What's So Great about Democracy

Though America currently encounters a dismal economic state, no social unrest has occurred. This is not the case in other major countries. There are constant complaints about the partisanship in Washington, but politicians arguing relentlessly beat protests in the street.

Ian Bremmer's "J Curve" aptly pairs openness of a government with the country's stability. His book focuses more on a country's process along the curve, but I will use his idea to explain the present situations in nations with regards to the financial crisis.

Bremmer believes that the more transparent a government is, the more stability the country has. The only exception, which he notes, occurs in authoritarian governments. They fall on the left end of the curve where there is a jutting up. This symbolizes their little openness, but their apparent stability, though it is significantly less than, say, a democracy, which rests on the upper right side of the curve. Bremmer’s model provides a nice foundation for explaining current events.

I hate the partisanship a two-party system engenders. Compared to a one-party system though, I choose it quicker than choosing broccoli over salmonella-flavored peanut butter crackers. We simply overreact to the inefficiency and bad publicity created by congressional bickering. Globally, our system proves how stable our country really is.

Both our politicians and fellow citizens worry about the rising unemployment rate. Their angst mostly derives from a humanitarian and economic standpoint. China and Russia, both closed governments, see unemployment as a catalyst for social conflict. Last week, the Kremlin replaced four governors in potential unruly areas. An aide of President Medvedev even twisted the social contract theory to explain how Russia needed to react. “The social contract consisted of limiting civil rights in exchange for economic well-being. At the current moment, economic well-being is shrinking. Correspondingly, civil rights should expand.” China may have to move in a similar direction. A recent New York Times article pointed to the Internet crackdown as a potential starting point.

The economic downturn has also prolonged incidents that may have been quickly forgotten in better financial times. Skepticism over the tainted milk crisis and the collapse of Chinese schools during an earthquake last year still linger. Russia faces the backlash from the killings of two human rights advocates, a lawyer and a journalist. The acquittal of the alleged journalist murderers will prolong the affair even more.

We in America take our political stability for granted. In response to the financial state, we simply elected the opposing party into office, and the ousted leader even helped the incoming one. Political divisiveness exists in our country’s history even before we rebelled against England. Sensational media coverage may affect views of its importance, but compared to other countries, we are weathering this storm quite nicely.

Iran into Bolivia

Unlike Loverboy who was “loving every minute of it” when he was shot into space, the United States and other nations fear Iran’s ability to launch anything into orbit, which they did in the form of a satellite earlier this week. Iran may not have won the space race, finishing 9th, but they did display their rising technology. This could potentially combine President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s fiery rhetoric with a means.

Sputnik sparked America’s full involvement in the space race. The latest satellite should push a different type of race which we cannot win with the help of Hollywood. Oil revenues help Iran fund projects such as a missile system amongst other nefarious items. Clearly any simple-minded person can see the situation at hand and at least know possible solutions. Our Congress consistently fails to achieve this required status. To prove their stupidity, the Senate approved a tax credit for Americans buying new cars. Citizens can now receive a rebate after buying cars they do not want or cannot afford from companies funded by the government to produce those very vehicles. This is why the show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” should be a requirement for potential congressional members.

How about tax credits for investing in actual green technology and not the research and development that the car companies should have being doing all along? Green companies currently face downsizing due to oil and coal lobbyists in Washington D.C. taking subsidies over the ones who could actually help America wean off funding towards the Middle East and prevent that satellite from becoming an intercontinental missile.

President Obama, if you want to have high approval in the long term, you will need to make potential career-ending decisions. Talking to Iran will not produce anything. Hitting their budget absolutely will. Gasoline prices are too volatile to sustain green investment and there is no market for renewable energy sources at the moment. Unlike Congress, you have a capable energy adviser, Stephen Chu, and a brain, allegedly. Play it smart, not politically.

A recent New York Times article outlined Bolivia’s supply of lithium, a valuable resource for improved batteries for hybrid cars and other electronics. The government stands reluctant on allowing other countries to harvest the mineral and does not have the resources to effectively do it on its own. I see this changing in upcoming years. If lithium is a major game-changer in the green industry, countries will be vying to buddy up with Bolivia. To prospective friends, President Morales likes sunset strolls on beaches and like Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride”, eggs Benedict.

America will not take this approach if we gain interest in the lithium. We will be chilling in Chile then it will unfold. Bolivia’s government will become insufficient and we will help them fix it up. Problem solved. I joke now, but give it time. The growing importance of Bolivia will signify the standing of the movement towards better energy usage.

Going green is more dire than Chris Paul’s injury to the New Orleans Hornets. If politicians do what sounds good to their constituency over what is smart, then America will blow a 20-point lead in 12 minutes and fall in the standings. As Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green”; however, I think it will be worth it.

Green Bama

Both the university and college students look to save money. How could we possibly achieve both and push the University of Alabama into the future?

Without our parents nagging us, we dorm dwellers have no major reason to turn off the lights or keep the air conditioner at a cost-efficient temperature. As of now a contest promoted by a student and endorsed by the university is taking place in which the dorm that reduces the most energy wins a gaming console. I like the effort and especially the posting of energy consumption of each residence hall, but it probably won’t enact enough effort.

I have an alternate plan. Instead of competing against other dorms for a shared $300 reward, residence halls would fight to beat their own energy consumption from the previous semester. Then university would then reward each student with a rebate based on the energy savings. I wouldn’t be the one to decide the real numbers, but the rebate could go towards living expenses of the next semester, tuition fees, or something to that extent. Hopefully, the savings would total enough to spread them to each student, creating the self-interest to take part.

This is not just an environmental movement anymore. This is a green, as in financial, movement. I am not asking for solar panels on top of university buildings or wind turbines on the quad. I just would like to save money on my living expenses. If it happens to help both the environment and the energy future of the university, so be it.

The Resource Situation Part 1

Russia stopped gas flow to Ukraine due to gas prices among other factors. Venezuela has announced the opening of their oil reserves to Western companies, a change from almost radical nationalization. Oil companies have started withholding their supply at a greater extent to raise prices. Also, electric cars seem to be on the brink with Toyota announcing its model and Chevy developing the Volt. What does this all mean?

In his book, Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria discusses the current rise of developing countries, such as China and India, and its effects. The surge in demand for resources reveals itself most noticeably. The quest for oil for instance leads nations outside of their borders and sometimes into undesirable deals with unreliable countries, such as the aforementioned Russia and Venezuela.

A country with control of valuable resources obtains a considerable amount of power, especially in a time such as this. Take Russia. A country with the most natural resources in the world, they supply one fifth of Europe's oil and all the oil imported to smaller European states. This allows Vladimir Putin and his underboss, Dmitry Medvedev, to act almost as a mafia with this power. When Georgia or Ukraine starts to piss them off, they just bash a few heads in and show them who's boss.

The United Nations and the European Union withheld punishment from Russia after the Georgian Conflict and now the Ukrainian dispute respectively. Though I don't see why or how either could enforce anything on anyone, let alone Russia. Both were held back mostly from the dependency on oil.

The easiest solution to taking the power back from these resource-holding nations is to limit the demand for those resources. Easier said than done, I know. Think about it though. Russia's economy and standing would be diminished by simply creating and utilizing new ways to use less gasoline. No fighting, no sanctions, just a bit of innovation and legislation.

I will be writing a continuation of this argument in the upcoming days, but I will leave you with a scary situation. Most oil suppliers do not have democratic governments or have a fond relationship with most of the West. An alliance and united front to cease trading would pose a horrendous situation world-wide.

It's Not About the Land (anymore)

Does the Gaza Strip, West Bank, or Kashmir hold enough value, whether it be financial or religious, to cause the endless fighting and uproars? The debate over the land may and probably did instigate the negativity between the two pairs of combatants, but they are at a point where the land isn’t even the central issue.

Instead of spewing off stats that could support my claim and subsequently push you to skip the section entirely, I will go another route. Sibling confrontations are like Dick Vitale*. Everyone hates them, but no one can get rid of them. These rivalries can start in a multitude of ways. Seeing your brother or sister get something you want is one of them. That new bike or even the remote control begins the yelling for mom or the punches. That first time you may have actually wanted the item, but after several instances you just don’t want your sibling controlling what you can’t. In this instance the land is the remote control and the siblings are of course the countries.

Israel and Palestine annually battle for the “I Hate You More Award”. Another skirmish between the two should be as much as a surprise as a modern horror movie being cliché and hilariously bad. Yes, Israel is just retaliating to attacks and Palestine has been constrained wrongfully for so long. I understand that part and have heard it more times than Dick Vitale’s “OH BABY”. However, I don’t see those as the real driving forces. Maybe these nations use those issues to back their constant struggles, but actually just want to fight due to pure hatred. Of course it sounds horrific and cynical, but it would not be the first time this has happened.

A ceasefire would be like forbidding two arch rivals from not messing with each other while sitting next to each other at a seminar (America’s presence in the Middle East). Yes it would be all nice and cute, but right when the speaker steps away from the podium, those two will duke it out once again.

Russia’s halting of gasoline through Ukrainian pipelines also compares to the aforementioned conflicts. Russia is just demonstrating their hostility towards their neighbor non-violently. Reuters proposed some purposes for the stoppage, but it really boiled down to flaunting their power to both Ukraine and Europe, who relies heavily on Russia’s oil (insert Green Revolution argument here). Ukraine’s leaders desire a NATO membership and Russia does not want to see this happen so they acted in a way that they deemed fit. At least this does not seem familiar right?

*Side note: Dick Vitale is calling an NBA game tonight for ESPN. The main reason I took to the NBA over NCAA basketball was the absence of this man. Now thanks to this event, I will have to skip tonight’s game and question my allegiance to the sport.

New 1st Amendment Right

Saturday night consisted of me watching the New Mexico Bowl due to my inability to watch the crucial Cowboys-Ravens NFL game or the Heat-Nets NBA game. I didn't mind seeing the overrated BYU team face a Pac-10 team (who actually won by 10), but I actually did since the game was horrible and both teams had no right to be on national television. The fact that BYU lost to Arizona kept me from not changing to some random movie on HBO. These non-BCS conferences have nothing to argue their current bowl status with. Alabama should only drive this home in the Sugar Bowl against BYU's partner in the Mountain West, Utah.

But wait....Utah has actually beaten both Rose Bowl participants, USC and Penn State. How? It is easy. Utah beat Oregon State, who beat USC. One down, one to go. USC defeated Ohio State, who took down Michigan State, who edged out Iowa, who upset Penn State. Clearly this team has proved their worth through taking out such highly regarded programs.

Now to the real reason of writing this. The NFL network and NBA television deny the rights of so many sports fans. The freedom to watch every meaningful sports event should be unalienable. The national government needs to step in, like they do so often, and correct this situation that threatens the lives of its citizens. President-elect Barack Obama has already announced his desire for an 8-team playoff in place of the BCS. This man can be our vanguard in this battle. When he is caught unable to watch the Chicago Bears or Bulls during their run for the playoffs due to NFL network or NBAtv showing the game, he will vehemently join this cause. That is if the White House for some reason does not pick up either of these channels, otherwise we sports fans are as screwed as the man who bought AFL season tickets.

Week 16 Games to Watch

Week 16 of the NFL pits teams fighting for their shot at the playoffs against one another. This is the last game before the final game of the season which will determine who can fight for another day and who goes home to get their popcorn ready.
The real best game on Sunday does not have any of these things...

Cincinnati Bengals (2-11-1) @ Cleveland Browns (4-10)

This is easily one of the best rivalries in all of pro football in Ohio. Vegas didn't even try to place a line on this game, because they don't even know how it will shape up.
Cincy has yet to win a game on the road and Cleveland has only won at home once. Something has to give.

Ryan Fitzpatrick of THE Harvard University will attempt to lead his Asian tigers against Ken Dorsey's formidable orange-colored Browns. Both of these back-up quarterbacks could have made it to the Pro Bowl if their stats would have been better.

The X-factor: Cedric Benson
A running back from Texas out to prove something after being dismissed by his former team. No, not the marijuana guy. That would be Ricky Williams.

Other news from the NFL:
The Detroit Lions edged out another loss last week against the Indianapolis Colts to bring their total to 14. With two more losses, this team can tie the NFL record of 16 in one season. Hopefully, they can withstand the pressure and achieve this improbable feat. They play at the aptly named Ford Field against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

What's at stake:
The Lions can secure the first pick of the NFL draft if they continue their streak.
The Saints can only fight for their self-esteem.

The X-factor: Points
In every game this season, the Lions have failed to score more points than their opponents. If they can manage to put a higher number on their side of the scoreboard, I believe they can win.

After the ease of writing this post, I may add sports to possible topics for my blog. Politics has slowed down it seems with the wait for Obama's inauguration.