Democracy and "Feel Good Economics"

For all of its praise and grandeur, democracy can really be a son of a bitch. While being the fairest, freest, and most successful system in the history of the world deserves our glorification, we would be remiss to call it perfect. The main problem with democracy is that decisions are essentially made by those with skewed views and those who are uninformed, the people. They support ideas that, while on the surface seem to be noble, fair, and smart they are actually short sighted, unfair, and dangerous. People who vote for or support these type of ideas are supporting "feel good economics"(phrase copyright Brian J Hannibal 2009).

Let's look at the issue of outsourcing. According to a Harris poll of 4000 Americans only 16% support the outsourcing of jobs to other countries. On the surface, it looks as though outsourcing is a terrible idea. How could Americans losing jobs be a good thing? We are supposedly getting weaker while other countries gets stronger. This is a perfect example of "feel good economics".

In 1930, Senator Willis C Hawley and Representative Reed Smoot felt as 84% of Americans feel today. At that time many agricultural jobs were being sent over seas as globalization was beginning to take hold. Farmers were complaining and politicians were trying to get elected. Disregarding a petition signed by 1,028 economists, The Smoot-Hawley act was passed on June 17, 1930. This act raised tariffs on nearly 20,000 imported goods to unprecedented levels. It turned out to be a disaster of epic proportions. Countries around the world retaliated out of fear for their own well being, the miracle of competitive advantage disappeared, and not so coincidentally the world fell into The Great Depression.

Here is what Congress and President Hoover failed to understand. You do not need to protect jobs, you need to make sure that your economy is so fluid that it can quickly adapt to any changes it faces. In simple terms, if Americans can get ears of corn from Mexico for $1 instead of $1.25, every corn buying American has essentially received a raise of .25. If you multiply this over 20,000 products then every American has received a substantial raise. With this new found income Americans now have the means to create new markets that would not have been able to flourish at the prior income levels. In this case, the corn shucker loses his job only to find new work at a radio making factory (an example). Everyone is better off in this fluid system, including the foreign countries who now have more money with which to buy our goods. This is a healthy economy.

This issue relates today with the Obama administration trying to please the uninformed voters by adding a clause to the new stimulation packages that ensures all public projects must use domestic raw materials (at a substantially higher cost). As we can learn from Smoot-Hawley, this is actually anti-stimulus.

With the issues of the world being so complex and contradictory, coming to the correct answer to a problem almost always requires more analysis than what the average voter is capable of. The majority of voters make decisions based on whether an issue is self serving, smart, and just.


They just want to "feel good".

THE OVERLY FRIENDLY SKIES

The following was contributed by James Jenson.

First off, I want to be clear that I am not an expert on air travel social norms, nor do I have a large sample size to base this observation on, but I have a strong feeling that my intuition is spot on. I have seen what I am about to describe far too many times for it to be a coincidence or an irregular occurrence. My question: What is it about being 30,000 ft. above the ground, packed in a long narrow metal tube with one or two hundred people, traveling at 500 mph, that turns otherwise complete strangers into best friends?

A couple of weeks ago I was aboard a flight from Sacramento to San Diego. The flight was nearly full, but I had managed to get a window seat in the very back row next to a vacant middle seat. I was seated, belt buckled, head back, and ready to sleep away the short 80 minute trip when I made a crucial mistake. Knowing full well the possible repercussions of my actions, I let my guard down for one second and lifted my eyes to scan the width of the cabin. As soon as I noticed my vulnerability, it was too late. My eyes had unfortunately scanned too far and were now locked in a conversation starting stare with the woman in the aisle seat to my left. I managed a lazy courteous smile and nod, hoping to turn my head fast enough towards the window, but she was too quick and well prepared. “Great luck huh? This full of a flight and we manage to get an empty seat between us so we aren’t so crammed” she said. Again I went with the lazy smile and nod, but added a confirming “yeah.” Although in my head I was thinking that at this point I would rather have anything between me and this lady to deflect her innate desire to be my best friend for the next hour and twenty minutes. “So are you going home or leaving home?” she continued. “Going home” I responded. By this point I knew that nothing would stop this lady from single handily ruining this flight. “Oh, me too! My husband and I are.....” That’s about all I heard of her next ramble as I stared blankly in her direction. I couldn’t possibly care enough to concentrate on what she was saying. “So why were you in Sacramento?” she pried. “Job interview.” I replied with a little less fake enthusiasm or interest in my voice. I was praying at this point for anything to save me from this interrogation. 80 minutes was more than enough time for a pro like her to find out everything there is to know about my life. As she was getting ready for her next round of verbal punches, I looked up and saw the answer to my prayers. In the aisle in front of us stood one of the final passengers to board the plane, a man in a dark suit the size of my refrigerator, breathing heavily, brow beading with sweat, gesturing to occupy the vacant seat between myself and the irritant woman. Under normal conditions this situation would cause immediate frustration and natural disgust, but on this flight, it was an act of God. I knew that this mountain of a man had no desire to waste one precious breath on pointless conversation. He was having a hard enough time trying to regulate his normal breathing pattern. For the duration of the flight I sat awkwardly pressed against the window smiling, knowing full well that I narrowly avoided being yet another victim of the overly friendly skies.

Boston’s take on Mexican food

While walking home from my bball game I noticed a small dubious mexican food establishment and figured I would give it a try. When I entered I was astonished at the authenticity of the enterprise. They had a salsa bar, they did not refer to a carne asada burrito as a steak burrito, and there were actual mexicans preparing the fare. Due to the precarious mexican food I have had in Boston since my arrival I decided to play it safe and ordered the cheese enchiladas. After ordering from the small stature mexican compadre who spoke an encouragingly small amount English I was feeling pretty good about my dinner decision. I walked over to the salsa bar and took inventory of the offerings. They had a green sauce, a red sauce, and some chunky pico, your standard affair. After little deliberation I opted to get red sauce and some chunky pico. Next thing I knew, I heard a man yell," yeez enhilladas" and I was on my way home. When I opened the styrofoam container I was delighted to see a familiar meal in front of me. This was the end of my happiness for the night. After the first bite I noticed that the cheese in the enchilada was melted string cheese. I knew this because I tried to do the same thing on some pasta about a month back. I am not sure if you know, but when you melt string cheese you have to chew it for no less than 45 seconds before you can swallow, otherwise you choke. After this disappointment I knew hot sauce was the only thing that could save this once promising feast. I poured red sauce on my rice, beans, and on top of my enchiladas. I took my first bite and realized it was not hot sauce, it was Boston's favorite condiment, buffalo sauce. I took two more bites, looked down and realized that here I am with 2 corn tortillas with melted string cheese inside and smothered in buffalo sauce. I threw the foul combination of food in the garbage and poured myself a bowl of cereal. I am through trying to find good mexican food in Boston.

Quick Case Study: Ford Corp (F)

Once upon a time there was a car corporation that was the pride of the land. In 1903 Henry Ford, the companies founder, invented what we know today as the 'assembly line' and they produced the first motor vehicle this country had ever seen. The Ford brand was a symbol of America and people loved their cars. After many years of growth and wealth this beacon of the automobile began to decline. Perhaps lost in its success of the past or relying too much on its brand name to make sales, Ford failed to notice their more efficient competitors and the changing winds of demand. They fell prey to a union and its nefarious compensation ultimatums. Their flagships became stale and unpopular. They produced cars that did not meet needs. Finally, in 2007 this company's old and outdated management team saw net income reach nearly -13,000,000.00.


A meeting of the minds ensued.


Ford promised more stylish and more efficient cars. Plants were closed and operations restructured. They cut costs and brought in innovative and creative thinkers. They did everything that a management team should do, except one thing.


They didn't change their image.


The new and future consumers who are coming of age to purchase their own cars do not remember when Ford produced stylish vehicles that were the envy of their neighbors. Unlike their parents, they only remember the lackluster, expensive, gas guzzlers of recent years. The Ford brand has become a burden and the leaders of the company, perhaps lost in pride, seem unwilling to change even the logo. Do you think things would be different if Apple had continued to call its computers Macintosh instead of iMac?


Being a male, I have an innate attraction to cars. I stare at them on the road and look up pictures of new car shows on the internet. This past week I came across a picture of car not yet released (which is why this low quality photo is the only one available) and it caught my attention. The car is sleek and stylish but also looks powerful and luxurious. It is truly a great design.

It is a Ford. A Ford Taurus to be exact.

Here is a new, hip, and young design being named after a model whose only sales recently have come from old people and car rental companies. Is Ford STILL this out of touch? Washington should not be bailing out poorly run companies who make these type of decisions. Why would Ford market a new design filled with hope and grand potential after such an unpopular model?

Some could argue, that is like Barack Obama changing his name to George W. Bush.

If I Have a Son I am Naming Him Arland

I hate flying. I do it, but I hate it. When I saw the "Miracle of Flight 1549" last week, needless to say it did little to ease my fears. I don't really know why flying makes me feel like Dustin Hoffman during the airport scene in Rainman because statistically its safety is unmatched. Research shows that you have a 1 in roughly 10 million chance of dying on any given flight. Just to put that in perspective: odds of getting killed by lighting is 1 in 700,000; odds of getting killed in a tsunami is 1 in 500,000; and odds of getting killed by a domestic dog is 1 in 147,000.

I am sure that the people on flight 1549 had no idea of these odds and if they did they would have mattered little to them once they were told to "brace for impact". Most of the people who have ever heard similar words are dead. Like the people that were on Air Florida Flight 90, Washington D.C. to Tampa on January 13, 1982. That was the last commercial airliner to attempt a water landing in the United States.

It was a very cold day in the capital, flights had been delayed for nearly 1.5 hours when some bad weather passed and planes were given the green light. Flight 90 loaded it passengers and got in line behind numerous other planes taxing to the runway. While waiting for 45 minutes to get cleared for take off the pilot disregarded an anti-icing mechanism required in this type of weather. This decision decided the fate for this flight.

The Boeing 737-222 barreled down the icy runway and slowly lifted off. As it began its initial climb the pilot and co-pilot knew things were not right. It turns out they took off too early due to a frozen sensor functioning incorrectly. They did not have enough power to get high enough fast enough. They hit a bridge crushing cars and decapitating four people. The aircraft plunged into the frozen Potomac River. Six people survived the impact and all but one clung to the only portion of the plane sticking out of the water, the tail. Within 5 minutes one rescue helicopter was on the scene pulling survivors out of the water. They dropped a life vest hanging from a rope and one by one the first three people held on and were pulled to safety. When they dropped the rope a fourth time it was dropped in front of "a man in his 50's, balding" as he was described by rescuers. He grabbed the rope and in an act of selflessness immediately handed it to one of the other survivors and they were taken away. Three minutes later the helicopter came back and again the rope fell directly to this man and again he decided to give it away. Some where between the time the helicopter left and the time it came back the people looking on from the battered bridge watched as the plane and this man sunk into the water never to resurface. He had been in the water 29 minutes.

Months later authorities finally figured out that this man was Arland D. Williams Jr., a 46 year old bank auditor from Atlanta. His identity was confirmed only due to the fact that he was the only passenger pulled from the Potomac who died of drowning. In his honor, the bridge hit in the crash which connects Washington D.C. to Virginia has since been renamed Arland D. Williams Jr. bridge.

I read this story over the weekend and it has stuck with me for days. I can't get over the selflessness and the absence of fear this man showed. I am sure we all agree that Arland should not be grouped in with the 1 in roughly 10 million who die in plane crashes. Guys like him are much rarer.

Changing of the Guard

So the time is finally here. That dim witted cowboy everyone loves to hate is finally going to fade into the Texas sky. He gives way to an inspiring and wildly popular figure the likes of which I have never seen. The extremely unpopular President Bush being replaced by Barack Obama has set off quite a media storm the last few days. We are in the mist of a four day extravaganza that I have trouble comparing to anything I have ever witnessed. Sundays inauguration concert featured Bon Jovi, The Boss, and even the great Stevie Wonder. It is said the total cost of the inauguration and all events will be an estimated $130-150 million. It will be the most expensive inauguration of the 44 in our countries history. How much was the 2nd most expensive you ask?

The answer $55 million.

Not a good start.

However, no one seems to notice. It has been well publicized that AIG wasted tax payer money by sending executives to a spa shortly after being bailed out. Also, the media and the liberal congress jumped all over the 'Big 3' for taking private jets to beg for tax payer money. So how is this any different? Why is the "non bias" media not reporting this outrageous waste? Where is MSNBC and the AP? I guess they are lost in all of the excitement.


What this implies is both dangerous and irresponsible. A media that is free of bias is a very important piston in the engine of our countries checks and balances (one of my better analogies). If they do not scrutinize President Obama's every decision as vehemently as they did those of President Bush, our country will suffer. The new president must know that any desicion he makes will be judged by the media and the people and he will have to answer to both.


Mr Obama has a tough enough job ahead of him. Getting a free passes from the media will only make it harder for him to perform his job well.

Even Stevie Wonder can see that.

Hey, why a blog?

Hello and welcome. You have entered the blog of a man who is learned, hilarious, handsome, insightful, innovative, unique, and most importantly he kicks ass. I have been planning on putting my thoughts down on paper for a while now. Being the self aware scholar that I am I asked myself a short while back what are the 5 most important things in my life. Here is what I came up with:

• God (Even though it is incredibly trendy not to, I believe in god)
• Family (Most likely the best in the world)
• Friends (see description for family)
• My thoughts, memories, values, goals, and ideas
• Sports (sad but true)

Just about the time I gathered this incredibly introspective list I was watching a television series entitled Californication starring an actor who looks strikingly like David Duchovny (but is not nearly as creepy). In between all of the dark humor and raunchy sex scenes was a conversation between non creepy Duchovny, who happens to be a writer, and his father. In the conversation his father, who is getting on in years, reflects on his sons choice of profession and infers that writing can do three things. It can inspire people to think, it can stand the test of time, and it helps when you are trying to get laid. These reasons (not so much #3), ladies and gentleman are what inspired me to start my own blog.

I plan on writing things that are interesting sometimes and funny other times. I plan on posting on many topics. Most will be general, some will be about me, some will be about others, but all will be either thought provoking, entertaining, or both. This blog will act as a storage space for memories, thoughts, and my unbelievably hilarious jokes. It will be the equivalent of taking a picture of a moment, an idea, or the current social/political climate. It will give my children the opportunity to know me and the world I lived in. It will allow the people in my life to connect with me and maybe even get to know me better. It will enrich the the lives of those who read it and they will enrich the lives of those around them. The world will be a better place.