Protectionism – Popular and Wrong
Excellent article from the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601099.html
—- “To this day the phrase ‘Smoot-Hawley’ remains a watchword for the perils of protectionism. With equal solemnity, government officials everywhere are echoing that sentiment. Last weekend, the finance ministers of the Group of Seven again swore fealty to the official anti-tariff mantra, announcing that they remain “committed to avoiding protectionist measures, which would only exacerbate the downturn.” Whatever the finance ministers might say, all of these measures are, of course, extremely popular, and political parties of all stripes have capitalized on them wherever possible. The U.S. Congress put its nonsensical “Buy American . . . as long as no trade laws are broken” clause into the stimulus bill, thus guaranteeing that every infrastructure investment will be accompanied by a flood of extra paperwork. A Spanish minister has called on his nation to “Buy Spanish.” In England the most popular strike slogan is “British jobs for British workers.” Expect more than one political leader, on more than one continent, to rise to power in the next few years riding a wave of protectionist sentiment. But this should surprise no one; after all, Smoot-Hawley was popular, too. At the time of its passage, more than 1,000 economists of all ideologies signed a petition against it. Since then, historians have reckoned that it reinforced the global slump: Between 1929 and 1934, world trade declined by 66 percent. Still, the politicians of the 1930s knew which way the popular winds were blowing — and those of the present know, too.
Fireworks and Sunset Blvd.
While driving back to my apartment this evening, I spotted a vibrantly red “Fireworks” sign lit up in huge letters along the freeway. I found this to be peculiar considering the 40 mile stretch between Boise and Mountain Home is virtually barren, empty, and desolate. Also, it’s February. New Years has passed, and July 4th is five months away. So tell me, who is buying fireworks at 9:00pm on a Sunday evening in February? Yet, one could choose to purchase fireworks at this random, misplaced stand in the middle of nowhere. Go figure.
Even stranger, I looked up firework laws in Idaho and discovered this:
Selling Period: “Midnight, June 23 through midnight, July 5 Midnight December 26 through midnight January 1 May be regulated by local jurisdictions as to dates allowed.”
*scratches head*
Lately, I’m finding that my loneliness is making me very productive. About 90% of my week I’m “alone”. Sure, I’m in class with other students. I sit by old men in coffee shops. I play with the little kids at church. I see my roommates now and then, and on some random days I go out with a friend. However, I’m mostly alone. Sometimes I feel bitter about it, but when I adapt a bad attitude I pray for God to change my heart. For the most part, I use my alone time to learn. Once I get my forced education out of the way, I’m free to learn about the things that truly interest me. I’m currently working a few projects, and typically each project includes a list. For example, every day I pick one country out of the 193 that presently exist. I spend an hour reading about the country – it’s history, people, economy etc. I also develop a mental picture of that country by searching for pictures on panoramio. Among other projects include reading Easton Press’s Top 100 Books Ever Written, watching AFI’s list of Best 100 Movies of All Time, writing my novel, and reading the Wall Street Journal every day. I’m also learning to use Photoshop proficiently and attempting to edit and create videos using my macbook. Of course, I can rarely devote time to all these activities every day, but I try my best.
Verse of the Day:
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Hebrews 13:5
Movie of the Day:
Sunset Blvd.
Yellowknife – Isolated Civilization
Lately I’ve been weirdly obsessed with researching the Northwest Territories and Yukon in Canada. I’ve always thought it to be a barren wasteland, but have recently discovered this city called “Yellowknife’ in NT. It’s got 20,000 people (75% of the territories’ entire population), and it actually has a SKYLINE.
There is something particularly surreal about seeing a modern skyline that’s so remote from “civilization”.
The nearest city with a population of any significant size is “Saskatoon” which is over 2000 miles away, and is the size of Boise Idaho.
I wonder what it’s like to grow up in Yellowknife. The temperature varies from -30 F to 70 F. There’s much to say about Yellowknife and the other various towns the span northern Canada, but I’ll stop now. I’m just really, really fascinated.
Boise in the Fall
Boise looks beautiful tonight. I’m studying on the fourth floor of the library and I can see the sun setting over the valley. It’s the perfect time of year in Boise. I can say that since I’ve experienced all four seasons. The leaves are colorful – greens, oranges, reds, and purples.
I have a strange, emotional attachment to this city. I can identify nearly every significant landmark with some memory. Table Rock, The Depot, BoDo, the rose garden, Julia Davis park – it’s all wonderful. I wish those of you in Washington could see this place.
Although I would like to be enjoying these places and colors, I’m unfortunately stuck studying for an exam. Back to work I go..
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All the World is Waiting for the Sun.
Have you ever been golfing in the rain? On a clear, beautiful day golf is a relaxing sport – a sport in which one can leisurely stroll across the green grass, enjoy the landscape, and hit a few balls. However, there is something particularly painful about a slow, leisurely walk through the pouring rain. I won’t fail to mention the biting, cold wind. I was wearing a flimsly, hoodless sweathshirt (which is not waterproof, if you did not already know) and my dad forgot his hat. My clubs were drenched in water, which made gripping the golf club a mighty challange indeed. I managed to keep my footing until I smartly walked down a mud hill and slipped.
Around the 6th hole, we came across an outdoor restroom. Let me tell you, friends, a bathroom has never seemed so luxurious. The room was filled with flowers and hard cover novels (yes, you read right). There was a hand dryer. Oh, the hand dryer. My soaking wet body loved that hand dryer. I turned it on and sat beneath it for a good ten minutes while I defrosted my fingers and dried my hair.
My 10 minutes of dryer heaven was over too soon as we made our way over to the 7th hole.
Don’t get me wrong – it was a quite an enjoyable afternoon. After ducking from tree to tree in desperate attempts to stay dry, we decided to embrace the rain. And so we did. Embracing the rain is like sliding through the mud. At some point, you give up any attempt to stay clean and you embrace the dirtiness. In the same way – “now we’re wet, might as well get wetter”.
I wonder how I’ll do on our 7 day trek through Lost Pass in the Olympic Mountains this summer?
