US politics is self-correcting?

American politics exhibits obvious dysfunctions: with the help of market segmentation bringing the news people want, many voters believe objectively untrue things; a combination of voter suppression and gerrymandering biases elections; in governance we have cronyism, plutocracy, obstructionism and rule-tweaking: in general there isn't even a semblance of seeking, accepting and supporting the choice of an informed electorate. This is all well-known and malicious political interference has a venerable history.

I have taken it as a fact of life that political decision-making is not going to much match what is in the country's interest but also that it would not go very badly wrong for long because if the mendacious bad faith were too obvious then there would be a corrective revolt by the electorate. However, lately I have read opinion pieces that suggest that the worst plausible case is severe: that regional polarization and corporate donations and suchlike could keep the country divided and checks and balances so compromised that the US could be failing its way toward becoming a banana republic.

I do not know if it truly is plausible that the longer-term outcome could be so dire nor what could be done now to stave it off: exciting scaremongering may simply be good clickbait. Still, it is with some curiosity that I note the warnings.

Alternative online vendors

While some online merchants rather benefit from their dominant market position that isn't to say that there isn't room for competitors to rise. As one annoys me I look at using others, for instance moving from Amazon to eBay then to eBid or whatever. Unlike, say, car rental companies where it might be a matter of using the one that last annoyed me the longest time ago, there is plenty of room on the web for new marketplaces to grow. It would be nice if it were easier to consult an up-to-date if only with some irritation you buy X from Y then consider patronizing Z instead. Some searching online finds helpful articles but it all feels a bit random.

Sonic disturbance

The booklet summarizing the holiday season services at local churches contains some errors this year that caused us to be in the half-hour-late batch of congregants for a service last night. (I had tried to double-check online but All Saints' website's news section is yet to reach 2016.) A consequence was that we were unable to sit together: I sat directly behind some of my family, a fact that became an unexpected source of amusement to me: just as I entertain myself when alone by the noises I make when attempting to sing, I kept remembering as I sang that this time it was some of my own family right there taking the brunt of my hearty attempts. Afterward they kindly reported being quite untroubled by my emanations.