A Congressional Christmas

This lunatic [Cratchit], in letting Scrooge's nephew out, had let two other people in.  They were portly gentlemen, pleasant to behold, and now stood, with their hats off, in Scrooge's office.  They had books and papers in their hands, and bowed to him.

"Scrooge and Marley's, I believe," said one of the gentlemen, referring to his list.  "Have I the pleasure of addressing Mr. Scrooge, or Mr. Marley?"

"Mr. Marley has been dead these seven years," Scrooge replied.  "He died seven years ago, this very night."

"We have no doubt his liberality is well represented by his surviving partner," said the gentleman, presenting his credentials.

It certainly was; for they had been two kindred spirits.  At the ominous word "liberality," Scrooge frowned, and shook his head, and handed the credentials back.

"At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.  Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

"And the Union workhouses?"  demanded Scrooge.  "Are they still in operation?"

"They are.  Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."

"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?"  said Scrooge.

"Both very busy, sir."

"Oh!  I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge.  "I'm very glad to hear it."

"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude," returned the gentleman, "a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink and means of warmth.  We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.  What shall I put you down for?"

"Nothing!" Scrooge replied.

"You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone," said Scrooge.  "Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer.  I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry.  I help to support the establishments I have mentioned -- they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.  Besides -- excuse me -- I don't know that."

"But you might know it," observed the gentleman.

"It's not my business," Scrooge returned.  "It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's.  Mine occupies me constantly.  Good afternoon, gentlemen!"

Seeing clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew.  Scrooge returned his labours with an improved opinion of himself, and in a more facetious temper than was usual with him.

John Bond, 1922-2011

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
-- Psalm 107

I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not go fast; for I intend to go in harm's way.
— John Paul Jones 

We all remember John Bond as a golf cart driver and companion of Goldie, the (mostly) golden retriever.

Seventy years ago, John Bond answered his country's call and went down to the sea in ships. Fast ships (destroyers) that went in harm's way.

Once one has been in peril on the sea, there is little in later life that will seem intimidating. And the experience prepares a person to meet life with calm determination. John Bond was such a person.

I admired John's engagement with the community; his determination to keep up with what was going on and to offer his wisdom to anyone who would listen. He would often stop me as I bicycled around the village. He would talk about what was going on at town hall. Sometimes he would relate a bit of local history, always something pertinent to current issues. He was always up to date and full of wisdom.

It seems just a few days ago, but it must have been a couple of months - John drove his golf cart down Academy Street and beckoned for me to come have a chat. We must have talked for an hour, covering the gamut of local affairs. I don't remember the specifics of our conversation, just that I was impressed yet again with his wisdom. Finally, Goldie became bored and John took his leave.

I will always treasure my conversations with John Bond, model citizen. I will miss him.

Class Differences

One of the delights and frustrations of the internet is that one often receives compelling information or thoughts passed on from some unknown source. It makes footnotes problematic.

Here is one such comment that came my way today. I don't know where it originated. Maybe it is a new apocrypha.

Enjoy:

"In the US we are all expected to work. Here is how the system is set up:

 

"If we are in the moneyed class, we can create toxic assets, sell them to unsuspecting marks, short the market with these same assets, and win billions, while getting tax-payer money from the government to pull our institutions out of disaster. We end up with even more money than before and collect handsome, even obscene, bonuses, while the country gets shafted, the economy takes a dive and millions lose jobs, 401(k)s and homes. It’s called capitalism, the best system in the world for building wealth for the “job creators”. But it might also be called socialism for the corporate caste.

 

"If we are in the not-so-moneyed class, middle-class people and working-class stiffs, especially the 33% who are poor, should begin to work at the age of nine (or earlier) and start with mopping the floor, checking books into libraries, and various other menial and non-menial tasks. They have no role models who work nor do they know what work means (Gingrich knows that this is a fact, although he won’t reveal his sources). This is called introducing the poor to the work ethic. But it sounds like the 19^th century all over again. It’s actually capitalism for the rest of us.

 

"The Newtster, meanwhile, works hard at influence-peddling and collects his own share of the pie, parlaying his hard-worn insider’s knowledge about government into a method for making his clients rich. But that might be called legalized corruption."

 

Why Study Economics?

"The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists."

-- Joan Robinson, Economist (1903-1983)

Has Robert Reich Been Reading My Blog?

A recent article by Robert Reich, former President Clinton's Secretary of Labor, calls attention to the history of Republican adherence to Social Darwinism in the nineteenth century. He ties the current policies of the party to that history.

Last April, I mentioned the same phenomenon in my post on altruism and politics. Robert Reich adds some useful detail.

A German's View Of America

Speaking of Germany; here is a link to an article in Spiegel on line magazine analyzing the US presidential election to date The title says it all :

The Republicans' Farcical Candidates

Europe In Perspective

Lord Ismay, the first Secretary General of NATO, once observed that the purpose of the alliance was to "keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down."

That worked for about twenty-five years, but the dynamics of Europe began to change about halfway through the decade of the seventies. Germany began flexing her economic, political and military muscle about that time. General Alexander Haig, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) from 1974 to 1979, embraced that change by supporting the appointment of a German general as Deputy SACEUR, filling a position vacated by France when they withdrew from the NATO integrated military structure in 1967.

The truth is, Europeans were never as concerned about the Soviet Union as they were about Germany. Admitting Germany into NATO worried the Soviet Union, but in fact it was aimed more at controlling Germany by embracing them than it was aimed at defending against Moscow.

At the same time, Ismay's goal of "keep[ing]...the Americans in..." was to a great extent for the same purpose. Only America could serve as a counterweight to Germany. In addition, persistent animosities among European nations were so strong that only an outside, neutral power (the US) could moderate these ancient passions.

Reading today's headlines, it seems that nothing much has changed in the past three decades. (I served on the staff of the Supreme Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE) from 1978 to 1981.) Even in the Euro zone, it appears that the United States continues to be a necessary counterweight to Germany.

Is Taxing The Rich A Good Idea? Yes!

The most interesting thing about our current political debate on fiscal policy is that not only Warren Buffet, but the most successful stock market investors (speculators, if you will) all say that the best way to insure the prosperity of the rich is to insure the prosperity of the middle class.

Don't believe me? Check out this article by Nick Hanauer, a venture capitalist who has started more than twenty companies, including Amazon.com. He says, "I’ve never been a “job creator,”  going on to explain: "I can start a business based on a great idea, and initially hire dozens or hundreds of people. But if no one can afford to buy what I have to sell, my business will soon fail and all those jobs will evaporate."

Actually, that sounds a lot like Henry Ford, who recognized that if his workers couldn't afford to buy his cars, his enterprise would be in trouble. Accordingly, he paid his workers more than the prevailing wage.


Hanauer drives the point home: "That’s why I can say with confidence that rich people don’t create jobs, nor do businesses, large or small. What does lead to more employment is the feedback loop between customers and businesses. And only consumers can set in motion a virtuous cycle that allows companies to survive and thrive and business owners to hire. An ordinary middle-class consumer is far more of a job creator than I ever have been or ever will be."

In case you still don't agree, he amplifies the point: "When businesspeople take credit for creating jobs, it is like squirrels taking credit for creating evolution. In fact, it’s the other way around.

"It is unquestionably true that without entrepreneurs and investors, you can’t have a dynamic and growing capitalist economy. But it’s equally true that without consumers, you can’t have entrepreneurs and investors. And the more we have happy customers with lots of disposable income, the better our businesses will do.
That’s why our current policies are so upside down. When the American middle class defends a tax system in which the lion’s share of benefits accrues to the richest, all in the name of job creation, all that happens is that the rich get richer."

"And that’s what has been happening in the U.S. for the last 30 years."

The Occupy Wall Street movement has finally figured it out.