Recently in Economy Category

I learned about diffusion and effusion in High School chemisty.

Don't go away - this is actually pretty easy to understand. Note that I have taken Chemistry three times (once in High School twice in college) and have never completed it. If I can get this, anyone can.

Basically, diffusion means that the random movement of particles leads to them being evenly distributed within a container. This is why there is breathable oxygen everywhere and carbon dioxide doesn't stay built up around our bodies - the gases diffuse throughout the atmosphere.

Here's an easy-to-understand video:



Diffusion is natural. It's different from gravity, however, in that it doesn't concentrate mass: it distributes it.

Imagine if the random movement of food distributed it evenly across the world.

Imagine if the random movement of wealth distributed it evenly across the world, so everyone had enough for clothing and shelter.

Could diffusion be the natural solution to suffering?

There was a certain rich man, who wore expensive suits and ate at the finest restaurants every day, and there was a poor man who begged outside his house.

And it came to pass that the rich man's investments collapsed, and his business was about to go bankrupt. And the rich man lifted up his eyes in torment, and cried and said, "have mercy on me, and send a bailout package ; for I am tormented in this economy."

 - Luke 16:19-24

An open letter, sent to Senators Richard Durbin and Barack Obama, and Representative Jerry Weller and crossposted on Facebook, Pam's House Blend, and Trans-cendental

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

Dear Senators Richard Durbin and Barack Obama, and Representative Jerry Weller. I am a registered voter in the 11th congressional district of Illinois.

As a citizen of the United States of America, I am appalled at the idea that the congress would even consider ceding its authority to the executive without congressional and judicial review, as stated in section 8 of the proposal from the Bush administration:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

As a taxpayer of the United States of America, I am disturbed by the idea that one man should be given "non-reviewable " authority over seven hundred billion dollars.

As a homeowner - and please note that I have a conventional mortgage that is not in danger of foreclosure - I am dismayed that this action focuses on the "big fish" of the financial world and ignores the rest of the economic ecosystem. Until we begin to resolve the problems of the millions of homeowners who were sold mortgages they could not afford (in many cases, when they were eligible for conventional mortgages), housing prices will continue to fall, construction sector unemployment will rise, and the foundation for such financial giants will remain shaky.

Finally, as a human being, I care at least as much about my struggling neighbors as I do about large financial institutions and retirement funds. It is our moral duty to help our distressed neighbors find a way to remain in their homes.

Please do not underestimate my resolve to support those who take the above into account, and to work for the unemployment of those legislators who ignore these issues.

Sincerely,

Cindi A. Knox