The Four Horsemen
I’m cynical about some things (corporate motives, for one) but am generally an optimist. That said, I also see myself as a realist. Over the past few years I’ve decided that that there are 4 major threats my fellow Americans are going to have to deal with one way or another in the not too distant future. Indeed, I think of them as the modern ‘four horsemen of the apocolypse.’
1. Climate Change
This one is obvious and it appears to be getting worse. To touch on but one of many indicators, this past July was the hottest month on record. Not only is this going to lead to mass migration and attendant problems, but it is also going to cost governments and people A LOT of money.
2. Rising Authoratarianism in America
Case in point, trump cuck Brendan Carr and FCC. What a joke. I could go on and on, but it is too depressing. The Democrats are going to clean up in November, but how will the authoratarians respond?
3. America’s $40 Trillion National Debt
We know that when Democrats are in charge, Republicans pretend to care about the deficit. When the shoe is on the other foot, the GOP is silent. This congress and president have added to our deficit despite the repeated lies that lower taxes would generate so much growth that the deficit would actually shrink. A related lie is that tax cuts for corporations would lead to more hiring. For instance, Oracle today announced another round of layoffs (21k now for fiscal 2026). The debt is going to lead to higher taxes for the wealthy, or a lot of pain for everyone else. The day of reckoning is near.
4. Unregulated AI
This one is top of mind too sadly, as the leaders of all the major US AI labs agreed this week with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei that there needs to be regulation of AI. And yet, what is our dear leader’s response? That he is so smart that he will act as the buffer between the technology and any and all catastrophic consequences. Indeed, his response is so assinine it comes off as satire.
Can we navigate these challenges? I don’t know. One at a time, maybe. But they all seem to be hitting at the same time, which has me a bit worried at the moment.
