Disorganized Thoughts

I just finished reading this book. Robert Reich is a staunch Democrat. If you don't agree with the Democratic view of government programs, he still has interesting things about the intersection of capitalism and politics. Here is one quote that caught my attention:

The problem is that the choices we make in the market don't fully reflect our values as citizens. We might make different choices if we understood and faced the social consequences of our purchases or investments and if we knew all other consumer and investors would join us in forbearing from certain great deals whose social consequences were abhorrent to us. But we are unlikely to make the sacrifice if we think we'll be the only consumer or investor who refrains. Lonely forbearance can be the last refuge of a virtuous fool.

Interesting ideas in this book.

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I was in Philadelphia last week. My rental car was a Volkswagon Jetta. It was fun to drive. I was surprised. When I was driving to the airport, I passed an old van. It was a conversion van from the 80s. Three guys were pushing it down the highway. That must cannot be fun.

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I was riding a bus home a couple of weeks ago. I was next to three kids in the late teens or early 20s. Two girls were sharing iPod headphones. They were singing Spanish pop hits at the top of their lungs. The next day, the bus ran into a telephone pole with its mirror. It was an odd commuting week.

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I attended a conference in Boston a couple of weeks ago. I was walking through Harvard Square and saw a line of chairs in front of shops. The line went down the block and around the corner. I saw at least 200 people waiting in line. They were sitting in chairs and some had tents. What were they waiting for? They were in front of a shoe store. I think a limited edition of set of shoes were being sold. I can't believe people wait in line like that for shoes.

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Since I was in Boston, it was always fun to see the old sights from when we were in school. I love to watch the stereoscopic advertisements on the T.

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I am digging a new song. It is called "Handlebars" by Flobots. The video is fascinating. (It is on YouTube. It does have some cartoon violence in it.) I have to admit that I am a sucker for songs with compelling ideas. I don't even need to agree with the idea.