Deconstructing the Paradox of Thrift
It’s “recessiontime” in America. The sweet scent of bailout is in the air, the auto companies are performing their courtship rituals in Congress and the bears are frolicking in the marketplace. This is the time of year when a young economist’s fancy turns to thoughts of financial stimulus … BIG financial stimulus.
Letters to the Editor
Matthew Davidson’s flattering and uncritical analysis of pirate activity off the coast of Somali is ridiculous in the extreme (“Power to the Pirates,” Nov. 25). The hijacking of the Sirius Star represents a new low in political and material security in the waters of East Africa. We should remember that these pirates are not the noble outlaws of Robin Hood. It is inspiring to imagine plucky and resourceful pirates battling the “global military-industrial empire” to improve the lives of ordinary Somalis.
Letters to the Editor
The letter sent to the MIT community by President Hockfield and Provost Reif on Monday, November 17 announced a 5 percent budget cut for Fiscal year 2010 and a 10–15 percent cut over the next two to three years. The letter raised sobering realities concerning the state of MIT finances. It argued the need to plan conservatively in the face of potential decreases in endowment returns, federal research grants, and donor giving, and a potential increase in demonstrated financial need by families of undergraduates receiving aid.
Power to the Pirates
The Somali pirates have really outdone themselves this time. Last Saturday night, while you were out late partying, these guys were hard at work hijacking a supertanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil. I congratulate them on their success! I know I can’t be the only Tech student out there who reacts instinctively with cheer every time I hear that pirates have captured another vessel stacked with Russian tanks or filled with Saudi crude oil.
Corrections
The Friday, Oct. 31 article “Harris Wins Short Track Event At Mountain Biking Competition” was incorrectly attributed to Lucas Goodman. The article was written by Lisa Marshall.
Technology and MIT Government
MIT is quite similar to the United States; the economy is suffering, the police are trying to protect our children without destroying culture, financial aid is trying to spread the wealth around, the administration lacks transparency, and community members want a say in decisions affecting their everyday life …
Paying for Detroit’s Mistakes
Thirty-five years ago, the first oil shock allowed Japanese car manufacturers to effectively enter the US market. Since then, Detroit has had difficulty coming up with a long term solution to compete against Japanese automakers. Their current pleas for federal aid would grossly waste taxpayer dollars in a time of economic turmoil. While their cash-strapped situations and predictions of total failure certainly were accelerated by the current economic crisis, a look at their history puts the matter into perspective. Detroit has a failed business model — the cost of which it hopes to pin on the American people.
Letters to the Editor
In the article “DiFava, Pierce Discuss Hacking at EC” (<i>The Tech</i>, Volume 128, Issue 53), DiFava’s attitude seemed incompatible with creating a hacking policy that encourages safety, fairness, and cooperation at MIT. DiFava stated that he believes safety should be at the center of any future policy on hacking. However, in attempting to distinguish between “real” and “wannabe” hackers, he is in fact doing the opposite: the notion that the smart ones don’t get caught creates a heightened, not reduced, sense of challenge and risk.
A Critical Junction
Illinois produces more megawatts of nuclear power than any other state in the union, accounting for nearly 12 percent of the national total, and Barack Obama, the junior senator from the land of Lincoln, has had a very cosy relationship with the state’s nuclear industry over the years. The employees of the Exelon Corporation, the largest operator of commercial nuclear power plants in the U.S., have donated at least $300,000 to Obama since 2003, and for his part, Obama has danced with those who brung him.
A Fantastic Race
On Tuesday, November 4th, history occurred. The United States of America elected its first ever African American President, Barack H. Obama. The election, driven by a record turnout, is an event of landmark symbolism and will herald the beginning of a series of changes in American politics that will have a significant impact on the United States and the world at large.
Letters to the Editor
At the sight of citizens voting for state and federal officeholders, Dan Yelin laments that MIT’s officers, from President Hockfield on down, are not accountable to their constituents (<i>The Tech</i>, Volume 128, Issue 54).
America is Different Today
Last Tuesday night, for the first time in my life, I felt proud to be an American. For the first time, I felt genuine faith in my country and a genuine desire to serve it. And for the first time in my life, my voice was heard and my voice made a difference.
A Vibrant (but Entrenched) Political System
Stella Schieffer made a strong case in the November 4th issue of <i>The</i> <i>Tech</i> (“Party-Based Elections”) for reforming the American electoral system. She described the advantages of Germany’s parliamentary electoral system, where voters separately elect both geographical delegates and party representatives proportional to their support. Schieffer argues that the German system more accurately reflects the sentiments of the electorate and that parties maintain their positions more reliably than individual politicians do.
What’s So Great About 2008?
Last Tuesday saw the conclusion of the longest, costliest, and most reported political contest in the history of United States democracy. Pundits raved over how this election broke all the rules and would be an irrevocable turning point for the course of this nation. However, despite the rhetoric of change that emanated from both candidates McCain and Obama, this campaign was strikingly conventional in many respects.
Letters to the Editor
It was fantastically fortunate that the building 66 steam explosion occurred at night, that it occurred on a Friday night, and that it occurred on the Friday night of Halloween, all of which contributed to the fact that there was nobody present in the sub-basement labs at the time.
Science With a Side of Politics
If you’ve eaten lunch in Lobdell or the Kendall Food Court in the past few weeks, the following pattern of conversation may seem familiar to you: as you’re catching up with a friend, you overhear the next table loudly debating the latest Sarah Palin scandal. Amused, your friend pulls up a video montage of Barack Obama’s most recent slip-ups and the two of you start laughing over the mudslinging going on in the press. Soon, you realize the next table has been sucked in, and by the end of lunch the whole room is going.
Kicking the ‘False Idol’
George Soros described his experience during World War II as a Jew as his formative year. In escaping from the Nazis, Soros’ father understood that “there are times when the normal rules don’t apply.” As described in the title of his talk last week, “The New Paradigm for Financial Markets,” the world is entering one of those very times. People haven’t a clue of the value of assets that serve as the foundation of the world economy, our leaders are fumbling their way through the dark, and the world is entering uncharted territory. As a result, the markets yo-yo like a cheap kid’s toy.
Obama: Politician or Celebrity?
It has been a long debated question whether Barack Obama is more of a politician or a celebrity. As a presidential candidate, he has come under heavy fire for his celebrity status. Seeing that all presidential candidates are under the merciless eye of both tabloid reporters and political columnists, the question is whether he has really earned this dubious reputation — and whether it matters.
MIT at the Polls
What are MIT students thinking about regarding this year’s presidential elections? The Forum on American Progress (FAP) has long been pondering this question. As a student group that aims to explore America’s role on the world stage, FAP decided to conduct a political interest survey in the weeks leading up to the Election Day. The results of our survey will hopefully offer some insights into how we, as a student body, might behave at the polls.