Re: Collective wisdom
What I know of Taylor as a person comes from the long, One Best Way book. He was firmly aligned with the progressive movement. He did not seem crazy, but he certainly had personality defects. He saw himself as helping worker to gain a better life. I don't think that craziness is relevant to the evaluation of a person. I would not change my mind about Bush if someone convinced me that he were mentally unbalanced or if he were healthy. At the same time, I think that mental states are relevant in forgiving people. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Extent of Medical adverse evetns in Canada
Makes you want to stay clear of the hospitals! -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Newsday: Iran wanted US to invade?
Why would Iran want more US bases next door? On Sun, May 23, 2004 at 04:22:19PM +, Mohammad Maljoo wrote: That is bazaar class, farsi racism and mini imperialist ambitions, which goes to show that the real reasons behind the rise of the mullahs and the iraqi iranian war was a resurrection of the farsi nationalism. A few meaningless words!Bazaar class? Farsi racism? resurrection of the farsi nationalism? What are these at all? The mullahs in Iran are a continuation of Arabian fundamentalism with other mask. The real reasons behind the iraqi iranian war can be found in Saddam phenomenon rather than the illusory resurrection of the farsi nationalism. MM _ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
nasty stuff
The conservative web site http://www.marginalrevolution.com/ actually has some interesting stuff. Not as good as our friend, Max's. Today's version has a story about the Matrix total information system. I am sending the url because the story has 2 links, indicating that they may be selling some of their info. to the public. This story does not mention the founder's earlier drug trafficing history, if I recall correctly. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
boston lecture on China
Professor Zhao Zhun (tsinghua Univeristy, Beijing) will be speaking at the Cambridge Public Library tomorrow, Saturday May 22 3pm - 5pm. The forum is entitled Can Socialism and Capitalism Co-Exist in China? Enterprise Ownership Reform Since 1978 -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Psychopathology and Capitalism
David, could you tell us more about this case, please? On Fri, May 21, 2004 at 11:39:22AM -0700, David B. Shemano wrote: Regarding corporations, everybody should be happy to know that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held this week that a corporation can sue for violations of civil rights protecting against racial discrimination, which necessarily required the Court to hold that a corporation can have a race.Tinket Ink Information Resources, Inc. v. Sun Microsystems, Inc., 2004 WL 1088296 (9th Cir. 2004). -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: game theory
I've always believed that genius involves the conversion of personal defects into strengths. That is why we tend to be disappointed with great men. Eventually, people discover the defects. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: (opportunity) cost of the war in Iraq for the US so far...
Does anybody know who wrote that speech? On Tue, May 18, 2004 at 01:21:59PM -0400, Diane Monaco wrote: Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. President Dwight D. Eisenhower April 16, 1953 For an update on the cost (and opportunity cost) of the war in Iraq for the US only, see the following: http://www.costofwar.com/ -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: a non-Jones theory of oil prices
Solar power would be nice. The panels themselves often contain plastics, I believe. You saw The Graduate, didn't you. I still don't see anything wrong with what I said. A point will eventually arrive when the price must increase unless some substitute resource comes along -- a la the infamous whale oil story that is told in every introductory class. On Tue, May 18, 2004 at 12:49:35PM -0700, Devine, James wrote: Michael Perelman wrote: Of course, Mark Jones is ultimately correct. At some point natural conditions will drive up the price of hydrocarbons. The only question is about timing. not so. What if an extremely efficient solar energy system were developed? Then (if it were not suppressed) the demand for hydrocarbons would likely fall to the floor. Or, more likely, level off. Jim D. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
question for the list
Writing about the transfer of wealth to the rich in the US, would it be fair to say, United States has witnessed in recent decades what is probably largest transfer of wealth and income in the history of the world -- larger than what occurred during the Russian or Chinese revolutions. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Russian health care
I went to grad school with Peter Lavalle, although I do not have a clear memory of him. Lou's description of his career path indicates that he did not come to his position as a full time activist, but rather seems to have gained expertise by his work experience. I am always impressed when people can use their professional experience to gain insight into the world and then try to give everybody else better information. Lou himself has used his Golmand-Sachs experience to give us insight into the workings of capitalism. I have not followed Peter's journalism to know whether or not he is a running dog or a Seymour Hersh, but I do not think that his vita discredits him. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: game theory
from Williamson: Oskar Morgenstern tells a wonderful story that illustrates how such second-guessing can make the price system go haywire: ##Sherlock Holmes, pursued by his opponent, Moriarity, leaves Londonor the intellectually weaker of the two would have surrendered to the other in Victoria Station, since the whole flight would have become unnecessary. (Morgenstern 1935, pp. 173-4) Morgenstern continued, Always .there is exhibited an endless chain of reciprocally conjectural reactions and counter-reactions. This chain can never be broken. (Morgenstern 1935, p. 174). Schelling, Thomas C. 1960. The Strategy of Conflict (Cambridge: Harvard University Press). 34: When a man loses his wife in a department store without any prior understanding on where to meet if they get separated, the chances are good that they will find each other. It is likely that each will think of some obvious place to meet, so obvious that each will be sure that the other is sure that it is obvious to both of them. One does not simply predict where the other will go, since the other will go where he predicts the first to go, which is wherever the first predicts the second to predict the first to go, and so on ad infinitum. Not What would I do if I were she? but What would I do if I were she wondering what she would do if she were I wondering what I would do if I were she? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: a non-Jones theory of oil prices
Also, the oil companies may be shutting down refineries, as Shell is doing in Bakersfield, Ca. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: a non-Jones theory of oil prices
Of course, Mark Jones is ultimately correct. At some point natural conditions will drive up the price of hydrocarbons. The only question is about timing. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: game theory
Mirowski attributes (partially) Nash's approach to his mental state. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Peter Lindert
He is not perfect. For example, he favors school choice. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Roy Medvedev interview (on Putin)
I understand that Russian health care may be free, as Chris says, but my Russian friends tell me that to get decent treatment you have to bribe people. One possible difference between the Soviet and the present system is that today a typical doctor might have difficulty surviving on her official salary. Lou's description of the TB cases seems consistent with my informants. I find the juxtaposition of different views on this subject interesting. I also appreciate that the tone of the discussion has changed. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Peter Lindert
A few weeks ago, Jim Devine posted Jeff Madrick's New York Times article about Peter Lindert's new book, Growing Public. I am only halfway through the book -- covering the history of welfare when public schooling. As Madrick says, Lindert is no leftist by any means, but his book is an amazing compendium of information about the history of the public sector. I would think that Max Sawicky would find this book right up his alley. Is anybody else familiar with this book? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
more economist scandals
I didn't get any responses from my note about Nobel prize-winning economist, Harry Markowitz, as the cofounder of one of the two infamous military contractors associated with the prisoner abuse scandal. Closer to home, a Davis agricultural economist is accused by some as being a traitor for aiding the Brazilians in their WTO cotton suit. It is interesting that his dean accuses him of using bad judgment because the department depends on the grants from agribusiness. You can see the story at the Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18996-2004May11.html -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: more economist scandals
You are right. I think that they began with war simulations. I guess that we should all prefer the simulations to the real thing, but the cotton response is truly wierd. The guy was an undersecretary under Bush I, University of Chicago trained, but his belief in free trade ran up against the politics of Cal. ag. Sort of like time when Iowa came down on an economist who had the temerity to suggest that margarine was no less nutritious than butter. Those concerned with transfats might agree today, but the Iowa people were more concerned about the dairy farmers. On Sat, May 15, 2004 at 07:14:04PM -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Sat, 15 May 2004 18:50:34 -0700, Michael Perelman wrote: I didn't get any responses from my note about Nobel prize-winning economist, Harry Markowitz, as the cofounder of one of the two infamous military contractors associated with the prisoner abuse scandal. I was gonna reply with a brief chuckle - it's actually a bit unfair because Markowitz set up CACI as a computer programming firm (the first two letters stand for California Analytics) and it only blossomed into the thugs 'n' dogs operation it is today after years of sucking on the military teat. cheers dd -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
research question
Does anybody have access to the article where Thatcher is quoted as saying Economics are (sic) the method, the object is to change the soul. London Sunday Times, 13 May 81. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Capital class suppressed, teacher expelled
I would not like us to get involved in internal disputes. It will lead to no good. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Roy Medvedev interview (on Putin)
If you want to ignore somebody, go ahead. Making your feelings public adds nothing. On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 06:03:41PM +0400, Chris Doss wrote: Actually, Gorbachev says the same thing. So does 90% of the population. Gorby adores Putin. 90 percent? That cinches it. I will now have to defer to what they think, just as I defer customarily to what the 90th percentile of the American population thinks about undocumented workers, gay marriage, the Cuban revolution, etc. --- You'd better make some attempt to understand _why_ they think what they think, and know some basic facts, which you don't. Or you can continue to substitute mechanical application of categories for thought and engaging in ideological autofellation, which is of course easier and oh-so-satisfying, though it can be a pain on the back. Sorry Michael P., I will simply ignore anything this guy writes as I was doing before so as to avoid tiresome flame wars. I only accidentally saw the comment when it got quoted in someone else's post. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Roy Medvedev interview (on Putin)
Wow. I have not seen a threat degenerate so fast before. Both Lou and Ken should cool it. I invited Chris here because he does have a lot of information on Russia. I do not share his views about Putin, but I still learn from him. People are welcome to disagree with him, but to announce you will not read his posts or to call Lou an asshole won't work here! I have not been able to sort out how the thread has gone in the last 12 hours; only to see threads with lots of anger. On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 10:05:08AM -0400, Kenneth Campbell wrote: Glad to see you remain the same alienating asshole as ever, Lou. Mr Doss has done nothing but offer his own opinion and plenty of interesting material. I see no problem or a need to cut him down. (All your hackneyed adjectives about his posts are a reminder why you don't have a book contract.) Your level of immature debate remains these kind of catty remarks which divide more than unite. Splitting hairs about leftist faith is for the monks of victory. Our job is to unite. Ken. Actually, Gorbachev says the same thing. So does 90% of the population. Gorby adores Putin. 90 percent? That cinches it. I will now have to defer to what they think, just as I defer customarily to what the 90th percentile of the American population thinks about undocumented workers, gay marriage, the Cuban revolution, etc. -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Capital class suppressed, teacher expelled
I just don't think that it will help the list. I am trying to calm down the Putin flame now. I have no problem with your right to teach. On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 11:55:21AM -0400, Drewk wrote: Michael, Why do you characterize this as an internal dispute, rather than a matter of freedom of expression? Does this mean you will not be supporting my right to teach and not to have my course announcements tampered with? Andrew -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Michael Perelman Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 10:20 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Capital class suppressed, teacher expelled I would not like us to get involved in internal disputes. It will lead to no good. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Roy Medvedev interview (on Putin)
Just keep the personal stuff off list. I agree with you about Chris. On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 11:13:37AM -0400, Kenneth Campbell wrote: Grin... Michael... I don't mind the thread. Someone has to point out what Louis does... Which is divide. Mr.Doss has provided a fresh and direct perspective, so what? It was like your invitation to that Chicago right wing lawyer chap... We learn thorugh being in contact. As for the asshole comment... I retract, it was not emotional merely informational. Ken. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: a victory of sorts in india...
At this point in our history, we should savor any victory, however hollow. Maybe the Right has finally overreached. Is Congress still as neo-liberal as it was under the last Gandhi? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
another nobelist economist makes good
I just heard that Harry Markowitz was one of the 2 co-founders of CACI, singled out in the Toguba report. Does that beat Long Term Credit Management? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Marx Conference in Havana just complete
Thank you, Michael, for the excellent report. I understand that Cuba was trying to draw back from the dollar economy a bit before Bush acted. Am I wrong? Could you teach us something about the evolution of the cuban economy? Thanks again. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Marx Conference in Havana just completed
Thank you, Michael, for the excellent report. I understand that Cuba was trying to draw back from the dollar economy a bit before Bush acted. Am I wrong? Could you teach us something about the evolution of the cuban economy? Thanks again. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Cut and Run... Freud and the ghost of Woodrow Wilson
Keynes' treatment of Wilson in Economic Consequences of the Peace are hardly flattering. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Article on Chalabi
Interesting article. I especially enjoyed the insights about the further marginalization of the neocons. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
can you imagine
If Clinton had a failed war -- actually two --, a prison torture scandal, a weak economy can you imagine how the Right would have feasted on him. I am reading Nina Easton's Gang of five, telling the story of how 5 of the leading young Repugs., Norquist, Reed, Kristol, Bolich, and McIntosh organized for the right. Talk about a vangauard party! -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Iraq Communist Party statement on Atrocities at Abu Ghraib
Don't forget Russian or Engels's even greater knowledge of language. Linguistic expertise seems more relevant to the list than the stand of a minor party with a rather strange political perspective. Could we kill this thread? On Thu, May 06, 2004 at 03:31:23PM +0800, Grant Lee wrote: In answer to your question, no, I don't read Arabic. I wish I had the aptitude for languages of someone like Marx (a belated happy 186th to him) who -- not content with German, Greek, Latin, French, English and Italian --- was learning Turkish when he died. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Samuel Huntington's Hispanic panic
catty. catty. On Thu, May 06, 2004 at 09:25:14AM -0400, Louis Proyect wrote: How daring. -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Iraq Communist Party statement on Atrocities at Abu Ghraib
It is probably silly plotting the future of Iraq from a keyboard, but I think that talk of supporting a democratic force at this time is pretty far-fetched. The US has created such turmoil that democracy at this time is probably impossible. From what I understand -- and my understanding is limited -- a democratic outcome at this time might be a Shi'ite theocracy. Another strongman might be able to institute some stability, but a bloodless exit seems impossible at this time. Of course, an exit is inevitable and the longer it is delayed the more blood will be shed. No simplistic easy answers exist. Getting out is urgent. If Kerry somehow stumbles into the White House and has to take responsibility for cleaning up Bush's mess, it will be easy to paint him in very ugly colors, probably ensuring a one term presidency. Or maybe, he will do what he says getting us in deeper in a further attempt to make himself into JFK II. I probably should have resisted the temptation to join into this speculation, which does not lead anywhere. We could also speculate on the presidency of Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Can't we just drop this thread? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
Re: imperalist booty
Jim, this list is not x-rated. You should not discuss your sex life here. On Thu, May 06, 2004 at 02:15:25PM -0700, Devine, James wrote: (gonna shake some imperialist booty!) Jim D. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Iraq Communist Party statement on Atrocities at Abu Ghraib
I cannot understand what kind of communist party would join with the US, or why we should take such a party seriously. Maybe I am missing something in my ignorance. On Wed, May 05, 2004 at 10:14:16AM -0400, Louis Proyect wrote: Grant Lee wrote: Louis said: Of course Abdul Aziz al Hakim is opposed to an immediate US withdrawal. He is a member of the quisling Iraqi governing council. Oh, I see, they're _quislings_. Well that settles that. No doubt you've conducted a thorough, professional survey of Iraqis to ascertain their views of the council? I don't need to poll Iraqis. It is a fact that the 25 members of the IGC were handpicked by the USA. If this does not constitute a quisling government, then nothing does. Furthermore, on the question of ascertaining views. It doesn't matter to me if Iraqis acquiesced in a government that was imposed by force. So did the people of Grenada. The left should not be in the business of doing free PR for imperialism. They have FOX TV, Thomas Friedman et al for that. -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Iraq Communist Party statement on Atrocities at Abu Ghraib
I don't disagree with you, but I cannot see why we should take this group more seriously than Chalabi or other collaborators. On Wed, May 05, 2004 at 11:10:00PM +0800, Grant Lee wrote: Michael said: I cannot understand what kind of communist party would join with the US, or why we should take such a party seriously. I don't think that's the real issue. No-one knows whether the insurgents are more popular than the US-backed council; it will take an election to establish that. And what is imperialism, if not the presumption that one knows better than people on the ground? Why should we take _our_ views --- few of us being experts on Iraqi history or politics --- more seriously than the views of Iraqis who live in Iraq at the moment, and have also lived there throughout Saddam's regime? regards, Grant. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: FW: Tortured Admissions
Borowitz does not know what he is talking about. Several prisoners say that they experienced worse treatment under the US than they did under Saddam. Seymour Hersh's New Yorker piece is very revealing. Also, listen to his interview at www.democracynow.org The surprising thing about this hubbub is that it is so surprising. Hersh says that the pictures were used to intimidate new detainees. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: New York Times on Scarcity
I hope that I'm not so silly as to think that a short run spurt in commodity prices represents the ultimate proof that scarcity-based inflation is now kicking in. Tom agrees with me that eventually such scarcity will become severe enough to show up in rising prices. The question remains how soon such a phenomenon will occur. My own impression is that we will not have to be waiting decades to see this effect. I would be surprised to see serious water scarcities showing up pretty soon in other parts of the world. In United States, we have the water equivalent of the Middle East just north of our borders. Surely we will be able to bully Canada to supply us with relatively cheap water for awhile. In many parts the world, people subsist on a few liters of water a day for drinking, cooking, and washing. In Middle East, I think that the mountain Kurds sit on much of the good water supply. Beyond that, there isn't much to tap. In southern Africa, there's probably quite a bit of water still to be had, but delivery is very expensive. With China, backing off grain production and shifting to a more meat-based diet, I suspect we will be seeing rising food prices fairly quickly. In United States, rising grain prices will not be a serious burden, but in impoverished parts of the world, it is another story. Nuclear power, for electricity, desalination, and even hydrogen, could possibly put off some of the scarcities for awhile, but nuclear power is very expensive. Here is my kicker. While a short run spurt does not prove anything, it should be a wakeup call because the creation of the infrastructure required for retooling has a very long gestation. The retooling will also be very expensive. So while falling manufacturing costs might predominate in a short run, we better start thinking in the long run, despite Keynes's famous words. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
welfare-warfare state
A friend has a question: I have a question for you: what is the welfare-warfare state thesis? I thought it had been advocated by some left faction in the 70s, but also know that Austrian and ultra-rightists talk about this. What do you know about this term? I would be very grateful for any ideas that you may have. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Media Matters for America
Wouldn't a survey like this be very sensitive to its framing? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: New York Times on Scarcity
Tom suggests that some backstop technology might exist to take care of scarcity. The most common story is that whale oil became scarce so we switched to oil. I discussed this in my Perverse Economy. Part of the problem is that our efforts to overcome one scarcity bring up new ones. Maybe nuclear power can supplant oil -- I hope not, but water is much more difficult. Yes, plenty of conservation measures are possible, but ultimate scarcity looms. Besides we are pouring pollutants into our water like mad. We have discussed the Mark Jones thread over and over, so I would not want to reignite it, but water is much more difficult. I have some more to send on water later. On Mon, May 03, 2004 at 01:02:52PM -0400, Dickens, Edwin wrote: Your speculation assumes the long-run price inelasticity of supply of nonrenewable resources (or of close substitutes). Thus far at least, history is against you. For example, what about the paradigmatic case you've cited in the past against your current concerns--namely, the importance of whale oil to 19th-century capitalism? I continue to suspect that the resource inflation you cite is more a product of short-term financial factors resulting from low interest rates than of long-term real factors like the price inelasticity of supply schedules. But for the sake of argument, assume you're right. Then wouldn't an enlightened bourgeoisie prefer higher interest rates to bring aggregate demand into line with the constraints on aggregate supply, rather than having to finance even more foreign adventures? Edwin (Tom) Dickens -Original Message- From: Michael Perelman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] I am still struck by the resource inflation ahead along with falling manufacturing costs. If these two trends continue, could we see a reversal of the terms of trade between developed and less developed economies? If so, will we see a more muscular imperialism? Just speculating. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Aussies the world's hardest workers?
Wakefield was a fascinating creature, writing about Australia from a British jail based on his gleanings from newspaper accounts. Then he became the leader of British colonialism. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Why did the USSR fall
I can see how the conditions that Chris describes can help to alleviate poverty somewhat, but the class conditions that he lays out would seem to prevent serious improvement. Can you really say much more than Putin is better than Yeltsin? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
New York Times on Scarcity
Jim recommended the article on Western water, which seems quite solid. The paper also has an article on falling Chinese grain production. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/02/international/asia/02farm.html I am still struck by the resource inflation ahead along with falling manufacturing costs. If these two trends continue, could we see a reversal of the terms of trade between developed and less developed economies? If so, will we see a more muscular imperialism? Just speculating. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Why did the USSR fall
I fall half way between Chris Lou. A more social democratic government could alleviate poverty a la US New Deal, but in no way would it eliminate it. On the other hand, from what I gather Putin is challenging a few of the oligarchs, but what is he doing about the general level of corruption? A friend's parents were trying to purchase an appartment, but had to pay all sorts of bribes just to make the papers go through. Only an anectdote. What chance do the poor have to attend elite colleges? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Why did the USSR fall
exactly what I was thinking. On Sat, May 01, 2004 at 09:32:18AM -0700, Devine, James wrote: it's not like a more social democratic government could have fallen from the sky. There has been no such government because the working classes in the old USSR and (now) Russia are poorly organized. Social democracy is a compromise that the ruling classes (or developing ruling classes) accept when under pressure from below. Jim D. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Aussies the world's hardest workers?
CNN says so, so it must be true. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/05/01/australia.work.reut/index.html -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Econometric evidence of guns butter
1844: Leinweber searched through a United Nations database and discovered that, historically, the single best predictor of the Standard Poor's 500 stock index was butter production in Bangladesh. Leinweber, David J. 1997. Stupid Data Mining Tricks: Over-Fitting the SP 500. Working Paper, First Quadrant. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: D'Costa on India
Agreed. It was quite good. On Fri, Apr 30, 2004 at 07:34:37PM -0400, Doug Henwood wrote: Anthony D'Costa wondered if my interview with him was in my radio archive. It is, though it's dropped off the recent shows list. But it was a good one, and PEN-Lers who haven't listened yet might want to. It's at http://www.leftbusinesobserver.com/Radio.html, and scroll down a bit. The Anatol Lieven interview is good too. Doug January 8, 2004 Anthony D'Costa on the Indian economy * Anatol Lieven on Afghanistan's new constitution * Joan Roelofs, author of Foundations and Public Policy, on foundations' influence on politics and culture -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: The Jesus Factor
Do people really believe the story about the devout Bush? Some of the incidents reported coincide with his wild days. It sounded like a puff job to me. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Why did the USSR fall?
Russia's strong educational tradition separates that country from most dependent economies -- especially if Russia can stem the brain drain. Is it still continuing? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: The new Iraqi Flag
On Doug's list, people have been discussing that O'Reilly says that we should boycott Canada and treat it as an enemy. Is Switzerland part of old Europe? Is there something subversive about the flag? On Wed, Apr 28, 2004 at 10:13:04PM -0700, Sabri Oncu wrote: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/garden/29FLAG.html The flag's designer said that he received a call a few months ago from his brother, asking him to submit a proposal. The only guidelines, he said, were to present Iraq as a Western country and to include references to the past. He said his inspiration was simple flags like those of Canada and Switzerland. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: The new Iraqi Flag
O'Reilly was concerned that Canada might harbor deserters from our noble ventures abroad -- perhaps even Navy Seals. On Thu, Apr 29, 2004 at 12:06:17PM -0400, ravi wrote: Michael Perelman wrote: On Doug's list, people have been discussing that O'Reilly says that we should boycott Canada and treat it as an enemy. here's a reason to boycott canada: http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/features/seal1.html Seal Song: The Canadian Seal Slaughter --ravi -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Why did the USSR fall?
I think that we can learn from this discussion, even if we do not agree about the context, but we should avoid loaded [painfully] language. Louis Proyect wrote: Chris, it is painfully obvious that you don't speak Marxism-Leninese, if by this you mean the method of analysis pioneered by Karl Marx and adopted by many intellectuals and activists over the past 150 years or so. Russia's path will not be determined by who is the chief executive, but by the underlying class dynamics. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
Re: Why did the USSR fall?
I want to express my gratitude to the information that Chris Doss has been bringing to the list regarding Russia. I don't always agree with him -- but then I don't always agree with anybody on the list -- but he does bring in material from outside the circles that most of us inhabit. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Why did the USSR fall?
I don't like to see personal critiques here. I guess I opened it up by thanking Chris. I would like to see more international information, especially from people on the ground. We can debate some of the politics, as long as it is done respectfully. I was inadvertantly responsbile for Ulhas's departure. We were getting viruses from his address. I asked him to correct it; he left. I should have asked someone with some technical expertise, like Lou or Ravi, to contact him. On Tue, Apr 27, 2004 at 11:47:00AM -0400, Louis Proyect wrote: Chris's information is interesting, but so was Ulhas's, who used to post from India. In either case, the problem is politics in my opinion--not the value of the information. You get a kind of uncritical acceptance of the modernizing mission of the Russian and Indian elites respectively. It is utterly lacking in a class dimension, except that it pays homage to the idea that the elites have a responsibility to the needs of those at the bottom. -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Bush, the lesser evil?
I don't see what we can learn from the anybody but Bush debate. Kerry is atrocious -- Bush is a danger to humanity; Kerry may be better on a few issues, such as abortion. But we know all that. Our choice seems to be whether to vote for someone to the right on Clinton so that things don't get that much worse, while helping the Dems move further to the right or whether we demand an opposition party, even if it means more Bush. I can't imagine that we could come to an agreement here and even if we did, we have to face the question as to whether elections matter. I would rather we try to learn from each other rather than rehash old stuff -- unless we have something very new on the subject -- which I doubt. I would rather hear from David Barkin on Mexico or from Johathan or Steve about Mexico or from one of the many people from other parts of the world rather than rehash Kerry. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Rogoff on Bush's political business cycle
Rogoff, Kenneth. 2004. Bush Throws a Party. Foreign Policy (March/April): pp. 80-81. How does U.S. President George W. Bush's preelection spending binge stack up against history? Any alert voter can see that U.S. President George W. Bush is engineering a remarkable election-time economic boom. But before high-minded economists and commentators start crying foul, just how excessive is the Bush business cycle? How will this president's economic pursuit of electoral success stack up against the standard for largesse set by U.S. President Richard Nixon back in 1971-72, or against the free-spending ways of politicians in the rest of the world, for that matter? In late 2003, Bush pushed through a spectacular increase in old-age benefits, offering huge subsidies for the purchase of prescription drugs. Of course, in 1972, Nixon really swung for the fences by hiking Social security benefits some 20 percent. Comparing the costs of the two policies is difficult, since it hinges on the role of drugs in future medical treatments, but my personal estimate is that the annual price tags are roughly equal. The advantage goes to Nixon, because he began indexing Social security benefits to inflation at the same time. Presidents seeking a preelection boost can also run big deficits to increase domestic demand. Bush's high spending results from homeland security and Iraqistan, whereas Nixon experienced the mother of all financial pits: Vietnam. Both presidents slashed taxes before their reelection campaigns (although Nixon recognized that the economy would pay for his profligacy later). The Nixon budget deficit in 1971 and 1972 was around 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP); Bush's deficit exceeded 4 percent in 2003 and will likely reach 4 percent again in 2004. Advantage: Bush. Exporters in Bush's economy are also benefiting from a sharp depreciation of the U.S. dollar, as they did under Nixon in 1972. The ultimate decline of the dollar will likely be far more spectacular under Bush than under Nixon. But whereas the movements may have been smaller under Nixon, they were much more traumatic, because in the early 1970s, exchange rates weren't supposed to move at all! The dollar depreciation only followed the complete collapse of the long-standing Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange. So call it a tie: Bush for size of exchange-rate moves, Nixon for drama and trauma. Next, consider monetary policy. In theory, the U.S. Federal Reserve is independent of the executive branch. But just listen to the 1972 White House tapes of Nixon's blistering exchanges with then Federal Reserve Board Chairman Arthur Burns. Historians can debate whether Nixon intimidated Burns or if the chairman simply succumbed to faulty economics. Regardless, Burns certainly delivered the goods. In the run-up to the 1972 election, he printed money like it was going out of style, wreaking havoc with global price stability and exacerbating worldwide inflation. Bush is the beneficiary of an extremely aggressive monetary policy, with interest rates reaching 45-year lows in 2003. And yes, if rates remain too low for too long, inflation could heat up after the election. But even in a worst-case scenario, inflation is unlikely to reach the double-digit levels of the 1970s anytime soon. While Burns's monetary policy was atrocious, current Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan's hardly threatens a reckless inflation binge. Advantage: Nixon. Overall winner: Nixon-although Bush has eight months left. Does all this election-year economic engineering pay? In the short run, yes, because voters sure like a booming economy and a free-spending government at election time. They don't seem to question why anyone should reward a politician for artificially boosting an economy before elections, even if doing so produces serious long-term problems. Perhaps, like moviegoers who expect to be emotionally manipulated, voters just enjoy an election-year high. Occasionally, politicians resist temptation. In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter replaced his spectacularly ineffectual Fed Chairman William Miller with the tough-minded Paul Volcker, who over the next five years reversed the inflation damage Burns and Nixon had wrought. In appointing Volcker, Carter did his nation a great service, yet probably sealed his fate as a one-term chief executive. But Carter was the exception. According to the diaries of former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, even a budget hawk such as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pushed for looser macroeconomic policy during reelection campaigns. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
Re: The new ambassador to Iraq
Did the BBC mention that he managed Death Squads there; that he was key to supplying Contras? Wasn't he part of Operation Pheonix in Vietnam? He is ideally suited for the job. On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 12:07:53AM +0100, Chris Burford wrote: He was reported on the BBC as ambassador to Honduras at the time of the contras but as having been expert at avoiding controversy. In the main he is seen as a part of a shift from the neo-cons in the Pentagon to the influence of the State Department, since he is said to be close to Powell. The BBC also quoted the French ambassador to the UN as welcoming his appointment particularly warmly. I wonder how much all this is true. If so it suggests that Bush is going to try to ride out his defeats in Iraq by switching back to a more multi-laterial imperialist stance. Which of course by no means excludes covering up torture and other civil rights abuses if the US has to finance a repressive puppet regime to keep the lid on Iraq, while attempting to minimise the deaths of US trooops. We may be faced with a propaganda war setting alleged atrocities in Iraq against atrocities in Palestine. Chris Burford London - Original Message - From: k hanly [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 8:25 PM Subject: [PEN-L] The new ambassador to Iraq Web Exclusives Editor Matthew Rothschild comments on the news of the day. April 20, 2004 Negroponte, a Torturer's Friend Bush's announcement that he intends to appoint John Negroponte to be the U.S. ambassador to Iraq should appall anyone who respects human rights. Negroponte, currently U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., was U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s and was intimately involved with Reagan's dirty war against the Sandinistas of Nicaragua. Reagan waged much of that illegal contra war from Honduras, and Negroponte was his point man. According to a detailed investigation the Baltimore Sun did in 1995, Negroponte covered up some of the most grotesque human rights abuses imaginable. The CIA organized, trained, and financed an army unit called Battalion 316, the paper said. Its specialty was torture. And it kidnapped, tortured, and killed hundreds of Hondurans, the Sun reported. It used shock and suffocation devices in interrogations. Prisoners often were kept naked and, when no longer useful, killed and buried in unmarked graves. The U.S. embassy in Honduras knew about the human rights abuses but did not want this embarrassing information to become public, the paper said. Determined to avoid questions in Congress, U.S. officials in Honduras concealed evidence of human rights abuses, the Sun reported. Negroponte has denied involvement, and prior to his confirmation by the Senate for his U.N. post, he testified, I do not believe that death squads were operating in Honduras. But this is what the Baltimore Sun said: The embassy was aware of numerous kidnappings of leftists. It also said that Negroponte played an active role in whitewashing human rights abuses. Specific examples of brutality by the Honduran military typically never appeared in the human rights reports, prepared by the embassy under the direct supervision of Ambassador Negroponte, the paper wrote. The reports from Honduras were carefully crafted to leave the impression that the Honduran military respected human rights. So this is the man who is going to show the Iraqis the way toward democracy? More likely, as the insurgency increases, this will be the man who will oversee and hush up any brutal repression that may ensue. -- Matthew Rothschild http://www.progressive.org/webex04/wx042004.html -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: capitalism = progressive?
My two cents. Certainly, centuries of progress followed by the devastation of World War I and a Civil War with the gap with only a few decades before an even more devastating World War II put the Soviet Union in a decisively negative economic position. I should also mention that the Soviet Union had to devote an excessive amount of resources to the military to fend off countries who were not particularly friendly to socialism. The agricultural endowment of the Soviet Union is very poor, with a small area that is ideally suited to food production. In addition, the Soviet Union incorporated many different linguistic and ethnic groups. Nonetheless, the Soviet Union became a superpower. It developed a very effective educational system. No other country came as close to matching US military technology. Soviet Union stands as a real economic miracle. The Soviet Union also had certain advantages. It had the advantage of not wasting resources on advertising and marketing. More generally, the Soviet Union had the advantage of (a relatively crude) socialist organization of production. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: capitalism = progressive?
It might help if we could get a good picture of what collapsed the Soviet Union. Several factors quickly come to mind in no particular order. 1. Excessive defense requirements coupled with the belief that Star Wars really worked. 2. US manipulation of oil prices. 3. Dissatisfaction with the elites about a relatively flat wage scale. Professors and doctors and politicians knew that they could earn much more in a Western style economy. 4. Here I am guessing: Probably an excessive believe in the affluence of the United States system. 5. Gorbachev opening up the criticism of the system before he started fixing it. On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 11:07:24AM -0700, Devine, James wrote: In his most recent book, pen-l's Mike Yates points to a problem with this rhetoric: it seems that all of the popularly-declared economic miracles eventually collapse. The same thing happened to the USSR, no? Jim Devine -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: capitalism = progressive?
The USSR was not socialist as we would like to see socialism. It was a first step in that direction. You probably remember as well as anyway here that Marx said that the first stage would be crude. On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 04:17:48PM -0400, Ted Winslow wrote: Michael Perelman wrote: the Soviet Union had the advantage of (a relatively crude) socialist organization of production. Was it socialist in a sense derivable from Marx? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: New Business Model
Don't falling equipment prices make Sun's project less likely. During the time sharing phase of early computers, equipment is expensive. What services could Sun provide that would be unique? Would they compete with Oracle, EDS ??? On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 04:31:43PM -0700, joanna bujes wrote: So here's a snippet that caught my eye from the company-wide mailer from the CEO of the company which employs me. So there is a step-by-step process we are going to get through -- using reference architectures, systems that connect to Sun by default, managed services, customer-ready systems and capacity-on-demand technology -- to reach a time and place in which every product group has thought about what services are delivered via the network. Ultimately, I see a not-too-distant future in which Sun owns and operates the equipment for the customers and charges them a subscription or utility-based fee. Translation: Recurring revenue for Sun. What I find interesting is the last sentence. Now, it makes some sense to me that when a technology reaches a certain level of maturity, it could simply become an infrastructural feature (like the telephone), which is owned/updated/managed by someone for a fee. Now, so far as I can see, the computer has not yet reached that level of maturity. I'd think it would take another decade. But either way, it seems that once the consumer doesn't own it any more, there would be much less motivation for this unceasing upgrading/bells/whistles stuff because now, replacing the cpu or even extending the software, would cut into the bottom line rather than add to profits. Comments? Joanna -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: capitalism = progressive?
How then did those lazy commies manage to make the Soviet Union grow as fast as it did? Devine, James wrote: Oh yeah. But there is little question as far as I know that the Russian peasantry worked in a cycle of frenzied activity alternating with relative lethargy. Actually there has been a lot of speculation that this is the reason for Russian culture's non-existent work ethic ... don't a lot of people blame the lack of incentives to work during the old Soviet times? (as in we pretend to work and they pretend to pay us?) Jim Devine -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
Re: war against journalists?
Don't forget about the consistent accidental bombing of Al Jazeera offices. On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 09:03:39AM -0700, Devine, James wrote: [After hearing about this story on US NPR and not seeing it in the L.A. TIMES, I googled for it. It's amazing how many _different_ stories come up if you google Iraqi journalists shot US troops.] Posted on Tue, Apr. 20, 2004 U.S. troops kill two Iraqi television employees ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD - U.S. troops shot to death two employees of U.S.-funded television station Al-Iraqiya on Monday and wounded a third in the central city of Samara, the station said. Correspondent Asaad Kadhim and driver Hussein Saleh were killed. Cameraman Bassem Kamel was wounded after American forces opened fire on them while they were performing their duty, the station announced. The U.S. military had no immediate comment. Thamir Ibrahim, an Al-Iraqiya editor, told The Associated Press he had no details on how the shooting occurred. But it was on the road leading to the city of Samara. Before they reached it, they were fired upon. They were taken to a Samara hospital, he said. We wanted to go (to them) now, but the road is closed, so we will go tomorrow. On March 18, U.S. troops shot dead correspondent Ali al-Khatib and cameraman Ali Abdel-Aziz of the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news station. Al-Khatib and Abdel-Aziz were shot near a U.S. military checkpoint while covering the aftermath of a rocket attack on the Burj al-Hayat hotel in Baghdad. With the deaths of the two men, at least 24 Iraqi and foreign journalists and media workers have been killed during the Iraq war and its aftermath, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists Web site. Al-Iraqiya began broadcasting on May 13, set up under a Defense Department contract. The Iraq Media Network, which runs Al-Iraqiya and two Baghdad radio station, was conceived during the State Department's war preparations. The TV station gets exclusive interviews with coalition leaders and streams live broadcasts of speeches by L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. official in Iraq. But most Iraqis continue to get their news from Arab satellite stations based abroad, like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. Among the journalists who have been killed during the Iraq conflict is Reuters cameraman, Mazen Dana, shot by U.S. troops in August. The military ruled that the soldiers acted in accordance with ruled of engagement because they believed his camera was a rocket launcher, a conclusion Reuters disputed. Another Reuters cameraman, Taras Protsyuk, and Spanish Telecinco cameraman Jose Couso were killed on April 8, 2003, when a U.S. tank fired at the Palestine Hotel where they were staying. The men worked at station Al-Iraqiya, which is funded by the Pentagon. Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: We need Support not a Lecture
I don't think that this debate is particularly useful here. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: capitalism = progressive?
Capitalism may be more progressive than feudalism, but then I don't know a lot about how live was then. On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 01:45:54PM -0700, Devine, James wrote: I was hoping some expert would answer this message, but it didn't happen. So here's my effort. If I am incorrect in any interpretation (especially concerning China or India), please correct me. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: We need Support not a Lecture
Actually, I prefer not to have sectarian discussions here. Just as I thought that the Kerry/Bush debate was pointless, unless someone had some very new insight, which I did not see coming in that thread. On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 06:39:52PM -0400, Doug Henwood wrote: I think it's time for another PEN-L vacation. Enjoy! - Doug Sabri Oncu wrote: Because of subject matter or personalities involved? Doug Doug, We all know about whom this comment is and maybe you don't realize but your personality is not significantly different. The thing is, I like and respect both of you. Look, both of you are older than I am, not that I am that young either. Best, Sabri -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: mixed economic signals
I'm not as sure as you about the certainty of closeting inflation. If you mean manufacturing costs, there certainly declining. If you include resource costs, then the uncertainty creeps in. Water -- most of the West is suffering from drought -- petroleum, some agricultural commodities. Petroleum is the only part that has the potential to spike in the very near future, but Prince Bandar may see that nothing occurs until after the election. On Mon, Apr 19, 2004 at 02:01:27PM -0400, Dickens, Edwin wrote: On Saturday, April 17, 2004 2:11 PM, Michael Perelman wrote: Will we have to take stagflation out of the closet again? I think it's safe to keep our inflationary expectations in the closet. Even with skepticism about recent productivity gains (and thus with falling unit labor costs), it still seems unlikely that monthly rises in consumer price indexes translate into a sustainable rate of increase in say, the GDP deflator, unless they are built into the wage structure (which is not happening). We may just be seeing a lot of hype by fractions of capital that want to force the Fed's hand before the election. It may be that a campaign for higher interest rates is being put forward by the NY Times, the IMF and fellow travelers as a standard around which the international section of the bourgeoisie can rally and use to re-assert itself. No doubt US-based financial capital is also weary of a falling dollar. Edwin (Tom) Dickens -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Question about an early peacenik
In 1965, Senator Richard Russell of Georgia, told the Senate: Whenever the people go to calling their leader 'Uncle,' you better watch out. They have a man in whom they have explicit confidence, you are dealing with a very dangerous enemy. I recall that just after making this speech, LBJ gave the C5 A contract to Lockheed of Marieta, GA. Russell imediately resigned from the peace camp. Does anybody know where I could look for details? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
Re: Nutcase rock and roll psy warfare ops
He is in prison. Supposedly he is now a devout Christian. On Sat, Apr 17, 2004 at 09:36:00AM -0700, Devine, James wrote: didn't they US apply this technique to get Manuel Noriega? I know they got him eventually, but did the music help? BTW, is he still in prison? did he ever get a trial? Jim Devine -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: mixed economic signals
Greenspan will not dare to raise interest rates before the election. I see a large number of contradictions accumulating, indications of both inflation and an economic slowdown. Will we have to take stagflation out of the closet again? There's still some evidence of accumulating demand, but it remains to be seen how much of it is merely part of the bubble. On Sat, Apr 17, 2004 at 11:06:33AM -0700, Devine, James wrote: my prediction: if there's a recession (the second dip of the Dubya recession) in the future, it will likely be after the election, so it won't help Kerry. Jim D. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Growing Afghanistans Economy
Let's see. We've got the poppies in Afghanistan, rebellion in Iraq, bloodbath in Haiti, and an assassination in Kosovo in response to the latest Bush-Sharon assassination. What a record! I thought it extraordinary that the Democrats could lose in the last election, but to lose this time will be an act of pure genius -- unless the economic recovery hurries up. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
a chilling report
Uprisings Force U.S. to Rethink Strategy in Iraq This is the most negative report that I have seen from the corporate press. Everything that could go wrong for the Bushies is going wrong. By Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Karl Vick Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, April 18, 2004; Page A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20690-2004Apr17.html -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
What the hell is Kerry doing?
I am waiting for Kerry to do something right. Is the idiot trying to morph into Dukakis or is he trying to be indistinguishable from Bush? Does he think that he can win as a liberal Republican? I don't want to get into a lesser evil debate, just to find out if anybody has any idea what he is trying to accomplish. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Equality of Wages etc.
With respect to the quality of wages in the Soviet Union, I would like to add points. First, to a certain extent nonwage benefits meant that the equality was slightly overstated. Second, the equality of wages was one reason why many of the upper class long to see the end of socialism. From what I understand, the wages of a bus driver and a doctor were not terribly different. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
China question
How is China able to export fruits and nuts? Where do the farmers find the land to grow such crops? Are they cutting back on the production of grains? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
whoops!
That was not intended for the list. Sorry. But comments are welcome. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Profit making under capitalism
Who represents that perspective? I, for example, am disdainful of consumptionism -- Veblenistic consumption directed at making a competitive display of status. I am disdainful of corporations that succeed in manipulating consumption, such as substituting McDonald's for really good food. Am I guilty? On Tue, Apr 13, 2004 at 10:53:23AM -0400, Doug Henwood wrote: One reason for that is that a lot of U.S. leftists proceed from a moralizing, religious philosophy, and share a traditionalist conservative's disdain for the hedonism and sacrilege capitalism brings with it. They prefer the fixed, frozen relations to the melting into air - the rooted and local to the cosmopolitan and global, the austere and simple to the rich and complex. Marxists aren't supposed to think that way, but I can name one or two who do, even as they profess their ambitions to get back to a purer Marxism, which seems to mean back to a prelapsarian innocence. Doug -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Mark Jones Was Right
Let's retire this tiresome thread. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: capitalism's laws of motion
built power plants. (For different reasons -- severe economic slumps, mainly -- Russia and Indonesia have similar surfeits of electrical power; more, anyway, than people can afford now to buy.) The answer is apparent at ground zero of the world's overcapacity time bomb: Japan. Always an export-centered dynamo, Japan built massive industrial capacity, both at home and abroad, throughout the 1980s. The secret to its overproduction was cheap money: low interest rates that make it easy for companies to raise capital and make the decisions to build factories or other investments. In the late 1980s, Japanese monetary authorities lowered real interest rates to nearly nothing to help Japanese exporters survive a drastic strengthening of the yen in 1986. That policy fueled a huge stock-market bubble and made bank loans look cheap. The implosion of Japan's financial markets in 1990 didn't end the problem. The rest of Asia and later the U.S. soon enjoyed financial bubbles of their own, with soaring stock prices. That was a boon for new industries, which in more conservative times might have had trouble raising money. The boom in Asia coincided with a progressive investment uptrend in the U.S., says Giles Keating, Credit Suisse First Boston's chief strategist in London. If you take a progressive investment boom and then you hit it with a demand downturn, you're heading for trouble. The trouble took the form of bad investments in many traditionally cyclical industries -- which often build oversupply into their profitability equations -- as well as some new ones. Shipping lines fell into their habit of ordering too many vessels, and airlines bought too many planes. They were joined in the binge by newfangled industries such as semiconductors and, for the first time, service industries, the source of U.S. economic strength. The phenomenon, known as deflation, has been around in Japan for nearly a decade. But it goes by a different and more ominous name there: price destruction. The reason for negative connotation, as corporate Japan has discovered, is that falling prices eventually drop below producers' ability to stay profitable. Then the producers shut down, and layoffs ensue. ## Frank, Robert. 1999. How Thailand Became the `Detroit of the East' --- Big Auto Makers, Facing Mature Markets in the U.S., Now Look to Asia for Growth. Wall Street Journal (8 December): p. B1. On an old pineapple plantation here along the steamy Gulf of Thailand, the Big Three auto giants are building a piece of Detroit -- bowling alleys and all. Along the freshly clipped lawns of a new industrial park, names like TRW, GKN and Lear Corp. dot the corporate landscape. A phalanx of Ford Ranger pickup trucks roars off an assembly line at the company's new $500 million plant. Across the street, General Motors Corp. is putting the final touches on its own $500 million factory, scheduled to open in a few months. The bowling alley is expected to arrive next year, right next to L'Opera Pizza and a giant sign that reads: Welcome to the Detroit of the East. With the U.S. and European markets maturing, the Big Three are counting on Asia for growth. Ford Motor Co.'s marching orders are Asia 10% -- a call to capture 10% of the market over the next few years. It already has spent over $1 billion since 1995 on new plants or joint ventures in Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and India. ## Anthony D'Costa wrote: On the question of contradictions; I am looking for some good recent literature on excess capacity, which I interpret as one kind of capitalist contadiction from a systemic point of view. Perhaps some of you may have written on the dialectical relationship between competition and monopoly. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
anthony's question
Anthony asked about overcapacity in automobiles. This article will be useful. It also illustrates the power of the ratings agencies. http://www.economist.com/finance/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2515212 -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Wal-Mart vs. Costco Again
of retailing. Only 6% of employees leave after the first year, compared with 21% at Sam's. That saves tons, since Wal-Mart says it costs $2,500 per worker just to test, interview, and train a new hire. Costco's motivated employees also sell more: $795 of sales per square foot, vs. only $516 at Sam's and $411 at BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ ), its other primary club rival. Employees are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, says Julie Molina, a 17-year Costco worker in South San Francisco, Calif., who makes $17.82 an hour, plus bonuses. MANAGEMENT SAVVY. Costco's productive workforce more than offsets the higher expense. Its labor and overhead tab, also called its selling, general, and administrative costs (SGA), total just 9.8% of revenue. While Wal-Mart declines to break out Sam's SGA, it's likely higher than Costco's but lower than Wal-Mart's 17%. At Target (TGT ), it's 24%. Paying higher wages translates into more efficiency, says Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti. Of course, it's by no means as simple as that sounds, and management has to hustle to make the high-wage strategy work. It's constantly looking for ways to repackage goods into bulk items, which reduces labor, speeds up Costco's just-in-time inventory and distribution system, and boosts sales per square foot. Costco is also savvier than Sam's and BJ's about catering to small shop owners and more affluent customers, who are more likely to buy in bulk and purchase higher-margin goods. Neither rival has been able to match Costco's innovative packaging or merchandising mix, either. Costco was the first wholesale club to offer fresh meat, pharmacies, and photo labs. Wal-Mart defenders often focus on the undeniable benefits its low prices bring consumers, while ignoring the damage it does to U.S. wages. Costco shows that with enough smarts, companies can help consumers and workers alike. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
town country
One of the key historical factors in the development of the United States was the role of land speculators in creating sprawl -- not just suburban sprawl but rural sprawl in the early years of this country. Had the country experienced a planned development, energy needs would be far less. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Twists turns in intellectual property
Prisoners are copyrighting their names and then suing judges for violating their copyrights. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2cid=99u=/ct/20040317/cr_ct/whatsinanameafortunesomeinmatessayprinter=1 -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
interesting intellectual property book technology
http://patrifriedman.com/prose-others/fi/commented/Future_Imperfect.html David Friedman has written a libertarian book on future. I just glanced at it. He is not bad on intellectual property. What is more interesting is the way it is set up to accept comments. I suspect a relative worked up the program. If we were going to some collaborative project, it might be a useful technology. Take a look at it to see what I mean. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: LAT: Handover lite
I heard part of the interview. His answers were very sharp. Reminded me more of Clinton than Dukakis. On Wed, Apr 07, 2004 at 08:40:59AM -0700, Devine, James wrote: Listening to Kerry, he seemed pretty standard, a more interesting version of George Dukakis. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Biz-War
This report is excellent. I found it last week on the Heritage Fnd. site. Note that it points out the evil influence of EPI. Max S. should be shunned for such connections. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Faulty Predictions?
Who could've guessed that the United States seems on the verge of unifying the people of Iraq? How many of us has spoken of the dangers of Civil War. Who could've guessed the decisive (temporary?) influence of gas prices on the public mood? Maybe it is about oil after all? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Privatization of Education!!!!
, if the public schools have to meet this level of accountability, why shouldn't the private schools also?' he said. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
time for more tax cuts??
Mckinnon, John D. 2004. Many Companies Avoided Taxes Even as Profits Soared in Boom. Wall Street Journal (6 April): p. A 1. More than 60% of U.S. corporations didn't pay any federal taxes for 1996 through 2000, years when the economy boomed and corporate profits soared, the investigative arm of Congress reported. The disclosures from the General Accounting Office are certain to fuel the debate over corporate tax payments in the presidential campaign. Corporate tax receipts have shrunk markedly as a share of overall federal revenue in recent years, and were particularly depressed when the economy soured. By 2003, they had fallen to just 7.4% of overall federal receipts, the lowest rate since 1983, and the second-lowest rate since 1934, federal budget officials say. The GAO analysis of Internal Revenue Service data comes as tax avoidance by both U.S. and foreign companies also is drawing increased scrutiny from the IRS and Congress. But more so than similar previous reports, the analysis suggests that dodging taxes, both legally and otherwise, has become deeply rooted in U.S. corporate culture. The analysis found that even more foreign-owned companies doing business in the U.S. -- about 70% of them -- reported that they didn't owe any U.S. federal taxes during the late 1990s. Too many corporations are finagling ways to dodge paying Uncle Sam, despite the benefits they receive from this country, said Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.), who requested the study along with Sen. Byron Dorgan (D., N.D.). Thwarting corporate tax dodgers will take tax reform and stronger enforcement. A 1999 GAO study on corporate tax payments reached similar results. The GAO report also may further fuel a drive in Congress to crack down on a variety of corporate tax-dodging strategies, such as a recently discovered leasing maneuver that allows companies to buy up depreciation rights to public transit lines, highways and water systems. Senate tax-committee leaders have released a list of companies involved that includes a number of well-known financial firms, such as First Union Commercial Corp., a unit of Wachovia Corp. Wachovia has defended its involvement, saying the transactions are legal. The report examined a sample of tax information for the years 1996 through 2000; for 2000, it covered about 2.1 million returns filed by U.S.-controlled corporations and 69,000 filed by foreign-controlled corporations. It showed that big companies -- defined as those with at least $250 million in assets or $50 million in gross receipts -- were more likely to pay taxes than smaller ones. Still, the GAO said 45.3% of large U.S.-controlled companies and 37.5% of large foreign-controlled companies had no tax liability in 2000. More than 35% paid less than 5% of their income. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
Re: Oppositional possibilities in the UK
is a particularly brilliant and seductive tight-rope walker who is skilled at getting up on the line, balancing out the opposing factors and making you gasp as to when he is next going to fall off. So he converts some of the shock at his outrageousness into sympathy. But history is not made just by one human being. There is a whole stratum around him who learned, mainly I think in the hard school of managing local authorities during the grim times of the Thatcher era, how to handle budgets and expectations in an increasingly consumer orientated society. They use modern techniques which are impossible without computers. Their natural allies are the big liberal finance capitalist corporations. Indeed they are used to running budgets of millions admittedly in not-for profit positions, but it means they merge well with the high technical intelligentsia which finance capitalism now relies on for its real extraction of surplus value. This is a whole layer of modern late capitalist 21st century society some of whom could be interchangeable with members of this and similar lists in class terms and competence, whatever their political leanings. All this has transcended terms of debate about the lesser evil, which seem to me to go back at least half a century, and perhaps a century to an era when a substantial chunk of the working class would consciously and proudly say they are working class and would debate which parliamentary party they would vote for. Now they scramble for commodities that bring a little luxury and a little social status. My gut feeling is that virtually no one in the UK has a vision of a parliamentary road to socialism and there is a lot of disillusion, as Doug picks up. But that may be a good thing and it may help people decide what little they can do. The longer term effect of this is to pressurise the government even more to sort out concerns and pre-empt potential fury. So it reinforces the pressure on New Labour for total social management. But perhaps this is another way of saying that with the advance of capitalism to pretty integrated global finance capitalism an institution like the UK Parliament does not provide a chamber for class conflict, but for revising and adjusting the management of the country. The arena for class struggle is better seen outside the representative assembly, which can only partly respond to it. Which is what we should expect. Regards Chris Burford - Original Message - From: Doug Henwood [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2004 8:41 PM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Tariq Ali Yoshie Furuhashi wrote: On the other hand, we should take note of the fact that Ali says he would be delighted to see Tony Blair defeated in Britain. I'm sure that the British equivalent of the US Anybody But Bush/Nader crowd are busy lining up support for the Labour Party on the grounds that it's the lesser of two evils. My New Press editor, Colin Robinson, just told me that the UK political scene is even more depressing than the U.S. because there is absolutely no alternative to Blair, drawing an explicit contrast with Kerry v. Bush. Of course, Colin used to be an editor at Verso, and, like Tariq, might be suspected of that creeping NLR liberalism. Doug -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: leftist encyclopedia
Jim's interpretation of a project would produce a Wiki encyclopedia but probably not a pen-l encyclopedia. If done more collaboratively, it would be more effective -- but only if we could avoid squabbles. Maybe that is too much to ask. On Sat, Apr 03, 2004 at 07:14:11AM -0800, Devine, James wrote: The thing about a Wiki-type encyclopedia is that individuals can decide what topics they want to discuss. Gene Coyle, for example, might pen a short essay on electric power regulation (not to put pressure on him). Someone else would then write an essay on Marx's assertion that imperialism actually helped India under the Raj. They don't need to work together (so that the cats don't need to be herded). The sticky part is that someone else could come along and edit an entry, saying that it's no so that it's only 15 angels that can dance on the head of a pin (rather, it's 35). The key is to respect the others' viewpoint, to say that there is more than one position on the angels/pin question, etc. (I can imagine: The petty-bourgeois revisionist running-dog position on the angels/pin question says that... while the correct revolutionary Bolshevick-Leninist would say...) Jim Devine -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Paul Felton: Open Letter to Progressive Democrats
I mentioned before that I really didn't see much knew coming out of this debate about Nader or Kerry. Nothing that I have seen in the last couple days seem to have changed my mind. Am I missing something? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Walmart
She wrote nothing against Walmart, but dialogue is am important first step. On Fri, Apr 02, 2004 at 10:28:04AM -0500, Charles Brown wrote: From: Michael Perelman I mentioned that I was in a small forum on Wal-Mart. Yesterday I received a very nice letter from one of the Wal-Mart workers, who had supported the company. She still supports the company, but is open to dialogue. ^^^ I responded to you on the other list on this. This is interesting that you got a response. This person might be taking something of a chance in writing , so that might mean something. Don't workers in that situation face a lot of prisoner's dilemmas ? Charles -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: The Donaldator
And the business press say his casinos are tottering on bankruptcy. Is he fired? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: leftist encyclopedia
Jim's idea is excellent. I'm not sure about how it would be executed. My inclination would be to start with 10 or even fewer categories that we consider to be crucial. Then perhaps, one by one, consider the concepts that would be central to the categories. Say we start with something like profit or capitalism. Then we can find out if Jim is right about herding cats. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
