Basically: america is an idea. Solid claim! First constitutional democracy in the modern world. Therefore, loving america (patriotism) means loving the idea (social contract). Bang that drum all day and wrap it in the goddamn flag no matter how corny it is.

I’m making an argument here, for what it’s worth, and not insisting I’m right-- just articulating what resonates for me

The constitution is the literal social contract and a good place to start. The process of amending it, bill of rights, & other founding docs (esp Declaration) are all persuasively and powerfully claimable by the left— if we want it! Ceding them to the right, otoh, esp *politically* seems suboptimal

Patriotism in the US, specifically, means valuing our social contract. It’s that simple. If people engaged sincerely with that we’d be in a much better place today. The left can win the patriotism argument by a mile; therefore it’s an argument worth making.

Agree, as someone that worked in small businesses for many years and LOVED it. Most aren’t great! It’s punishingly difficult to own/operate a small biz and that draws difficult personalities. Props for buying local anyways. Staff are often real subject matter enthusiasts once the ice breaks

Altra makes a few flavors of zero drop, like just a little cushioning (escalante) to others that have a *lot* of cushioning. So you could work in something with similar cushioning level as a one-run-a-week shoe to start, though 5mm doesn't seem like a huge deal on 20 mpw... just watch that cadence!

I think that's totally valid and maybe the best we can hope for is a two-track thing, where some people are arguing from high-minded ideals ("ask not what your country") and trying to plant those seeds, while others are trying to come up with an inspiring message that everybody can feel a stake in.

This is a genuinely difficult question, pardon my chiming in. I’m starting to think that if one has the right to vote, it’s also a responsibility. I wish citizenship wasn’t a responsibility, but any social contract requires some responsibility from each member. So, seeding that idea is helpful.

Your posts on this subject the last couple days have made me think a lot about what the average non-voter would be "gettable" by. And the answers are probably pretty heterodox but maybe boil down to "convincingly good and fresh vibes" more so than policy (which, as you suggest, is probably not it)

Totally!! I just saw this and felt a lot of contemporary resonances too. There is a kind of gangsterism that seems embodied by Trump and his crew that is really well-portrayed in the film.

I think that 22% bracket between 48k--100k can be burdensome. And 10% on your first 12k is tough too. My amateurish 2c is, minimum wage should be like $20/hr, we shouldn't hit 20% til we get to 75k, and tax brackets should keep going up til you get to like ~100M where you pay ~85% or something