Thoughts on the Occupation

I like to think of myself as a social democrat and capitalist. In practical terms, this means that while I like to watch CNBC and read the Wall Street Journal, I also recognize that people power needs to balance the influence of corporate interests for social democracy and capitalism to coexist. Thus, I am all in favor of the Occupy Wall Street movement. While I suspect that Goldman Sachs is far from surrendering, it’s a good thing for the captains of finance who brought us the financial crisis of 2008-? to see some menacing looking folks who look like they wouldn’t mind hanging the Lords of Finance from their ties off the Brooklyn Bridge.

Easy for you to say

I agree with Jeffrey Sachs that effective globalization requires effective global governance. Who could disagree with this statement? It’s a tautology rather than an argument, after all. This quite different than saying globalization will cause such an effective system of global governance to emerge. There is nothing inevitable about globalization. Just ask the folks who lived in Europe after the Roman Empire collapsed.

Of the tweet, by the tweet, and for the tweet?

While Twitter may not be able to overthrow a government, some think it might be able to write a Constitution. Of course, some disagree.

Friends

All else equal, it’s harder to win a fight when the guy who can help you the most appears to want the other side to win.

Voting is the gateway drug of democracy

Democracy Promoters