Billy Goats Gruff

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Chronicles of Joenia Jumping the Shark?

Man, I feel like the Chronicles is hitting a lull. It's been going for 2+ years, not even counting it's precursor as a Friendster Blog. I don't know if I have that much more to say, really.

I think I need a gimmick. Like, a catch phrase. Or, maybe I should get pregnant, or have some precocious mop-headed kid move in with me to give me shit all the time and say funny things. Maybe a little alien will show up to grant me wishes. If one or all of these things occured, I'd probably have a lot of new material!

As it is now, I could probably say a few more things about philosophy, religion, and theology, since I did study those things for several years and haven't quite laid out all my thoughts on them. I guess I could talk about some of my policy preferences.

I could do some reviews of cds and movies.

I could offer quirky observations about human behavior, much like Peggy Hill's "Musings" on King of the Hill. "Coffee never tastes as good as it smells. You ever noticed that?"

Oh, and I still have lots of drawings I could scan in. Remember my genital-head couple?


I could also do more work to find amusing pictures and videos around the internet and post them on the blog.

I guess the last ditch is to write about my life. As a single guy living alone in the middle of nowhere, there's not all that much to write about. "Today the light was pretty for a minute. And the cat looked at me funny and ran away. And I ate some eggs."

How about you, audience? Any requests of topics I should explore in the Chronicles? (sidenote: I"m thinking of changing the name of the blog to Billygoats Gruff, both because it's cooler, and because it fits the url).

OK, here's something amusing. It's the theme song from a movie called "Monsturd." It's pretty much what you think it is.

Thanks to my friend Amanda for turning me on to Monsturd and the song.

9 Comments:

At 11:29 PM, Blogger Vijai said...

I that shark you are jumping to eternal glory!!!

 
At 10:18 AM, Blogger Joe said...

hahaha...yes. yes you are. And a very good one at that.

 
At 11:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Since when do you like "income redistribution"? Intelligentsia is luring you towards the dark side of the force.

Obi-Wan: 'Joe, don't give in to Marxist Economic Principles. That leads to the Dark Side.'

Yoda: 'Strong are the Ivory Tower Elite. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can!"

 
At 1:12 PM, Blogger Joe said...

I've always liked taking from the rich and giving to the poor. That's what taxes are!

Emperor: "Yeeeeesss, young jedi. You will not take my money. You are poor, and your friends are poor. They will spend the money on cigarettes and booze. I am powerful and wise. I will spend take care of the money, and it will grow, and I will spend it on wonderful palaces and parties, and all the poor wookies will work there."

Jo-Ziba: You are a liar! Liar! You will give your money to speculators! You will not invest in the real economy! You will take your money to the giant casino called Wall Street, and nobody but other rich people will ever see a dime of it!

You will just buy robots to work your parties
You will feed off our desperation and suffering!

Emperor: Do as you must, young Jedi. If you strike me down and take my money, I will simply flee to Degoba, where the robots are plentiful and the weird swamp beasts labor very cheaply!

Joe-ziba: Oh, but emperor, your lies are so transparent. The darkside betrays your weakness. You know your power comes from the deathstar itself. Flee, and you will become weak, and wither. Stay, and you will still be rich, but you the people will also grow strong.

Emperor: (HIIIS) Now, young Jedi, you...will...die!

(the analogy is breaking down).

Government's job is to correct the market when it fails to create the world we want. That happens when it fails to provide certain goods, because they are public goods (i.e., they are non-rival, non-exclusionary), and when it fails to produce a level of equity that adheres to moral decency. That happens, quite predicatably and obviously, because markets aren't supposed to produce moral outcomes, just efficient outcomes.

Actually, direct redistribution (take a dollar from the rich, give to the poor) is considered the least inefficient way to improve equity.

 
At 10:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You just really didn't get what the emperor was all about...

 
At 10:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

And I thought the government's job was to provide me with freedom. Yes, I'm quite certain I've read that somewhere...

 
At 11:45 PM, Blogger Vijai said...

Straddle line, in disco and rye I on hunt Im after you!
Mouth is alive with juices like wine And I hungry like shark!!!!!

 
At 10:05 AM, Blogger Joe said...

Yes, government is supposed to provide freedom, because freedom is a public good. It's one of many public goods. Government provides it because the market won't.

 
At 12:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't tread on me, baby. That's all I'm saying.

 

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