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Kodak’s cutting jobs. Again. After the last time they cut jobs. And their great business plan for the future? Cutting more jobs. Whee. What is the modern corporation? I don’t know, so I’ll make up a description and then rant about it.

The modern corporation is an association of people designed to provide a service that generates profit that increases the stock price thus pleasing the shareholders. Think about that for a second. Is this progress? Is this going to get us anywhere? Now, before you call me a communist, allow me to call myself one first. I hate what I sound like, I know, I know, it sounds like I’m a dirty red hippie commie prevert, as Mrs. McGraw, my high school AP US History teacher would say.

But here’s my point. Is the current jobless recovery a direct result of the economic crash of the past few years, or the culmination of the downsizing policies most corporations have adopted for the past two decades? And just what is the point of the corporation? Currently, most corporations fall into the category where they are constantly downsizing, running lean as possible while still kicking an exponential salary up to the CEO’s and senior management. That’s insane. No member of a corporation should receive a salary whose relationship to a lesser employee’s salary is exponential. Bonuses are a much better way of compensating those above. If they do something revolutionary, or do something above and beyond, inflate their bonus by a couple million as a one-time event. Don’t offer them $20 million to begin with while the majority of the employee’s are receiving 30K a year. Continue Reading »

TIME this week ran an article titled “Facing Reality”, about how grim the situation is in Iraq.

I also read a disgusting article(and a very welcome response to it this week) in the Campus Times where the author whined about the $90 billion cost of rebuilding Iraq and how that could be better spent on tuition for college students. Wow. I thought liberals were supposed to be the generous ones. Continue Reading »

Abbas resigned about a week ago. Congratulations, Arafat, you’ve just ruined a real chance for peace for your people, you scheming worthless fuck.

For those of you who weren’t aware, the US began a process about a year ago for the establishment of a Prime Minister post for the Palestinians. Arafat selected Mohammed Abbas, and then began scheming against him behind the scenes, making sure that while Abbas was the figurehead that the West dealt with, Arafat ran the show. He undermined Abbas’ connection to the public, and Abbas finally resigned, recognizing that while he could negotiate with Israel, he could never enfore the Palestinian side of the negotiations. And the road map for peace is no longer paved, but a twisting road of gravel that doesn’t really lead you anywhere but leaves your car looking like hell. Continue Reading »