Tiberius Thought

Currently re-writing to factor in changes to my ideology over the last few months, including aspects I didn't fully realize or ignored.

Braun Spencer Thought is the ever-evolving ideology of me, r/BraunSpencer. Although I used to be more libertarian, I've come to realize that:


 * 1) Under the current [[File:Neoliberal-icon.png]] neoliberal order which influences every aspect of society, and makes it difficult for people to escape from it, we need a [[File:Socauth.png]] strong, powerful central authority that will bring about the material conditions for a more economically [[File:SocDist.png]] and politically [[File:Urb.png]] decentralized, yet [[File:Socdem.png]] social democratic order.
 * 2) Subsequently, state and local governments presently don't have the means (or have outright reluctance) to properly implement an economy dominated by small-medium enterprises (SMEs), worker-owned businesses (co-ops), and that which increases demand for rural housing at the expense (no pun intended) of urban areas. A top-down, heavily [[File:Regulationism.png]] interventionist and [[File: Protect.png]] protectionist approach is necessary. Such as [[File:Trustbust.png]] stricter anti-trust legislation with a [[File:Sec.png]] federal agency dedicated to exclusively enforcing it, a flat tariff on all imports, [[File:Welf.png]] extensive subsidies for SMEs and co-ops, and [[File:Georgist.png]] land reform.
 * 3) That our day-to-day lives are heavily influenced by genetics. Our very personalities have been predetermined by our genes. A child who's a product of rape, for example, still has the genes of its father—meaning he's not wholly innocent. He still has some of the genetic predospition to violent crime his father likely did. This sort of [[File:Essentialist.png]] essentialism, as some of his friends like to call it, has changed my views on [[File:Welf.png]]. We need a [[File:Paternalism.png]] paternalistic government that will guide those born unlucky towards a decent living standard.
 * 4) The people who actually implement my preferred policy measures historically were or are either authoritarians or in agreement on centralization. Even Thomas Jefferson—a figure I still greatly admire for his rural-pilling of me—increased the federal government's size as did James Madison. Both doing so to sustain a more [[File:Farm.png]] agrarian state.

Metaphysics
I'm a subjective idealist. Reality is dependent on the mind; nothing is independent of it. And we can only verify our own souls and minds. Objectivity does not truly exist, only individual perception. So I'm in league with anti-realists and  moral nihilists. That is not to say observations in these areas are not invalid—I have personal preferences myself, as will be discussed later. I accept the mind-body distinction; his favorite argument for it is philosophical zombies.

Negative Utilitarianism
My personal moral preference is negative utilitarianism. I believe that our end-goal should be to minimize net suffering in the long-term. But unlike other negative utilitarians, I look at suffering from an Epicurean hedonist perspective—that a  materialistic lifestyle which emphasizes wealth and consumption induces suffering; enslavement of the soul to posessions. Pleasure is not only the absence of suffering, but also moderation, community, and pursuit of knowledge. If we are to maximize pleasure, we should encourage through public policy education, meaningful work, financial autonomy, simple living, and small, tight communities. The ends also justify the means.

Economics
Although I'm dismissive of Catholic social teaching, I find the label "distributism" exclusively in the sense of "widespread ownership of wealth-generating property" to be adequate. The best way to achieve this in my eyes is by increasing the number of SMEs, including worker co-ops. This should be combined with a generous welfare state.

Wealth Inequality
I see large concentrations in property as an existential threat our institutions and dignity. The big businesses which fuel such inequality are a source of stagnation. Once they achieve a certain size they only do the bare minimum to maintain their market share. An example of this is Big Tech companies spending more on patent enforcement, stifling competition, than on research and development. Big Pharma does something similar by spending more on marketing than creating new drugs. And to the extent Big Pharma does create new drugs, they're rushed, mediocre, and/or dangerous—often doing shady things like covering up negative clinical trial data to deceive patients and doctors. And big businesses eventually become central planners, as demonstrated by the socialist Leigh Phillips in "The People's Republic of Walmart"; and all the inefficiencies seen in Soviet-style economic systems apply.

More than this, wealth inequality corrupts our institutions. Two ways this is done:
 * [[File:CronyCap.png]] By lobbying politicians. Basically, big businesses donate money to political campaigns which best reflect their policy preferences. That means candidates with the most campaign finances get the most advertisements on television, billboards, etc. This sort of manufacturing consent ensures that candidates most aligned with the rich get the most attention, and therefore the most votes. The wealthy have the loudest voices.
 * [[File:Regulationism.png]] By regulatory capture. Regulatory agencies meant to protect the common man against dangerous products and working conditions become bedfellows with the wealthiest firms in their respective sectors. A great example of this is nearly half of the FDA's budget comes from the biggest pharmaceutical companies; and this results in the FDA becoming complacent with the industry's unforgivable corruption.

In order to achieve a freer market—less overall intervention in the economy long-term—we need the following:
 * Wealth caps
 * Strong trade unions
 * [[File:Protect.png]] Protectionism
 * [[File:Trustbust.png]] Anti-trust Legislation

Otherwise, firms become too big; avarice becomes irresistible.

[[File:Sec.png]] Federal Trust-busting Agency
A federal regulatory agency I would support propping up would dedicate itself exclusively to enforcing anti-trust and pro-competition policies. It would have state and local offices to ensure compliance in the most efficient manner conceivable. Ideal priorities would include:
 * Enforcing a prohibition on vertical integration, preventing businesses from growing through mergers and buy-outs.
 * Breaking up business conglomerates, trusts, and cartels whenever they arise or are discovered (e.g. Amazon, Google, and Disney).
 * Charging fines for cutthroat competition (esp. predatory pricing).

In the meantime, enforcing current anti-trust legislation and expanding them will do nicely.

Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
I love SMEs. And we as a society should actively promote them while suppressing big businesses.

What is a SME?
A SME in my view is characterized as a business with less than 1,500 employees and has a low market share relative to its industry. It has to be both, because if a subscription-based business with only 20 employees controls 50% of market, I would consider that a big business. The very nature of capital concentration makes market share and employees hired mutually dependent yet also mutually exclusive; the greater the market share, the more workers you can hire. But exceptions to the rule exist. A textile mill which hires 763 employees with a low market share, a typical mom-and-pop pizza arcade, or a single worker-owned grocery store are SMEs in my book. Another measure I'd accept is local demand. A business which primarily satisfies or focuses on local demand, not national demand, that could also be seen as a SME.

Benefits of SMEs?
I favor SMEs for:
 * Being more innovative—generating 14-16 times more patents than bigger firms.
 * Greener, as they take steps to respond to an increasingly anxious consumer base.
 * Are better responsive to price signals in general, making them more efficient.
 * Being better for workers.
 * A sole proprietorship down the street is more accountable than anonymous shareholders 1,000 miles away.
 * Small business employees report higher job satisfaction, happiness, and commitment; and feel their concerns are listened to and addressed by leadership.
 * And in abundance small businesses will compete for the best working conditions and pay possible. This, combined with LVT and prohibiting usury, will inhibit surplus-value extraction as well.
 * Empowering and autonomizing small communities.
 * Buying locally generates more local wealth and jobs, making small communities like towns and villages more self-sufficient (local multiplier effect).
 * Small businesses foster a sense of community (e.g. a family-owned arcade sponsoring the kid's baseball team and donating heavily to local causes).
 * And empowering ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual minorities—giving them more financial independence.

These facts lead me to believe an economy dominated by SMEs would foster more innovation, creativity, beauty, and solidarity than the empty, stagnant, and alienating neoliberal order.

What of Worker Co-Ops?
Most worker co-ops are SMEs and I'm a big fan of them. The average one hires only 20 worker-owners on average. It's axiomatic that the benefits of SMEs below apply to worker-owned firms. In Italy the towns with the most worker-owned firms had better health and educational outcomes, lower crime rates, and a sense of optimism and solidarity. In that same country they also had a higher three-year survival rate (87%) than traditional firms (48%). Worker co-ops encourage more local consumption and production since they prioritize their member's well-being over growth. (Which is why they're almost always small-scale.)

There are also reasons to believe co-ops would be more prevalent in an economy which elevates SMEs, protects trade unions, and suppresses big businesses.
 * If large firms are no longer the end-goal, then society as a whole will start preferring a high-time preference when it comes to economic management; the fact business owners feel they must become as big as giants like Amazon (low-time preference) inhibits workplace democracy.
 * It will be easier for citizens to start their own SMBs and SOHOs (small office/home office).
 * It will therefore be less problematic that worker co-ops tend to not hire more worker-owners, since people can easily start their own businesses.


 * Worker-owned firms will show their strengths in an economy with increased competition and a policy preference for smaller firms. In many cases they easily outcompete traditional firms as seen above.
 * Trade unions can also negotiate more democratic decision making with employers, eventually shifting to ESOP-type models.
 * And in the absence of free trade, tax breaks, third-party limited liability, well-funded legal departments, and other means of offsetting or socializing costs and crushing competition, small firms usually outcompete bigger ones.

[[File:Yellsoc.png]] Trade Unions
I support federal protections and mandates for trade unions. While I believe an economy dominated by SMEs would have so much competition that many workplaces won't necessarily need unions, but unions are still a net positive for determining minimum standards, collectively bargaining with bigger SMEs, and holding business owners in general more accountable to workers. Strengthening or creating a spiritual successor to the National Labor Relations Act would be a step in the right direction. This is also a situation where the federal government has to take action to overcome state-level barriers to unionization like so-called "Right to Work" laws.

[[File:Capcom.png]] SOEs
Although Braun is a strong supporter of small businesses, natural monopolies are a real phenomena; where it is more efficient to have one producer instead of multiple. There are also some situations where economies of scale—i.e. forms of production that must be done on a colossal scale and cannot be primarily handled by small businesses—are a necessary evil, especially for the security of the United States. Examples of natural monopolies and necessary economies of scale include:
 * Tap water
 * Electricity grids
 * Gas networks
 * Transportation infrastructure
 * Railways
 * Roads
 * Highways
 * Sewer infrastructure
 * Operating systems
 * Military industry
 * Aerospace manufacturing
 * Tank production
 * APC production

And in those cases you can't promote worker-owned businesses. Because they might make the problems worse, as workers will not only have a monopoly on a given product but they will raise prices ad infinitum to give themselves decadent benefits. Perverse incentives will arise at the expense of consumers and the national health.

In Braun's view the best solution is to have these industries be ran by for-profit state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Ideally on the municipal or provincial level for most natural monopolies; on the federal level for country-wide infrastructure, military affairs, and anything else which (debatably) concerns the nation as a whole. The profits these SOEs generate would go towards healthcare, education, infrastructure, safety nets, and whatnot.

You maintain the benefits of private natural monopolies (like lower prices), a profit motive in improving the national defence, and reducing costs in vital aspects of the economy without the nasty side effects (like worsening inequality); and in doing so you improve the lives on everyone by utilizing the new revenue streams. A win-win!

Maximum Wage
I support a maximum wage as argued for by Sam Pizzigati. Basically the highest-paid member of a firm cannot have an income thirty times greater than the lowest paid employee (1:30). Every penny which crosses that threshold will be taxed away. This is to ensure businesses cannot accumulate enough capital to cause serious harm; but it also ties the profits of a business to the well-being of bottom-end employees.

Anti-Urbanism
I'm anti-urbanization. Because urbanization has historically been a sign of decline.
 * Crowding and noise—both inevitable symptoms of city life—increases stress and aggression; meanwhile destroying all sense of community.
 * Urban societies disconnect humanity from nature, which worsens overall mental health (including children who grow up in cities).
 * Attempts to reconcile this either don't go far enough or have their own problems (read below for suburbs).
 * As [[File:Marx.png]] Marx acknowledged (and embraced for [[File:UrbanAccelicon.png]] accelerationist reasons), urbanization mandates hyper-exploitation.
 * That rakish, unchecked [[File:Indust.png]] industrialism and surplus-value extraction will destroy "the idiocy of rural life..."
 * Urbanization threatens individual autonomy and democratic institutions.
 * Cities have less privacy (more cameras, less space, mass police, etc.) so conformity and molding others to fit an arbitrary spook is commonplace; the ability to speak your mind freely without fear of social consequences, vital for a meaningful democracy, vanishes.
 * And overall, urbanization—historically and presently linked with consumerism, alienation, out-of-touch elites, and nasty narcotics abuse—is linked with decadence; the kind which condemns society to a slow, painful death.
 * Assuming technological equality, urban societies lose to rural societies in warfare. Probably because of how urbanization weakens commoners through consumption.

What about suburbs?
Suburbs are a consequence of people wanting to emulate rural life (e.g., peace, quiet, and forestry) while keeping the "benefits" of city life. Basically supplying rural housing in areas with high urban demand. This is problematic for numerous reasons; the biggest one is car-dependent infrastructure, which hurts the eco-system, yet suburban areas still have psychological problems associated with urbanization, sometimes in worse amounts. But most Americans live in the suburbs and prefer them. Running on a YIMBY platform would likely be met with mass (perhaps violent) resistance. And even the most radically anti-NIMBY platform likely won't yield meaningful results. So suburbs are not a long-term solution to the problem of urbanization, despite being understandable, and in the short-term they have their own set of problems.

RETVRN TO COVNTRYSIDE
Braun advocates for a rural society. I draw inspiration from the self-sufficient small towns of the 19th-mid 20th century United States. Rural societies have superior outcomes in terms of mental health, physical health, social relations, and whatnot. Which is axiomatic given humans have lived in rural societies for most of their history. And contrary to popular belief, rural societies can have apartments, local industry, and vital infrastructure (like public transportation). 70 years ago rural areas thrived with small-to-medium scale manufacturing. Suppressing large concentrations in wealth and pushing for small businesses will localize production. I favor a strong agriculture sector; enthuastically wanting to boost the number of smallholdings and converting large commerical farms to  collective farms (co-ops ran by agricultural workers). He likes the former since the freest individual in his eyes is a self-reliant farmer who tills their own land without external subversion. But collective farms are also pragmatic given the need for ecologically-friendly production and agricultural worker's rights.

Unlike Neoluddists, I believe technological progress can improve the lives of rural people. For example, I'm all for modernizing agriculture since such technologies reduces famines (tractors are nice to be honest). Technology, medicine, and science are not inherently alienating. The fact such "progress" is in the hands of Robber Barons who profit off our isolation, division, and other widespread psychological probmes actually makes it regressive.

All in all, ruralism is the best way to accommodate the valid criticisms anarcho-primitivists have of industrial life without abandoning the chance of positive scientific, medical, or technological progress. In fact, a rural, more equal society would have more innovation. Countries with less inequality have more advances in those areas; inequality perverts innovation, stagnates it, or both as seen in the United States.

Prescriptions
Methods I support to push de-urbanization include:
 * Creating more opportunities outside of urban areas (e.g. subsidizing tech start-ups in rural areas) and promoting self-employment so people can leave urban areas unscathed.
 * Reviving local industry and manufacturing through [[File:Protect.png]] protectionist measures, leading to self-sufficient, smaller communities outside of urban areas.
 * The aforementioned good-paying jobs which helped rural areas thrive have since been shipped to places like [[File:Cball-India.png]] India and [[File:Cball-China.png]] China, [[File:UrbanAccelicon.png]] accelerating urbanization.
 * Instituting [[File:Welf.png]] universal healthcare since many stay in urban areas in case of medical emergency.
 * Improving essential infrastructure in rural areas (e.g. more hospitals and railways) so people are less inclined to stay in urban areas for the implied benefits while reducing car dependency.
 * Capping wealth, [[File:Georgist.png]] land reform, and other measures which decrease the economic exploitation that fuelled urban development in the first place.
 * LVT in general will reduce the price of rural land while encouraging efficient use of it, potentially leading to many leaving the cities to avoid paying extra taxes.

In the short-term with respect to the suburbs, of which Braun prefers some elements of over the city center, he feels we should convert abandoned buildings into apartments, expand public transportation (like bussing), construct pedestrian- and biker-friendly pathways, and invest in greener forms of transportation like electric cars.

Social Issues
Braun is a  civil libertarian. Outside of economics he's a strong supporter of civil liberties and human rights. Although he supports measures to help struggling minorities also.

LGBT Rights
Braun is a supporter of equal rights for same-sex couples and  transgender individuals. Though he confesses to bias since he's bisexual. He's also befriended many transgender and non-binary people over the years, which has influenced his opinion on the subject. He feels the persecution of LGBT people in the United States justifies protecting the 2nd Amendment for them; especially for transgender citizens. He feels an economy based on small businesses will also empower sexual minorities in general since they will have greater financial independence (and therefore autonomy). He feels the same regarding / racial/ethnic minorities.

Gun Rights
Unlike many other progressives—although he's not a tiny minority by any means—Braun is a strong supporter of  gun rights. As said earlier he believes transgender people should own firearms to defend themselves against a  reactionary population. Especially in states with the trans-panic defence. Everyone should be armed by mandate. (Yes, even for convicted felons; if people fear you're going to abuse gun rights once released from prison, you shouldn't have been released.) If you don't want to be mugged, robbed, or killed, you don't just invest in socioeconomic programs which reduce those crimes—you must arm yourself for the occasional screw-up. The police won't save you; you must save yourself. You have the right to defend yourself and your property. He'd also pass a national stand-your-ground law.

Police Reform
Braun believes police chiefs in towns, cities, and districts should be democratically elected. Just like Sheriffs in most counties. This is to hold them more accountable to the public as, once corruption becomes apparent, they can be voted out or recalled. Something similar recently transpired when the Uvalde school council, due to local pressure, fired the district police chief for reckless, cowardly incompetence. There should also be term limits in place to prevent mini-J. Edgar Hoovers running around. Other legal reforms Braun supports include:
 * Eliminating qualified immunity.
 * Busting police unions.
 * Expanding the castle doctrine to include excessive police force.
 * Bodycam mandates.
 * Diverting wasteful police spending to better training and social workers.

But Braun thinks / violent responses to law enforcement's excessive force (Waco Siege), repeat violations of the social contract (Minneapolis Police Department), and pursuance of tyrannical laws (e.g. War on Drugs) are morally justified. Moreover, rural societies, by virtue of being less dense, require less policing.

Prostitution
Braun is mostly indifferent to sex work. But he sees value in legalizing prostitution. Namely as a source of stability given the rise in inceldom, a source of income for women in poverty, and as a source of revenue as sex is almost an infinite resource so long as humans have drives. Keeping it criminal makes it difficult for prostitutes to report abuse; outlawing the purchasing of it will only drive it further into the black market. Criminalizing it also doesn't get to the root of the problem. Only a minority of prostitutes actually enjoy their work. Most of them do it for survival, as in some cases, due to monopsony power, prostitution is either a superior alternative to most minimum wage jobs in terms of compensation or is an effective side hustle.

Braun's solution is to confine prostitution to state-owned brothels (SOBs). All prostitutes working in these brothels must be adults and licensed to do that sort of work. They must undergo regular check-ups for psychiatric problems and sexually-transmitted diseases. Contraception use would be mandatory for both parties. Cameras would be installed as well to catch johns. The profits these SOBs generate would go towards reducing the need for anybody to go into the world's oldest profession—safety nets especially. Eventually the only people who would work for SOBs are the minority of those who actually like the work.

Prison Reform
Braun is a strong supporter of rehabilitative justice. He believes everyone, even the most heinous of criminals, deserve a second chance at life if they do the time while also being actively treated by psychiatrists. Punitive justice comes with a high recidivism rate. Braun believes this is because the long-term effects of incarceration—adapting to prison culture, being shunned by society, greater difficulty integrating back into society, and whatnot—make it so former convicts have nothing to lose and return. Oscar Wilde is a major influence on Braun's views on this subject.

Abortion
Braun is strongly pro-choice. His bloodline is filled with drug addictis, alcoholics, mental illness, and poverty. His personal experience shaped his belief that society benefits from sustaining stable population growth and keeping the birth rates of people born with inheritable, anguishing conditions low.

Access to abortion is what drove crime rates since the 70s. Furthermore, there's an originalist for the pro-choice position—the drafters of the 14th Amendment would've understood abortion was protected by the right to privacy (at least until the quickening, 15-18 weeks into pregnancy).

That being said, Braun also thinks we can drastically reduce the need for abortions by providing birth control, sex education, and other programs which reduce unwanted pregnancies.

Influences
In no particular order. This list will expand as Braun reads more.


 * [[File:LaFollete.png]] Robert La Follette [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Ricardosoc.png]] David Ricardo [[File:Cball-UK.png]]
 * [[File:Anin.png]] Benjamin Tucker [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Ormarxf.png]] Karl Marx [[File:Cball-Germany.png]]
 * [[File:Plcn2.png]] Whatifalthist [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Hedonism-cloud.png]] Epicurus [[File:Cball-Greece.png]]
 * [[File:Diogenes.png]] Diogenes [[File:Cball-Greece.png]]
 * [[File:Physiocracypix.png]] François Quesnay [[File:Cball-France.png]]
 * [[File:LeftRothbardianismPix.png]] Roderick T. Long [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Distributist.png]] John C. Médaille [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Protect.png]] Ian Fletcher [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Clib.png]] Hebert Spencer [[File:Cball-UK.png]]
 * [[File:Georgist.png]] Henry George [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Indlibsoc.png]] Oscar Wilde [[File:Cball-Ireland.png]]
 * [[File:Woodrow.png]] Richard Spencer [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Hedonism-cloud.png]] Henry David Thoreau [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Republicanismpix.png]] James Madison [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Christy.png]] Richard Swinburne [[File:Cball-UK.png]]
 * [[File:Clib.png]] Jean-Jacques Rousseau [[File:Cball-France.png]]
 * [[File:Liberalsoc.png]] John Rawls [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Clib.png]] John S. Mill [[File:Cball-UK.png]]
 * [[File:GE.png]] Peter Kropotkin [[File:Cball-Russia.png]]
 * [[File:Neolud.png]] Theodore Kaczynski [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Republicanismpix.png]] Thomas Jefferson [[File:Cball-US.png]]
 * [[File:Radlib.png]] Thomas Paine [[File:Cball-US.png]]

Based

 * - Based philosophically and overall interesting ideology.
 * - We're have rather similar policy platforms and you seem nice as a person.
 * - Weak on many cultural issues and too authoritarian, but you helped rural pill me and I liked the few talks we had.
 * - Not bad. Not bad at all.
 * [[File:Panth.png]] Pantheonism - You're pretty based, but pls drop the monarchism.
 * [[File:Uzarashvilism.png]] - Epic.
 * - I'm happy I rural-pilled you. 😎

Bringe
W.I.P.

Cringe
W.I.P.

Based

 * [[File:AgSocDem.png]] Agrarian Social Democracy - Literally me.
 * [[File:SocDist.png]] Social Distributism - I'm skeptical of crypto and loathe Dugin, but otherwise your economics is based.
 * [[File:Socgeo.png]] - Also based economics.
 * [[File:Pinkdist.png]] Pink Distributism - More 👏 queer 👏 entrepreneurs. 👏
 * [[File:Bull Moose Progressivism.png]] - We need trust busting—and tons of it—now more than ever.
 * [[File:Agrnac.png]] - Rural societies are stronger and freer!

Bringe

 * [[File:Strasser.png]] - You have based economics, but authoritarian racism is cringe.
 * [[File:Lukash.png]] Lukashenkoism - Belarus has based economics—[[File:Panth.png]]Pantheonism called it [[File:PrimSocDem1.png]] Social Primitivist—but you're still an authoritarian clown.

Cringe

 * [[File:Nazi.png]] - Vile.
 * [[File:UrbanAccelicon.png]] Urban Accelerationism - You make me gag.

Comments
Glencoe- add me
 * [[File:Rocksismicon.png]] Rocksism - Add maybe?
 * Implianium - Add me
 * - Yo this is hella based. :D
 * - Hello there
 * - Saw the ideology thingy was broken so i fixed it up, remember to add me if you ever add self-insert relations
 * - Add me?
 * [[File:Uzarashvilism.png]] - Absolutely based! Add me?
 * [[File:Vamp.png]] Braun Spencer Thought - You three have been added!
 * [[File:OwfBall.png]] Owfism - Can you add me to relations?
 * - add me?