Sunny Skies (for you and me)

I had my first Food Cart meal in our new summer today. I sat on the concrete plateau in the Library Mall. Where else than Madison do you see such diversity? Food Carts from all over the world being enjoyed by a privileged white elite. Oh, and a few Asian students to boot.

I wish we had more diversity here - real diversity - but it's a fleeting dream. We've got most of the African American population over in Milwaukee. We've got most of the Hmong up North. We've got a budget built on the idea of securing more slots in Wisconsin's schools for "Native" Wisconsinites.

For those of you who are playing from home, be sure to note that "Native" means White.

There are some who are working towards a fair distribution in our institutions of higher education, and they should be applauded. Most in the State Senate and Assembly are working against this. Why?
1. Xenophobia. Asian students are invading our schools! Mexicans are marching across graduation stages! I think this is a pretty large component, but clearly the proponents of State-Based affirmative action (i.e. locking up our schools) would disagree with this assessment. I think it doesn't play into the logical elements of the debate, but it certainly comes in from the PR perspective. When someone doesn't get in to University, it's easy to point to that successful non-white and say,"They don't deserve it".
2. "Our Tax Dollars" argument. This argument is basically that since it is property tax payer's dollars going into the school system, they should receive its direct benefits. There are three problems with this argument:
a. The indirect benefits outweigh the costs, and everyone who pays property taxes receives the indirect benefits regardless of attendance. This argument is self-evident, although I'm sure we could provide economic data in support of this claim. It's simple: Universities are economic engines, and their graduates are as well. When a University prospers, especially a research university, then the entire area prospers. Look at the area around the Madison campus. Prosperity comes from investment, and we all benefit from the investment in our Universities.
b. Locking up the University by increasing the weight on "native" Wisconsinites decreases the quality of the University by driving down the quality of students. This decreases the return on investment (ROI) of any dollar spent in the UW.
c. Even if we were to increase the amount of students from Wisconsin who attend a University system school, we would not cover all of the students in Wisconsin.

Note - I'm not arguing for Affirmative Action; that's a different subject, for a different time. I'm arguing for a merit-based acceptance system that values performance and diversity of experience rather than payment, state residency, citizenship, or race.


What I am arguing for is the following:
1. More tuition reciprocity, starting with neighboring states and other big-name research institutions.
2. More joint projects with other research institutions in the United States and abroad using advanced communication technology.
3. An expansion of the merit-based process of admissions which values Wisconsin High School Graduates but allows more students from outside of Wisconsin.
4. The continuation of programs which attract a wide range of scholars in different fields.
5. The expansion of the Alumni fund to provide for the University during political crises (an insurance policy against bureaucratic sabotage).
6. Foster outreach to primary schools throughout Wisconsin using technology to enhance k-12 education.

What do you think we need to do to keep the University in the 21st century and make it a more diverse institution? Or are we already there?

bang is the meaning of a gun

I have much I can write about today. I'll try to keep it brief. Brevity is important when you want to ramble.

First, on immigrant labor. Mallory and I ate at La Hacienda this evening. I really do love that restaurant. The food tastes great, and it's typical Mexican fare - not "Mexican-American". I love that Park Street has developed somewhat of a Mexican community. It's funny that we condemn these people - many of whom have lived here for a very, very long time - yet we consume the fruits of their labor and live on their backs. Luckily, immigration offers a solution to the problem of exploitation. Immigrants, especially immigrants inclined to entrepreneurialism, are able to see the problems in our society and set out to fix them. They can see where money can be made and can make a difference.


I have much I can write about, but I'm already feeling tired just pounding this out! I'll probably ramble more about it in the future. Immigration is, as we all know, a big topic in this country. Little is done to examine the real economic impact of immigrants. Perhaps we should do that more before we submit ourselves to demagogues who try to make us afraid of people simply because they have a different color skin.

Another topic I've been thinking about today is electoral structure, the meddling of the powers that be in elections - not only direct influence but the indirect influence created by structural changes in the system of elections - and what really constitutes democratic action. As a committed democrat (and that's small d democrat, take note--), and as a political scientist (image management? check-- although I am in training, I like to take the mantle--), I find more and more that we cannot simply label all elections democratic, even ones taken in the most fair of circumstances. There are tough questions that need to be asked about the interests that we allow to come to power across the globe (and by "we", I don't mean the royal American we, but rather the "we, the people" of global humanity).

Every electoral decision is made with real, life-or-death consequences. Do we have single member districts? Winner takes all elections? Runoff elections? Single-party systems? Do we outlaw parties? Do we have public financing? Do we require voter ID at our polling places? Do we vote for candidates or party lists? Who decides? Who selects the polling places, the hours, the days for elections? Who makes up the ballots, decides on the voting machines? Who decides which district is where, who will live in it, and where its lines lie?

Finally, do any of these questions really matter? Are we changing the electoral regime just to make trade-offs that will lift one party or candidate and sink another? Will these choices lift one segment of society and sink another?

Perhaps it will always be political. Perhaps scientists are simply tools of the ruling elite and will be utilized by the party system to justify the status quo.

Then again, perhaps not.


Thorns & Roses
+ There Will Be Blood. What an amazing film. Mallory and I went to see it for the first time, the second time for me. Daniel Day Lewis is simply electrifying and intense throughout the entire movie. What a wild man.

+ Chinese rebel hackers attacking the so-called 'Great Firewall of China'. The revolution, apparently, will be digitized. The internet, with all of its new institutions - blogs, photo-sharing, social networking, video sharing - cannot be held back or restrained. Nor should it be. Information wants to be free. It just goes to show that in this century no institution can monopolize the political landscape and dominate any form of political thought. Hopefully, the Chinese government will not resort to violence to restore its place as the sole institution. If it did, it would be a step back for China and a step back for the Hu regime.

- Increases in military spending. We've got too many problems that the military just can't solve. It's time we demobilize out of our cold war stance and begin investing in a true international future. If anyone hasn't seen this, a map of the federal government's budget, check it out. It's worth the time to poke around and see where our tax dollars are going.

+ Creativity comes out of time and effort, not 'eureka' moments. An interesting tidbit out of the NYT for all you creative types out there.

+/- The Giants won the super bowl. I didn't watch it, but I'm indifferent-pleased with the results. At the very least, I won't have to hear my roommate shout about Boston teams for a while.

And one final thing - anyone know of a good geography blog?


There's something wrong with me, I'm a cuckoo.