OTAS, you found it

One of the biggest influences of my academic and political outlooks, Milton Friedman, died today. He was the greatest economist of this century and undoubtedly will go down in history with the likes of Smith, Keynes, and Samuelsson. His influence brought us the prosperities of the 90s and the relative economic stability we experience today.

He also convinced me Libertarianism was the way to go, politically. I read everything he wrote academically, popularly, and watched the television programs he created. In his “Power of the Market” episode I remember when he held up a pencil and said:

“Look at this pencil, there is not a single human being in the world capable of making it. The lead, well it’s actually not lead, it’s graphite, probably out of some mine in Africa. The wood, comes from a tree in the Pacific Northwest. The paint, is mixed in Hong Kong but has ingredients that come from Singapore, Europe, and South America. The metal along the top comes from a mine in the USSR. The rubber that makes the eraser comes from a tree grown in Columbia. Literally thousands of people came together – who have never met each other, who don’t speak the same language, are of different political, religious and social backgrounds – to make this pencil for you to purchase at a trifling sum.

I still, to this day, buy everything he wrote, spoke, and believed (to my friends dismay), notably: “It is the social responsibility of business to make a profit. Public schools are broken, make the private. Capitalism is a necessary condition for freedom.” Etc., etc.,

Farewell, Friedman. Your thoughts will live on forever.

Democrats now have power of the full Congress for the first time in 12 years. It’s inspiring.

Perhaps bowing to a primitive instinct to summit to leaders, America blindly followed the Republican Party for the last 6 years. But with disgraceful execution of a war, the trumping of civil and human rights, and the faltered response to catastrophes in this country (Katrina), Americans have woken up and changed course.

Sure, we all believe in the ends: a safer, freer world; but Americans now understand that the means do not justify these ends. I’m often reminded of the Supreme Court’s decision on Guantanamo Bay when O’Connor wrote: “We must not wield the weapons of tyrants, even if to battle tyranny.”

Allen, the VA Senator, bowed out with dignity. My hat is off to him for dealing with this tight race with a grace that Bush did not. The message is now clear: We cannot win wars, fight terror, and help Americans, through the demagoguery that has pervaded Republican-Bush politics since 9/11.

Let us now unite America.

E pluribus, unum.

It’s been a long wait for the beleaguered minorities of the United States.

First off, I was ecstatic to read that there is finally a check on executive power with the Democrats taking control of the House and have a shot at the Senate (though in limbo, so who knows). A more jaded part of me wonders why it wasn’t the landslide it should have been, but given our history I’ll take what I can get.

Let’s just hope this party can do something besides make a fool out of themselves and start to take a part in forming the war, civil rights, spending, and all the other things that have gone awry in some positive way. A good start has been the purging of Rumsfeld. Here was someone determined to “stay the course” and that Bush saw as “going to be there throughout the term” as having done neither. The stubborn view our Republicans take works when you are going to church and raising children, but not in the complex world that we live in. Thanks, Bush, we already have a Pope, now it’s time to be a president.

Secondly, in more trivial matters, the Metropolitan Opera is actually going to be on Letterman tonight performing the finale from the first act of The Barber of Seville. The public will see some of the greatest singers of our time, Darmu, Florez, the Met Orchestra and Chorus, singing Rossini’s staple. For the first time since Beverly Sills, a broad American public – over-indulging in American Idol and horrid reality shows – can see what good taste in singing and real talent is.

In politics and in art there is a desperate need for a little elitism

It’s finally the day of reckoning for this godforsaken government of ours. Unfortunately, the way my state votes is not surprise: We’re as blue as the day is long. Nonetheless, it still feels good to at least have 1/300,000,000 of a say in the way things will pan out. It’s probably no secret which way I will vote. These Bush years I blindly vote a straight Democrat ticket (but I figure I vote in the primaries, which exercises some discretion).

The Republicans seem untouchable. No matter how much the they fuck things up, my fellow Americans vote them in. . . first time first time, shame on you, second time shame on me, THIRD TIME, dear God is there life in North America, and so why not a fourth? WTF.

If you can’t tell, a sense of hopeless has fallen on me. I do not put it past my stupid, fellow Americans to vote the country’s most despicable human beings back into office, bastardize our constitution, continue with the war-mongering, and the further suppression of human rights. Perhaps the Republican will win the next presidency by dissolving the Judicial Branch in the name of 9/11. This due process thing is really in the War On Terror’s way. What is up with these myopic reds?!

Speaking of which. . .

Last weekend I took a road trip to Mt. Vernon, Washington’s home. I learned he was offered to be “president for life”, King of the US. He refused it because he wanted to ensure there was a peaceful transition of power and a healthy democracy here. I doubt Bush would have such integrity and strength of character.

What would our country look like now if he had said “yes”?

COLUMBUS, OH

Some old friends from grad school called me and invited to me to a party in Baltimore. I’m not sure why, but I went. It was a blast.

I was literally in tears with the personalities there. One was an old southern belle with tits like the day is long; another was a drag queen in a fat suit that never seemed to let up on the one-liners. We all became great friends immediately and spent the entire weekend together. Needless to say Sunday night I didn’t want to leave and reluctantly took an 8:30 train that didn’t get met back to New York until midnight. And with a 7:30 meeting on Monday, I have to say I’ve been in better shape.

New friends, old friends, we all got along: “My cup runnith over.”

And now I’m in Columbus working with some analytics persons and decided to have some wine in my room tonight to kill time. Whooooooo Hooooooo!

God, don't get me started on work. . .