Things That Require Attention, Part I

While we are distracted by sideshows and rage bait, real concerns get swept aside

After opining on the sorry state of what increasingly looks like a broken country a few weeks ago, today’s edition takes a different approach in confronting the American reality. There is a host of front-burner concerns that are impossible to ignore but are either underplayed or overlooked entirely because they’re not as sexy as the topics that feed the outrage machine.

These issues do not lend themselves to pithy sound bites or X posts or blaming the other side because they are complex and non-partisan in nature. The following topics are not presented in any particular order; each is important and this is an effort to recognize their existence, why they matter, and what might be done to address them.

Artificial intelligence – Let’s start with AI because why not? The subject is endlessly discussed but only at a surface level. Like every other tectonic shift in history, this one will result in significant change, arguably far more consequential change than what followed the industrial revolution, globalization, or the advent of the digital age.

Typically, these moments trigger a combination of creation and destruction, making them simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. That dichotomy was perfectly encapsulated during this year’s commencement exercise at the University of Central Florida. The speaker’s enthusiasm about AI was drowned by a chorus of boos from new graduates who are stepping into uncertainty.

Any talk of AI is necessarily accompanied by discussion about data centers, which the country apparently needs by the thousands, though no one has made a cogent argument as to why that is. The closest thing to an answer is “we have to beat China,” though no one has explained what we’re going to beat them at or why doing so is imperative. What people can see are stories like this, in which a suburban Atlanta facility sucked down 30 million gallons of water without anyone noticing or paying for it until residents complained about the flow into their homes being reduced to a trickle.

If AI represents a viable future, what is being done to prepare people for it? Who is projecting what new jobs will emerge that people should be trained to do? What are the necessary hard and soft skills that must be taught so that people can survive and thrive in this new chapter of societal evolution? What will work itself look like as the true face of AI comes into sharper focus? Very little thought is given to these topics, let alone discussion that goes beyond rhetorical pabulum about improving operations, reducing human error, and quickly analyzing massive data sets.

Natalism – Irrespective of AI, the country has a people problem, as in not enough of them, or at least not enough of a birth rate among the natives to sustain society. Marriage and children alike are no longer viewed as societal benefits by many, raising questions about how to incentivize more of both without being heavy-handed or coercive. And I’m not sure there is a good answer here.

The last thing anyone should want is a bunch of govt mandates and misguided uses of other people’s money, but public officials love few things more than the appearance of a crisis that they can attempt to manage. The problem itself is real; when childbearing and rearing are seen as neither societal benefits nor moral positives, the alternative is the slow-motion course toward cultural suicide that is currently underway.

To be clear, more immigration is not the answer. The country has imported more than enough low-skilled people as it is, and it’s paying the price in higher welfare expenditures. Likewise, expanding the Hi-B program should be a non-starter; what is the point of funneling young adults into college or training programs if they’re going to be shoved aside by foreign-born labor willing to work for less?

The petro dollar and monetary hegemony – Speaking of eye-glazing territory, this topic personifies it, yet it is critically important to the republic’s future. The 1974 agreement mandating that all oil transactions be settled in dollars has expired and already, nations are deviating and using other currencies. Getting out from under the dollar as the global reserve and its impact on global finance is why the BRICS alliance exists.

These changes threaten to raise America’s borrowing costs and weaken the dollar, adding a unique layer to Trump’s talk about attacking, colonizing, or incorporating as new states places like Greenland, Venezuela, Canada, and Iran. These places have something in common. Oil. A lot of oil. And control of those places and/or their production is one avenue of extending the petrodollar’s life and dominance. It is also a means of promoting resource security.

The future of education – The current model is broken. The numbers speak for themselves, as has been documented here time after time. Does anyone in a position to do so intend to address this giant elephant that is making a mess of the entire house, let alone the living room? To be clear, action involves far more than superficial tactics such as vouchers, choice-based programs, homeschooling, or alternatives that deploy the same structure in different settings.

Many have noticed the over-reliance on technology, the erosion of academic and disciplinary standards, and the effect of emphasizing social activism among young people at the expense of competence in basic skills. That’s good. The first step in addressing a problem is noticing that it exists and why.

This extends to higher education as well, where it is long past time for the ivory tower to consider how many low-ROI programs it can sustain in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The cost of tuition is not going down and there is already a saturation of over-credentialed baristas, Uber drivers, and people toiling in jobs rather than engaged in careers. Trade programs are seeing a resurgence, but there is a ceiling here, too. Not everyone can be a plumber, welder, or electrician, just as not everyone can work in IT or healthcare.

The fallout and part two – Ten years ago, no one was talking about a mushrooming data center construction business. Today, people can’t stop talking about it and its implications, including issues that go well beyond resource usage. We’ll get into some of that time and get into the programmable money, the wall-to-wall surveillance state, and the question for control that are coming, no matter how deep in the sand one’s head is buried. There is also the future of the global security blanket to consider, the ever-expanding welfare state, and how history shows that jolting economic change often manifests in political upheaval.

Real issues demand real solutions. If only there were elected officials up to the task. It would be nice if Congress did something more meaningful than pass non-binding resolutions, rename post offices, or hold show hearings and investigations that lead nowhere. It would also be nice if state lawmakers put as much effort into wisely spending taxpayer money as they do in redrawing electoral maps. None of the topics cited today or to be addressed next week is going to be wished away, and none will be resolved by cable television rants and lectern-pounding speeches.