I know, I know, I know- I suck at life (and blogging). I have tried to sacrifice everyone from some boring diatribe about my hectic life or how much I hate winter. Instead, I have been saving up my mojo for something more entertaining. Go easy on me if this doesnt quite live up to expectations, I'm just warming up again...
Idi Amin aka Ugandan military dictator in the 70's aka my econ instructor at Harold Washington
I'll start with a brief explanation why I, a college graduate and gainfully employed person, am taking macro economics at a city college. My freshman year in college (some nine years ago) I took macro for the first time rather conveniently at 8am. As social director of the 4th floor of my dorm and all around booze hound, I spent little time in class or cracking a book for this class. A less than stellar grade resulted and I am now taking this to prove to graduate schools that I do indeed understand the concept of supply and demand. (Because apparently my experience managing a 5mil budget does not suffice) Still waiting to find the irony of this situation...
Idi Amin, as I affectionately refer to my thick-accented econ instructor, does a horrible job of answering direct questions and out of sheer boredom last night, I decided to get the old feller going on an unrelated tangent. (Some things never change) After giving a disastorous explanation of the government's role in regulating the market. I politely (arms crossed and scowl prominently on my angelic face) asked him to explain how exactly a subsisdy for southern tobacco farmers benefited the greater good of all American citizens after the Surgeon General announced that smoking is harmful to your health. Idi returned with the simple mantra, 'Guns don't kill people, people kill people.' (Lack of clarity case-in-point) I then refolded my arms and pursed my lips and asked, 'Who exactly was in the room when my tax dollars were spent to support tobacco farmers killing people?' The class got all hostile and tried to compare it to alcohol production but I wasn't detracted. I asked if we were to apply this economic model to other markets, should we be funding asbestos production as well? Idi said with a chuckle (suprisingly, uncharacteristic) that he had had enough of this conversation. I closed my argument mumbling, 'Sounds like those tobacco farmers need a new widget.'
The best part is a.) I am unfortunately still a smoker and b.) I knew the answer all along ((in case you really care, the government provided the subsisdy so that there wasnt a dramtic turn in the tobacco market and another country took the lead in production.))
