The best of the best is right here

• Beans & Legumes
• Fruits & Vegetables 
• Grains”
•   
• which is something most of us don’t do enough of.  I mean it’s not a genius suggestion by any means, but I think that if someone pens something that you think it’s obvious, well, then it lends itself to more credibility and feasibility in your mind.  And so you end up doing it!
• (3a) That’s how people from marketers to diet gurus to motivational speakers make money.  They validate what you already know to be true.  Am I a sucker?  Absolutely.  I know you’ve been one also at some point. 
•   
• (4) Speaking of, this was my latest grocery shopping trip result.  47 dollars.  And I couldn’t be more proud: 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Vanilla Soymilk, Bagged Salad, Carrots, Apples, Whole Wheat Pasta, Deli ‘Bologna’ (obviously fake), Soy Yogurt, and Hummus.  
•   
• (5) The treadmills have been full at the gym the last two days, so I’ve been using the Stairmaster (in part) to compensate.  It’s kind of funny trying to do the Stairmaster at the same pace as I would be sprinting (110-120 rpm).  Certainly earned me some funny looks and some burning quads.  But hey, you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do…

(6) Just had lunch.  Shrenik and Sudha (with everyone’s help) made enchiladas and soup which were stupendous.  Why is this eventful?  Well, not only were the enchiladas superb (with vegan cheese!) but were followed by dessert (I worked out extra hard this morning to earn it :-D), which for me, was one of twelve cinnamon buns I special ordered from Pattycake Vegan Bakery in Columbus, Ohio.  As expected, the combination of the bun and the cinnamon swirl and vanilla frosting topping was heaven…pure heaven.

I would be happy because I’m sure at one point in my life, I’ve made someone happy, who in turn, made someone else happy, etc.  It’s part pay it forward (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward), part Liberty Mutual (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMwoexR1evo), part something I can’t put into words that the other two comparisons don’t encompass; maybe a personal touch on the giving/receiving. 

I’d also be happy because I know that if someone has done something nice for me, I let them know it.  It’s kind of self-defeating to know and acknowledge you’re good at recognizing people for being generous, but it’s something that I don’t fear to mention.  And if you don’t think I do appropriately recognize you or others, then I’m sorry, but know that most of my life’s thoughts revolve around the goodness of mankind and my direct benefit from it.

Anyhow, that’s why I’d be happy.

I’d feel unaccomplished because there’s a lot that I have not done that I should.  I’m not talking about starting my own business/going into teaching/becoming a filthy rich bum by doing both of those, because those are things that given my current life situation (graduate school), I have simply had no opportunity to do them. 

So this will detail mainly things I could have done, but haven’t. Some thoughts I can’t put here, but most I can.  Here goes:

More
(1) Played more music with my dad…a lot more…
(2) Looked at people in the eyes more when talking to them
(3) Written just one more piece of music (I’ve written one, or maybe one and a half)
(4) Done more community service
(5) Played just one more pickup football game
(6) Listened to people more/gotten my patience back
(7) Played in more drum circles
(8) Read more books
(9) Worried less about money
(10) Looked up at the sky, trees, or wherever I am at a given moment for just a little longer
(11) Focused more
(12) Thought less, did more
(13) Worried less (yah, this list doesn’t help this particular aspect :-))
(14) Had fewer regrets
 

First off, you’re not of the mindset that the Democratic Party has too big a tent, trying to appease to the MoveOn.org crowd while trying to pander to the Blue Dog Coalition Democrats, are you?  If so, that’s too bad, because President-elect Obama has done an absolutely masterful job of bringing these two ’sides’ of the Democratic Party together.  Really, the only reason that the the two sides even separated was because of a difference in how to defeat the Republican Party.  The MoveOn crowd thought that by portraying themselves as the antithesis to the Bush era, they would make for a more appealing side of the Democratic Party.  The Blue Dogs all thought that showing a little fiscal and social restraint was the best way to sway moderate voters (far larger a voting bloc than those who consider themselves ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’).  The difference in tactics was vast, but in politics, not so much.

Enter the Republican Party.

The difference in their politics is so great that one really does not understand the soul of the Republican Party.  But you say, “Lower taxes…small government…those are the core fundamental values of the Republican Party…” Not anymore.  Despite John McCain’s Joe the Plumber rants (it was more Palin but I have to fault John McCain for bringing the dude into the picture), 1.2% of voters believed taxes was the most important issue in this election.  So really, while lower taxes is a traditional Republican mantra, the redefinition of the party has put taxes and smaller government (which is really not an option and has not been since the 1940s) by the wayside.

So what exactly does the Republican Party stand for today?

Well, let’s take a look at the candidates running for RNC and their messages.  Saul Azunis, Michael Steele, and Ken Blackwell, amongst others, are all talking about harnessing the digital age and using all of its tools.

(DJ stops music with record scratch.)

You think it’s about freakin’ time?

Aside from the ridiculous internet fundraising advantage (though its influence has been overstated) the Democrats had this presidential election cycle, social networking made political organizing 1,000 times easier than it used to be.  And now the Republicans want to jump on board.  [Mock applause.]

I guess the traditional voting blocs of older, white, senior citizens, and people from the farms in the midwest will have to learn what the internetz is all about.  n00bs.  It’s going to take time to reorganize the Republican Party while some of its constituents learn to get used to social networking via the internet, because currently, technology dominates American urban and suburban life, and the majority of those are Democratic strongholds.

So, hang tight, my Republican friends.  You may clearly have access to my blog, but not everyone in your party does.  And until then, you’re going to have to get used to the fact that some of the goals set forth by the candidates for your party’s chairmanship are not going to be realized for another 2-5 years at least.

And then there are the RNC chairman candidates’ truly enlightening messages of trying to become more of a ‘welcoming’ party that address issues larger than taxes, guns, and abortion.  It’s too bad you had that person in Senator John McCain (not candidate McCain…as John Kerry pointed out in his convention speech…).  Surely, this new reach towards a broader perspectives is going to make the two remaining Sarah Palin fans infuriated as well as the lunatics who pay homage to the intelligent but misguided Jim DeMint…and I’m sure Rush Limbaugh is pill-poppin’ himself into a deep slumber right now…

—

I guess the Obama victory is kind of like General Sherman’s burning of Atlanta during the Civil War…in a twisted sense…in many ways.  Unfortunately, pushing that analogy forward would predict the elimination of the Republican party and not just its reformation.  So, Republicans, thank Senator Obama and the Democratic Party for this recent ass-whooping.  It’s just what the (position manned by two ‘fill-ins’ during President Bush’s last two years) surgeon general ordered…

Anyhow, here are some things you might know about me.  You are being warned.  Some things will make you go “wtf?” and others will make you go “duh, I already knew that,” but this list is for everyone’s entertainment…

1) I love eating vanilla frosting out of a can with a spoon.
2) I roll my sleeves up during my last (and only my last) reps at the gym to make myself better about incremental progress.
3) I am a mad penny-pincher, but will never take a penny from you.
4) As much as I hate to admit it, I am a neat freak…hard for some of you to believe, given my occasional lapses in cleanliness, but it’s who I am…
5) I fall asleep in response to caffeine…it just makes me crash.
6) I tend to impress people upon first reaction, leading them to set high expectations of me, and if I don’t meet those expectations, they will let me know I’ve disappointed them.
7) I believe that no good deed goes unrewarded, no matter how non-spontaneous the good deed may be.
I have a slight case of scoliosis (curved back) that will probably lead to some form of back pains starting, say, tomorrow…
9) My definitions of ethics (rules you would like for society to adopt) is very loose; let me live, let me learn, let me serve, and leave me be!
10) I used to think all Indians were vegetarian.
11) I used to think all dogs were male and all cats were female.  Come on, I was about 7 or 8.
12) I do my absolute best work in school when I’m between somewhat hungry and very hungry.  I think it’s because my motivation to get work done is that I’ll be able to eat afterwards!
13) You know more about me than I realize I do.
14) My girlfriend is right.  I should think more about my future in order to guide my present decisions.  But accepting that truth is a bitter pill to swallow.
15) In a season of political change, I’ve changed…for the worse.  I have little patience for long stories, conversations where I’m not actively involved, and just shooting the breeze.  That’s not how I used to be, but I’m starting to move in a new direction…or is it moving back to where I used to be?

Enjoy

(1) Words at an Exhibition (yes, a take off of Mussorgsky)
(2) My final electoral map
(3) Three things that’ll surprise you on Election Day
(4) Three things that are now obvious in retrospect
(5) Your guide to Election Day

(1) Words at an Exhibition
For the past 16 months, the presidential election has taken over my life.

It has made me a better person because I am now more informed about politics and the government more than ever before. It has made me a better person because I found something new to be passionate about.

It has made me a happier person because I keep quiet about politics when I’m around people I don’t know (you know, to keep things politically correct), but when someone asks my opinion, and I begin to talk, people listen. That’s because I have paid more attention to this election cycle than 99% of the people I know (the 1% of people who are more addicted than I am are probably reading this…you know who you are).

Whether people ask for an opinion on McCain, Obama, news coverage, senate/house races, etc., I keep my answers focused and objective (fair and balanced? :-/), and I happen to make others who don’t give two craps about the election at least turn their heads towards me and listen for a few seconds.

It has also made me a worse person because I have become addicted. I have been addicted to sports and specifically, the NFL, since I was 3, but since I know a new season will come, Patriots championships will come and go (or just keep coming :-)), I understand that tomorrow is a new day. But with November 4, 2008 being an end date, and nothing like this ever happening again (sure, there will be other elections, both more and less interesting, but each election is unique), I have been drawn into the vortex of the big day, and my attention towards the coverage of the race has steadily increased.

Never again should this bad of an addiction happen to me or anyone else.

(2) My final map
I’ve told people different things in regard to what I think will happen, but if I were a gambling man (which I’m not anymore), here’s the map I would go with:

FYI, lighter colors indicate a margin inside of ten points and bolder colors represent a margin outside of ten points.

A few states of note:

PA: I wrestled a lot with Pennsylvania. I think McCain and Palin are campaigning enough here in the final days to generate the enthusiasm that’ll save them from being rocked…but look for an Obama victory (~6%) in PA regardless (PA is McCain’s only (longshot) hope for winning a 2004 John Kerry state)…plus, western PA is racist; right, Congressman Murtha?

NC: A straight-Democratic ballot is complicated to fill out in NC (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-tucker/confusing-north-carolina_b_138073.html?page=7), which I think will work against Obama. 2.54% of people who voted did not vote for President in 2004; a bad sign considering that statistically speaking, only 1% of ballots remain blank in terms of the presidency. This is not good for Obama who hopes for a huge turnout. This is why I gave NC to McCain.

NV/NM/CO: Hispanic-vote/Hispanic-vote/A younger electorate. ‘Nuff said.

OH/FL: Ohio has surprised me. I did not think that rural Ohio would buy into Obama (after seeing some of those crazy Youtube videos of Palin supporters), but the economy has hurt McCain badly…very badly…

And for Florida, Obama is not pulling away there. It’s within the margin of error and I see McCain benefiting from the largely older electorate going with the ’safe’ choice of McCain as opposed to the ‘untested’ Obama. Only Obama living in Florida until 11/4 will get him Florida’s 27 electoral votes.

[If Todd gets me his map, I'll put it up so we can do some, "Man, my map was so much more accurate than yours" one-upmanship. If you go here, http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=1 (in case the link is cut off, the last part of it ends with ?map=1), create your own map, and send it over (shardule@gmail.com).  I'll post it.]

(3) Three surprises
A. This ballgame might be over at 8:00-8:30 PM. Florida’s polls close at 7:00 PM EST. Exit poll data will start pouring in from all over the state, but of course, final exit poll numbers will not be known until the large cities finish their voting. That should take about an hour to ninety minutes after poll closing (so, 8:00-8:30 PM). If Florida (which I predict that McCain will win) goes to Obama, then it’s game, set, match. Evening over. Go to bed. Don’t even wait for the western state results to come in.

p.s. I know I’m predicting that McCain takes Florida, but I’m just saying, the above could happen.

B. Massive voter identification problems and machine issues will lead to a ridiculous amount of paper and/or provisional ballots (a provisional ballot is what you are allowed to fill out if the polling workers cannot let you in because of some identification issues, but it is not guaranteed that it will count), most of which will be tossed out. Though the recent swing of court rulings has tended towards less stringent requirements for voter identification, who knows what could happen if ‘Mickey Mouse’ actually bothered to showed up (a fake name registered by employees of ACORN, a community advocacy group)? In addition, voter machines…they broke down in 2004, broke down in 2006, broke down in the primaries…so…anyone want to guess what might happen on 11/4?

C. Obama’s popular vote margin will be relatively small (4 to 5%) and his electoral margin will be smaller than many pollsters’ maps (Obama +130-150) indicate right now. I still believe in the Bradley/Wilder effect. I do not believe that the opposing argument (rural whites saying they’re voting for McCain because it’s socially acceptable but actually vote for Obama because they’re concerned about their money) will balance out the ‘racist’ votes.

(4) Three obvious statements
A. Any Democrat (save Edwards and his affair) would have won against any Republican. Hillary, Biden (who’s not making too many headlines but doing very well for himself in terms of playing the Obama game), Richardson, etc. would have ruined McCain. America would not have bought into Romney. [Huckabee might have caused some trouble for the Democrats with his strong Christian base combined with moderate economic policies.]

B. Obama’s battle with Hillary did him a lot of good and I think earned him respect (grudgingly, I’m sure) amongst Hillary supporters.

C. Obama is a socialist Muslim…okay, just kidding…
C, for real. If McCain had stayed true to his moderate/independent values, he would have been in a better position because no true conservative would have stayed home at the risk of having a President Obama unleash a super-taxing-yay for gays-peace loving-terrorist driven-agenda. At the same time, he could have peeled off some of the moderate and/or independent voters (two very different groups who are often mistaken for each other but together constitute a large percentage of the electorate) from Obama.

(5) Three things to watch for
A. The Senate/House races. If the presidential race is called early during the evening, the news networks will focus on the congressional races. Will the Democrats get to 60 Senate seats and therefore defeat any filibuster possibilities by Republicans? Will Indian Ashwin Madia kick some ass up in Minnesota’s House of Representatives District #3 race? Will comedian Al Franken knock off Norm Coleman (I don’t think that this will happen) to win a US Senate seat? There are so many interesting races from all around the country (Hagan v. Dole (NC), McConnell v. Lunsford (KY)) that it’s hard to comment on all of them…

B. John (Burger) King (CNN Senior Political Analyst) and Chuck Todd’s (NBC Chief Political Correspondent) ridiculous, and I mean, ridiculous, LCD-plasma screen-wtf-how is this possible technology in terms of relaying to viewers the different electoral/popular vote maps. Seriously, watching CNN or MSNBC (I’m sure they have this on FOX but since I don’t watch FOX that often, I can’t draw a similar comparison) makes me wonder if the reporters/analysts are real people or just LCD fakes.

C. Ballot questions in state races. I haven’t been paying too much attention to them, but I know there is a serious proposal to nix the income tax in Massachusetts, civil rights and animal rights initiatives in California, etc. These will have more of an effect on your life than the presidential election, so take note (and vote appropriately) of which ballot measures are in your area.

If anyone has comments, please write them below and I’d be happy to start a dialogue about anything I’ve written or anything else on your mind…

Before I forget, thanks to all who made last weekend the most action-packed, awesome, weekend I could have had

9:01 PM

Bob Schieffer has grown on me as a reporter over the last few years. I’m looking forward to a great debate.

Ooh…things we haven’t heard, says Bob. Yah right, man. We’re going to be talking about the same stuff.

I love Obama’s ears.

McCain, please don’t tell me you’re going to have the governments buy up all the ‘bad mortgages’. It’s the work of bad lenders and gullible homeowners. That’s a $300 billion taxpayer burden we don’t need.

9:05 PM

Way to mess up “Hofstra”, you idiot, Obama.

Looking straight into the camera. Talking straight to the American people. Slow down, Obama. You’re talking too quickly. But good talking points.

9:08 PM

Risky strategy by McCain going after someone who Obama met as an example of someone whose taxes might be raised in an Obama administration.

Keep hammering that middle-class tax relief stuff. 95% of the middle class.

9:11 PM

Zack and Manoj respectively think that McCain and Obama are being ridiculous in terms of their respective facial expressions.

9:13 PM

I’m getting bored already, but interesting discussion on, “…spreading the wealth around”.

9:14 PM

I like Bob Schieffer’s questions so far tonight. Good and pointed questions.

Obama’s being boring even when talking about investments that need to be made…cuts that need to be made…etc. But I guess that’s what gotten him through this campaign.

9:17 PM

Obama has NOT opposed “offshore drilling”, McCain. It’s too bad McCain’s talking points about cutting government spending don’t really connect with American people.

9:19 PM

Obama said “screwy”. I like it.

Neil Hathi sends me this GTalk gem:
“what the hell is with McCain’s eyebrows.

You have an event to plan. A meeting. A practice. A group get-together. Anything, really. Here are rules (of course, to be taken with a grain of salt) for alerting people if you need their assistance with this said meeting…

You alert people two ‘degrees of time’ ahead (or two degrees ahead of time…however the grammar works on that):

A degree of time: Second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year…

If something will take 15 seconds of their time, give a person 15 hours notice.

If something will take 60 minutes of time, give someone 60 days notice.

You get the idea? There is no purpose to this but just to establish some ground rules for giving people plenty of time to alert other people if their help is needed with something.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice. 

1. I feel bad, very bad, for John McCain. He’s running as a Republican in a time when the Republican party is in turmoil on the national level. The presidential race. Senate and House races. The only race you’ll find Republicans winning is how many of them can get caught being unethical. [I'll put Spitzer and Edwards in the "immoral" category, though Spitzer did transport his call girl across state lines. That's unethical AND immoral!]

I do give McCain props for picking Sarah Palin. I don’t buy into the claims of “inexperience” being leveled against her. I think any person with a decent grasp of how things are (presumably, Palin does) and who surround themselves with competent advisers can be a good President. You could end up with Ulysses S. Grant types, whose advisers take advantage of a “weak” President, but that’s more the (rare) exception rather than the rule.

Besides, she’s not too bad on the eyes either. And when’s the last time anyone’s said that about someone on a national ticket (maybe women about JFK)?

2. Any Democrat had to feel good about the state of the party after the convention and especially after last night’s Obama speech. He forcefully talked about each bit of criticism McCain and the Republic party have thrown at him. Basically, the speech was three parts: domestic policy, foreign relations, and lastly, hope/change/fluffernutter in the clouds. Together, the parts made one very awesome whole.

3. Typical conversation with Indian uncle:
Generic Uncle: What are you doing these days?
Shardule: I’m in the second year of a PhD Molecular Biology program at UPenn.
Generic Uncle (not hearing ‘medicine’ but still hearing something about science): So, uh, what’s next? Medical School?
(What Shardule says): No uncle, I plan to use my PhD to enter the biotech business and/or pharmaceutical venture capital world.
Generic Uncle: [Scratches head.] Okay.
***
(What Shardule thinks/wants to say): Medical school? You half-wit. I’m sorry your son or daughter chose to go to medical school and I did not. Medical school + a 4-year residency = Graduate school + a post-doc fellowship. I apologize for bringing you shame and bringing shame to all Indians for not pursuing an MD.

[Many of you have gotten used to the "What Shardule says" and "What Shardule thinks" routine. For those that have caught on to it, it's advantage: me. I can be blunt if I want to be or just communicate what I really want to say just by looking at you.]

4. Going to Chicago tomorrow. But tonight, I plan to spend an evening doing nothing. With myself. Yes, that sounds incredibly boring but with Zack (my new roommate) with his girlfriend, Manoj out of town, and no really good movies playing that I have not seen, this will be a night of cleaning, putting up posters, and doing plain nothing. This week being Paryushan takes any dinner plans out of the question.

5. My stipend has increased 2% over last year. The cost of a gallon of soy milk has increased by 33%. [I don't do the whole gallon of gas thing since I don't drive.] ‘Nuff said.

6. The Pats. 0-4 in the preseason. Worried? Not one bit.

7. My troubles with getting internet and cable for our apartment are over. I haggled my way into getting a break on the installation ($30 -> $15…go me) by getting the Comcast rep to listen to my cries of help. No really, I just lied and told them Verizon had a better deal. Which it didn’t.

Speaking of Verizon…my goodness…those **************** (<- lots of cuss words…not a line break)…here is my conversation with them. The EXACT conversation. Sort of.

[Online chat with Verizon sales rep]
Shardule: Hi, I can’t seem to switch from the $19.99 / month deal to the $29.99 / month deal using this online ordering system.
Rep: Well, some of the website’s features work better with Internet Explorer or Safari instead of Firefox.
Shardule (thinking): W…T…F. I’m trying to order internet and the Verizon website is not compatible with the browser that most homo sapiens use. Shame. Clearly they don’t know their internets.

[I switch over to IE...but it still doesn't work.]

Shardule: Sorry, I am still being asked to purchase the $19.99 / month deal. I simply cannot get the ’shopping cart’ to acknowledge the $29.99 / month plan.
Rep: Well, it looks as if if you’re using the online ordering system, the $19.99 / month plan is the only one you can get.
Shardule: Um, shouldn’t I be able to just click on the $29.99 plan and press, ‘Add to Shopping Cart’?
Rep: Yes, but I guess this is not what’s happening.
Shardule: Thank you and have a nice day.
Shardule (thinking): I guess this is not what’s happening? Such keen observation skills. Go be an economist.

That’s all for now. More rants later.

But peace and love for all of you (except the aforementioned parties)

[Post-blog edit: I only got through one issue today. And I guess I had a lot of thoughts on it, so only the economy for today.]

I detailed my thoughts on several issues relevant to the 2004 Presidential Campaign. At that time, I did a scorecard-ish tally of who I agreed with more, John Kerry or George Bush. The score was 7-3 Kerry (based on 10 total issues) and I think many of us agree that if the rest of the country had used my scorecard as part of the tools needed to inform voters, not so many people would think that the country is headed in the wrong direction (just kidding).

I’m not going to do a scorecard this time because I am firmly set on voting for Barack Obama…but that does not mean there are not major differences between my own personal views and that of Obama’s. There are. But I have fewer differences with Obama’s policies than I have with John McCain’s. [I'm not legitimately counting Bob Barr or Ralph Nader.]

According to NPR, the five biggest issues of the 2008 Presidential Election are the economy, Iraq, health care, climate change, and immigration. Debatable, but it’s a start.

The economy: I don’t really know how this sub-prime lending crap started. Hell, I don’t even know what sub-prime lending or predatory lending is. The only time I’ve ever heard the word ‘predatory’ used is in a Discovery Channel show or in a rape case.

That being said, the basic issue is how to most effectively utilize the government in order for the free market to function in a fair and equitable manner. McCain believes that ‘the fundamentals of the economy are strong’ and thus does not wish for more than minimal market regulation at this time. I do not believe his views but I am sure data could prove me right or wrong no matter how the coin is flipped.

Seeing as the free market has left many people in a position where their wages are not keeping up with living expenses, I’d say it’s time for some government help. Get people off of welfare and give them jobs with minimum wage being living wage. The government could contract a non-profit or non-partisan group to do the calculations on that. The money saved by getting people off of welfare could be used to assist small businesses with the proposed wage increases. Small businesses will need help with salary increases, health care costs, etc., and the government should provide that for them in a reasonable manner.

And even though his victory will result in some of our parents paying higher taxes, I agree with Obama that those who can afford to help have an obligation to those who can’t. Haters call it socialism/communism. I call it justice.

My brother and a labmate both independently brought up an interesting point that during the Eisenhower era, supposedly a darling period for this country, total taxes on people who made more than (I think) 1 or 5 million dollars…a lot in those days…was upwards of 90% (income + a previous form of capital gains + state taxes + other taxes).  Did this stifle innovation? No. Did this walk the economy into a deep recession? No.

I do not want people with higher incomes getting taxed 90%, but my point is that they can afford to be taxed more than they are being taxed right now…especially given their rates with the recent Bush tax cuts.

Innovation will not be stifled. As my brother said, even if tax rates are 75% or higher for those making a billion or more, those billionaires will be just as motivated to keep making that 25%. All people love money and no matter the government’s policies, the rich will find a way to get richer.

All in all, we need to lift from the bottom up, because prosperity should be universally attainable.

—

I just pray that the money the government rakes in is used to fund mass transit projects, rebuild our nation’s infrastructure (think the Federal Highway Act of 1950s…but remixed for the 21st century), aid small businesses, and most importantly, provide job programs for those that need it the most.

If all that is accomplished, then we will have the formula for how to balance government intervention with the workings of capitalism.