⤴ We need an Up Wing-themed presidential debate

Also: 5 Quick Questions for … infrastructure policy analyst Aidan Mackenzie on geothermal regulation (Throwback Thursday)

It’s presidential debate night, and I have questions — many questions!

Now, as regular readers of Faster, Please! (not to mention those who purchased my book, The Conservative Futurist) know, I think this is a special moment for America. It's time for America to get its pro-progress, Up Wing mojo back and shoot for the stars (literally). From AI to genetic engineering, advanced energy to space exploration, we're witnessing the greatest wave of innovation in a generation. Maybe two generations. This moment calls for a new vision that transcends current political divides, and political leaders who understand the stakes: making sure the 21st century is a second American century of peace and prosperity. As I write in The Conservative Futurist:

Twice in the past half-century, an optimistic, future-oriented America seemed on the verge of embarking upon a journey to a wondrous tomorrow, of taking a civilizational leap forward to rival that of the Industrial Revolution, of generating a massive discontinuity with the world of the moment. At minimum a never-ending boom of technological and economic progress, but perhaps even more: a great exponential acceleration toward a future beyond imagination.

And both times, in the early 1970s and early 2000s, that moment passed, unfortunately. And here we are again. We don’t need a three-peat. Avoiding that outcome informs the question I would ask Joe Biden and Donald Trump if I were the moderator of tonight’s debate:

🌏 “In the early 1960s, Washington was concerned about other economies outpacing America's. President Kennedy was particularly worried that Germany, Japan, and even Soviet Russia had experienced faster growth than the U.S. during the 1950s. Indeed, in his 2016 presidential debate with Senator Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump compared the growth rate of the US economy to that of the Chinese economy, suggesting the US should try to match or exceed Chinese economic growth. Since then, it seems more and more likely that future Chinese growth is constrained by demographics, falling productivity, and, more significantly, the failed structural reforms of the past decade. Should it be explicit US policy to outgrow our chief geopolitical rival so that its economy never exceeds ours in size, not to mention in technological prowess? If so, what are the two or three new policies needed to make that happen?”

📈 “Public opinion polls suggest a lot of concern about the state of the American dream. A few statistics: Median wages are up by 40 percent over the past 30 years. Three-fourths of Americans in their 40s have higher incomes than their parents. US income inequality fell by five percent in the dozen years before the pandemic. How do you define the American Dream and how do you think it’s doing?”

🌑 "China and the US are in a race back to the Moon. China plans for its taikonauts to touch down sometime during or before 2030. Will American astronauts beat them there? There are reasons for concern, given NASA's recent consideration of modifying its Artemis program due to hardware delays and mission complexity. The original 2026 lunar landing goal seems increasingly unrealistic. How would you address these challenges and ensure America maintains its leadership in space exploration and wins this second Space Race? What specific steps would you take to accelerate NASA's lunar program while balancing safety concerns and budget constraints? Should SpaceX and its Starship rocket just be handed the job?"