The Beautiful Depression

A picture of corporate greed

2010-03-19T09:33:00.002-06:00

From an article in Breaking Business News out of Chicago:

"In a letter Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Caterpillar urged lawmakers to vote against the plan "because of the substantial cost burdens it would place on our shareholders, employees and retirees."
Caterpillar, the world's largest construction machinery manufacturer by sales, said it's particularly opposed to provisions in the bill that would expand Medicare taxes and mandate insurance coverage. The legislation would require nearly all companies to provide health insurance for their employees or face large fines.

The Peoria-based company said these provisions would increase its insurance costs by at least 20 percent, or more than $100 million, just in the first year of the health-care overhaul program.

Business executives have long complained that the options offered for covering 32 million uninsured Americans would result in higher insurance costs for those employers that already provide coverage. Opponents have stepped up their attacks in recent days as the House moves closer toward a vote on the Senate version of the health-care legislation"

I do agree that there needs to be provisions made in any health care bill that does not punish the companies that already provide care for their employees, BUT these mega-companies go about their complaining by saying that they are opposed to a bill that would provide health care coverage for all Americans.

So congrats all you corporations, along with Reps and Dems, give yourselves a big pat on the back (or a slap in the face rather) for being so unequivocally unyielding.

See what a little lobbying can do...

2010-03-17T11:46:00.002-06:00

One more vote for the Health Care Bill....

March 17, 2010
Key liberal congressman flips to 'yes' on health care vote
Posted: March 17th, 2010 10:33 AM ET

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced Wednesday that he would vote to support Democratic health care legislation.
Washington (CNN) - Health care reform advocates inched closer to victory Wednesday morning as a high-profile liberal Democrat switched his position and announced his intention to vote for a sweeping $875 billion plan under consideration in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said he believes "health care is a civil right." He had previously characterized the bill, which passed the Senate in December, as little more than a boondoggle for private insurers.

Kucinich was publicly lobbied for his vote by President Barack Obama during the president's visit this week to Kucinich's congressional district in Ohio. He told reporters he's had four meetings with Obama to discuss the bill.

"The president's visit to my district ... underscored the urgency of this vote," Kucinich said. "I have doubts about the bill ... [but] I've decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation."

He said he ultimately had "to make a decision on the bill as it is, not on the bill as I'd like to see it."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, needs 216 votes from her 253-member caucus to pass the measure. No Republicans are expected to back it.

A number of House Democrats have refused to state their voting intentions publicly. Twenty-six House Democrats, however, have indicated they will join Republicans in opposing the Senate plan. Included in that total are five House Democrats who said Tuesday that they will vote against the Senate legislation.

That puts opponents of reform 12 votes shy of the 216 needed to prevent Obama from scoring a major victory on his top domestic priority.

The Two-faced Times

2010-03-16T20:26:00.002-06:00

October 2009 was a rough month for journalists, especially at the NY Times, as a headline read boldly, "Times says it will cut 100 newsroom jobs"

Even a round of journalists were fired -- GASP!

It has been intense for writers and reporters recently, adjusting to life as seen in one of those commercials where officemates fend for themselves in a jungle of ugly competition, low blows, and trap doors. With "Citizen Journalism" on the rise, it's become increasing frustrating to be a voice in society.

Especially when the so-called safe-haven for writers (i.e. the NY Times) is making their first round of cuts.

We shook our heads in disgust, and chalked it up to the drying times. But as time has revealed, NY Times CEO Janet Robinson received "roughly $4.9 million in compensation in 2009."

In an article by Breitbart, "Robinson's base salary fell 4 percent to $962,500. But she got a bonus of about $2.3 million, four times the size of her 2008 bonus.

Robinson also received stock options that were worth $1.6 million when they were granted. About $560,000 of that was meant to replace options that had been given in 2008 and were later voided because they exceeded a limit set by company bylaws."

So is the big-headed news outlet (too big to fail?) bringing in enough money to satisfy the appetite of one of the farthest reaching newspapers in the United States or aren't they???

Or is it the high-end fat cats that aren't through licking their paws?

What will be the change...

"In inflation, everything gets more valuable except money"

2010-02-17T09:13:00.002-07:00

A good definition of INFLATION from YourDictionary.com:

We define inflation as an increase in the amount of money and credit in relation to the supply of goods and services. Often, inflation is erroneously defined by the effect that it has on the economy. When people notice that gas, food, and lodging is getting more expensive, they often label that phenomenon inflation. Rising prices, however, are really just the result of inflation.

When money enters circulation at a rate that is higher than the supply of goods available, inflation is occurring. There is typically a correlation between the quantity of goods available and the amount of money in circulation. If more goods become available, more money must be put into circulation or prices will actually drop.

In theory, the free enterprise system operates on the basis of competition. Those who produce the highest goods at the most affordable prices succeed. If a company was artificially inflating its prices, theoretically, its customers would eventually take their business elsewhere. However, when seeking to define inflation, the dollar itself is worth less because the supply of dollars has increased. Businesses must then raise prices to recover their losses in an attempt to get the same value for their goods and services.

Jobs bill set to give tax cuts to businesses to hire more people

2010-02-11T10:41:00.002-07:00

Even the Obama Administration acknowledges that this aspect of the legislation will only marginalize unemployment slightly. A few workers will added to the workforce, but many - most- will remain bitterly out of work.

But an the article PROMISES, PROMISES: Jobs bill won't add many jobs cites the likelihood of businesses hiring people to get a tax break is very low. Businesses need to "re-up" their demand for their products (which won't happen until people start buying again) before they start hiring more people.

"We're skeptical that it's going to be a big job creator," said Bill Rys, tax counsel for the National Federation of Independent Business. "There's certainly nothing wrong with giving a tax break to a business that's hired a new worker, especially in these tough times. But in terms of being an incentive to hire a lot of workers, we're skeptical."

So what kind of a "break" are we looking at? Businesses would be exempt from paying a 6.2% Social Security tax on wages of workers who have been employed for at least 60 days (When we're all old with no SS, we will know that it went to the business tax-breaks!)

"The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently concluded that reducing Social Security taxes for companies that add workers would be among the most efficient ways for the government to create jobs. However, in showing how difficult it is to create jobs through tax policy, CBO estimates that such a tax break would generate only eight to 18 full-time jobs per $1 million in tax breaks."

Looks like this one is not the answer. The Big Package Bill gives other things to the unemployed, like subsidies to help the jobless pay for health care coverage, but this bill seems to be more of a "cherry on top" after job growth has already been spurred, not the lone answer to millions of Americans problems. So keep on being Agnostic, President Obama...

The President is AGNOSTIC?

2010-02-11T10:29:00.002-07:00

Definition of Agnostic: A person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something. Agnostic.

This disturbs me because I think this is where the Dems are lacking in leadership. They are all Agnostics. Unwilling. Opinion-less. Lacking "balls."

Today Obama said he was unwilling to commit to an opinion about raising taxes on middle class incomes of less than $250,000.

Pieces from an article in Business Week:

"Obama, in a Feb. 9 Oval Office interview, said that a presidential commission on the budget needs to consider all options for reducing the deficit, including tax increases and cuts in spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare."

“The whole point of it is to make sure that all ideas are on the table,” the president said in the interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, “So what I want to do is to be completely agnostic, in terms of solutions.” (BTW Prez, not the thing to say to an American People who are dying for belief in something)

"Many economists, including conservatives such as former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, argue that tax increases will be necessary as part of a broad package to control the deficit, which the White House projects will hit a record $1.6 trillion in the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30."

“Our real problem is not the spike in spending last year, or the lost, even the lost revenues last year, as significant as those are,” he said. “The real problem has to do with the fact that there is a just a mismatch between the amount of money coming in and the amount of money going out. And that is going to require some big, tough choices that, so far, the political system has been unable to deal with.”

"Analysts say that middle-class taxes will need to be increased because the government can’t raise enough money from the wealthy alone to close the budget gap."

"Going back on his campaign pledge would be fraught with risks for Obama. Former President George H.W. Bush paid a steep political price when he abandoned his 1988 campaign promise not to raise taxes, losing out in his bid for a second term to Bill Clinton."

Job growth UP. Unemployment still UP.

2010-02-11T09:49:00.002-07:00

A White House report said that job growth will increase in the following months - alas- but also that unployment will be slow to decline and may even rise because of labor market growth and the return of more discouraged workers to the labor force.

Okay, now I'm a little confused. How does labor market growth affect the rise of unployment???

The following is a tid-bit from Job growth may not curb unemployment rate: WHouse

"The White House forecast, most of which was previously released with budget documents, calls for growth in gross domestic product of around 3.0 percent in 2010 and an average unemployment rate of 10.0 percent.

Because projected GDP growth is only slightly stronger than potential growth, relatively little decline is projected in the unemployment rate during 2010," the report prepared by the president's Council of Economic Advisors said.

Indeed, it is possible that the rate will rise for a while as some discouraged workers return to the labor force, before starting to generally decline. Consistent with this, employment growth is projected to be roughly equal to normal trend growth of about 100,000 per month.

The report projects more robust job growth by 2011, averaging a gain of 190,000 per month, to bring the average unemployment rate down to 9.2 percent for the year.

The report said that because of a huge economic stimulus and other measures, the economy is on a growth track again.

Our economy is growing again, and the growth over the last three months was the strongest in six years. But while economic growth is important, it means nothing to somebody who has lost a job and can't find another. For Americans looking for work, a good job is the only good news that matters."

"In other words, in order to create jobs and raise incomes for the middle class over the long run, we need to export more and borrow less from around the world, and we need to save more money and take on less debt here at home."
-- President Obama

Mixed reviews from law makers regarding Obama's foreign policy

2009-12-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California:
"I support the president's mission and exit strategy for Afghanistan, but I do not support adding more troops because there are now 200,000 American, NATO and Afghan forces fighting roughly 20,000 Taliban and less than 100 al Qaeda."

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Illinois:
"President Obama asked for time to make his decision on a new policy in Afghanistan. I am going to take some time to think through the proposal he presented tonight."

Senator Kay R. Hagan, D-North Carolina, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee:
"I am encouraged by President Obama's announcement that he will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. I am hopeful that he will be able to engage our NATO allies to supplement this effort and to continue assisting in the growth of Afghanistan's security forces to protect their population. With these additional troops, we can disrupt, dismantle and defeat the terrorists there that threaten all of us here at home."

Sen. Paul G. Kirk, Jr., D-Massachussetts:
"I'm encouraged by the president's plans to ultimately disengage us from Afghanistan in a responsible and timely fashion. I remain skeptical, however, about a significant troop build-up when the legitimacy of our Afghan partner is in serious question.

"The president is right to also emphasize political and diplomatic strategies in Afghanistan. I also agree our strategy must involve keeping a close and, I would argue, primary focus on the al Qaeda presence in Pakistan and the nuclear arsenal in that country."

Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-Louisiana:
"I support the pesident's decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan and commend him for taking the time to get input from both his military and civilian advisers. Bringing the total American force to nearly 100,000 troops by the end of May of next year will enable our soldiers and our NATO allies to train the Afghan security forces at a quicker pace. This is a necessary step to secure areas that have been falling to the Taliban forces."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, chairman of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on The State Department and Foreign Operations:
"For me it boils down to whether or not there is a convincing answer to this question: What can realistically be achieved, and is it worth putting our soldiers' lives on the line, at a million dollars a troop, as our economy continues to struggle here at home? Sizeable deployments of soldiers from Vermont and other states are only the latest compelling reasons for reaching deep to find the right answer this time."

"At this point I am not convinced that the hole dug earlier by a thousand bad decisions can be paved over at all."

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee:
"I will not make a final judgment on this plan until I have had a chance to reflect upon it fully and, just as importantly, draw critical information from Admiral Mullen, Secretary Gates and Secretary Clinton, who we will have in front of the Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday."

"... my preference has been toward a targeted military operation that emphasizes counter-terrorism and focuses on routing al Qaeda, rather than engaging in other flare-ups around Afghanistan."

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska:
"I generally support the revised mission and anticipate that key Republicans and Democrats will as well.

"The issue of Afghan governance also is critical. Benchmarks are needed to track progress-or lack thereof-on points such as the ability of the Afghan people to move without restriction, to obtain essential services, and to determine whether citizens believe in their government."

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania:
"I oppose sending 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan because I am not persuaded that it is indispensable in our fight against al Qaeda. If it was, I would support an increase because we have to do whatever it takes to defeat al Qaeda since they're out to annihilate us. But if al Qaeda can operate out of Yemen or Somalia, why fight in Afghanistan where no one has succeeded?

"I disagree with the president's two key assumptions: that we can transfer responsibility to Afghanistan after 18 months and that our NATO allies will make a significant contribution. It is unrealistic to expect the United States to be out in 18 months so there is really no exit strategy. This venture is not worth so many American lives or the billions it will add to our deficit."

Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee:
"President Obama inherited a bad situation in Afghanistan – made worse by eight years of neglect and under-resourcing. There are no easy or risk-free choices and the president knows that. Tonight, he made a reasoned case for a strategy to stabilize the region and begin to transition our forces out of Afghanistan."

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference:
"I will carefully consider what the president said tonight, and I look forward to hearing from Secretary Gates and our generals as they explain to Congress over the next two weeks what our strategy will be in Afghanistan. We need a bipartisan strategy that we're prepared to see through to the end. My major concern is that the administration is more focused on an exit strategy than a success strategy. An exit strategy should come only after we've achieved success."

Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee:
"The president has inherited a god awful mess and has no good options available. I hope his policy succeeds, and I know our troops – who have sacrificed so much already – will give everything they've got to make it work, but there are huge obstacles that stand in the way. We can have the most carefully thought out policy in the world, but if we do not have the tools on the ground, the odds for success are stacked against us. And right now, the only tools available to us are the Pakistani government and the Karzai government in Afghanistan. Both are incredibly weak reeds to lean on.

"We also face the question of how we will pay for the endeavor. The cost of conducting the campaign in Afghanistan could approach $90 billion this year and we're told a long-term, multi-year commitment is necessary for success. That could cost anywhere from $500 billion to $900 billion over the next decade, which could devour our ability to pay for the actions necessary to rebuild our own economy. We simply cannot afford to shortchange the crucial investments we need in education, job training, healthcare, and energy independence. The biggest threat to our long-term national security is a stunted economy.

"If this endeavor is to be pursued, we must have a renewed sense of shared sacrifice – because right now only military families are paying the cost of this war. A progressive war surtax is the fairest way to pay for it – fairest to working class families and fairest to military families."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California:
"Tonight, the president articulated a way out of this war with the mission of defeating al Qaeda and preventing terrorists from using Afghanistan and Pakistan as safe havens to again launch attacks against the United States and our allies. The president has offered President Karzai a chance to prove that he is a reliable partner. The American people and the Congress will now have an opportunity to fully examine this strategy."

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-New York:
"What I would have preferred to hear from the president is how he will bring our forces home within the next year. I see no good reason for us to send another 30,000 or more troops to Afghanistan when we have so many pressing issues – like our economy – to deal with in this country.

The U.S. government is already spending $3.6 billion a month on the war in Afghanistan. Sending an additional 30,000 troops will cost an extra $30 billion a year, which works out to roughly $1 million per soldier or Marine. The people who are complaining about the cost of health care reform should be more concerned about how much we are continuing to spend on these wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee:
"Although this decision took far too long and it should not have, I am glad the president will finally provide General McChrystal with the troops he needs. However, tonight's speech must be the beginning, not the end, of the case President Obama makes to the American people as to why this is, as he said during the campaign, 'a war we have to win.' If the president remains committed to this crucial fight, Republicans – and the American people – will stand with him. But sending mixed signals by outlining the exit before these troops even get on the ground undermines their ability to succeed."

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) - a nonprofit, non-partisan organization for the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:
"Tonight, as the nation focuses on details of the troop numbers in Afghanistan, IAVA urges all Americans to be equally focused on the plan to care for those troops when they return home.

"The true cost of the war in Afghanistan, like all wars, must include a lifetime of support for veterans and their families. As important as the number of planes, trucks and weapons allocated to Afghanistan are the number of surgeons, psychiatrists and case workers resourced at home. The men and women who serve in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of whom have already served multiple tours, cannot afford another Walter Reed-type situation."

Clinton unveiled

2009-11-02T09:12:00.004-07:00

Daily Times:

US taxes everything, and ‘that’s not what we see in Pakistan’
* Pakistan must start planning for challenges posed by population growth
* US secretary of state meets COAS

LAHORE: The leadership of Al Qaeda is in Pakistan, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.

“I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn’t get them if they really wanted to,” she added.

“Maybe that’s the case; maybe they’re not gettable. I don’t know... As far as we know, they are in Pakistan,” Clinton told senior Pakistani newspaper editors in Lahore, AFP reported. “The percentage of taxes on GDP (in Pakistan) is among the lowest in the world... We (the United States) tax everything that moves and doesn’t move, and that’s not what we see in Pakistan,” she said.

“You do have 180 million people. Your population is projected to be about 300 million. And I don’t know what you’re going to do with that kind of challenge, unless you start planning right now,” she said.

“If we are going to have a mature partnership where we work together” then “there are issues that not just the United States but others have with your government and with your military security establishment”.

More stimulating numbers

2009-11-02T08:34:00.004-07:00

Lets talk about numbers....everyone else is going it

Apparently, the recession is receding!!!

The Commerce Department, in its first estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product (which measures the total goods and services output WITHIN the US border) on Thursday, said the economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate, the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2007, after contracting 0.7 percent in the April-June period.

The dollar rose against the yen

Governmental declines (housing, unemployment) are reported at a far better rate than expected
Consumer spending went up (read that again in case we don't see it happen again). Consumer spending accounts for 2/3 of our economic activity in the US, and it "surged" this quarter.

This "surge" (namely in residential investment) is said to be mostly because of government stimulus programs. But one area that Obama "promised" and didn't deliver was in job delivery. I remember thinking during his campaign, if he says something is going to create 4 billion jobs on more time, I'm going to vote for the pensioner-of-war....

Then the billions of jobs went down to tens of thousands.
But now, even that number was overstated.

In an article by AP News: The government's first accounting of jobs tied to the $787 billion stimulus program claimed more than 30,000 positions paid for with recovery money. But that figure is overstated by least 5,000 jobs.
For example:
--- A company working with the Federal Communications Commission reported that stimulus money paid for 4,231 jobs, when about 1,000 were produced.
--- A Georgia community college reported creating 280 jobs with recovery money, but none was created from stimulus spending.
--- A Florida child care center said its stimulus money saved 129 jobs but used the money on raises for existing employees.
Here are some of the findings:
--- Colorado-based Teletech Government Solutions on a $28.3 million contract with the Federal Communications Commission for creation of a call center, reported creating 4,231 jobs, although 3,000 of those workers were paid for five weeks or less.
--- The Toledo, Ohio-based Koring Group received two FCC contracts, again for call centers. It reported hiring 26 people for each contract, or a total of 52 jobs, but cited the same workers for both contracts. The jobs only lasted about two months.
The AP's review identified nearly 600 contracts claiming stimulus money for more than 2,700 jobs that appear to have similar duplicated counts.
--- Barbara Moore, executive director of the Child Care Association of Brevard County in Cocoa, Fla., reported that the $98,669 she received in stimulus money saved 129 jobs at her center, though the cash was used to give her 129 employees a 3.9 percent cost-of-living raise. She said she needed to boost their salaries because some workers had left "because we had not been able to give them a raise in four years."
--- Officials at East Central Technical College in Douglas, Ga., said they now know they shouldn't have claimed 280 stimulus jobs linked to more than $200,000 to buy trucks and trailers for commercial driving instruction, and a modular classroom and bathroom for a health education program.
--- The San Joaquin, Calif., Regional Rail Commission reported creating or saving 125 jobs as part of a stimulus project to lay railroad track. Because the project drew from two pools of money, the commission reported the jobs figure twice, bringing the total to 250 on the government report. Spokesman Thomas Reeves said the commission corrected the data Tuesday.

We should have known that the cookie-cutter stimulus plan was going to come out a little messy. People always say "follow the money" but jobs are going to when and where it is most economical and efficient. And not even Obama can predict or dictate exactly what that is going to look like.

Big Bank, Little Bank, Red Bank, Blue Bank

2009-11-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

It was the end of the savings-and-loan crisis in the 90's that was probably deemed the worse bank crisis since the Great Depression (it's funny how names have a way of sticking around)! But we are yet again in another banking crisis, and it's a day late and a dollar short to play the blame game. Now, the nation-wide focus is fixing what has been broken. Liberal ideas differ from conservatives, tea-partiers, and Obama-followers... they all weigh in with a different tone as to what needs to be done with big banks and small banks alike.

But the effects felt on smaller banks are much different than the monsters who have too much weight to actually tumble to the ground. Yes, it's the locally beloved banks that are taking the brunt of the crisis. But alas, should we forget how disgustingly interconnected all of this is. One small bank fails, we all shutter. AP News reported that bank failures have cost the FDIC's (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp) fund that insures deposits an estimated $25 billion this ear and are expected to cost $100 billion through 2013. To replenish the fund, the agency wants backs to pay in advance $45 billion in premiums that would have been due over the next 3 years.

The article explains that when a bank closes, the FDIC swoops in and sells the bank's assets in what it's currently worth to buyers. And here is where we stumble on our next problem: who is buying bank assets now-a-days??? People are steering clear from them like they do a tattooed man in prison garb.

"Smaller banks have been undone by something more conventional - real estate, construction and industrial loans that have soured as the recession has deepened. Defaults are up as developers abandon failing projects and landlords can't meet their loan payments."

And when troubled banks stay open, they grow in the potential to loose substantially more, and draining the FDIC that much more deeply. In a way, it is in the FDIC's best interest to close failing banks, but a wide-spread bank closure would no-doubt cause panic among society, and would also be a big, ogar-like foot stomping on an already unstable plane. Local communities that depend on local banks (where everyone knows your name like CHEERS) want to avoid the ripple effect of their town loosing its main source of consumer and business credit.

Battle over Internet nutraility

2009-10-31T15:25:00.004-06:00

AT&T and Google are getting out the gloves to determine who has more *control* (could you have guessed it was about control?) over the Internet.

In our technologically advancing society, Internet providers such as AT&T and Internet networking sites like Google (*note: without the first there would be no second) are finding complications in their own growing pains.

It may be a case of Google getting too big and bully-like, and wanting not only to survive and thrive, but to take over. So if you give a mouse a cookie, you must be prepared to share the whole stack (and even provide butter and sugar in the future)

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported:

"AT&T and other Internet-access providers want latitude to manage traffic on congested wireless networks and freedom to devote a chunk of their wired networks to selling more expensive services. Internet providers are worried regularors are assuming veto power over their efforts to develop new revenue streams from their Internet lines."

"Google and other Internet companies fret that phone and cable companies will hobble their efforts to offer competing services online or will try charging them more for better connections to consumers. "

AT&T wants to deliver content without delay to all of their growing audience. Broadly, that means that phone and cable companies could block or slow access to networks like Google or Netflix so that they can give the best to all their customers.

Google is using their capital and and lobbyst friends to try to make sure that doesn't happen.

This is just the beginning of the fight. It could be wiped out by money and big names, or it could drag on in hopes of actually getting it right!

Reflections on the 2009 Congressional Black Caucus

2009-10-02T13:19:00.000-06:00

The 2009 Congressional Black Caucus gathered people from all around the nation eager to soak up the knowledge of the diverse and profound group of speakers, and network with others in the African American community. Being my first year to attend the conference, I was impressed not only by the sheer size and vastness of events, but also the quality and care put into every detail. It was a colossal presentation, yet felt incredibly personalized and arranged to be a creation of one’s own interests. One could flip through the packet of programs and fill their days accordingly, or hit the halls in search of something appealing. It was a fountain of information, and a watering hole for key players; big fish and guppies alike, feeding off of the same ambitions. Throughout the four day conference, business leaders and entrepreneurs, presidents and CEOs, politicians and professionals spoke on how to reinvest, rebuild, and renew the African American community, as was the motto. Entertainment entrepreneurs discussed blacks in the media and how to successfully brand one’s ideas (surprisingly, no one mentioned Jay-Z or Diddy). Many great discussions were woven into the theme of economic mobility for the black community, such as economic recovery and creating worthy business opportunities. Obama and Michael Jackson won the popularity contest, but other discussions on the Census Bureau, Wall Street, and judicial justice were equally enlightening. Immigration, health care (and African American health issues), education, and the economy were fundamental topics of interest. Still panels on faith, exercise, jazz, and hip hop held their own. The need for the informed to break down the issues into relevant, bite-size pieces for the average citizen is an underlining success of the conference. The moment the light bulb came on and people understood the fine print was an invaluable moment. That moment happened for me in a round table discussion for emerging leaders. An audience member referred to a recent debate she had about how the explosive “yes we can” attitude that aroused our country only a few months ago was dissipating with indifference. Was this true? Has the common American lost interest in the necessary civil discourse to remain engaged on a national level? It was a staggering thought, to imagine such passion dissolving into the ho-hum of everyday life? Fortunately, it was the consensus of this panel to disagree. They felt that people are still engaged in what is going on in Washington, and the changes happening around the country. They have not forgotten about how it feels to be counted and considered. Still they reminded us, that while folks back home may be having front porch conversations right now, but they will need to be led into action, or the conversations will eventually stop. They encouraged us to step outside of our boxes and take risks to lead others. People may try to hold you back (which means you’re doing something right), but if you have something to say and a way to articulate it, we as African Americans have to make it our time, and excel regardless. A quote that used by several speakers that expresses the 2009 Congressional Black Caucus was from Winston Churchill, who said, “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up.”

It's My Turn- The Texas Spring Observer

2009-09-28T14:11:00.003-06:00

A challenge worth striving for
Sept. 24, 2009

Time magazine stated in the article “Dropout Nation” (2006) that “dropping out of high school today is to your societal health what smoking is to your physical health.” It’s debilitating and a handicap that a person of any age ought not to bear.

I started working on the state-wide public visibility aspect for the Reach Out to Dropouts Walk this past June and in the months following came to the realization that we as a society are just beginning the fight against a “dropout nation” and that it will be an arduous and sometimes disheartening challenge. But the need to take a stand for our younger generation is as serious as a heart attack and demands dedication.

The Reach Out to Dropouts Walk is a program that Houston Mayor Bill White, the educational nonprofit A+ Challenge and the Houston Independent School District initiated in 2004. It started out with 1,300 volunteers going to the homes of students in eight HISD neighborhoods.

Six years later, with the help of approximately 11,000 volunteers, the program has expanded its mission to more than 6,000 students across the state in the cities of Dallas, Ft. Worth, Midland, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, El Paso and Houston, as well as schools from 19 school districts in the Greater Houston area. Similar efforts have now sprouted up in other states like Iowa and Missouri that are modeled after the HISD initiative.

This is the first year that Spring ISD has held a walk, and they brought together 33 volunteers and visited 26 homes.

The focus of my work for the walk was to rally volunteers and bring recognition to the effort in various local communities. Although it proved challenging to get a string of pasta to stick on the wall of someone’s brain, I learned the essential need for persistence (and good aim).

I contacted the media, local business leaders, social and civic organizations as well as elected officials. I dreamt of sheep hurdling over statistical fences and returning to school. I had envisioned a mass of volunteers ascending onto houses on the day of the walk like vampires following the scent of blood and students coming to their doors in awe at the sight of their entire local community at their doorstep, pleading with them to take a greater stand in their future.

I tried to paint this portrait to others, and persuade them to join in the effort but came up against an unnerving complacency. It was either the “I’m unaffected by someone else’s child’s mistakes” syndrome or the “I have no sympathy for the lazy-hearted” ideology.

Yet I have learned that dropouts face a stigma that is both misplaced and untrue and not at all encouraging to them to finish their education. Only a small percentage of students leave because of the freedom they believe it offers. The majority drop out because they don’t feel adequately challenged in the classroom or to find relief from the burdens of their family’s income or socioeconomic status, falling victim to the push and pull of institutional forces.

A young girl has to stay home and take care of her siblings because her family cannot afford day care. A young man works the night shift at a local store and doesn’t feel that he can stay awake through a seven-hour school day. In general, education is the last rung on the totem pole of priorities because today’s young people deal with many more real-world challenges than homework and household chores.

A study done on Youth Enrollment and Employment by the Department of Labor Statistics says that “a little less than one-quarter of teenagers (24 percent) were both enrolled and employed during the 2007 school months.” Of the many unflattering words to describe teenagers today, lazy is not one I would use.

It has also been a challenge not to ruffle the feathers of those who believe that there is not a “dropout problem.” According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2004-05 the number of dropouts in grades 7-12 in Texas public schools rose to a little over 18,000, which is an 11-percent increase from the number of dropouts in 2003-04. On a national level, approximately 3.8 million young adults in the United States were not enrolled in school in 2004.

But to those who still think they’re not affected by a high school dropout they neither know nor had help in turning out, a few more facts and figures. Studies show that high school dropouts only make an average of $19,000 a year and are more likely to be unemployed, live in poverty and stay on government assistance longer than those with at least a high school degree. Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be incarcerated, which costs taxpayers upwards of $150,000 a year.

Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education, said that dropouts cost the United States "more than $260 billion... in lost wages, lost taxes and lost productivity over their lifetimes." The U.S. could save more than $17 billion in Medicaid and health care expenses for the uninsured if every high school student graduated. With young adults who have the minimum skills and credentials necessary to function in today's increasingly complex society and technological workplace, every member of society will undoubtedly have to pick up the slack somewhere.

On the morning of the sixth annual Reach Out to Dropouts Walk, the rain kept students home, as it did the volunteers. It was not the overwhelming mass of support I had hoped for, and I felt silently disappointed. But the moment I saw the young man come to the door and look at the handful of teachers and school administrators, the mayor, and new superintendent, I realized that a handful of support was enough, and his promise to return to school was honest.

The key to these success stories is to give students alternative options. An example is the Advanced Virtual Academy, a new-brand, non-traditional school initiated by HISD that has extended hours and online classes for students in grades 9-12. The flexible “shifts” allow students to continue their education around outside jobs. I hope that every school district can implement similar programs, and shed all rigid practices. We have seen how transformations can happen from the ground up and how true grassroots efforts can change a nation. Now is the time to come together and collectively to be the change we see in our communities and inspire the change we want in the world.

McCain vs Levin: 2 political knockouts

2009-09-20T12:57:00.003-06:00

In an article on CNN Political Tinker, heavy-weight champ John "bomb'em like they did in Japan" McCain and underdog opponent Carl Levin (whom I don't know enough about to give a nickname to) go head to head on troops in Afghanistan.

The bell sounds with an alarmingly loud DING and the 2 hard hitters go at it! Levin's first punch glides off the Vaseline-covered face of McCain with his suggestion that the proper course in Afghanistan is to build up local troops with the strength and all around bandwidth to defend themselves before sending in more American troops.

McCain is unfazed and strikes back with an arrogant jab to the gut! At the Armed Service Committee meeting last week he commented,

“Despite our successes in Iraq and the hard won understanding we have gained about what it takes to defeat an insurgency,” McCain said on Capitol Hill last Tuesday, “it seems we now, regrettably, must have the same debate again today with respect to Afghanistan. In all due respect, Sen. Levin, I’ve seen that movie before.”

But Levin barely staggers, coming back with a jab that knocks the spit out of McCains Chops!

Levin told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that the U.S. is seeing some success in Iraq because the military succeeded in winning over insurgents who had been attacking American soldiers and destabilizing Iraqi society. “That’s what we need to also do in Afghanistan. That is a very big difference," Levin said.

The crowd goes wild. Bets are cashed in, money is counted. The people are sure McCain is down for the count. But then Levin does the unexpected. He takes his gloves off and climbs up onto the corner of the ring to grab the microphone hovering above the ring.

"The U.S. military in Afghanistan is changing its strategy in dealing with the local population. Instead of just trying to attack the insurgents, we were protecting the population. That new strategy is now in place in Afghanistan. So, this is a very different movie from Iraq. They’re two very different places.”

There is an utterly alarming hush over the crowd. Each person stops exchanging the money they bet on political opponents, and stops for a moment to think about the people of Afghanistan instead of their impulsive and momentary greed. The American people are silent. The fight is won.

(The previous parable is not a portrait of my views on the 'war on terror', troops in Afghanistan, the belittling of McCain, or making Levin a martyr. It was a basic exercise in creativity, and in trying to get the point (someone's point) across....................................................................................................... DID IT WORK?)

(Oh well, welcome to America)

2009-08-25T17:48:00.004-06:00

For as long as I can remember, our country has never been so utterly distracted by the topic of health care. Maybe that’s why it’s such a colossal piece of petrified shit to swallow! Being (or wanna-being) a part of the media, I can say that ‘we’ do our best to put things into ‘perspective’ but when it comes to the topic of health care, Obamacare, the left-and-right-wing-care, deficit-care, immigrant-care, Medicare, care-for-46-million-americans-who-don’t-have-care, public-verse-private-care, the media gives Americans a lot to sift through daily. And it seems that I’ve begun not to CARE!No, I care, but wish we could skip all these intoxicating steps of political bullying and discussion. It is taking Americans through the ringer! But, at the end of the day, I do CARE, because whatever decisions are made by this administration will be directly linked to my bank account. So I have to care.
But I want the cost down and the number of people covered up, and everyone is saying that we need a 'public option' to do that. As Bill Maher puts it, 'public option' sounds like a toilet at the train station. Very funny. But he was also right (on his latest rant on health care) when Maher said that the Dems have not made the definition of public option clear. What the hell are we supposed to believe when the GOP is calling it Nazi Medicine (that term is pretty clear)? It sounds to me like the box you would check last on any sort of form or survey; Public Option? Who wants what all those other people have??

But the word buzzing from progressive's lips is the single-payer option is one where the governement pays (the crowd cheers!!) for services..basically medicare for all (damn, that's gotta be expensive..) and one's coverage isn't based on pre-existing conditions (cough, cough) and wouldn't crumple in the trash along with the pink slip that your boss just handed you (knock on wood).

Alas, if it was that simple..

If Democrats and Republicans could agree on the quality of life, illegal or otherwise...
If free-loaders didn't exist...
If competition didn't work so well in creating inovation...
If there were enough good doctors to populate a whole country...
If Americans were healthier (instead of "happier")...
If insurance companies didn't need a public option to keep them honest...
If the US was $300 billion richer...

Maybe there would be a little sanity in the world (Oh well, welcome to America)

Food For Thought on Health Care:

2009-08-23T21:27:00.000-06:00

Prices ration scarce resources. If bread were free, a huge quantity of it would be demanded. Because the resources used to produce bread are scarce, the actual amount of bread has to be rationed among its potential users. Not everyone can have all the bread that they could possibly want. The bread must be rationed somehow; the price system accomplishes this in the following way: Everyone who is willing to pay the equilibrium price gets the good, and everyone who does not, does not. In short, free markets are not an alternative to rationing. They are just one particular form of rationing. The main thrust of the health care reforms espoused by President Obama and his allies in Congress is first of all to reduce rationing on the basis of price and ability to pay in our health system.

Organizations that are paid for the goods and services they deliver project the total future revenue implicit in expected future payments and then work back from that projection to determine what operating expenses and capital budgets can be supported with that revenue. Their executives do not lament that “our payers reimburse us only 90 cents on the dollar,” by which they would mean “costs.” Instead, they adjust their costs to the projected payments.By contrast, organizations that are reimbursed for their services add up whatever expenses they incur and then expect to be made whole for those expenses, usually with a profit margin. Military contractors on cost-plus contracts, for example, think and operate this way. But surely the leaders of the health industry have more pride than to liken themselves to military contractors.

We will put an end to these practices. Our reform will prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage because of your medical history. Nor will they be allowed to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. And we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. No one in America should go broke because they get sick.

One thing people who oppose health care reform play into people’s notion that it’s not right to expect something for nothing. … I think the only way to combat that is to explain to people exactly how much we are spending now, how much we anticipate spending, how much of a tax we would need to have to pay for it and how we would control costs. It is fundamentally a moral question. Most other industrialized nations have long ago answered that question in the affirmative. Only in the United States is that question still up for debate. Evidently, however, President Obama and many members of Congress would answer it in the affirmative as well, which is why they push so hard for health reform.

Consider a family whose breadwinner(s) earn a gross wage of $60,000. By “gross wage” I mean wages that the employer books as labor expense — in accounting parlance, the total debits the employer makes to the payroll-expense account for the employee. It includes the employee’s pay before deducting any contributions that employees make toward their fringe benefits — e.g. health insurance — and any taxes they owe. It also includes the full cost of employer-paid fringe benefits and contributions to Social Security and Medicare. In the absence of any government subsidies, this “gross wage base” of a family is the donkey that must carry the full burden of the family’s employment-based health insurance, whether formally paid for by the employer or employee. At an annual growth rate of 3 percent, a wage base of $60,000 now will grow to $80,600 in 10 years. On the other hand, at an annual growth rate of 8 percent, a family’s total spending on health care would grow from $16,700 now to $36,000 in 10 years.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

Good:
The Obama Administration's goal is to extend formal health insurance to those low-income individuals who are currently uninsured, to slow the growth of health-care spending, and to cut dramatically the amount of health care that we all consume. Okay, I can dig it! Bad:The plan is to cut Medicare to help pay for the expanded benefits for low-income individuals. The reduced spending would result from fewer services rather than lower payments to providers... Not enough of what we need (baaad)

Good and Bad:For Mr. Obama, giving up on the public plan would have risks and rewards. The reward is that he could punch a hole in Republican arguments that he wants a “government takeover” of health care and possibly win some Republican votes. The risk is that he could alienate liberal Democrats, whose support he will also need to pass a bill. “The public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform,” Mr. Obama said. “This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it.”

Bad:For the 85% of Americans who already have health insurance, the Obama health plan is bad news. It means higher taxes, less health care and no protection if they lose their current insurance because of unemployment or early retirement.

Interesting: The individual employee’s own contribution toward his or her employment-based insurance, however, is divorced from the individual’s (or the attached family’s) health status. In this sense, then, employment-based insurance could be described as “private social insurance,” as distinct from “government-run social insurance.” There’s a divide betwen what we think of our personal health, which presumably is priceless, and the willingness to pay to maintain it. Most everyone is willing to pay actuarially fair rates for, say, auto insurance, because quantifying the value of a 2005 Honda is an emotionless and straightforward affair. People who speed and get into frequent accidents are charged more, and few have much sympathy for that. That’s fair; one’s demonstrably elevated risk ought not be assumed by others without a concomitant increase in rates.

Great Depression Then and Now

2009-08-18T18:55:00.004-06:00

We've been hearing so much about the Great Depression and how we are in the worse time since....

Paul Krugman, opinionator (did I just make up a word?) from the NY Times did an op-ed about how government has saved us from the downward spiral of real depressionism (and not the period of art).

"But there are great differences between the great depression then and now, that we don't hear about. So what saved us from a full replay of the Great Depression? The answer, almost surely, lies in the very different role played by government. All of this has helped support the economy in its time of need, in a way that didn’t happen back in 1930, when federal spending was a much smaller percentage of G.D.P. And yes, this means that budget deficits — which are a bad thing in normal times — are actually a good thing right now.Nonetheless, reasonable estimates suggest that around a million more Americans are working now than would have been employed without that plan — a number that will grow over time — and that the stimulus has played a significant role in pulling the economy out of its free fall. All in all, then, the government has played a crucial stabilizing role in this economic crisis. Ronald Reagan was wrong: sometimes the private sector is the problem, and government is the solution."

And a hit below the belt for Regan...a liberals dream...

Krugman may be right, right now. But 'sometimes' is rarely the normal time. And sometimes government is the problem... and each person's solitary prayer is the answer.

Pope Benedict XVI Unrobed 'Conservatively'

2009-08-18T18:32:00.002-06:00

An article in the Washington Times breaks down the gushy gushy on the man robed in white. I found these ideas very interesting and something I can respect on a human level::

"The pope rightly argues that the current economic crisis was caused by rampant greed, irresponsible financial speculation and the failure of government regulation. In other words, it has occurred within a moral vacuum, where Christian love and truth have been abandoned in favor of crude materialism.

The pope is articulating a conservative humanism (needs to be coined a political status along with socialists, neo-conservatives, and tree-huggers!) characterized by individual freedom, responsible capitalism, the importance of national sovereignty and distinct cultural identity, voluntary trade unionism, decentralization of political power and moral traditionalism... He stresses that a market economy is shaped and driven by cultural underpinnings. If the culture is rotten, gangster capitalism inevitably flourishes. If it is morally healthy, a socially responsible free market takes root...The pope is pro-globalization, pro-trade and pro-scientific innovation -- even demanding that wealthier countries lower protectionist trade barriers to products from poorer nations. This will lower consumer prices and help boost exports for developing economies...Yet the pope believes in a redistributive capitalism in which wealth is distributed more equally to the poor and disadvantaged. The state has some role to play -- unemployment insurance and local charity, for example. But much of the redistribution should be voluntary and part of a mutually beneficial exchange.

In other words, he is calling us to follow Christ's injunction to take care of the weakest among us."

Is the Pope on Facebook? He could surely be my friend!!!

2009-08-18T18:22:00.004-06:00

Check out the Chinese E-bay, also known as Taobao.com.

It's like their Facebook..Twitter..local crack dealer!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/technology/start-ups/10taobao.html?em

Westchester Adds Housing to Desegregation Pact

2009-08-18T17:43:00.002-06:00

Okay, they;re putting black people in white neighborhoods again... (well, at least in NY)

An article in the NY Times by Sam Roberts claims that, "Residential segregation underlies virtually every racial disparity in America, from education to jobs to the delivery of health care. The agreement calls for the county to spend more than $50 million to build or acquire 750 homes or apartments, 630 of which must be provided in towns and villages where blacks constitute 3 percent or less of the population and Hispanic residents make up less than 7 percent. The county has seven years to complete the construction or acquisition of the affordable housing units.It was not immediately clear where the new houses and apartments would be placed, although the settlement says that priority should be given to sites near public transportation. The overarching goal, though, is to locate them in the least racially integrated neighborhoods."

Okay. Stop. Ponder. Shall we look back in our history books to the times when blacks lived out in the country (where we get our 'country' ways from, perhaps?). But alas, jobs moved into the cities, and black people followed. As blacks settled into the smoke and smog, the out-migration (or reverse migration) of their white counterpart into the country (suburbs) allowed black people to settle into the comfortable living that many whites had enjoyed. But in the 1970's, the rapid growth of a black suburban population took the more opulent blacks out of the cities.

Today, there is a push to help the inner-city population (whites, blacks, and Mexicans alike) and local governments believe they can do this by moving an entire racial group and calling it a 'Desegregation Pact'. And deeming it a good thing! BUMP THAT! People, no matter color are going to be attracted to homes in neighborhoods they're comfortable in, that are economically sound for them, and that are close to good schools, if their wallets allow them that choice. But I would say that comfort is the big boom. Long gone are the days of radicals who uproot their families to a neighborhood that is outside their comfort zones in the name of a cause.

Black people are happy where they are living. They are not happy, however, with their inability to get good jobs and move upward in them, and their health care. They are not happy with the crime rate, and how parts of the neighborhood always smell like garbage. They are not happy with the cost of living, and want to be able to afford things like new furniture and air conditioners that don't drip and buzz constantly. These are just some of the things that need to change, but this is not the solution.

If the government wants to fix up current African American neighborhoods with 'affordable housing units' (and put 'country folk' in the Ritz Carlton while they wait) that will no doubt look nicer than the houses that stand (barely) now, then I would happily support that! But, to put emphasis on pulling black people out of the neighborhoods that allow them to be themselves, and putting them in areas based on statistics... well, that's just absurd.

Dr. Andrew Beveridge, a sociologist at Queens College of the City University of New York found that “racial isolation is increasing for blacks, falling slightly for whites” and that “income level has very little impact on the degree of residential racial segregation experienced by African-Americans.”

Dr. Andrew is right, it's not income level that keeps black people in poor neighborhoods. It's black people that keep black people in the hood. And you can't give them a nice house, and a no-foam late, and expect society to change!

On the Gates Debockle

2009-08-18T16:42:00.002-06:00

While I am tired of all the talk on who was write, wrong and in between. Jibberish out 20th century racism and a so-called beer summit, I know that the incident between a while police officer and the famed Henry Lewis Gates Jr. will be remembered for a long, long time.

When we look back (perhaps with a cool beer in our hands) what can we learn from this? Was it news because it happened to a prominent writer? Would it have been such historic news if it had happened to anyone else (and can we be so blissfuly ignorant to think that it doesn't happen to others everyday)? Was it becasue he had a fit on his front lawn? And was this an example of how future victums of 'racial-profiling' should act? Get the neighbors out of their houses, call for news cameras, use terms like jungle-monkey...

This is a snippit from an opinion piece on CNN.com written by Al Vivian

"The one good thing about all this is that a spotlight has been put on the whole issue of racial profiling. And for the first time in our nation's history, the two people with the authority to have long-term impact at the federal level, the attorney general and the president, can relate. This might end up being that situation where, to paraphrase Sotomayor, a wise African-American with that kind of experience would make a more intelligent decision than the White males who preceded them."

But is this really a huge step for man kind in the area of white cops who prey black men or is it just a victory for prominent black men against a white cop and the racial e-blast that followed? What about the black men in the neighborhoods that get harrassed time and again for simply trying to survive. Poor black man in America (and today we've defied reason and uped the anty to a rich black man) can be easy targets what with the statistics they hold.

29% of men on parole are black.
Black men lead the unemployment surge, with an unemployment rate of 15.4%.
Only 17% of blacks hold a least a bachelor’s degree.

Perhaps Gates gave us a standard for what gets people's attention. There is no question that life is unfair, but it's up to those who get the last lemon to make the best of their situation. There is nothing that tells a regular person they can't raise hell if wrongfully discriminated against...

OR do (us) journalists and (us) people not want to hear about it... was one 'gates' enough for this year? Or are we willing to listen to all the other unjust stories and be just as outraged...?

Link: "Think about it. If this truly were a post-racial America, as so many of my conservative friends tell me, then wouldn't Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and the likes have flooded the airwaves in support of professor Gates?"

"After all, don't their firmly stated beliefs force them to align with Gates? Aren't conservatives the ones who are always railing against "government intrusion" and "excessive use of government power"?"

2009-08-14T23:23:00.000-06:00

R E A L I S M

2009-05-06T16:32:00.001-06:00

Realists believe that mankind is not inherently benevolent and good, but rather self-centered and competitive. This Hobbesian perspective, which views human nature as selfish and conflictual unless given appropriate conditions under which to cooperate, contrasts with the approach of liberalism to international relations. Further, they believe that states are inherently aggressive (offensive realism) and/or obsessed with security (defensive realism); and that territorial expansion is only constrained by opposing power(s). This aggressive build-up, however, leads to a security dilemma where increasing one's security can bring along greater instability as the opponent(s) builds up its own arms in response.

-- Wiki Wiki

I'm trying to understand what Keynes Law is....

2009-05-02T21:57:00.001-06:00

In Keynes's theory, some micro-level actions of individuals and firms can lead to aggregate macroeconomic outcomes in which the economy operates below its potential output and growth. Some classical economists had believed in Say's Law, that supply creates its own demand, so that a "general glut" would therefore be impossible. Keynes contended that aggregate demand for goods might be insufficient during economic downturns, leading to unnecessarily high unemployment and losses of potential output. Keynes argued that government policies could be used to increase aggregate demand, thus increasing economic activity and reducing unemployment and deflation.

--Wikipedia

::Kenesian Economics::

2009-05-02T21:37:00.000-06:00

John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), whose landmark work, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, was published in 1935. Keynes believed that active government intervention in the marketplace was the only method of ensuring economic growth and stability. He held essentially that insufficient demand causes unemployment and that excessive demand results in inflation; government should therefore manipulate the level of aggregate demand by adjusting levels of government expenditure and taxation. For example, to avoid depression Keynes advocated increased government spending and Easy Money, resulting in more investment, higher employment, and increased consumer spending.

Say's Law

2009-05-02T20:52:00.002-06:00

Also known as Say's law of markets:

Named after Jean-Baptiste Say (1767-1832), Say's law argued that an economy is (wait for it)

self-regulating

provided that all prices, including wages, are flexible enough to maintain it in equilibrium.
In a more simplistic, and somewhat inaccurate form, Say's law states that supply creates its own demand and over-production is impossible. This theory has major implications for how governments respond to periods of high unemployment or widespread underemployment.

George Packer blogs on Afghanistan

2009-04-30T20:46:00.002-06:00

Ashraf Ghani’s account of what’s gone wrong in Afghanistan is relatively simple, and it overlaps on several counts with the views of the Obama Administration: the Taliban was in retreat until the Bush Administration took its eye off of Afghanistan and invaded Iraq.

Since then, Hamid Karzai- who is "running in the presidential elections to be help Aug 18- has been held to Iraq’s low standard of security and competence, by which he’s been wrongly judged to have done relatively well. Ghani resigned as finance minister at the end of 2004 because he saw that Karzai was unwilling to take on power brokers that were the sources of corruption and government failure. Since then, the Taliban has made a spectacular comeback, largely due to these failures, and only a change of government will reverse the deterioration.

“When people suddenly come to office from exile, without any previous history, sycophancy- defined as the act of a self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influencial people-becomes a very high component, because they’re dependent on relationships,” Ghani said when I asked what had gone wrong with Karzai. “No one has a constituency, and the person at the top is bombarded with praise—‘You’re the greatest thing since sliced cheese’—and human beings being human beings, if they hear they’re great, and only a few people are saying no, who are they going to believe? Shakespeare is the best guide to Afghanistan.”

From the New Yorker

2009-04-30T20:25:00.002-06:00

Bob Solow and Joseph Stiglitz agreed that nationalization...is a word that gives Americans the willies. Solow’s “pre-privatization” would have the virtue of making it clear that no one wants government to take over the banking system permanently, as a first step toward a Soviet America. Stiglitz, for his part, suggested “financial reorganization” or “conservatorship” as terms for a temporary fix that, he pointed out, is a familiar part of ordinary capitalism. But, he added, “socializing risk is not a part of ordinary capitalism.”

I believe that this incredible "debt" and bailouts that Obama and his peeps are passing through the legislature like GM's assembly line in the 90's, are necessary fixes for the mess we've got ourselves in. Fluctuation. Like climate change and the stock market; a natural process. We got ourselves in a lil too deep this time so the swing of the door as it hits us on the ass is a lil harder, but we will pull through. We have to, its a natural process.

Are we giving kids Autism via mandated injections

2009-04-26T12:26:00.002-06:00

I remember when I was young-younger at least- and had to be dragged into the doctors office kicking and screaming because I hated getting shots. And I never understood what those shots were or why I had to get them, only because my mom said "you need them to go to school, it's just the way it is." We had to get shots- aka vaccines- in order to get the golden star on our school records. Frankly, I didn't want the shot, NOR to go to school...a double wammy!

Jim Carrey- yes, the actor- talks about his concerns aboout vaccines causing Autism, ADD, ADHD and other medical conditions in children.

"With many states like Minnesota now reporting the number at 1 in 80 children affected with autism, can we afford to trust those who serve two masters or their logic that tells us "one size fits all" when it comes to vaccines? Can we afford to ignore vaccines as a possible cause of these rising numbers when they are one of the fastest growing elements in our children's environment? With all the doubt that's left hanging on this topic, how can anyone in the media or medical profession, boldly demand that all parents march out and give their kids 36 of these shots, six at a time in dosage levels equal to that given a 200 pound man? This is a bias of the most dangerous kind."

And why should we trust the advisory boards that determine the yearly vaccine schedules for kids, when they are so closely attached to vaccine producers. Give them this shot says the man who plays golf with the man who invented the said cocktail. Cheers! Here, here!! And a boost in both mens pockets...

In all likelihood the truth about vaccines is that they are both good and bad. While ingredients like aluminum, mercury, ether, formaldehyde and anti-freeze may help preserve and enhance vaccines, they can be toxic as well. The assortment of viruses delivered by multiple immunizations may also be a hazard. I agree with the growing number of voices within the medical and scientific community who believe that vaccines, like every other drug, have risks as well as benefits and that for the sake of profit, American children are being given too many, too soon. One thing is certain. We don't know enough to announce that all vaccines are safe!
If the CDC, the AAP and Ms. Brown insist that our children take twice as many shots as the rest of the western world, we need more independent vaccine research not done by the drug companies selling the vaccines or by organizations under their influence.

2009-01-24T19:57:00.002-07:00

So begins a new era in my life:: A new era for our country::

And I was there when it started!

I will be living in Austin, TX for the next five months, writing for Texas Monthly Magazine
I came under this position through Senator Rodney Ellis-- one of the 2 African Americans in the Texas senate, and a sharp, generous, real individual. Having been given this opportunity, I will not disappoint.

Exhibit A: http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-02-01/webextra5.php

My first article came out on my first day of work (tell me that's not hot!!)
I also had the privilege to go to DC for the inauguration, and wrote about the experience there. Please Read it!! And keep checking-- article #2 is already in the works...

Top Chef Blogs

2008-12-24T15:59:00.001-07:00

Learn Top Chef Tips from Top Chefs on Bravo.

Top Chef 5 Multiclip widget

2008-12-24T15:56:00.001-07:00

I don't feel like blogging...I'm sick for the holidays...

2008-12-24T10:33:00.002-07:00

So I got an early Christmas gift!! I was all excited, and then I opened it to find like a million boxes of tissues, some special minty rub to put on a dry nose and NyQuill!!!!

~oohwee~

The Christmas Sweater

2008-12-18T12:38:00.002-07:00

Last night, my Mom and I went to our local movie theatre to see a live taping from New York of Glenn Beck's show The Christmas Sweater. For those who haven't heard of Glenn Beck-- I'll be surprised if anyone has heard of him-- he is a talk show host who has a radio program on KHOW and used to have a TV program on FoxNews (not one of my favorites). But, he is conservative and ultra-religious, but I do think he has some good- stuck-in-the-middle- ideas and cares a lot about our government.

Anyways...... so he puts on this show about a kid who looses his father and then his mother a few years later. His mom gave him a sweater for Christmas and then was in an accident that night and died so this little boy- eddie- had to go through the "storm" and let go of his anger and come out on the other side. I guess, in real life, Glenn's mom committed suicide a few days after Christmas when he was 12 and the last thing she gave him was a Christmas Sweater, so it was very personal. And he cried!! He played all the characters, and there was no props. He just used his facial animation, delightful accents and good charm to pull off an almost 2 hour show.

I was impressed-- by the show as much as I was by the fact that the theatre we were in was almost packed!! And this was one theatre in many theatres around the country. "I bet we'll be the only ones in the place," my mom said. But to both of our surprises, we had to scramble to get a seat. So we all sat through this performance, and Glenn Beck was very candid. He cried. He told about who he was; he prayed and yelled at God for taking his mother away from him and all the pain he had gone through. It was very powerful and almost chilling. Then he came out at the end and talked about how God is his Savior and the reason for all things. He told the audience to grasp their redemption like it was a gift-- like a sweater that most of us throw on the ground-- and to find God wherever you are.

This surprised me mostly, because the word God and religion is taboo today. We don't talk about religion because we don't want to offend anyone. But there was such a warm response to The Christmas Sweater show and all that was said that I was almost broke out in tears in a theatre in Boulder Colorado where most people care more about their granola, spandex and weed than they do about any type of salvation or God. The only thing I can blame it on are these times that we are going through at a snails pace. People are scared of what is going to happen to them and they are scared of what is going to happen to our country, our world. As Americans, we kind of just have to go along for the ride-- and whatever Obama plans to do will trickle down to us eventually. That is a scary thought, and I saw last night that people are much more open to any kind of hope than they have been. This is hopeful in itself.

Because you have to realize that you need help and you are nothing without hope, before anything can touch you. So be hopeful today people, BECAUSE AS A PEOPLE, WE ARE GRASPING FOR HOPE...AND THOSE WHO KNOCK-- WILL RECEIVE!!!

SOOOO, I have decided to do the PRAYER.SPOT section that you see on the right. People need prayer, and I'm not ashamed to say it!!!!!!

2008-12-18T11:45:00.004-07:00

I found this great blog site that exposes the daily routines of people- famous people- supposidly people we wish we could be!

But it has the daily routines of smokers, such as Truman Capote who says:

"I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a cigarette and coffee handy. I've got to be puffing and sipping. As the afternoon wears on, I shift from coffee to mint tea to sherry to martinis. No, I don't use a typewriter. Not in the beginning. I write my first version in longhand (pencil). Then I do a complete revision, also in longhand. Essentially I think of myself as a stylist, and stylists can become notoriously obsessed with the placing of a comma, the weight of a semicolon. Obsessions of this sort, and the time I take over them, irritate me beyond endurance."

But smokers are easy... smoke, find something else to do, smoke again, pretend to be busy, smoke again, and sleep happily ever after!!

Procrastinators, on the other hand, they have got to have some amazing things to pull out of their pockets....

Kingsley Amis- who is an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher- says::::::

"I don’t get up very early. I linger over breakfast reading the papers, telling myself hypocritically that I’ve got to keep with what’s going on, but really staving off the dreadful time when I have to go to the typewriter. That’s probably about ten-thirty, still in pajamas and dressing gown. And the agreement I have with myself is that I can stop whenever I like and go and shave and so on. In practice, it’s not till about one or one-fifteen that I do that—I usually try and time it with some music on the radio. Then I emerge, and nicotine and alcohol are produced. I work on until about two or two-fifteen, have lunch, then if there’s urgency about, I have to write in the afternoon, which I really hate doing—I really dislike afternoons, whatever’s happening. But then the agreement is that it doesn’t matter how little gets done in the afternoon. And later on, with luck, a cup of tea turns up, and then it’s only a question of drinking more cups of tea until the bar opens at six o’clock and one can get into second gear. I go on until about eight-thirty and I always hate stopping. It’s not a question of being carried away by one’s creative afflatus, but saying, “Oh dear, next time I do this I shall be feeling tense again.”

Clearly procrastination comes with a lot of alcohol and cigs....

This is Ben Franklin's dalily routine::: his scheme I guess. Pretty ritualistic!

2008-12-17T16:39:00.002-07:00

You gotta see this...it better explains what I mean by MEZEKER- poem by Mike Ellis.

CLICK ON ME!!!!

A Little Slice of Me

2008-12-17T15:56:00.005-07:00

I've been through enough therapy to know how to analyze a thing or two...And now I find it absolutely necessary to be analytical about the process of my life, as much as I do about chocolate (absolutely necessary, that is)! I think that going through the human process of hours and minutes, and facing the absurd challenges and temptations that we do everyday, we have to stop at the end and say, "Did I do that right?"

John Mayer- the Infamous! lyrics from Why Georgia:

So what, so I've got a smile on But it's hiding the quiet superstitions in my head Don't believe me When I say I've got it down Everybody is just a stranger but That's the danger in going my own way I guess it's the price I have to pay still "everything happens for a reason" Is no reason not to ask myself If I am living it right Am I living it right? Am I living it right?

About a year ago, I was struggling very seriously and painfully, through the process of my life- and the measly little detail of mental depression- and I needed to find something to hold onto. The funny thing about Depression is that it hold you captive while it takes over your mind; so it's like your looking down from the tower at all their little twisted plans for destruction, but you have no power to escape. And the only thing to do in that tower all by yourself, is try to remember what's important to you and what makes you happy.

I did this by drawing a circle.
(If I can find a picture AND figure out how to put it up I will- don't hold your breath though!)

But I sectioned off things that I valued in life like pieces of pizza! God is a big first part. TRUST ME- I would have not gotten through my depression if not for God (or spirituality, for all you Atheists out there). But the rest goes as follows::
Family
Food
Music
Creativity
Love
Intellect
Mezaker (which means to remember in Ethiopian- and remember I do; who I come from, where I was born, where I was bread, who I am and what I've been through)
Viennian (Another explanation for this one: So, in Vienna, people go out socially with their friends to engage in and be changed by the personal contact, exchanged hugs and belly laughs. Most people in America- as well as other nations- go out and party to get drunk or to meet the opposite sex and have some sort of one night rendezvous. We go out to drink, Viennians (If this is a real term) go out for the company and the people. I want to be more like this).
And there is a blank space for me to fill in the enlightened future.

Here is my life, people! In 10 easy slices!!
So, what now? Not like I have all the answers, please believe me, but I try to turn these things into the habits that take up the minutes and hours of my day. And, as I like to believe that my life is in shades of gray, this doesn't really happen like I like it to and it's not just that simple. I don't cook as much as I want to, and there are times I haven't talked someone in a really long time and I feel totally disconnected from my people. But my little lesson here is to take the time to make the good habits and fill your life with positive activities of breath-taking importance. Yes, it's not about the moment in life in which you have breath, but the moments that take your breath away!!! (okay, that's the last corny saying of the night, I promise. I even cringed at that one). So take the time out, schedule it out in in PEN if you have to! But tend to yourself. Even if there is someone else there who thinks they can, you will always be responsible for you. And frankly, we're the best we've got !!! :-) !!!

My Chicago

2008-11-18T18:38:00.003-07:00

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/travel/02Footsteps.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I love Chicago, even though I' ve only been there once....but as a writer, this article gets my creative jitter bugs all excited with it's descriptive and unique-fitted lyrics.

Read. Enjoy!!

Come with me to Vienna!!!!!

2008-11-11T16:05:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted anything since the weekend because the weekend just wasn't the magic I had anticipated. You know you go out with friends, highly anticipating someone to strike your eye- hoping that a wink or perhaps a luscious lip lick will do the trick and get the homely little boys to come over and buy you a dink and it never happens.
Sad :-(

So you go home and dream about some hot and steamy encounter, waking up disgusted because it was only a dream and your sick and tired of being sick and tired and BORED with men (boys= men who are too sweet to approach a girl)

But after wrestling with that unsettling thought for a while now, I've come to the conclusion that I want to be like people in Vienna. And what, might you ask are Viennians like? I've never been, so I couldn't tell you from personal experience, but a friend of mine just came back from there and said it's a wonderful thing: they go out to be with friends, not to drink or to prowl the streets for men/women. They go out to deepen their friendships. I'm sure this comes intact with looking the person you're talking to in the eye and not giving them the cock-eye while watching for the next victim. I'm sure this entails being consumed with your current moment, and not anticipating squat! I'm sure the people in Vienna are supremely good people, friends and much happier than if they were going out looking for the end of the rainbow every night and coming home empty handed.

Ah, yes! This is my new goal in life-- and not just on the weekend nights but to be present in all moments and Viennian in all things (I believe I just made up a new word!!)

Cheers! Here's to the NEW!! (and hopefully the stunning men that come with it)

2008-11-10T13:26:00.001-07:00

I wish that I had something more juicy for you...but I don't.

What's wrong with the men of this world that they can't seem to see something they want and go after it without getting all tripped up and fall flat on their faces. I went out both nights this past weekend (which is big for me) and neither night was the magic I had hoped it would be.

Animal Love

2008-11-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Man, why can't love always be this easy!??!?!

Day 1

2008-11-07T14:44:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Being my first blog post, if this is anything like my real first time, I expect it to be fast and to give me a headache!

Oh, I’m joking.

But I am excited about having my blog cherry popped! And now that you know my business, I want to hear yours. I have said a little bit about who I am in the wonderful space above, but it’s important for me to underline the fact that I am young woman- currently unemployed in this time of disgusting wide-spread unemployment, with nothing better to do than bite my nails and blog- who is single and looking for the same answers as you are. So please tell me who you are and what's on your mind. In the words of John Mayer, "Say what you need to say"

I am going out tonight to the opening of my friend’s jewelry store. And while you never know when someone worth getting all guzzied up for might pop up, should I really get my best outfit out hoping that it- meaning I- will catch some young hopeful gent’s eye and more importantly that something will actually come out of it. Like a date!

“Oh I thought that was just an urban myth…the date!” exclaims the angel.

“Don’t be such a softy, dates don’t really happen. Just lame text messages!” the devil dares

I am often torn, like the image of then poor soul with the sappy angel on one shoulder and the fiery devil on the other, between hopeful love and cynical hopelessness. And let me tell you that this is a thin line!

REGARDLESS… I’m going out on a Friday night and while it would be most excellent to wake up tomorrow morning with a smile on my face because I met some super stud (or at least a nice guy…), I have my doubts.

Stay Tuned....