EnsignRedshirt [he/him]

Yeah, I think they realized that DC isn’t Ottawa. You aren’t going to just post up next to the Capitol Building and tailgate for three weeks while the cops ask you nicely to let traffic pass.

Reparations seems like the worst idea. Just an endless quagmire that has no hope of making anyone happy. The government would somehow spend both too much and also not enough, creating a permanent wedge issue, all while not fixing anything fundamentally wrong with the system.

Granted it’s easy to criticize, but if my grandfather was a fascist dictator I’d just take the L.

Yeah, I’d probably avoid becoming a fascist, at the very least.

That’s dictator-grandchild 101 right there. It’s okay to be ashamed of your ancestry.

Critical support for this making the STEM freaks angry, but otherwise gulag.

That’s my point. It’s funny when they get huffy about anti-intellectualism when it’s not being directed at the humanities.

I haven’t even thought about Schlock Mercenary in probably 15 years. Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do. Thanks for the reminder!

The Federation tends to be relatively pragmatic at a macro level when it comes to dealing with other civilizations. The Ferengi aren’t saints, but they’re not hostile, are open to diplomatic relations, and for the most part will honor contracts and agreements.

The Federation has to deal with openly-hostile forces like the Borg, the Dominion, questionably stable relationships with the likes of Klingons and Romulans, and isolationist/xenophobic groups like the Breen. Compared to the above, the Ferengi are pretty benign.

It’s worth noting that the Star Trek universe isn’t as heavily defined by capitalism as our world. There are cosmic horrors out in the universe that make the differences between the Federation and the Ferengi seem insignificant. There are literal dragons out there, and the Ferengi just aren’t that, despite their obvious flaws.

The Federation seems to follow a strategy of establishing peaceful relations on whatever terms they can get, with the long-term goal of bringing new civilizations into the fold over time. They clearly believe that FALGSC is the natural progression of societies, but they clearly don’t feel that they have the means or mandate to impose it on others, so they use the tools and opportunities they have to grow and maintain their influence to that end.

So yeah, the Federation isn’t going to impose itself onto the Ferengi by force, and refusing to establish ties with them would likely make conflict more likely, so they take the practical step of dealing in good faith with a civilization that, while not ideal, isn’t trying to conquer or exterminate anyone.

I’d make all detached single-family homes near an urban center illegal and start replacing them all with a combination of low-rise attached units for families, and apartment complexes for people without kids (notionally, I’m fine with some intermixing). Make sure that there are services and amenities within walking distance of all newly-densified housing, and run bus service and light rail everywhere. Then I’d ban private vehicles anywhere within view of a skyscraper. You will live in a pleasant, walkable community with greenspace and accessible services, or you will be sent to the reeducation camps.

Also, big bronze statue in a park. Big enough to provide ample shade to park goers in the summer.