Sunday, November 22, 2009

Afghanistan and Political Expediency

Dear Mr. President:

In a previous post I asked why it wasn't obvious that we need to leave Afghanistan ASAP. I know that the lens for your reality is completely different from mine. The problem here is that I suspect you are letting concerns for political expediency affect your decision. Kennedy did the same thing in Vietnam as clearly delineated by David Halberstam in "The Best and the Brightest." Please avoid being caught in the same trap. Cow towing to the military industrial complex or placating the hawks isn't worth the sacrifice you make to achieve your goals. It makes everything worse. You have the power to speak the truth to the Americans - let us have it. There is nothing to achieve in Afghanistan that is worth one single drop of American blood. Please do not sacrifice our country's integrity to achieve your goals.

Respectfully,

John Towell III

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Leave Afghanistan ASAP

Mr. President:

Having never heard a Middle East scholar say anything encouraging about our chances of establishing order (much less democracy) in Afghanistan, I must wonder why our government doesn't listen to the scholars? An even better question, why don't we ever listen to the Afghan people? Doesn't President Obama watch those documentaries where Afghan peasants are interviewed? Mr. President listen to them - stop wasting lives and get out ASAP.

Respectfully,

Doktat

Friday, November 6, 2009

FUBARism: The Fed Should Stop Subsidizing Risk

In today's Wall Street Journal, Gasparino shows that the history of the Fed subsidizing risk-taking by Wall Street Financiers goes all the way back to the 80s. The "moral hazard" was created by the government. This behavior is not partisan - both parties are responsible. While most folks are angry at the greed and stupidity of Wall Street Financiers, the real responsibility lies in the fact that these same financiers knew the government would bail them out if / when they got into trouble with mortgage-backed securities. It's not socialism, it's not communism - I need a new 'ism'. How about FUBARism?

How is FUBARism defined? It's simple - FUBARism exists when you privatize the profit and socialize the risk. As my son says, "Heads we win, tails the government bails us out." What other name for this type of economic disaster is there? Please offer an alternative to FUBARism.