Letters to Holly

Wednesday, June 3

Cracking My Knuckles in Preparation

Your Sister is within eyesight of the end of the school year, and that means things get more difficult. Everything is due, and the state computer servers can't handle the load. You'd think the state would stagger the schedule throughout North Carolina for teachers to input grades. You'd think. Research papers swoop into Stately Debacle Manor tonight, and I pledged two hours' worth of work tonight. I want to get a good start on them and spread the misery out into manageable increments.

She brought home a yearbook last night, and we took turns thumbing through it. She has two photos aside from her official mug shot: a picture of her walking to school for an article on the gas prices and a picture of her in my Flash t-shirt. It's a huge yearbook, similar in size to my senior year book from a school that was almost three times larger. Also, it's all color. It looks sharp.

We had so much rain that the garden doesn't require daily watering. The soil is dark, brick-colored, and pasty. I lost a few plants since the garden was begun, and I suspect they were weak seedlings.

In the News
The GM bankruptcy dominates news conversation here. The Hummer brand has been claimed by a Chinese manufacturer, but it will maintain our domestic plants and jobs. Saturn and Saab may be next for new ownership.

Something I continue to hear from professional eye-rollers is that this is socialism. The government reached out to scuttle GM and claim its profits, they say. But that's a contradiction. GM has no profits. Anyone who has financial ties to the company as its currently structured will lose money. Socialism -- true socialism -- occurs when a government takes over a profitable company and sucks away the profits.

This is exactly the opposite. GM instigated the federal involvement by asking the government for money and agreeing to conditions upon receipt of the money. GM had no plan to revive itself, and the government stepped in to soften the crash landing. Now if the government called dibs on Google, that would be socialism. Google makes money. The dealerships will be hit next as the bankruptcy courts decide how they can be shed or managed. The government continues to back the warranties.

Picture of the Day
I'm making a logo for the company's new bequest program. I was asked to tie in our unofficial Pan mascot, the classic columns from a previous program logo, and the name of the new effort. This is a simple sketch, but it has potential already.

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