Yeah, letting people slip through the cracks is a huge drain on productivity. You can claw that back eventually though if you change your mind later (just start funding those systems again). The damage to America's research institutions might very well be irreversible though. There's a network effect with premier research institutions and you can't overcome it even with huge investment. Look at Germany in the 1930s. They had the best research institutions in the world. Then the Nazis destroyed them and Germany has never recovered that excellence. We're seeing *historical, irreversible* damage to the long-term American economy right now. The American economy is built on R&D, and once that edge is gone, it's gone forever.
True. I hope midterm elections add some friction to the downfall and in 2028 we cut the losses and start healing asap and allies acknowledge that the majority of the US was betrayed and welcome us back. That’s a lot of wishful thinking at this point. Also agree the research edge is disappearing fast.
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u/ImaginationNo1928 9d ago edited 9d ago
100%. And the social support systems for the vulnerable that are vanishing.