps me think about life in the USA. It contains three entities: People, Corporations, and Government.
- People vote for Government representatives and choose what goods and services to buy from Corporations.
- Corporations lobby the Government and choose which People to employ.
- The Government taxes People and Corporations, decides what public projects to fund, and enacts laws that affect both Corporations and People.
Like Abraham Lincoln, I want “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” I believe current policies favor corporations over people. I want that to change. I care about people (I do not care about corporations or the government). I worry that my ability to enact change through voting is somewhat limited. So, this blog focuses on what goods and services I consume. Here are some changes I’ve made since starting this blog:
| Category | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Web search | DuckDuckGo | |
| Web browser | Chrome | Firefox |
| Gmail | Fastmail | |
| Photos | Google Photos | Immich |
| Mobile OS | Android | GrapheneOS |
| News | The New York Times | The Guardian |
| Music | Spotify | Qobuz |
Living in the attention economy, blogging has helped me reclaim some of my attention so I can focus on what matters to me.