Points to Ponder

Another couple of rounds of the auto-bailout have passed with little progress. Some questions to ponder: 1) What is the purpose of the bailout? In other words, what would be success? Would it be the successful reorganization of the big three into modern business model and profitable companies, or would it simply be deterring a bankrupcty filing until the economy has begun to turn around? 2) What role does party politics play? Is it really as simple as the fact that the UAW is rooted in Democatic states while the foreign-owned domestic plants are rooted in the traditionally Republican south? Is Obama so deep into the pockets of the UAW that he cannot abandon them when he is in office? What role does campaign finance play? 3) What is the scope of the federal government's power to regulate the economy? Note that economics is not given much attention in the constitution. Furthermore, is forcing foreign-owned companies to compete with an artificial market anti-capitalist? Doesn't it stifle the future of American industry and lead to a less efficient market? 4) What does another bail-out plan lead to? Where does it end? This is closely tied to the political element in #2. 5) Lastly, is bankruptcy really a viable option? Note that a requirement of a chapter 11 plan is that it be feasible. Is that possible without completely destroying the unions? Could it survive while upholding their pension plans but slashing everything else? Is the argument that failure of the big 3 will lead to a mammoth collapse in the domestic economy credible? Does it really stand to reason that the 50% of the market that the big 3 represents will suddenly disappear, as opposed to being absorbed by the rest of the market?

Nights of Passed Over

Nights of Passed Over is a collection of Mark Kozelek's lyrics from his days in Red House Painters through his current project, Sun Kil Moon. It was originally only released in Portugal but was recently re-released with new content and an updated introduction. The introduction serves as a brief explanation of the themes and purpose of his writing and also provides the background story of what has become the source of many of his songs. Tales of fear and loss haunt these pages but that generally creates the best art.

For most of my life, I was never much of a lyrics person. I guess that was mostly because I was not blessed with a fine voice and as a result always stuck to drums and later guitar. It was fitting that my most rewarding musical experience was starting an instrumental jazz/rock band. In school, we were taught to value poetry but that didn't stick. How are children supposed to appreciate the contemplative perspective that poetry takes? It seems ridiculous. But somewhere along the line I learned to appreciate quality lyrics and the consistent use of themes in an album. It is amazing to look back on Kozelek's lyrics written over the course of 15 years and see a relatively consistent level of craftsmanship. I recommend this highly to anyone who appreciates contemplative poetry riddled with themes of loss, fear, naustalgia or coping.