Economy

… and good luck! You’re going to need it!

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I wish President-elect Obama, and all of us for that matter, good luck.  One study states
that Massachusetts' unemployment rate will rise from 5.5% now to well
over 8% in Q3 2010.  With the US unemployment rate currently at 6.5%
and the broadest measure of Un/Underemployment, aka U6, at over 11%, Q3 2010 will be an unpleasant place for US workers.

Looks like the best policy is a massive increase in federal government spending on public infrastructure, energy conservation (someone has to install energy efficient windows and insulate homes), aid to states and localities, a health care system that covers everyone (oh say single payer), etc.

Krugman thinks that $600 billion of deficit spending is enough.  If the auto industry goes into bankruptcy, I can see needing much more than that, likely even if they don't, what with the rate at which the economy is falling. 

That said, I am not convinced that bailing out the big three automakers is a good idea, at least not without getting rid of upper management.  After all, these are the same folks who got themselves into this mess.  When the bailout is four time the market cap of the big three, perhaps the US government should just buy them.  Heck, the UAW and AFL-CIO might have enough in their strike funds to buy a good chunk of them.  51% and the unions get to call the shots and really make upper management's heads roll.

Politics

Congratulations, Mr. President-elect!

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A delayed congratulations to Barack Obama, for winning a resounding victory as President of the United States.  I did not vote for him, as I followed Eugene Debs' saying that "I’d rather vote for something I want and not get it, than vote for something I don’t want, and get it," and voted for Cynthia McKinney instead. 

Most of my motivation in voting for Cynthia was that I felt she was the best candidate for the job.  However, another of my motivations was simply that she is the candidate of MY PARTY, and, DAMMIT, I support the nominee of my party, especially one who is devoting her time, money and effort to run.  I have been a candidate for a commonwealth-wide office twice.  Running for political office is difficult.  It puts a strain on your life and can put a wedge between you and your family.  As such, I cannot, in good conscience, turn my back on my own party's nominee.

For a Green-Rainbow to say that they won't support our nominee because we need to make sure Obama wins Massachusetts, as if there was any doubt about that, well … it makes angry.  I'll still love them and work with them, but it makes me wonder whether they will have my back.  As Utah Phillips has told us many times:

They were the people working down at the bottom, in the forest, in the mines, in the wheat harvest. Old Jack Miller, who ran the Citizen's Center up in Seattle, Washington, once said, “When we started in the forest, we spoke two different languages, and most of us had never been to school, and we couldn't read or write. We lived in our emotions, and we were comfortable there. We made decisions in our lives for which there is no language. We made commitments to change, to struggle for which there are no words. But those commitments carried us through fifty or sixty years of struggle. You show me people who make the same commitments intellectually, and I don't know where they'll be next week.” And then he added to that hardest of all things, he said that, “We, speaking all those languages, hardly speak to each other. Armed only with our degradation as human beings, we came together and changed the conditions of our labor and the conditions of our lives. You young people, with all you've got, why can't you do that?” Now, that's a very serious charge to lay at our feet.

That said, I am proud that the US finally elected its first African American President.  Took a far too long.

Economy

The rich are different from you and me. …Yes, they have more money.

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I saw this back in October, but have been too busy to post, what with Cynthia McKinney's campaign, work and family. 

Doug Henwood reported this set of statistics about the distribution of wealth in the US in 2004.  By 2007, it was likely even more skewed to the wealthy than these numbers are.  For 2008, perhaps, it is less so.  However, while I have a feeling the wealth of those 10% with the most wealth have fallen noticeably, what with stock market falling 50% from its high, I have a feeling that the half of the population with the least wealth, have seen their wealth actually go negative since the housing boom went very bust.

What this table shows is the value of assets (Residential – i.e. home(s) & Nonresidential – i.e. stocks/bonds/etc.) owned by different segments of the US population in 2004.  The first row is the average over the whole population.  0-50 is the 50% of the US population with the least assets, etc.

% Residential Nonresidential
avg $111,055 $337,211
0-50 $12,859 $9,975
50-90 $134,217 $179,308
90-95 $299,964 $775,946
95-99 $549,156 $2,145,622
99-100 $1,423,091 $13,826,364
Miniatures, When Imagination Fails

I am weak

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I gave into temptation and got some the Agents of Gaming B5 ancients and Fleet Action scale Whitestars.  After cleaning and removing the flashing, I primed them as well as the Vorlon destroyers and three of the Shadow Scouts.  Man, those Shadow Scouts are great looking miniatures.  Out of scale, but great looking.

Oh well, more stuff to paint.

Ecology, Politics

The Opposition – Registering Green in 2008

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Posted with permission from Jeremy Cannon.  He sums things up pretty well.

On November 4th, 2008, I will be eligible to vote in my first federal election.

On the ballot will be what seems like the scripted tale of American
governance: The "maverick" war hero Republican and the smooth talking
young Democrat.

Who really wins in this ballet of moderation?

I know who will lose:

People seeking effective universal healthcare.

McCain plans on tearing down any real way to assist people in getting
healthcare with what is the most conservative healthcare plan I have
ever heard be promoted nationally.
Obama has a plan with a lot of specifics that don't add up and when
they do add up, it doesn't equal universal healthcare and sounds far
more expensive than it is helpful.

People seeking marriage equality.

McCain and Obama agree – gay people should not get married.

People seeking an end to war.

McCain and Obama have both voted, whenever possible, to continue the
War in Iraq. Obama was not in the Senate when it started, but he has
voted to fund it every time.

McCain and Obama agree, we need more troops in Afghanistan. Not a
different strategy on combating global terrorism, but more troops in
Afghanistan.

People seeking education reform.

McCain and Obama agree with Bush – charter schools are a good solution.

People seeking privacy.

McCain and Obama voted to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act and for FISA.

People seeking clean energy.

Both McCain and Obama have expressed support for the oxymoron of an idea of "clean coal".
Both McCain and Obama have expressed support for nuclear power.
Both McCain and Obama have expressed support for offshore drilling,
even though Obama had clearly been against it until he made his recent
switch.
Senator Obama voted FOR the Energy Policy Act of 2005 – which amounts
to a $12,300,000,000 subsidy for big oil and nuclear power.

People seeking budget reform.

Both McCain and Obama have voted consistently for Bush's budgets.

People seeking electoral reform.

Both McCain and Obama have supported excluding people from the debates that do not agree with their corporate agenda.

People seeking corporate accountability

Both McCain and Obama supported the bail out. The same one that
continues to allow people to do the same things that led to the current
economic mess.

You get the idea: John McCain and Barack Obama win – the majority
continues to lose. I will not vote for this. I cannot consciously
support either major party candidate.

So what will I do? I will vote for the candidate that represents me best.
This radical idea was not mine first, admittedly, as George Washington
himself opposed the party system. I do not oppose the party system, I
oppose the TWO party system.

So, I registered Green.

The Green Party, like many other third parties, is funded by the people (not corporations) and provides answers:

YES to Single-Payer Healthcare – accessible to all citizens.
YES to a living wage.
YES to marriage equality – no more discrimination.
YES to ending wars.
YES to education reform.
YES to privacy.
YES to clean energy – no oil or nuclear money.
YES to budget reform.
YES to electoral reform – more than two candidates!
YES to corporate accountability.

I, no longer, have to wonder what will happen to the poor family that
can't afford healthcare, the working mom that just can't make enough
money, the gay couple ready to tie the knot, the brother in Iraq, the
children who need to learn, the conversations I have in private, the
planet I love to live on, the money I spend, the people I vote for, and
the unchecked corporate fat cats that have squandered our future for
their own gain.

The Green Party has the answers to the questions I asked.

Maybe the Green Party doesn't answer questions in the way you support,
but a different third party probably does. I URGE you to look up a
party that supports what you want NOW, not tomorrow.

Yours,
Jeremy Cannon

Current Affairs

Well, guess $700 billion still isn’t enough

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The Big Picture has a good post about what the true potential cost of the government's bailout of Wall Street could cost us: over $ 2.25 trillion.  The break down is:

  • $250 billion of capital into banks;

  • Guarantee $1.5 trillion in new senior debt issued by banks;

  • Insure $500 billion
    in deposits in noninterest-bearing accounts (primarily businesses accounts).

Now, with any luck, the government won't have to make good on these promises.  Well except for the $250 billion invested into banks in exchange for shares with NO VOTING RIGHTS.  So we take the risk and get no say in how the bank is run.  Just freaking marvelous!

With the $2 trillion promised by the European Union countries, we are talking over $4 trillion in government guarantees.  Yes, Wall Street has left us one very large hangover.

Celebrity

I crossed a line …

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I crossed a line today.  Till now I have confined my "friends" on sites like facebook to people with whom I have interacted.  I crossed that line today by "friending" Naomi Klein, author of one of my favorite books on globalized corporations, No Logo.  This seems to be the actual person and not a fan page.  Facebook is now a little less personal, I guess.  Hopefully, I'll keep this status to facebook and not the other sites on which I am .

The musings of Jamie O'Keefe: pirate party activist, geek, father and gamer.