The Bailout Business (and other miscellaneous topics)

Good evening,

So although I promised I would talk about the road forward, this post is much more than just that. Do not worry; I'll get to that. But I'd first like to talk about books I've been reading as of late.

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I guess I'll start with something interesting: Nietszche. I am currently working my way through his On the Genealogy of Morals, and, although I'm sure I can't properly understand it page for page, I absolutely enjoy it. Nietszche's logic is so definite (it is rare to get lost in his prose), his breadth of knowledge so expansive (his subjects of choice, of course, include classical philology), his analytic prowess so spectacular (I find myself giddy with excitement), and his humor so unapologetically cynical (just matching myself), that the only thing preventing me from reading more quickly is my general sloth. And that is too bad. Imagine if I could read a book a day, or at least every two days! By now, I'd be done with Nietszche, past criticizing Kant, through with Camus, and on my way to writing my own book! But seriously, it is an infintely interesting book to read. I should go back and read Beyond Good and Evil, but my interests are still too sporadic too focus in on him for too long a period of time. I'm not writing a paper on existentialism, really.

Just to think aloud for a bit. The first essay in the book, "Good and Evil; Good and Bad," explains how Nietszche sees two distinct moralities in the history of man. He sees the classical "master" morality and the reactionary "slave" morality of Judeo-Christianity. Obviously, he condemns the "slave" morality of the past thousands of years, but such a move is still working within me. Is assertion of oneself bad? Is humility and sacrifice good? If the power of Christianity lies in the crucifixion, willing on His part, of Jesus, God, is such a sacrifice something really to strive for? Nietszche despises such "slave" thinking. He sees it as cowardly and unbefitting of the greatness of man. I think ultimately he seeks to raise up all of humanity to a higher moral standard. Indeed, his studies in morality were partly an attempt to replace Judeo-Christian values with more empiracal or true ones, considering what he saw as the death of God in our society. His morality seeks to do that.

As I said before, I'm still reading, so my ideas are probably really rough. Maybe I'll comment on it later on when I finish, but, for now, that's my understanding.

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Side note: SO DO READ The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. IT IS THE FUNNIEST BOOK I HAVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF READING.

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During the 2nd quarter (yes, some time age), I read Thomas Pynchon's Slow Learner. A collection of five short stories from his early years of writing (four of the five while he was still enrolled at Cornell University), it is an excellent fictional read. For any familiar with Pynchon's style, you can almost see it developing here over the course of the book. I didn't take to all the stories; "The Small Rain" was good, "Low-Lands" was OK, "Entropy" was good, "Under the Rose" was excellent, and "The Secret Integration" was very good. My fave is obviosly "Under the Rose," a story about facing the uncontrollable forces of history, coming to terms with oneself, and living in anonymous love for others (i.e.: Porpentine loves "humanity," though can't love individual persons). The characters are realistic, humorous, and well developed for the length of the story, the setting and plot is exciting, and the language and style classic Pynchon -- intelligent, allusiatory (is this a word?), and memorable. This is the second book by Pynchon I have actually read (though the third I own). Some day I will dig up the courage to read Gravity's Rainbow, a massively intimidating masterpiece that has since conquered me twice, each time before I was 50 pages in. :( It has been almost a year now since then, so I may just find the time. Until then, I encouage Pynchon reading whole-heartedly.

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Now that I've bored you with my reading interests, I'll move on the topics of promise. First, bailout business (as the title suggests).

To "bail out" a private corporation in the United States is nothing short of criminal. America was founded on free market principles. This means that government should not interfere in the economic business of the people. (I will put aside all other U.S. anti-capitalist atrocities, for the time being.) This I will defend until the end: freedom. And freedom of economics is most fundamental of all.

Even though one could argue that this current financial (turning systemic) crisis was actually caused by government policy, I will (for argument's sake) enter at the point of "corporate salvation." AIG needs money. BoA needs money. GM, Ford, Chrysler need money. Heck, I need money. "But our company is critical to the stability of the U.S. economy," they tell me. "We employ 200,000 workers in central Michigan." Well . . . you should have thought of that 5 years ago, 10 years ago!

We must first see the situation for what it is: recession. There, I said it. Now that we know what we have, let's try and figure out where it came from. "Where it came from?!" "Why do we need to know that? Let's just fix it, already!" personally, I would rather not have experiments performed on the economy when people's lives are at stake. Let's actually do the right thing first. The right thing. That is, what is right. Get it? Now what works, not what saves homeowners, ro businesses, or my seat in congress. The right thing. Is it right for the mob to take your money at gunpoint, see how they want to use it, and invest in companies that, not only serve a special interest in the economy, but actually are founded are terrible business models? I guess this is where we either agree or disagree.

Disagree-ers? What do you have to say? You want MY MONEY, the FRUITS OF MY LABOR, put malinvested in the stocks of your best-friend's corporation? Do you think that YOU know better than the market? There is a reason why that company (AIG, GM, etc.) should fail: OBVIOUSLY no one wants it! Otherwise, they wouldn't be having money problems. Let it go. The market is yelling, "LET IT GO!" Have our money invested as we want it, in education, in food, in fuel, in a new house (that we can afford :) ), in a car, or in another company. Maybe we'll just hold it up in our homes, under our beds, for a while. So what, it's still in the system; it's just not in use at the moment. Why don't you find somewhere for it, the money in existance now, to go, instead of dreaming up new money for people to spend elsewhere. Stop the madness! Stop the madness! Stop the madness!

GM must not be bailed out. GM will be bailed out.

We must not "create" another trillion dollars this year. It's done.

The United States must not yield to international pressures (especially from Sarkozy). Obama loves the French.

America is the greatest capitalistic nation on earth. America is no longer capitalistic.

I love America. I hate America.

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If you work on an essay assignment 10 minutes a day, it will be easily finished by the time the due date arrives.

If you work on your college applications 10 minutes a day, you'd be finished by May of your Junior year.

THAT, my friends, is the advice of the week.

So, yes, I have been working for weeks on my apps. No, I am not finished. I won't go through the laundry list of places I'm applying to, though I do say that the nerves are rattling. My apps aren't in, the deadline's a month away, and I have to wait months to hear anything. If anything, this is a great reason not to go to college and just work your way up to VP of Starbucks from the cashier's position.

All in all, though, I enjoy my application. It's tedious, infuriating, and mind-numbing. I hate my days (and can't sleep at night). I don't write about myself well. I suck at the whole interview-thing. I'm not good at meeting deadlines. I procrastinate (even on that which I should never!). And yet, I am learning a great deal about myself, and so I relish each new day of work.

I don't think colleges really care about letting people in. The apps are there as another learning experience, as much as math tests, finals, and research papers. With so many questions, and essays which force you to think about yourself, the application is the perfect learning tool. I won't be surprised if they start using it in classrooms down to the fifth grade as an exercise in maturity.

Of course, I guess I am wasting time that could be used for applications by maintaining this blog, but, eh, so what.

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Ever watch Ovation! channel?

I don't usually, but this weekend were two very good documentaries on two very good architects. I guess this appeals mostly to me (but what on this blog doesn't). The two were on I.M. Pei and Daniel Libeskind, American architects of foreign birth that have revolutionized the world or architecture. I.M. Pei, of course, has done famous buildings as the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and the renovation to The Louvre Museum. He is certainly one of my favorite architects. Daniel Libeskind, while his works are less known (at least to me), was presented awesomely in the program. You should especially check out the Jewish Museum, Berlin, as it is amazing in the story it tells just as a building.

Blah, blah, blah. architecture is difficult to talk about. It's too visual and sensual.

Some small photos, then.

First. The Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong



Second. The Jewish Museum, Berlin



I have to say, I can't wait to tour the world and be able to stand inside and touch all the remarkable structures I can only see in pictures today.

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I think this will do.

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To close my article today, I think I will make a short observation of my surroundings, to bring you into my life a little (because honestly my posts are often way too political).

I'm lying sideways on my bed, legs awkwardly dropped like a dead weight, head crooked to the left, arms stretching to let my fingers find the noisy keys of my computer. It hums noisily, too, as it, annoyed by the heat in the room (our heater's on for the first night tonight) tries to cool down with its internal fan. Down at my legs, there is a consicuous sucking, licking sound. Only my cat, Shasha, as she cleans up for the fourth time tonight, body contorted as if in Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco performance, one leg high overhead resembling a derigible, seemingly swaying in the wind. I look up from the computer screen, at my room of five years, to the darkly stained bookshelves (in my mind, only, emburdened by the massive weight of too many books). Overhead, an insect buzzes frantically, a stupid fly, I think. My window is closed. It will die tonight. My room, all-in-all, is messy, clothes thrown about, telling the story of the past week: jeans, sweatshirt, UT shirt, khakis, pajama pants, white tee, dirty socks, underwear. Sometimes I wish I didn't have a TV in my room. Like now. It looks really stupid when not turned to a good show, like Top Gear. The corner of the room, where all my windows are, is empty and dark, my paintings only shadows on the wall, the outdoor night hidden behind the glare off the glass. And still I'm lying on my bed, really waiting to finish writing so I can get to sleep. Stupid. I still haven't finished by chemistry lab report.


Brandon

Obamanation

Hello, again.

Well, it has been quite some time since my last post. So much time, in fact, that I am surprised google did not delete my blogger profile. And although my unforgivable lapse during the past few months can be explained by only vague ramblings on school, college apps, extra-curriculars, et. al., my return this night can definitely be attributed to a single event: the accession of Barack Obama to the Presidency elect of the United States of America.

Certainly, this night of excitement has put in me a new energy, vigor for the political genre, and so I attack my keyboard, even so late at night. Alongside this excitement, though, follows the sulking question of "why." Why do I care, or why am I even excited? I don't know.

For at least eight months now, I have been a die-hard supporter of almost everything Ron Paul. . .


. . . and even wrote in his name in the general election last Friday. And so, understandably, I had little hope in actually having my candidate winning. (Actually, I still have difficulty defending my decision pragmatically.) I came quickly to my decisions on the two candidates -- Obama and McCain -- several months ago.

McCain, although talking about small government and equality of opportunity, was speaking very little about what I thought needed to be changed most in government. He has barely a record in defending the individual against the state, votes antithetically to basic Libertarian stances on the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, and the tyranny of the banks, and (honestly) carries himself in an almost conniving way around any room. Obama, although more likable in disposition and percieved intelligence, views America through an (apparently) very different lens than I do. His populistic approach to politics, albeit effective, leaves much to be desired in academic discussion.

And, believe me, there should be academic discussion as well as practical discussion on all of our problems. There can be no great government without a government that does "the right thing," which is to say, very little.

And so, again, I ask: why am I excited? Perhaps it is because this is the first national election in which I am engaged. Or maybe it is because I see the potential for politics in the next four years. No. I like to think of the entire thing as a massive, unstoppable and tragic, train wreck. I don't like what I am seeing, but, by God, it sure is something to look at. Yes, that seems the best fit to my excitement this evening. Surely, there can be no better entertainment than the epic failure of a nation and people held up to the highest of democratic standards as it falls -- not in terror, but in euphoria -- for the candidate of Change, of American altruism: Barack H. Obama.

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November the Fourth, Two Thousand Eight

And so there was a time in which all of America waited in awe in front of their flashing TV screens, snuggling with family, as they hoped, dreamed, and maybe even prayed for the selfish little wish in their head: that their idea, THEIR man, shall reign supreme nationally.

My expreience with election night is perhaps different from many. I still don't know exactly if I would have preferred either one. So I sat and watched as Wolff Blitzer projected states for Barack or McCain based on little more than 6% or 13% of votes; listened to the musings of Anderson as he laughed in his little way, looked back at his colleagues, and waited for the sound byte; and thought about what it all meant for me. It didn't matter. Or, at least not compared to the passion so many felt elsewhere.

Facebook must have had more hits tonight than in many months past. Talking to others about the results, I realized how strongly some felt about their candidates, and how much more strongly they felt about the opposition. Antichrist, socialist, warmonger, elitist. These are dirty words, full of meaning and devoid of definite substance, like poetry by Cummings or maybe the Holy Communion. Certainly this is what everyone derives their "election night excitement" from, but I just sat laughing.

"In this country, we rise and fall as one nation" -Barack Obama, President Elect of the United States of America, Nov. 4, 2008.

Just the line I was looking for.

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Democracy, what art thou?

Democracy has always only been recognized as the ideal government by Marxists and the ignorant. Rule by the people is, in fact, not only no better than rule by a tyrant, but actually worse, in the assumption (always found to be true) that the people know less than a single leader could. Mob rule is only another cloak for the mastery of the indivudual by society, and democracy is the fullest incarnation of such travesty. What makes democracy so dangerous, though, is that most people hold it in the highest regard, above any and all principles. "It is the will of the people."

Although many recognize the power of people over government as foundational to a strong society, many do not, can not, differentiate between governor and the governed. Government, even if democratic and "by the people," will always be against the people in its most basic roots. Society IS great because of people, but precisely because the individual action of people, voluntary and in good will, towards a better future. Democracy submits the individual to higher authority no less than the worst dictator if truly carried out.

The worst submission, though, beyond economic or political or educational, is moral. How can you possibly know better than I on how I should run my life? How is it that you, a mob, can direct morality? Your basis is purely altruistic and consequentialist. What morality. There can be NO morality in government, least of all in democratic government. All there can be is a subjugation to a "higher good" decide upon based on limited information by limited intelligence for (presumably) a limited benefit. Pah! Democracy!

I must, apoligize, though, about my current, uncalled-for rant on democracy. I do not wish, however, to mend this wound I have struck in the democratic ideal. Not at this time. It would do better for all if we can let rot for a while the utopian principle of democracy, to let it gather dirt and fester in distress, and to finally stitch it up when the time comes, sutures strattling beaten, deflated democracy. For the role of government should always be under men, even and especially democracy.

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What Happens Next

I was going to have this final section dedicated to moving forward, from the election and to a new America, despite what others may have decided for me. However, I would rather just take a break and post what I have for your pleasure. Never fear, though, as the final part of my commentary will be up shortly.


Brandon

PS: I would greatly appreciate all scathing criticism, threats, and general insults to my intelligence.