The Campus Workers Question

With the time for renewing campus labor contracts upon us, the usual sympathetic suspects have sprung into action across campus, most notably Students Organizing United with Labor (SOUL). More interesting, and certainly more relevant to the discussion from a factual standpoint, is the smaller contingent of students questioning the rather boisterous claims of the Union/SOUL coalition. By way of background, the union rejected an initial offer in the 2-3% gradual increase range, and then again narrowly voted to reject an offer of 3.5% over the next three years.

In a recent set of dueling editorials blazened across the soiled pages of the Chicago Maroon, the attitude of both sides makes itself subtly, but openly, apparent. Senior Andrew Lees wrote to question the validity of the "4%" demand coming from student groups, and he raises a number of strong points:

The CPI grew at an average annual rate of 2.53 percent in the 12 months ending in October 2007. Inflation measured by the Core CPI—so named because it excludes energy and food, the two most volatile components of the price level—was at 2.37 percent, well below the Union’s 4-percent mark. Both of these numbers, you will note, are below the University’s three percent offer...When questioning SOUL members about the accuracy of the four percent, they insist that the cost of living in Chicago is rising faster than in the rest of the nation. This is also untrue: Headline CPI for the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area grew at a 2.54-percent average annual rate, and Core CPI for the area estimated the inflation rate at just 1.95 percent.
(Emphasis is mine)

He further lambasted the present campaign for the arbitrary nature of the 4% figure, since it does not correlate to either the empirical data, or the anecdotal assertions also being used to bolster the demand. A week later, a member of the workers union wrote to argue that "Inflation data does not reflect reality." An interesting premise, to say the least, but he makes several claims that demand further exploration, due to their potentially misleading implications:

[The CPI value of 2.53] hides the fact that inflation has been trending upward over the last year—the average over the last 6 months has been 3.51 percent

One has to wonder, then, what the union found unsatisfactory about the 3.5% increase that they voted to reject?

The author also mentions rising property taxes and rent values, both of which are valid concerns - yet the CPI breakdown clearly shows that rent and housing costs are factored into both the national and the regional calculations. Most confusing is his claim that:

[T]he inflation rate for gasoline, now at 26.1 percent, affects us greatly. [This] figures are not reflected in Lees’s figure of 2.53 percent, but they are reflected in our lives.

Hmm, call me crazy, but as I undestand it that is exactly what seperates CPI from Core CPI - the CPI value of 2.53% is higher precisely because it does include the price of fuel, which tends to have a much higher inflation value and raise the entire metric. The author closes with an ad hominem exhortation to consult with the workers about how much of a cost of living pay raise they deserve - a valid request, so long as the workers are consulting with the facts.

Chavez, Putin, McCain and The Heisman - Daily Reading - 12/06/2007

Today's articles include positive analysis of both Thompson and McCain, as well as a look at college football superstars' shortcomings in the NFL and some continuing coverage on the landmark defeat on Chavez. I hope to have more to say on the Chavez subject in the next day or two, in particular the lukewarm reception the outcome has had in the US press - not that anyone ought to be surprised. Nonetheless, the outcome is historic and encouraging, whether some choose to ignore it or not.

I've made my feelings known on Thompson before, particularly his excellent white paper on tax reform. As for McCain, a reader writes to argue his credentials as an unorthodox and atypical candidate - a position that McCain seems to relish. The reader writes

I personally like his willingness to break with the Republican orthodoxy on issues like immigration, tax policy, campaign finance, farm subsidies, and global warming, as well as his character and judgment.

In truth, an apparent mixed bag. Although his willingness to call a horse a horse when it comes to spending is certainly encouraging, I remain unconvinced of the merits of McCain/Feingold, an opinion the write does not seem to share.

At any rate, a set of excellent reads. More to come - Enjoy.

• "A Tale of Two Dictators" - National Review


• "The case for John McCain" - The Economist (Hat Tip: AWF)


• "Why This Southern Baptist Minister Supports Fred Thompson" - Red State


• "Heisman Is No Key to NFL Glory" - Why do so few winners make it in the pros? - OpinionJournal

Daily Reading - 12/04/2007

What we're reading at The Oath:

• "Fred is Dead? Reports are Premature" - Human Events


• "Cut Tax Rates, Not the Fed Funds Rate" - National Review


• "Sen. John McCain & Sen. Joe Lieberman: It's inexcusable for Congress not to fund troops in Iraq" - The Union Leader


• "Venezuelans Rain on Hugo" - Opinion Journal


• Sony OLED display unboxed (With Pictures!) - TV Snob (via Gizmodo)

Fred Thompson's Window of Opportunity

Of all the oddities of the current election cycle, I am most puzzled by Fred Thompson's failure to seize upon the numerous opportunities he has been handed since entering the race. I won't pretend that I am unbiased - he's certainly the candidate I am the most intrigued with, especially in light of his penchant for "straight talk" and sticking to his ideology. More conservative, it would seem, than Giuliani and with more potential for Christian Right appeal than Romney, he has all the makings of the popular candidate. His proposals, moreover, have been by far the most substantial, and carry a broad appeal - see as an example his Tax Reform Plan, which proposes lower corporate tax rates, repealing the AMT, and instating an opt-in flat tax with 10% and 25% flat income brackets. Certainly more food for thought than the usual "Make the Bush Tax Cuts Permanent." The general feeling when he announced his candidacy, in fact, was that people want him to assume the role of the consensus GOP candidate. He just doesn't seem to have done it.

The Times wrote on Friday that Thompson is viewed as lazy and that his campaign events are haphazardly prepared and often surprisingly sparse. While Thompson is quick to point out that this style of campaigning was far more regular in the past, and indeed the norm for Reagan, this is not a typical election cycle. The lack of a clear Republican choice, the deluge of media attention, both new and old, and the particularly partisan state of politics has created an environment that demands incredible amounts of action on the part of any of the candidates.

All that said, it seems like Thompson has been dealt at least one more chance to make a run at a bounce, especially in the South, where he polls the strongest (RCP average here). The combination of a recent, but uncapitalized, NRLC endorsement of his surprisingly Libertarian stance on Abortion, and a strong showing at the most recent debate, mean that he has another chance to seize momentum in the race that desperately wants a front runner. His best strategy - a marketing blitz touting his more common-sense conservative credentials and his strong endorsements, and an increase in his presence in the states he is competitive in. If he can remind people why they wanted him to enter the race, and why so many have quipped that he's the candidate people want to support, he might be able to turn some heads in Iowa and South Carolina, and turn his campaign around.

The war (not so) at home

Last Sunday's Washington Post featured a remarkably insightful editorial written by a Soldier named William Quinn. After serving a tour in Iraq from 2005-2006, he returned to attend Georgetown as an undergraduate. "The only feeling I've ever had that was more surreal than arriving in a war zone," he begins, "was returning from one."

I find it frustrating that Facebook is a bigger part of most students' lives than the war...I may be prejudiced, but many of my college peers seem self-absorbed. I didn't want to end up like that...

I have lamented in the past about the decline of the American University, particularly Chicago, but Quinn's perspective is uniquely suited to demonstrating its shortcomings. The war in Iraq has no analogue within American History, because it's minimal impact on the civilian population is unprecedented. It is present on campus, but only as an "issue" - an opportunity for self-promoting advocacy and intellectual masturbation - often having the remarkable effect of demonstrating self-delusion rather than the intended inflation of already bloated sophomoric egos.

The fact that the average college student is unaffected by the war is as much a consequence of an increasingly relativistic and self-promoting educational system as it is a side-effect of a technologically advanced military unlike any in the world. It is almost ironic, then, that the very tools by which we are able to prevent drastic changes in the civilian way of life during war (avoiding the draft, incredibly low casualty rates, revolutionary weapon and intelligence technology), have led to a less engaged and supportive civilian populous because of their separation from the conflict.

It shouldn't surprise Quinn, therefore, that the average student is much more concerned with resumes and reactionary politics than self-sacrifice and "the culture of duty" - never before has a population been asked to do so little as part of a war effort. It is only a sad but predictable outcome, then, that they choose to do just that.

Sony OLEDs - At last!

Now for something completely different - Sony has finally set a release date for their first commercial OLED TV. One of several competing technologies to be the "Next Generation" of HD, OLED is certainly the most exciting, and the farthest along.

The next generation television has a screen with a thickness of just three millimetres (0.12 inches), which was made possible because the organic display is self-luminescent and does not require a backlight.

Such screens, which sandwich a very thin layer of organic material between two plates, use less power and offer brighter images and wider viewing angles than liquid crystal display panels.

The real kicker:

Weighs 2 kgs
Measures 287 × 140 × 253mm
Contrast ratio 1,000,000:1
960 x 450 resolution

While the contrast ratio is drool-worthy, the resolution seems deceptively small. But remember these are only 11 inch screen, and the first product that have released in their OLED line. They demoed a 27 incher at CES last year, so it shouldn't be more than 12 months before we see the good stuff.

Of course Japan gets the goodies first (Official Sony Page here in Japanese), but a US release will certainly follow. For those who have been following, Gizmodo first picked this up early this year, (and later here) and now have a comprehensive post with pictures.

March of the Pigeon Doves

On a hot tip, I checked out the trailer and media coverage of the forthcoming Redford/Streep/Cruise Drama "Lions for Lambs". No surprises here, of course, but I can't help but be a little more disappointed than usual with Hollywood's "slice like a hammer" subtlety. The plot, which switches excitedly between three simultaneous stories, bludgeons the viewer with the "truth" about the war in Iraq that has been so craftily hidden by its proponents - namely that it is a complete failure (of course), an outright sham, and that our brave soldiers are merely victims of their own deluded patriotism.

First, and foremost, the claims of a supposed lack of volition, and intellectual fortitude and foresight, on the part of our armed forces volunteers is the worst form of soft bigotry. But the most telling and intellectually dishonest line from the trailer has got to be Streep's quip to Cruise that his demands for a continued involvement in the War on Terror are easy for "the man in the air conditioned room." This, of course, from the woman in the air conditioned movie studio, being paid 7 figures to assault a war and an administration that she and her colleagues have opposed since before they began. If one who is not on the front lines of combat is unfit to support the war, than how exactly does one become fit to disparage it? After all, blind support is no match for blind antagonism. As Redford's character laments, "The problem is with us, who do nothing." Except, of course, those of us who make movies.

Ironically, of all the times for this movie to begin its media blitz, it comes in the wake of an upbeat report from General Petraeus, collaborating testimony from the New York Times and an encouraging drop in Iraq casualties to a 14 month low (the fourth month straight of declines). And while momentum for a withdrawal is stalled in the Senate, it seems to be all the rage on the left coast, where a lineup of like-minded cinematic endeavors await anxiously in the wings for their chance at a "limited release", brief box office disappointment, and eventual place in Nancy Pelosi's Netflix queue.


(Hat tip: Acai)

Richardson - Tax and Spend... and Spend?

It's tough out there for a second tier candidate. In the course of trying to catch up via increased levels of pandering, Bill Richardson managed to discover a novel solution to the "Tax and Spend" label that has dogged Democrat candidates for some time: Spend and Spend!

In a brief piece titled "Money for schools, not for war," MSNBC reports that the long shot candidate, in a speech to the National Education Association, declared:

"We need to get out of Iraq, where precious lives and needed dollars have been wasted ...We could use these resources to improve our schools..."

Say what you will about his understanding of how the Federal Budget works, but at least he knew his target audience. The problem was that he had already spent the money - the same day!

Earlier that day, Richardson had called for universal health coverage, increased Medicare subsidies and boosted preventative medicine, to the tune of $100 + billion a year. And what's more, he declared he wouldn't have to raise taxes to do it. How, then, to finance the latest "Health care Crisis" panacea? Iraq funding of course!

The New Mexico governor said he could provide coverage to the 45 million uninsured without raising taxes. Instead, Richardson said preventive care would save the nation billions of dollars and additional money could be diverted from spending on the Iraq war.

Richardson, Dodd and others are doing their best to stay in the game, but when you're campaign promises start to contradict each other in the same day, you might be getting a little bit desperate to keep up.

Welcome (or perhaps Welcome Back)

For those who were readers of Maroonblog, you may have some sense from my farewell post as to the intended nature of this forum, but whether you are a faithful reader or first time visitor, welcome.

The quote that sits below the title of this blog, by Jacques-Louis David, conveys nicely the reasons I returned to blogging. I believe it is the duty of any engaged citizen to be in constant analysis of all the world within which he lives.

The name, of course, finds its root in the mythic "Oath of the Horatii," immortalized in the painting of the aforementioned Jacques-Louis David, and seen below. I found it to be uniquely fitting with my goal of returning to the blogosphere to pursue my civic duty, and engage in inspirational, insightful and articulate commentary and debate. Enjoy, and I encourage you to join in.