Week went by fast; super busy at work the first half, then playing catch-up the rest.

I saw Just-In-Case at the dreaded Wednesday meeting. He talked a lot and I was reminded why I have put no effort into “running into him” other than that one time. He is very cute (and seems pretty nice) but I could probably not stand to hang out with him one on one. Why is it that a Facebook comment from a Canadian Libertarian who I will never meet makes me smile way more than politely engaging in small talk IN PERSON with Just-In-Case?

I have absolutely no plans for the weekend other than going to the gym and perhaps working on KSAs.

My habit of reading PF blogs is making me kind of obsessive about my own finances. I’ve been fairly aggressive with saving the past 6 months (even with my clothing expenditures) but no matter how much I save, I worry it is still not enough of a cushion to move to DC on. (Not that I’ll move until I have a job, but my expenses will increase DRAMATICALLY). Right now, I am focusing on a fund that is specifically for moving related expenses.  I am keeping it completely separate from my emergency fund, which is in a local savings account and I cannot take money out of it without physically walking into one of the locations. I figure that keeps it pretty safe, and even more well guarded when/if I move to DC.

And of course, I’m still debating the Roth IRA thing, and if I want to get REALLY neurotic I can say “well the time I am wasting considering an IRA is time that my contributions could be growing.” I did one of those retirement calculators on my 401(k) plan and it is all like IF THE MARKET PERFORMS BADLY YOU WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH. So maybe I should just part with some of my hoarded savings and open a Roth IRA?

I should just ask my dad for advice. He is the most sensible person about these things.

Also, daylight savings time this weekend, so we lose an hour. First of all, fuck George Bush, because daylight savings time is EARLIER than it used to be (it is entirely possible that it did used to be at this time and then it got moved back for whatever reason, but I don’t feel like looking it up). Secondly, daylight savings is a GIANT scam. Finally, because we turn our clocks ahead now, and UK doesn’t for another two weeks (THANKS A LOT BUSH) it makes things very confusing at work, and really, logistically speaking it makes NO SENSE that the UK be just 4 hours ahead of us.

Insert requisite comments from my physics/philosophy friends about how time doesn’t really exist. And with that, it’s the weekend.

Hm, I’ve blogged about the SOTU many times.

It took me two hours to get to work this morning due to the snow and people not knowing how to drive.

I think I have applied for every job in DC that I am possibly interested in, minus the government jobs, which just require an insane amount of time per application. Is it hypocritical for a libertarian to work for the federal governemnt? Possibly yes, but if I want to get to DC it may be in my self interest.

Speaking of libertarian idea(l)s, we were discussing the SOTU on The Libertarian Message Board last night. There was of course nothing surprising or new about Obama’s speech. He does not make me rageful in the ways that GWB did, but the alleged Savior of the left sure has been pretty useless. The Dems are such pussies. Anyway, my idea was I want someone to run for president on the campaign of Doing Nothing. No initiatives, no new government programs, no changes, NOTHING. Just keep the status quo and grind government action to a halt.

Of course, the logistics of the government “grinding to a halt” are a bit more complicated (but just a bit, I swear), but the theory behind stalemate is solid. People on both sides complain that lack of bi-partisanship makes it impossible to get anything done, but I’m fine with the two parties bickering their way into inaction. People on both sides also complain when their party isn’t in power in either Congress or the Presidency about the other party having an unchecked mandate. (The mandate, with which, the Dems have still been unable (unwilling) to put together a healthcare bill)

So I say we elect a bunch of underachievers with no ambition of achieving greatness. That’s where we also get in trouble. The idea that the government can give us all these wonderful things. Not only does it set you up for disappointment (which I think the Obama campaign did, for a lot of people) it makes you forget that the government shouldn’t be providing these things in the first place.  (A government big enough to give you anything, is big enough to take everything away.

I was up way too late last night, and then there was the commute from hell and I am supposed to actually be social tonight but I’m half hoping we have to postpone due to weather. Suburbia is killing my motivation.

bush is all like ‘the terrorists hate us because of our freedom and so we must defeat them at all costs’ and carl schmitt would be like ‘dude, if you want to go to war, that’s fine, but at least admit the real reasons’ other thinkers look at this and they’re like ‘oh that’s just bush, being the sovereign and declaring the exception’ but they totally forget that the exception isn’t supposed to be like, forever. schmitt would be like, totally annoyed with bush’s conduct

a new tax break (that is in reality a tax increase, according to some.. since there are few details, who the hell knows)
actually doing something about oil use? (raising cafe? actually he said reform.. which likely means new loopholes if he gets his way)
stay the course (iraq)
stay the course (immigration)
stay the course (nclb)
stay the course (9/11 fear 9/11)
token black guy
throwing away a few billion in africa (okay yes humanitarian aid is great but why is it in the state of the UNION?)

I step away from my computer/lair for a few hours yesterday and look at what happens. Bush also admitted that he said that Rummy would be staying when he was pretty sure that that wouldn’t be the case. There had apparently been some discussion before midterms about Rummy leaving and Liebs being Sec of Defense (since Dems getting a majority in the Senate assumes that that outragist stays a Democrat) and then Rell gets to pull in a GOPist in CT. But my response is “Why would Liebs want to be Secretary of Defense? Iraq is still a mess and anyone who takes on the position is going to have a horrible time. Anyway, Robert Gates has already been mentioned (although not confirmed) as a Rummy replacement so there goes that theory.

Anyway, I’m just watching all the post-midterm elections stuff. Kevin is very happy and I am chastising/teasing him about it; as Jon Stewart ”Democrats are feeling something they haven’t felt in a while: hope…um…yeah good luck with that”

But I have to admit – the GOPist base might finally be fractured enough to screw them over. And that would be good.

There are times when I forget that I hate George W. Bush. I am a disillusioned former government major. I didn’t even vote for John Kerry. I dated a Republican. Yes, there are times, when I forget that George W. Bush is a complete fucking moron.

CliffNotes version of the scenario: Hurricane hits. Oil distribution is severely effected. Prices rise rapidly, and are predicted to rise further. Bush comes out and speaks against “price-grouging at the gasoline pump,”

Now, Bush’s overall economic policy has proven to me that he knows nothing about Basic Economics, but this is really ridiculous. It’s such simple supply-and-demand economics, and the fact that he would attribute the price rise to greedy individuals trying to take advantage of the victims of the Hurricane reeks of Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog mentality.

Oil distribution and production were disrupted. When the supply of a product is drastically reduced, it makes sense that the price would rise, as the demand, in real terms, remains the same. The price rise is what causes the demand to fall, simply; people will be less inclined to be frivolous with the product because it isn’t worth the price. This is what allows the market to eventually stabilize (I have the utmost respect for The Invisible Hand theory.) The problem is, that in the short term, the supply crush causes big price increases and that when combined with the fear mongering media, causes a spectacle, which causes the Federal Government to get even more paternalistic.

Hawaii has gone so far as to institute “price controls” in which they use legal measures to keep the prices below the level needed to effectively reduce demand, and compound the problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if other states – or hell, the federal-fucking-government – follows suite. This time of intervention is extremely dangerous when dealing with a limited resource such as fuel, because it causes the consumers to demand, at the government fixed price, more then the supplies can provide, which leads to shortages. I cite Soviet Russia as the prime example. “Oh, that’s an extreme case, you can’t compare the two.”; How do you think it began? Russia wasn’t collectivized in a day you know.
It starts with media frenzy and government paternalism and then the whole thing just breaks down in a rather inefficient mess.

If I were HTML-savvy enough to start a blog right now, I would. And I would have no choice but to title it “Terri Schiavo Made Me Start A Blog” (Side Note: I think blogspot is my first choice for blogging, but I think you need some HTML knowledge just to add links and stuff. Any advice? For real this time? I have an office job now and lots of time to blog)

Anyway.

I can’t believe I’ve been sucked into this stupid case.

YWS: we had to do one of those stupid arts and crafts projects in health today where we have to cut pictures out of magazines

YWS:: I picked up and opened a Time magazine and saw the table of contents

YWS:: talking about how ‘Bush’ was planning a space program for Mars in order to boost the technological age, restore purpose to NASA, etc

YWS:  SPACE: America should embark on a mission to Mars
Two decades after the first moon landing, President Bush has a chance to launch an ambitious, long-term program that will give NASA a goal and restore the nation’s technological prowess.

YWS: I saw another article about Isreal/palestine ESSAY: If the Palestinians win, so will Isreal.
The dangerous notion that the intifadeh must be defeated rather than calmed transcendes Isreal’s current political crisis. True statesmen would seek victory for everyone.

YWS:  Then I flipped to the front of the magazine

YWS: it was from 1989!

Me: thats really horrible

YWS: hilarity

Me: this proves that bush is not like FDR, nor mckinley. bush is like bush

YWS: along with another ’89 one about the Supreme Court setting the stage for a corrosive political fight by upholding a restrictive abortion law

YWS: who the hell compared Bush to FDR?

Me: a lot of people. cuz he’s a wartime president whose massively expanding the government

To add to that, um, stirring comparison…Kuzma compared Bush to FDR, because Bush ‘used his instincts, not facts, to guide his foreign policy.’ This was before September 11, but I think it still speaks volumes.

Kerry won the NH primaries!

Had a relatively good conversation with someone about the primaries today regarding “Anybody but Bush, Any Democrat but Dean.” Oh sure, I’ll vote for Dean if he’s the nominee, but really people

What the liberals don’t seem to understand is that the centrist vote is desperately needed. The centrist/swing vote is one of the only sectors that matters in this election. Dems will vote for Dems, Republicans will vote for Republicans, especially in this election. The Dems desperatly, desperately need a candidate who can get the swing votes. These ‘swing votes’ aren’t people who are ‘afraid’ of liberals or Dean’s radicalism or whatever. They just aren’t that liberal.

It will be terrible if Bush wins. Those supreme court justices are getting old…It means a lot of things, but the thing I am personally most worried about (and yes, I know there are certainly more pressing issues, etc) is abortion. I am vehemently pro-choice and can’t stand the thought of that right taken away, blahblahblah pro-choice cakes. That’s another reason I support Kerry over Dean. He’s been far more outspoken regarding woman’s right to choose then Dean. Not that I think Dean would ever try to take away abortion rights, he just won’t do anything to a) protect them b) get rid of some of the ridiculous regulations.

.
I have a lot more to say, but I am too brain-numbed right now. GO 351 is going to kick my ass. I need to spend some quality time with my 10 lb Shakespeare tome. Looks like I’ve got a hot date for the weekend!

In other news, the third eye blind song is STILL in my head. I get songs in my head and they stay there forever.

New plan: Quit government major. Become evil doer and build weather machine to make Upstate NY less of a tundra. Whose with me?? If I’m an evil doer I need a following of conspirators who help me out and follow my orders!

I think I also need a life..

I don’t have much to say about it, actually. It wasn’t a surprise, it’s publicized days before what he’s going to say, and its stuff that Bush has already said a million times before. Blah, blah, blah war on terror, blah blah, blah, Iraq, and then for good measure, blah, blah, blah, drugs are bad, gays are bad.

It’s just not shocking anymore, because he’s Dubya, and that’s what he says, and it isn’t anything new. The Democratic response was equally predictable. Both Daschele and Pelosi were very creepy in the manner in which they delievered their responses — I think they popped 1000 valium before they went out. I’m glad Pelosi is minority leader, because she proves that women can now be just as incompetent as men, and still be in politics. That’s a step forward or smtg.

The State of the Union is rather anti-climatic, because they have to tell us for days before what the president is going to speak about. And then its the same as any speech he would give anyway, same rhetoric, etc.

Except this year his ‘plan’ was for job training instead of electric cars. Woo.

To steal from Bill Maher, and paraphrase a bit, this is my interpretation of what the state of the union will sound like:

<GWB>

FOCUS FOCUS! War on terror! War on terror! Saddam was captured! Captured! I did it Daddy, I got the bad man! War on terror! Iraq! Weapons of mass destruction! Destruction, of mass kind! FOCUS FOCUS WEAPONS OF MASS DESCRUCTION. Rebuild Rebuild, Billions, FOCUS FOCUS WAR ON TERROR, PROTECTION FROM TERRORISM WAR ON TERROR, protection from WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, IRAQ, iraq, Saddam is Captured, ALERT ALERT Al-Queeda, FOCUS SAFETY WAR ON TERROR, 9/11, 9/11, terrorists, scary, bad Muslims, keep them away! Focus, FOCUS WAR ON TERROR, terror, destruction…MARS

Anyway, the results of Iowa caucus we’re surprising at first, but then when you started to think about it, not that surprising at all.

Kerry won, and although he has no personality, he might be the most qualified of any of the Dems to be president. Plus he’s a Vietnam vet, so they can’t go after him for a military record. A lot of libs don’t like that he voted for the war, but he’s certainly a much better option then Bush. Anyone but Bush…Edwards was second, and although he’s a little too into God for me (he’s Southern) at least he has charisma. A Kerry/Edwards ticket could be pretty powerful against the Bush Dynasty.

Dean was a distance third, and I’m pleasantly surprised. Dean is just unelectable. In addition, I don’t like him. I don’t know why I don’t like him, but I don’t. I mentioned to Brent that it was irrational for me to dislike him for being ‘phony’ because all politicians are phony, but Dean’s brand of phoniness really bugs me! He’s also kind of scary with his anger. He made this really crazy concession speech about how ‘I have only begun to fight’ and he just looked like he was rabid.

Dean’s not really running on anything besides contradicting Bush with the whole Iraq situation. Which someone needs to say, obviously, but he’s made himself into a sound byte candidate. So we went to war, and you didn’t like it. So what.

Most of the candidates have realized that in the minds of voters, that’s in the past. Foreign policy is still a key issue, and they need to have a viable platform. Dean just spouts rhetoric on the subject. That’s certainly not saying that any of the other candidates have any less rhetorical, but at least they’re saying something other than “the war is bad. Bush is bad. I wouldn’t have gone to Iraq.” Because yes Dr. Dean, we already know that, now how about telling us what you are planning on doing?

Dean’s supporters keep saying that people are ‘afraid’ of nominating someone so far left. The thing is, Dean isn’t as far left as he’s pretending to be, if you actually look at his past record. He’s not any more ‘liberal’ in American political terms than Kerry or Edwards. He’s just good at using the right catchphrases right now. And while that’s attracted a certain type of voter, its simply not realistic, and he hasn’t really done anything but complain. Someone like Kerry, Edwards, and Clark CAN get the centrist vote, which, whether lefties like it or not, is going to essential in this election. It has nothing to do with fear, or control, or any of those things Dean keeps spouting. It IS about electability, because its about getting rid of George Bush, and if the Dems could show a united front instead of bitching and nitpicking at each other, then maybe that would be possible.

I still like Clark, but I think the other military guy (Kerry) will beat him out in NH. If Edwards does decently in NH its also going to be a huge boost to the campaign because a lot of the Super Tuesday primaries are in the South. This is actually an exciting primary for once, unlike 2000. Stupid Al Gore. Stupid, stupid Al Gore and the wasted nomination.

In other news, the state of the union is tonight, which is the ultimate in rhetoric. I always get angry about it. Stupid Bush. I really, really, really hope he loses in November.

Scary Picture of Cheney

As Kevin says, Cheney is playing Himler what with his desire for a Final Solution for the Iraqi people.

And Bush said:

“the war in iraq is going well… i don’t care what you s… i don’t care what you read”

So here, there was a meeting of Howard Dean supporters, and there was a false email sent out that Dean would actually be here.

Which he wasn’t, obviously. Why would Howard Dean come and speak here, in Davis auditorium tha tonly seats about 100 people?

Anyway, on the GWB front, it’s not so much him I hate, it’s the people who fall for his nonsense. This is six months from the fall of the regime in Iraq, and his bs declaration of “major combat over.”  What is of course infuriating is that the same people that jumped on Bill C for lying about a blow job have yet to jump on Bush of course)

If Bill C. had tried to go to war the was Bush did, he would have no domestic support, whereas people rally around Bush with “our president, right or wrong?”

Me: at the lecture today the guy referred to bush as “shifty” which i thought was a good description

Brent: it is, he’s like a crafty ape

Me: well he was talking about how we’ve lost whatever credibility we might have had, because we should have started doing something about regaining stablity in the region as soon as bush declared major combat over, but bush keeps changing the direction of the mission

and he wants to do things so it works out around election time, which is impossible

Brent: those crazy bush planners… what won’t they do!

Me: you can’t bring democracy to a country thats ethnically and religiously fragmented, and has never had democracy and has no gov’t structure in 8 months, which is what they want to do

Brent: what they’ll end up with is a weak democracy that falls apart quickly

Me: well look at afghanistan. We set up government there quickly, it was real successful

Brent: well no one cares about that

Me: exactly “Thats not the issue”

When I was home for Rosh Hassanah, pretending to be a good Jew, The American President was on every night on … TBS? It might have been something else, but anyway, they have this thing where they play a movie Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, so, being bored, I watched the movie, at least in part, several times this weekend.

And Michael Douglas/Andrew Shepard should be president. He makes jokes! He plays pool! He makes integrity-ridden no-real-president-would-ever-make-or-he’d-be-out-in-the-next-election speeches AND gets the lobbyist chick. He’s like Clinton only younger and single!

He’d be a hell of a lot better than the current man in office.

My hate for George W. Bush, aka “only the second worst president…after Jamienne Studley” is growing steadily. I think by November, it will be so great, that if he wins, I will have to leave the country. But don’t hold me to that, because I’ll be a senior in college, and I’ll have to finish that before there can be any country leaving!

So there’s an entry. What more can you expect at 9:20 in the morning???

Threat rating: Medium. Your total lack of decent
family values makes you dangerous, but we can
count on some right wing nutter blowing you up
if you become too high profile.

What threat to the Bush administration are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

“On March 5, a nationwide event entitled ‘Students Strike for Books, Not Bombs” will take place. College students are encouraged to walk out of class and participate in day-long activities conducive to bringing world peace. The walkout also serves to protest the general actions of the Bush administration….”

(i.e. we really don’t have an objective so we’re just going be say we’re anti-Bush)

This was included in Student Announcements and my response is to ask “What has Skidmore Done Wrong?”

Read the rest of this entry »

“What the US Does Wrong” is turning into a very good class and very timely.

Sum up of the night:

US Motivations for war in Iraq—many Europeans, and even some Americans think that Bush is in this for oil. There are so many logical reasons why that is false that were presented tonight.

First of all, we could get all the oil we wanted from Iraq if we would lift the goddamn economic sanctions. Basically, we’re just being stubborn. We want Iraq to do things our way, be democratic and humanitarian and stop building weapons that we ourselves possess. So it isn’t like Saddam Hussein is unwilling to sell us oil – we’re just being spiteful.
Cheaper oil prices aren’t what Bush is after either. If we won a war in Iraq, we would have to rebuild both the government and the oil industry at a huge, huge expense. (Besides, people say that Saddam would just torch the oil fields on the way out, Elias Wyatt style. And I wouldn’t blame him. Saddam is a dictator, but he runs an authoritarian, not a totalitarian regime. Basically, people there don’t hate him as much as the US wants you to think. And even if they did, it is not our right to intervene. It makes sense that he would torch his oil fields, if we won’t let him have them, why should he let us have them) Furthermore, those who say Bush is a player for the oil companies: this may be so, but Bush is invested in domestic oil companies. If prices fall low on the foreign market it negatively impacts the domestic market, ie causes Bush to lose money. Finally, the reason gas prices are so high now are not because of the possibility of war with Iraq, its because of the strike in Venezuela. If we were really after cheap oil prices we’d be sending troops to Caracaus.

On Inevitability
Many, including my professor feel war is inevitable. I thought it was until about a week ago. All this ‘duct tape and plastic sheets’ are just indications that maybe this is boiling down, and they just need something to say… Plus, the strategy of the US has been undermined by the UN calling for more time. Quite simply, you can’t fight a war in Iraq in the summer. That why the last war in the Persian Gulf took place in January. Basically, its already too late. If we want a war in Iraq that we can win, we may have to wait until next year.

Someone suggested today that we will look back at this period in history and say we waited too long. That war was necessary, and we waited too long. That may be true. I do not think we should be going to war in this situation, but the manner in which we have involved ourselves may make war the best option. We may have dug ourselves into a grave, and the only way out is combat. I’m sure that outrages a lot of people who vehemently dissent to the war, but it is only a logical consideration. Maybe people should start thinking “what are the consequences of NOT going to war”

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/09/sprj.irq.poll/index.html

75% of Americans think war is inevitable. It probably is. That doesn’t mean anything as far as war being right or wrong goes. It just means it will probably happen — Bush and his cronies want this war, and there’s really nothing we can do to stop it. Instead, I believe we should concentrate in dealing with the US becomming a ‘nation at war.’

Obviously, there’s a great deal of dissent as far as war goes. But people are dissenting for different reasons, and that will affects how they react to the outbreak of war. I think very few people understand the consequences, not just of going to war, but of losing this war.

People are so wrapped up in being against the war, that they forget how much this inevitability will affect their lives. Perhaps instead of concentrating on the useless task of trying to change Bush’s mind, these energies would be better spent on war effort.