How To Get Better At Things You Don't Think You're Bad At by 2021

My name is Jose Franco, the owner of Stoop Juice (closed) in Park Slope Brooklyn. I want to share with the world how I've been able to minimize the carbon footprint of all the negative political energy in America. I believe in universal love and I'm frequently asked if that includes Donald Trump? To the surprise of many, Donald Trump is included in my love fest. I have love for all, but I don't have time for all. Regardless of what Donald Trump does, it's up to me to control my temperament and opinion of the former President. To help my own mental health and help me to continue to cope, I began to write constructive articles about habit triggers, economics and mindfulness on LinkedIn (65 in total). "How To Get Better At The Things You Don't Think You're Bad At By 2020" is a collection of the most important articles.

As a Dominican/Puerto Rican American, I believe business and baseball are in my DNA. Both have played an integral role throughout my life, teaching me the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset, the systems needed to carry out successful business endeavors and, in key ways, have filled the void created by my absent father. Through my life experiences—which have been multi-faceted and have served to inform my current life philosophy—I have cultivated principles of openness, seeking to understand operational constraints, creating value, and promoting profit over quality. I believe that—despite their diametric opposition—the principle of private property and the principle of need can be balanced in each of our lives if our goals are clearly defined and we have a realistic understanding of the possible outcomes. When considering the outlook I must adopt in order to be successful, I choose to lead a proactive rather than reactive life. This requires me to focus each day on staying motivated and building habits that are aligned with my desired quality of life.

We’re use to thinking very highly of democracy. But is voting in an election a skill, or a random intuition? If it is a skill, how can we systematically teach it to more people? Letting the citizenry vote without an education is as irresponsible as letting them jump out of an airplane without a parachute. In this country, we have given the vote to all without connecting it to that of wisdom. How can this continue to be sustainable while simultaneously discouraging political activity or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument?

Politicians, economists even rock stars are sure they know what policies will help end poverty in developing countries like the Dominican Republic. Yet, despite their confidence, it seems that much of the developed world’s thinking towards poor nations is based on false ideas. One fallacy popular among Western policymakers is that the causes of poverty in the developing world are structural. Structural causes include an inhospitable climate, being landlocked, or having difficult terrain. However, if this were the case then wouldn't the landlocked, mountainous countries of Austria and Switzerland struggle economically?

Another misplaced theory is that Dominicans lack the dynamic entrepreneurial spirit of the developed world. Yet this is simply not the case: self-employed people in the Dominican Republic make up 30–50 percent of the workforce. Whereas in the United States only ten percent of the workforce are self-employed. You cannot possibly argue that Dominicans lack entrepreneurial spirit. Americans who question why the Dominican Republic remains poor should look for their answer closer to home. The fact is that the free market policies imposed on Santo Domingo are a huge reason for their poverty.

While domestically, Majorie Taylor Greene & Alexandria Ocasio Cortez are both symptoms playing to their base, both women feverishly seek out under informed voters and unintentionally hinder democracy, lack economic curiosity, are mostly illiterate to policy and their economic consequences and prefer to practice scapegoating instead of encouraging members to address areas of self improvements. If you like A.O.C.’s 70% tax rate for high income earners, chances are you’re really angry with capitalism. Yet, before you sign up as a member of the Communist Party, you need to realize one thing: it is not capitalism itself at fault, just one type – free market capitalism. In fact, capitalism can be a very effective way of managing the economy. For example, the profit motive, or the desire to make money, is a powerful driver. A great many inventions and innovations have resulted from people’s desire to create a successful enterprise. And capitalism is also an efficient method of coordinating the economy.

The market is a great way to ensure that labor and capital quickly gets to the areas where it is needed the most. Without the market directing people where they are needed, we might end up with hundreds of rock stars, instagram influencers, rappers and not enough plumbers! However, despite the advantages that capitalism can bring, it can be incredibly dangerous if not regulated properly. We should think of the capitalist economy like a car. If you produce a car without any safety features, such as brakes or seatbelts, then the chances are that eventually the vehicle will crash and people will be injured.

Unfortunately, the current dominant approach to capitalism suggests that we should create a largely unregulated system. But there are alternatives. It is possible to move away from the free market and build a better, fairer, and safer capitalist system. One way we could do this is to apply the idea of bounded rationality – the idea that we make better choices when we have a limited range of options. Should we give government a little more power in the economic system? What processes could be put in place to minimize corruption if we remove the ability of bankers to make risky investment choices? Would picking bureaucrats over bankers allow society to make more informed and safer choices in the United States? In the Dominican Republic?

Jose Franco is a self anointed "Public Intellectual"