If Startups Ran The Government

Here's a link to the Affordable Care Act.  2,409 pages--all of it completely necessary of course. 

On Tuesday, October 1, the government officially argued itself into shutdown.  There are times when I feel extremely proud to be American, cue Beyonce.  This isn't one of those times.  According to astrophysicist Niel Degrasse Tyson, 57% of senate site their profession as law.  If you're trying to win cases, this is great, but if you're trying to get shit done--don't look to congress for a speedy solution.

With 10% of government, (cough cough Tea Party) holding the other 90% hostage, what can you do?  Unfortunately, I don't have an answer, and even if I did, it looks like it would take years before anything would be made official, almost as long as, oh I don't know, say a term in office.  But in all seriousness, how do you end up with 2409 pages?  Does anyone have sympathy for the lawyers who have to read this document?

Here's how a startup would run things.  Startups operate on a "lean mentality".  They have small budgets, and if they run themselves into debt, guess what?  Game over.  So to function you have to be agile and crafty--especially when shipping products.  I asked one of my good friends, Amron, who is a brilliant programmer if he would comment on how developers ship their code.   This is what he said:

Almost all software is developed with the use of Version Control Systems (VCS).  Modern version control tools allow all changes to be tracked by both time and author, and provide support for viewing changes across versions.  Applying version control systems to legislation would be a huge leap in accountability as it lets you see which congressmen are adding, removing, or modifying parts of bills. It allows blame to be placed and avoids any finger pointing or plausible deniability. It also lets you see who is responsible for the bloat, and exactly how you can end up with a 2500 page bill.

Can you imagine if each representative could be easily held responsible for the changes he or she commits to a bill?  The latest shutdown doesn't mean our government's broken, but it's a warning sign that that we need to improve our collaboration.  At what point do we suck up our pride and do the right thing?

All things aside, I feel so lucky to live in a country where I'm able to write a post like this.  I can freely express my opinion without worrying if I'll suddenly be detained for some unknown length of time.  The U.S. prides itself on being a "land of opportunity".  There's more potential here than any other place I know and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  So, in the interest of keeping this post brief--my rant ends here.  Bitching won't fix things, but taking cues from some of the brightest and innovative minds this country has to offer might not be a bad place to start.  God bless the U.S.A.

A Walk In The Park

Today I took a long walk from my house in the Mission to Golden Gate Park. It was pure bliss. Nothing but sidewalks, music in my ears, and sun on my face. I walked over hills, passed endless femininely painted Victorian homes, and into the park.

There was a music festival going on! Who knew? Not me. But the lineup included Goo Goo Dolls, One Republic, and Plain White Tees. More on this later. I walked by the festival and into the de Young Museum of Fine Arts. I felt like a schoolboy on a class field trip, on my own in a museum, with endless works of art pining to be admired. I had lunch at the cafe, and walked around the various exhibitions, including Richard Diebenkorn's "Berkeley Years" and Bulgari jewelry. I barely scratched the surface, but eventually had to leave the museum to make my way back home.

As I walked once again by the music festival, I could hear, "Broadway's dark tonight, a little bit weaker than you used to be." The Goo Goo Dolls show was just wrapping up, finishing with their biggest hits. I caught the last two songs. Back through the park I retraced my steps, making sure to take a different path than the one I came so as to see more of the city. I stopped and got some tea to go, and then completed my journey home.

It was a long walk. I don't know the exact mileage, but I wasn't counting. Sometimes, it's better not knowing.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my future--career, life, even my nonexistent future-family. 23 isn't hard so much as it's foggy. There's no sea parted in front of me and sometimes, this can be scary. I dare say I'm not the only person my age who feels this way. I don't know what's to become of me, though I've always felt like I have a gift to share--then again, I suppose I won't know until I know.

Is life so different than a fine arts museum? Will our work be hanging somewhere in a room for others to admire? Or will we be swept away into the pages of time, leaving not even the faintest trail of breadcrumbs that we were ever alive. I wish I knew. And even if I did know, I'm not really sure how that would change things.

All I can do is keep walking, keep taking the "road untaken" and hoping for the best. Walking's not so bad. There's always something to see--always a few surprises waiting for you. Today, I just wanted to take a walk to clear my mind, to get some exercise, and to see where the day would take me. It was just what I needed. A walk in the park. Music, sun, and miles of sidewalk, waiting to be taken.