Summertime, but first...

Summertime is upon us, but first I'd like to share my commencement message to the students of SUNY Geneseo on our trek out into the wild...

Below is the script, I'll attempt to get some video going soon:

(Also, I realize I'm quoting myself...ha)


"Welcome, Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Loved ones, Professors, Associates

Before you sits the Class of 2009

Take a moment, take a breath

Here we sit, so far away from our smiling freshmen selves. We seem like entirely different people now. Do you remember yourself then, wondering what this would be like, what graduating would feel like? We seem so much older now…

We have worked hard, sacrificed much, and learned a thing or two.

And here the road would seem to end. And yet, when I think that this is the end I remember these words:

“There will come a time when you think everything is finished. That will be the beginning.”

And this, here now, is the start of something.


But to understand this beginning we must come to understand, and I would hope that your parents, friends, and peers come to understand, and come to appreciate, the circumstances of our maturity.

And to exemplify this, I’d like to tell you a story of my maturity. Perhaps some of you remember, and perhaps some of you took part – in the mudsliding on the South Side of campus our Freshmen year.

The rains had been particularly fierce, and it turned the hills into causeways and means of meeting every new face. We all had a great time, but it was not until this year that I realized that that rainwater that was so essential to our beginning college experience was the misery water of New Orleans.

All of our actions are inherently tied with the globalized world – the pleasures that we enjoy in our everyday lives are sometimes the very engines of grief a world away.

The story of our generation, and particularly, of our college years, has been framed by events that have occurred outside of our power to control.



Class of 2009, we began our freshmen years in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when we realized once again that there may indeed be “no certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain.”

We leave college now on the heels of the election of Barack Obama, an election that seemed impossible that was sold as improbable but was made manifest by our efforts. We leave college convinced that a society that is determined enough can reorganize itself. But we recognize also that this reorganization does not happen alone – that it is generated by individuals cooperating together, working towards defined goals.

WE are going to be those individuals that determine the path our society will take. Our lives will shape the growth and structure of America.

Class of 2009, we now bear witness to the collapse of Wall Street, we enter the age of Responsibility. Let me remind you that we once pegged as the Facebook Generation, the instant Gratification Generation. And instead of a fractured selfish gang, we have become a cohesive coalition that will meet and overcome the problems of today and tomorrow.

WE are among the first of the generations to grow up with advanced technology as a staple within our lives. There are few graduates here who remember what life was like without direct connection to the internet.
Who remember what life was like without a personal cell-phone. WE do not think that these technologies have destroyed our communicative abilities, instead we have adapted our lives and opened new vistas of communication, education, and cooperation. WE use these technologies to better ourselves, to understand the world and to interact with it. Instead of burdens these technologies are tools, are our ways to understand and change our surroundings.

Though other may question our styles of communication they do not understand the depth of our interaction. WE operate as a force that is vigilant, enthralled, and productive.

Our time at Geneseo has endowed us with the knowledge and the ability to shape the outside world.


We have not been in college simply so that we can find a job.


WE understand that our time in college has been a privilege and that now we must repay our debt. We should think of ourselves as assets to society, because of the resources employed to bring us to this point. We hold within our grasp the power to manifest honest change.

I have spoken with many of those graduating today. And the paths that I have encountered are different but all invoke the idea of service, of continued education, of hope for what we can do in the world.

Geneseo graduates will filter across America. Some are biking United States building houses along the way. Some are going onto graduate work at prestigious universities, and will undoubtedly impress their peers. Some are going straight into jobs where they will work up the ladder quicker than most and will someday run businesses and organizations that have an impact the world over. Some are going into the Government, some to foreign nations to work, and some to foreign nations to serve the interests of the United States in our military.

We all will remember Geneseo. We have defined ourselves through our work, through how we questioned what was told to us, through the late nights studying, and the short Saturday nights laughing. Here some have found their spouses, and here many have found lasting friendships.

We go forth from Geneseo now, prepared to meet the world at large. WE are ready for this – we undertake our burden seriously, we think of ourselves both individuals and as members of a collective. WE are not the Gratification Generation but are instead members of the Millennial Generation and though this seems like the end, it is, in fact, just the beginning."

New and Last, Semester

The beginning of the end.
The beginning of the beginning.

I am excited, hopeful, motivated. And I intend to make the most of it.

Meanwhile, reading Greg Mankiw's blog is making me daily more skeptical of the fiscal stimulus package that is destined to be passed by the Obama administration -- though I think it is, indeed, needed these projects must pass a basic cost/benefit analysis.

There is much to hope for, we must move boldly and swiftly but also...rationally.

Nearing midnight

Drinking tea, thinking about what to write for the next edition of MiNT magazine, and I just watched the Obama interview on 60 minutes, which was fantastic.

Have a restful night.

Gotta love Larkin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmUfkyItPic

MiNT Magazine article, pre-election...

There is just not enough space in this magazine to go into detail about both of the presidential candidates’ economic philosophies, and so I will only cover Senator Barack Obama’s economic epistemology. My research for this article comes both from my experience as an economics major, and the views expressed by The Economist in the October 4th- 10th issue. I will use Senator McCain’s positions as a foil for what I and others perceive to be the best and worst outcomes of an Obama Presidency, at least economically.

The Optimistic

Polls clearly display that most economists favor Barack Obama. And there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the economy under his leadership. In fact, most voters agree that Senator Obama would be an effective and just steward.

One of the most compelling arguments about Obama’s economic prowess is his ability to surround himself with those who are well educated about such matters. Having spent years as a constitutional lawyer at one of highest regarded schools for economists, The University of Chicago (home of the renowned Milton Freidman), Mr. Obama must have picked up some lessons on political economy. Furthermore, in the last debate, Senator Obama took a minute to explain that his advisers on economic issues would be both Warren Buffett and Paul Volcker. Personally, having the Oracle of Omaha (Buffett) and a former Federal Reserve Chairman at one’s side is an incredibly compelling reason to vote for Barack Obama.

His tax plans are also revolutionary and impressive. Joe the plumber aside, Obama’s plan would bridge

the historic gap between the extremely wealthy and those languishing in the shackles of poverty. Mr. Obama would lessen the gap while McCain would most certainly attempt to widen it with his tax policy. In terms of the deficit, which after the rescue plan is increasing by leaps and bounds, Obama’s tax plan would reduce the debt by an estimated $750 billion. Contrarily, Mr. McCain’s tax cuts would propel the national debt to further heights.

The Pessimistic

How free should the free market be? It is generally agreed between colleagues that more regulation of the market is non-desirable in the sense that it manipulates market forces to socially inefficient outcomes. An example of this can be seen with the price of gasoline, a commodity that is heavily subsidized by the government. The efficient price of gasoline would probably be much higher than it is currently. That price would reflect the costs that using gas inflicts on the environment, the rising costs of extraction, and the opportunity costs of using a resource now instead of saving it for later consumption. The implications of lowering the price of gasoline below the socially efficient level go beyond even these reasons. Think about what would happen if gas rose to $10 a gallon --- if we think beyond the volatility of the short-run, private entrepreneurs would now have an amazing incentive to tinker around in their basements, trying to find that new energy source that could revolutionize our lives. Overall, the price of government involvement in the markets can be disastrous.

I realize that in a time like this, government control is rather appealing. Was it not, in fact, the government that approved the plan to stabilize the credit markets? Yet, there is also enough evidence to suggest that government played an important role in creating this situation in the first place. Heavy-handed regulation may have generated non-desirable incentives that set the groundwork for how investors began their rapid cycle of securitization, expansion, and consumption. The appropriate regulation implemented in the correct manner may do wonders for the system – in chaining down the forces that propel the free market we risk a cycle of isolationism, protectionism, and ultimately, stagnation.

In this vein, one prime area where Senator Obama may be most inexperienced is in trade. Free trade is another area in economics in which there is general consensus. It is better for both the United States and the world, when the government refrains from imposing protectionist policies, such as quotas and tariffs. Without going into the strict economics of why free trade is considered nearly entirely beneficial, I will ask you to suspend visions of child-labor, blood diamonds, and arms trade. Certainly, free trade does draw with it the potential for extreme manipulation, subjugation and pain – yet, altogether we are lifted-up by trading with our neighbors, and likewise we aid our neighbors in opening our borders. However, while contesting Ohio during the primaries, Obama mentioned that he would like to renegotiate NAFTA. Further still, this disturbing piece of news was later contested by one of his leading economic advisers. Having faith in Mr. Obama’s willingness to extend the olive branch to international business may be a longer leap of faith than most are willing to take.

Likewise, Senator Obama has promoted the idea of increased subsidies to ethanol producers. This environmentally ambiguous product, ethanol, has not only deterred research into what may be more viable sources of energy, it has also helped to cause a food crisis that extended across the borders. This food crisis occurred this summer and hit hard countries like Egypt and Haiti. The reason for this food crisis derives from the fact that increased subsidies diverts corn from food production into fuel production, reducing the supply of food worldwide, ultimately causing the price to shoot up. The subsidy distorts the market and should be repealed, supporting such diversions is not only harmful to our own people, but to others around the world.

Conclusion

It is difficult to exactly measure how a candidate will do in office in terms of economics; the upcoming four years will certainly present new challenges with which the next President will have to contend. Many experts are no longer talking about whether we are in a recession, but rather how bad and how long this one will last. The economic situation will definitely hinder how far the President will be able to go with his plans for the future. For Barack Obama, he may have to shelve many of the plans that he has drawn up simply because of spending limitations. And yet, checking spending in a situation where his party controls a majority of Congress will not be easy, and it is difficult to tell whether Mr. Obama can stand up to his own party.

But, as always, there is reason to hope. Barack Obama has presented himself capable of being able to draw experts around him – regardless of their political leanings. I do feel that he is open to change on some of his policies. With his presidency I would expect to see a society of greater social safety nets, a shrinking of the gap between the poor and the impossibly affluent, and a return to service in our communities. What I and others are rightly concerned about is his ability to stand up to what may be inefficient projects from his own party, his stance on how the world and the US will trade, and fundamentally, if he respects the power of the free market.

The night.

I want to recap for you, Geneseo, and perhaps for others what occurred in our little corner of the world the night that Mr. Obama was elected the 44^th president of these United States. And to do so I will skip forward until after we – friends gathered around a tv in a living room of an old yellow house on Center St. – had just finished our personal celebrations, received stunned/hopeful/amazed texts from teary loved ones, and heard the first words from the soon-to-be presiding President.

We stood and stretched and looked at each other and smiled at one another and took pots and pans and old utensils from their worn out shelves, we were using these tools for a different purpose tonight. The night was unusually warm and sweet…we looked to campus and held our ears aloft for any sound of jubilation. We scampered down to campus and looked to unite with others who shared our sentiments – our beliefs, our hopes and predictions of what was to come. We just wanted to be near those of our generation who for the first time felt alive, empowered, ecstatic. But we found no-one.

And so our victory-drums began their revelry, and we marched, those who were scurrying to the library, or coming back tired-eyed, apathetic, unengaged, gave us stares – they were incredulous, annoyed (though there weren’t many of those). Finally, we had something to celebrate, something besides the fact that our tvs had nothing interesting on – our computers were not shut off but we were out – and where was everyone else? Disappointed we continued to walk – and I am glad we did. It wasn’t that long until we found others, it wasn’t that long until the spirit of youth showed us once again the power that hope can bring, the joy, the unity.

We marched, we chanted, and soon acquired a host. Those who, for their own reasons, chose not to join us, waved from their windows, there must have been about two-hundred people there, but no matter, there were enough so that our voices did not die on the winds of Geneseo, were not scattered to the valley – but rose above. And for the very first time, I felt myself connected with others around the country, around the globe. It was the most peculiar nights of my life and henceforth it shall be the gauge of my joy, and of my generations’ expectations. We remain vigilant, we remain determined and above all we remain united in hope.

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Welcome, this is Will Sankey - a student, currently attending Geneseo State. I am a senior this year and am looking to begin...it is needless to say that the future is fast approaching and that life will become ever more fast paced, and in a sense, interesting.

So, on here I plan to discuss life, economics, english, W.E.B DuBois perhaps, and whatever else seems to float my way. I am filled with excitement and an ever pervasive sense of hope.

We stand at the epicenter of a shift in American lifestyle, trend, thought, and optimism - I look forward to sharing the zeitgeist with you.