i have almost lost my mind'
things seem negative - economy, politics, disease, terrorists &c. it is upsetting for me to watch the deterioration because i feel unable to alter what looks like a series of pretty negative trajectories. this hints for a different strategy to work against the downward spiral: positive reinforcement of social benefits.
'positive reinforcement' is pretty vague. money is probably the easiest mechanism but with variable efficiency. these are some categories that i am actively supporting. yours may be different, but a large scale collection of modest individual contribution provides an effective counterweight against the onslaught of some important and structural negative developments.
education:
- political activity. in california the unions have too much power and we have significant dead weight loss in our education system.
- funding. the fiscal idiocy of california and many other states have left poor funding for some important and not wasteful [though waste is a huge problem] programs across the board. even the top tier schools suffered enormous wealth loss in the past year. ~20-30% was the norm for big guys [eg harvard, yale]. public universities in california provide remarkable social good and suffered significant funding constraints recently.
actions
1. form an opinion on teacher unions and support change that is positive [i will reserve the balance of my personal opinions on the matter for another time]
2. contribute money to:
- uc system
- cal state
- local k-12
- your own alma mater
- etc
public parks
there is a ken burns documentary on the national parks - it looks pretty good - airs end of september so have not seen it. i love our state parks and federal parks though. unfortunately these are first to get cut/closed/neglected when we need money for auto companies, banks, and other bullshit we can not afford.
actions:
3. support your national parks with money or other
4. support ca parks with money or other
public media
funding for public media is also quick to go. i have qualms about all media, but these guys are trying in earnest and provide a lot of value in my view. npr and kqed in san francisco are important to me. the radio broadcast is good and available for free streaming persistently from the website. there is also a lot of good video content there including features as well as daily programs like newshour. they will even be hosting the ken burns parks documentary that i mentioned.
actions:
5. support NPR - this site takes you to your local station. donations to kqed are especially encouraged.
right now we are all pissed about what is happening [okay that is largely me projecting]. but everyone i know has some combination of {time, money}. there are powerful forces destroying this country that seem difficult to stop. perhaps we have the collective ability and responsibility to stand up for our values, even if they are diverse. stand up for your rights, especially now.
Posts
Would you care to elaborate on the "remarkable social good" provided by UC? Does this refer to benefits to students, employees, or some other group?
ReplyDeletejosh, the uc educates the ca masses.
ReplyDeleteSure, apple, and McDonalds feeds the ca masses, without a subsidy, in fact. But how is either a public good?
ReplyDeleteThe benefit to students is clear - they get a subsidized education (unless they are from out of state, in which case they pay 300% of the tuition ca students pay). What is the social benefit? In particular, what social benefit which justifies funding the UC system like a charity, as the blog suggests?
Here's a recent NTY article discussing whether a BA is a worthwhile even for those who complete one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27fob-wwln-t.html
according to this organization, they have 5 or 6 of the top 25 research universities world wide:
ReplyDeletehttp://mup.asu.edu/research.html
but yeah there are benefits to students and faculty that underlie and support this.
well, we can always have less research and more money for homer simpsons...
The fact that these facilities exist doesn't impress me unduly. After all, I believe UC is the most expensive expensive system in the world, why shouldn't this investment produce something? They benefits must be weighed against the massive sacrifices made by the state (in business competitiveness, for one) to fund these facilities. As a counter example, MA has 2 facilities of the top 5, and does not rely upon funds from taxpayers to run them. Indeed, 80% of the top 10 Universities are private. I am also curious as to what % of the benefits of these facilities produce stays in CA. Afterall, if a cure for cancer is found in Berkeley, it isn't as if it isn't available here in NJ as well.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
indeed the benefits extend far beyond ca. as for cost benefit analysis, admit i do not know how to properly value the benefits, so i guess it is a gut call for me to support them.
ReplyDeletewould rather spend on uc than more pills for old people, free money for banks, free money for homeowners, &c.
the point of the original post is that govt is taking my money [and energy] for shit i do not care about [or find regretful], so i contribute to things i find more compelling like parks or education.
i like to think that once i have had enough of working for taxes for the government [the day is coming soon!], i could spend my time on things i enjoy. reading research, learning through academia, visiting state and national parks, consuming public media, &al. but then i ask myself: where has all the money gone? and it is not to those things...
and the {house, pills, car, &c} that some family cannot afford due to thoughtless action and selfish principles...does not provide the same pleasure for me as the items above. i can not work the math on paper, just feels that way to me. you should identify and support your own priorities if they do not overlap. maybe a program to keep idiots in expensive homes while buying subsidized cars?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletejosh, mcdonalds is yummy. everyone needs a burger and a toy in a happy meal.
ReplyDeletesug, pills for the old and young are important. i wholly support their subsidization by govt.
josh, do you not believe in state sponsored education? how else are the poor supposed to learn?
ReplyDeletesome of us cannot afford princeton.
ReplyDeleteresearch funding does not come from taxpayers, even in uc system. it is typically from corporate grants, same as private research institutions.
ReplyDeletejosh, read your nyt article. interesting, although it seems to suggest the opposite of what you posit and also laments lack of state funding for schools. quote.
ReplyDeleteCompare these numbers with the typical education debt that a college student has on graduation day — $20,000 — and it’s clear that a college education is worth the debt. McPherson slyly points out that even the pundits and professors who suggest otherwise seem to understand this; they tend to send their children to college, often to quite expensive ones.
regarding princeton affordability: no student graduates with debt and admission is need blind.
ReplyDeleteregarding elite education in general: my support is not based on efficiency or fairness [ok fine you think that's bullshit]. just based on what i like. i care not for beans purchased with current policy and who knows where the bill finally gets paid. a selfish post to advocated my own interests and values. f efficiency. if you want efficient go solve malaria but that is different blog post.
regarding all the shit i have been getting about princeton endowment: apparently better than forecast [good times are coming]. and we beat the hell out of y & h praise christ. [although investment performance was similar]. solution: give them more!
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVHuLLl04TqM
princeton princeton yay princeton!
ReplyDeletei hope my children go to princeton.
ReplyDeletetimely nytimes interview with uc president.
ReplyDeleteQuestions for Mark Yudof
Big Man on Campus
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27fob-q4-t.html