Posted by Tina
The Obama administration has a “science advisor” to the President. Her name is Maya Shankar and her Job, according to The Daily Mail, is to head up a “behavioral insights team” and “supervise the organization of a federal government ‘nudge squad’ that will subtly change the behaviors of bureaucrats — and the rest of us”. Her purpose, spelled out in a paper, suggest there are insights from the social and behavioral sciences that “can be used to help design public policies that work better, cost less, and help people to achieve their goals.”
Gives me the creeps. I live in America. The land of the free. I deeply resent the nannie attitude of the bunch currently running the place. Efficiency is just another word for finding ways to spend even more of the money we earn on stupid, bureaucratic, parental control over our lives. If I want help from the behavioral sciences I will seek it out on my own. If I think a neighbor could use my help in this regard, and asks for my help, I will consider whether to help, on a case by case basis. I don’t think the government has a particularly good track record in this type of intervention anyway…my Lord these people are arrogant.
This young woman is simply following her passion…fine. But let her do it privately in her community, where she will have a greater impact. If she is successful she will attract attention and her work will be franchised or copied.
A quote from the article:
‘We are already working with over a dozen federal departments and agencies on newly-designed behavioral insights projects,’ the document reads, ‘including the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Veterans Administration, Department of Treasury, Social Security Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the United States Department of Agriculture.’
Shankar did not respond to a request for comment. She finished her postdoctoral research at Stanford this year, where her faculty advisor was Dr. Samuel McClure.
McClure studies ‘delay discounting,’ the habit of giving up large future rewards in favor of smaller bonuses in the short term.
Oh goody…someone who wants us to settle for less now and not concern ourselves with the future? Sounds like the perfect set up to keep the masses medicated and malleable.
UGH! Who are these people?
The ideas stem in part from a book written by Richard H. Thaler and Cass Sunstein. The book may serve as a valuable tool for individuals…must the extremist elites in power shove it down our throats and pay for the privilege with money from our wallets?
Apparently the British have already tried this scheme at the government level and and have decided to privatize it.
We just need to “nudge” back harder.
Here is Travis Angry’s inspirational story to share with others for a gentle nudge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJQtSqyxJm0&feature=youtu.be
Actually if they JUST study the behaviors of bureaucrats and leave the voting populous out of it, they could correct their ownmisalign procedures and benifit everyone.
However anyone with a understanding of government knows thats just a maybe. More typical of new Government programs is that nothing more will happen other than just add more Government payroll to tax the working class for
As to the statement ‘Her purpose, spelled out in a paper, suggest there are insights from the social and behavioral sciences that “can be used to help design public policies that work better’ BS, more than likely the DNC and Obama are just data-mining new avenues to increase voter dependency using their give-a-away mentality.