Michael Lewis’ The Fifth Risk

[Newenglanddeac]

Michael Lewis on His New Book About Trump’s Wholesale Destruction of the Government

Q: One of the things we often heard during the transition was this assurance that things were going to be okay, that the adults in the room would contain Trump. Internally, do you see the faith in the adults having eroded?

Lewis: Oh God, yes. The thing that has recurred in the writing of the story — and I did talk to people in his administration, and to people high up in his campaign — is no matter where I went in my mind, they said to me, “No, it’s worse.” No one ever came back at me saying, “No, you’re missing something, this is actually all under control because of this other thing you don’t see.” The exception is, Obama people would say, “This is not a little aircraft, it’s a giant cruise ship. It takes a while, and it’s a long game.” The longest game we’ve had in that office in a very long time is being replaced by the shortest game in that office, maybe ever.

Full: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligence...?utm_medium=s1&utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=nym

 

[PhDeac]

Good read. I liked this part.

“Here’s an incredible one: there are five times more people working for the government over the age of 60 than under the age of 30. And you can find analogous situations with the technology. It feels like this old machine has been starved, neglected, shat upon for three decades, and it’s waiting for someone to come take a sledgehammer to the side of it, and he’s doing it.”

The next Dem administration really needs to make government younger. I’ve been harping on this for years. March for Our Lives is the closest thing we have to an AARP for young people. I would love to see more government workers coming right out of college. Make civil service great again. Hire young exciting people with new ideas and grow the bench from within at the same time.

 

[WakeForestRanger]

You probably need to end veteran’s preference if you want government employees to be younger.

 

[PhDeac]

You probably need to end veteran’s preference if you want government employees to be younger.

There are plenty of young veterans.

 

[Wrangor]

Good read. I liked this part.

“Here’s an incredible one: there are five times more people working for the government over the age of 60 than under the age of 30. And you can find analogous situations with the technology. It feels like this old machine has been starved, neglected, shat upon for three decades, and it’s waiting for someone to come take a sledgehammer to the side of it, and he’s doing it.”

The next Dem administration really needs to make government younger. I’ve been harping on this for years. March for Our Lives is the closest thing we have to an AARP for young people. I would love to see more government workers coming right out of college. Make civil service great again. Hire young exciting people with new ideas and grow the bench from within at the same time.

This is a great point. Our government should be full of 30-45 year olds. Old enough to have some world experience and learn a few tough lessons, but in their technological and mental prime. Almost every great political, technological, or social invention or revolutionary action in the last 300 years occurred from someone in that age group and it shouldn’t be a surprise. They have the energy, will, creativity, and handle on the current state of affairs in the world to read the playing field and make great decisions.

@Newengland thanks for posting.

 

[WakeForestRanger]

There are plenty of young veterans.

By the time most take advantage of the program they’re not young anymore.