I want to meet my goal of making three more posts before the year ends, but I've got nothing. Which is to say, I've got 15 drafts but not the willpower to finish any of them. Instead, I'm going to ramble a bit and you're free to ignore me.
Part of my problem is that I've got all these grandiose notions and no good way to implement them. Take, for instance, my forthcoming post on the Single Transferable Vote. I'd be just thrilled if every state of the union adopted it tomorrow, but that's not going to happen. No one with the power to do it, has the incentive. Indeed, many of them have a strong incentive against it. Minor parties love the idea, but Republicans and Democrats--not so much. How do we convince them to put it in place? I haven't the foggiest.
It's a great deal like issues of drug legalization. Despite widespread support, it moves along at a snail's pace. Part of that can be blamed on the federal government, which will pull highway funding and continue to conduct drug raids to confiscate legal substances. To end the drug war, we have to challenge the existing laws and regulations made in Washington.
That's basically impossible because a plurality, if not majority, of Congressmen will be voted out of office for seeming "soft on drugs." Even if they know a policy will be good for the country in the long term, their constituents don't know (or worse, don't care).
This is, incidentally, the reason that nobody ever cuts spending without a showdown. "We saved the country from a government shutdown!" goes over better than "We agreed to raise your taxes and cut your benefits," even if the latter is a smarter plan.
Scott Alexander calls this Moloch, the demon of perverse incentives. It basically rules our society, and there's no easy way to combat it.
There's a few things you can do, of course. First of all, extend your time horizon. If I ever run for a legislative office, I'm not going to plan on reelection. Unless the polls are in my favor, I won't even run for a consecutive term. I would rather do a good job, that people remember later, than gain their benefit at the time.
To put it another way: statesman should not be a career.
Another thing is to donate to charity. Yes, an Objectivist is telling you to be altruistic. But I do it a somewhat unconventional way. There's a browser extension for Firefox and Chrome called Tab For a Cause, which displays a few ads every time you open a new tab. Proceeds are directed towards reputable charities like Human Rights Watch, Water.org, and Conservation International.
Individual tabs aren't worth much, but they add up. Since I started in mid-September, my tabbing alone has raised about $7.30--or enough to give a year of clean water to six people in the developing world. This is without any significant time, money, or behavior change on my part.
(Also, if you follow the specific link there, I get more tabber points, called "hearts," which I'll be donating to Educate!)
Probably the most important thing you can do, though, is the recognize your own strengths and weakness (then improve on both). As much as it pains me to admit, one person can't make society rational, peaceful, and prosperous. However, you can increase your own rationality and productivity, and help those around you do the same.
