Comments on: The bright side of the financial crisis http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/the-bright-side-of-the-financial-crisis/ Monkey #121643810 reporting for duty... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:43:49 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Alain http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/the-bright-side-of-the-financial-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-3924 Alain Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:52:46 +0000 http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/?p=533#comment-3924 Hi Jon, Reading this post in the wake of the stimulus package and Obama's Super-Size budget, I think it's safe to say that the Obama administration's strategy is not 'tighten our belts and sacrifice' rather it's 'pass off our problems to future generations in the form of further debt, unsustainable bubble economics, or confiscatory taxes on decreasing pockets of wealth'. Reminds me of the scene in 'Excalibur' where Merlin explains that the future is like the cookie, until you take a bite what do you really know and then it's too late. Arthur blithely ignores Merlin and bites into the cookie. Merlin rolls his eyes and sarcastically says, 'Too late.' Alain Hi Jon,

Reading this post in the wake of the stimulus package and Obama’s Super-Size budget, I think it’s safe to say that the Obama administration’s strategy is not ‘tighten our belts and sacrifice’ rather it’s ‘pass off our problems to future generations in the form of further debt, unsustainable bubble economics, or confiscatory taxes on decreasing pockets of wealth’.

Reminds me of the scene in ‘Excalibur’ where Merlin explains that the future is like the cookie, until you take a bite what do you really know and then it’s too late. Arthur blithely ignores Merlin and bites into the cookie. Merlin rolls his eyes and sarcastically says, ‘Too late.’

Alain

]]> By: Going John Galt | Jonathan Birge http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/the-bright-side-of-the-financial-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-3755 Going John Galt | Jonathan Birge Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:54:43 +0000 http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/?p=533#comment-3755 [...] A while back I wrote about how the present financial crisis may be the “rock bottom” that precedes better days ahead for the country. A return to our better natures, I hope, and not just a prelude to a collapse. Nothing gives me more hope that I may have been right about that than the fact recently the forth most searched for phrase on Google is “Going John Galt.” [...] [...] A while back I wrote about how the present financial crisis may be the “rock bottom” that precedes better days ahead for the country. A return to our better natures, I hope, and not just a prelude to a collapse. Nothing gives me more hope that I may have been right about that than the fact recently the forth most searched for phrase on Google is “Going John Galt.” [...]

]]> By: Jonathan http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/the-bright-side-of-the-financial-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-3044 Jonathan Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:36:21 +0000 http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/?p=533#comment-3044 You know, Mere, you're right. Rereading it in the light of day, I was way too harsh on Obama. He has actually said things to the effect that people must do the work and make the sacrifices, so I wasn't being fair. Furthermore, my original point wasn't to criticize Obama. While I disagree with him on a lot of stuff, he actually strikes me as a very good leader, and one who will tell people the ugly truth instead of just saying "Big brother will make it all better." So, thanks for the comment. I agree that inspiration from a good leader might be key in getting people to act, and I have to admit that if anybody can do it, Obama can. I hope he does. You know, Mere, you’re right. Rereading it in the light of day, I was way too harsh on Obama. He has actually said things to the effect that people must do the work and make the sacrifices, so I wasn’t being fair. Furthermore, my original point wasn’t to criticize Obama. While I disagree with him on a lot of stuff, he actually strikes me as a very good leader, and one who will tell people the ugly truth instead of just saying “Big brother will make it all better.” So, thanks for the comment. I agree that inspiration from a good leader might be key in getting people to act, and I have to admit that if anybody can do it, Obama can. I hope he does.

]]> By: Mere http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/the-bright-side-of-the-financial-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-3043 Mere Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:04:11 +0000 http://scripts.mit.edu/~birge/blog/?p=533#comment-3043 There's a fine funny line in there somewhere. I completely agree with you that it's our mess to clean up and it'll only get cleaned up that way, but I also think there's more to Obama than government. Maybe not; maybe I just got disgusted enough with how it's been all on my own, but I know I wouldn't have been inspired enough by, for example, a Hillary ticket, to start paying more attention and participation to local, state, and national goings on the way I have with him on the scene. I think you're right about how there's a shallow tone to a lot of the excitement about him (as you said in your post about the victory), but I also think that his candidacy has had some to do with mobilizing the otherwise unmobilized and unmobilizable (like me). It's definitely dangerous to think that he's going to save us, but what's appealed to me about having him in power is that he seems to think we should be moving toward the kind of democracy in which people actually participate, and not just on election days. There's plenty of naivete to accuse me of, heaven knows. But I don't think it's inappropriate to look to a leader for inspiration, if it might mean that folks wake up a bit and don't opt for wallowing in the disaster of it all. Inspiration won't pay down the debt, but it might get us on our feet to do it ourselves. There’s a fine funny line in there somewhere. I completely agree with you that it’s our mess to clean up and it’ll only get cleaned up that way, but I also think there’s more to Obama than government. Maybe not; maybe I just got disgusted enough with how it’s been all on my own, but I know I wouldn’t have been inspired enough by, for example, a Hillary ticket, to start paying more attention and participation to local, state, and national goings on the way I have with him on the scene. I think you’re right about how there’s a shallow tone to a lot of the excitement about him (as you said in your post about the victory), but I also think that his candidacy has had some to do with mobilizing the otherwise unmobilized and unmobilizable (like me). It’s definitely dangerous to think that he’s going to save us, but what’s appealed to me about having him in power is that he seems to think we should be moving toward the kind of democracy in which people actually participate, and not just on election days.

There’s plenty of naivete to accuse me of, heaven knows. But I don’t think it’s inappropriate to look to a leader for inspiration, if it might mean that folks wake up a bit and don’t opt for wallowing in the disaster of it all. Inspiration won’t pay down the debt, but it might get us on our feet to do it ourselves.

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