Desiring Machine

Money
That’s what I’m here for
It’s about money
Or didn’t you know
To make some money hand over fist,
First you give me some of that, and then I’ll give you some of this
I need your money, that’s what I’m here for
It’s about money
or didn’t you know
To make some money don’t throw me no fits
I don’t give four five three or two shits about your problems.
That’s not what I’m here for
They are your problems
or didn’t you know
Money
About Money
It’s Money
My Money
Or didn’t you know
~ Gordon Gano [From the album Hitting the Ground]

Prescient words.

I am very dismayed by Barrack Obama’s decision to reject public financing and therefore the spending caps that it imposes. He seems to be betting that people won’t care. But if his candidacy is really all about the change that he professes then this is a major step backwards. He is basically endorsing unlimited spending for political campaigns and that the principles don’t apply to him. I know many will point out that hey he gets all his money from individual internet donations. Small donors, big donors the effect is the same. With all the campaign cash floating out there it promotes the beast of media time for hire and a leaching permanent campaign manager class. Both negative trends in politics. First, the point about media. The public owns the airwaves so why should our politicians have to spend oodles of money just to get their message on TV? The airwaves need to be taken back during the political season and plenty of free time offered for all the candidates. And run over American Idol and the Super Bowl if you have to. More debates, and more public forums, more C-Span. Not stupid 30 second spots and cutaways to stump speeches. Second, I worry about the entrenchment of a campaign advisory class. Their interests are towards permanent campaigning, not effective governance while in office. So they inexorably lead to culture of permanent campaigning. Mark Penn, Joe Trippi, it doesn’t matter. They all belly up at the trough of lavish campaigns coffers. And why should I as an ordinary citizen fund that? The only way to curb this trend is to diminish the amount of money that actually gets spent in campaigns. And that is what publicly financed campaigns would do.

On the 527s, big deal. I know they are harsh and vicious, but it is speech. Obama says he needs to build up the coffers to take this on directly. Bad idea. Why not focus on McCain directly? Don’t take your battle to the thousand gnats. Let the grassroots handle that. And if a problem shows up then make the opposing candidate accountable for it. Make them reject it in a public forum. But really this urge to take on all the 527s seems to be hubris and the folly of consolidating power under a single individual or campaign. People on the ground have a lot of different opinions. And besides why should all my political donation effort money go to a single campaign structure. Spread the wealth a little bit perhaps. Because when “donation fatigue” sets in it is not the big guys that get hurt it is the smaller more specialized organizations that get hurt. More diversity more groups, more interests that is what democracy is all about. Not a mondo efficient internet based money operation run by a single man.

I have yet to make a political contribution this year. And if Obama thinks that he can just gleefully forgo public financing then I have another reason to avoid donating any money to his campaign. It has so far been mostly about a lack of money that has kept me from donating, I have tried to give time helping out with the occasional website or two to a local candidate. But now I have another more principled reason. I stand with Feingold and McCain on this particular issue. Just makes me wish I had campaigned a little hard for Edwards.

With all that being said, from a Game Theory perspective I can totally sympathize with Obama’s position. It is just disappointing to seem him be the first defector.

I want to extend a proposal to the many Obama fans out there. Don’t accuse me of being a racist if I don’t want to vote for Obama and I won’t accuse you of the rampant and implicit misogyny that fuels much of the Hillary hatred out there. And I won’t remind you of a few choice quotes in the history of oppression in this country.

“The only position for women in this organisation is prone”.
~Stokey Carmichael Black Panthers Leader

Of course John Lennon and Yoko Ono put it very succinctly when they reminded us that “Woman is the nigger of the world.”

I can understand the calls for Hillary folks to ease off of Obama, but it is also important that the followers of Obama ease off on the Hillary bashing, otherwise known as Huffington Post and Daily Kos comment threads.

Peace.

This video pretty much showcases all that is wrong with America.

Hillary should purchase a 9 minute block of time and run this as an ad during American Idol.

I recently got an iPhone it is probably the single most useful tech device I have ever owned. However blogging with it is a hassle. But now I found wphone, a plugin that optimizes wordpress for the iPhone. This post was created on my iPhone. Expect to see more frequent short posts now that I can blog from my phone.

I know it will never happen, but just once I want to see Hillary Clinton play Eminem’s “Business” at one of her rally’s just to get these lines put out there:

Quick gotta move fast, gotta perform miracles
Gee willikers Dre, holy bat syllables
Look at all the bullshit that goes on in Gotham
When I’m gone time to get rid of these rap criminals
So, skip to ya lou, while I do what I do best
You ain’t even impressed no more, you used to it
Flows too wet, nobody close to it
Nobody says it was till everyone knows the shit
The most hated on outta all those who say they get hated
On eighties songs
Exaggerate it all so much
They make it all up

If applied to the Clintons and their treatment by the media, truer words have never been spoken. And the more they hate on her the more and more I think she is right for the presidency.

And now for a little transmission from Gotham.

Every so often someone comes along and just spits the truth and it is beautiful.

They gotta war for oil, a war for gold
A war for money and a war for souls
A war on terror, a war on drugs
A war on kindness and a war on hugs
A war on birds and a war on bees
They gotta a war on hippies tryin’ save the trees
A war with jets and a war with missiles
A war with high seated, government official
Wall street war, on high finance
A war on people who just love to dance
A war on music, a war on speech
A war on teachers and the things they teach
A war for the last 500 years
War’s just messin’ up the atmosphere
A war on Muslims, a war on Jews
A war on Christians and Hindus
A whole lotta people just sayin’ kill them all
They gotta a war on Mumia Abu Jamal
The war on pot, is a war that’s failed
A war that’s fillin’ up the nations jails
World war one, two, three and four
Chemical weapons, biological war
Bush war 1, Bush war 2
They gotta a war for me, they gotta a war for you!

~Michael Franti “We Don’t Stop”

I would be the last to defend Paul Begala and James Carville, just on grounds of taste. But they have been pushed off of CNN until after the democratic primary due to complaints from the Obama campaign. In this brave new world of equal time are we willing to suggest that Harpo productions should close shop for the next few months? If I was to really stand here and suggest that Oprah should remain off the air because of her endorsement of Obama people would laugh. And I would gladly except the criticism that my suggestion was borderline fascist. Come on Obama if being an agent of change means repressing individuals freedom of speech, press, and assembly then I am not sure I like the change that you are peddling.

And just a little disclosure. CNN sucks, every time I watch that network I cringe, but that doesn’t mean that I think candidates should have a say on who should or shouldn’t be on the airwaves. If there are true conflicts of interest let the FCC and the FEC take that up. That is what those agencies are for.

I guess I just didn’t know there was a fried squirrel eating demographic. God bless regional differences.

As a side note I guess it is not the eating squirrel part that confounds me. Many people eat many different things all over the world. But the fact that it was prepared with an air pop popcorn maker, that’s downright creepy.

Bush is suppose to leave office on this date but what if he doesn’t? Video raises some interesting questions.

First a little disclosure. I am personally invested in a handful of solar technology stocks, some American and some Chinese so what I say comes from both a self interested capitalist point of view and an environmentalist point of view.

The house recently passed an intriguing energy bill. And the bill currently remains tied up in the Senate and president Bush has threatened to veto it. All strong indicators that actual progress is being made on the energy front. Two intriguing aspects of the bill are the increased fuel standards supported by everybody but Detroit, and the equally feel good measure of repealing 13 billion dollars of Big oil tax credits to fund the fledgling alternative energy industry. Both very positive developments. I am big on the potential for solar tech and am a firm believer that where there is political will there is a way. This country has opted to spend trillions on Nuclear and other industries in the past. We spend even a 10th of that on alternative energy we are likely to see a vibrant, sustainable and prosperous future. Shifting the priorities away from oil is the way to do that. No energy bill is perfect, this bill has provisions for coal and ethanol which can be problematic but I am willing to see a little compromise for the larger picture.

In 2005 the white house heralded an energy bill and the benefits of alternative energy. Including the following provision:

Extends the existing tax credit for production of electricity from renewable resources, such as wind, biomass, and landfill gas, and creates for the first time a tax credit for residential solar energy systems

Well now is the time for action. The current bill does exactly this by moving some of the credits away from the oil and gas sectors. I figure at nearly $100 a barrel the oil sector can take care of itself. If president Bush cares even one iota about his legacy and would like to prove that he is more action than empty talking points then he will not veto this energy bill. If he wants to prove that he is a rapacious pawn of the oil industry he will veto this bill. Conventional wisdom says that the energy bill will be vetoed. But I am holding out hope that Bush will surprise us all. Perhaps he won’t but if he can make good on this and not oppose progress this one time I will be willing to give a little more benefit of the doubt to him. But he needs to prove himself here and stand with the american people not his oil cronies.

As an aside a lot a talk is being made about how we compete with China economically. One of the big under reported stories is how China has been embracing green tech and specifically solar in a big way. Even a bit of activism is hitting the streets in the form of a “Green Long March”. Many of the chinese based solar tech stocks are up in a big way. In my opinion there is money to be made out there by reinvesting in the green future. Transition the economy for both profit and environmentally sound reasons. That is my motto. But America needs to get in gear or we will find ourselves behind in the race. We should be exporting green tech to China and capitalizing on the potential, not letting ourselves atrophy under gluttonous addiction to oil. And we start by shifting our energy policies at home.

And finally a few solar technology stocks of interest

Evergreen Solar (ESLR). A Massachusetts based solar company that has been expanding rapidly.

Ascent Solar Technology (ASTI), another small cap solar company based in Colorado. What is it about Colorado? They seem to “get it” there. Colorado is also the home of energy visionary Amory Lovins.

And then there is the high flyer, First Solar (FSLR), a Phoenix Arizona based company with some manufacturing in Ohio. This particular stock is up over 800% for the year.

This is the face of the future. We can grow our way out of the difficulties we face, and make a little money along the way. It just takes thinking ahead a little. And this new energy bill does just that.