Funny Ellipsis-using Boy

Pic taken from Indian National Congress' FB page

This isn't just about one politician. In fact, politics is only about such ramblings. Sometimes the ramblings come to be believed and politicians chance upon a windfall, on others they find critics like me.

Look at those words:

We want to give power to the people.

Since 'you' want to 'give power', of course who is going to hold the power. Because if you don't 'hold' power, how will you 'give'? In the case of your giving power to the people, can you specify how much power? Surely not enough to make them rise against you, right?

Your politics is our politics.

Whose politics? Poor people's? Is their hut your hut?

Your fight is our fight.

'Fight' implies an opponent. Who is that opponent? My proposal is that when we use the word 'fight', it should always be accompanied by the word 'against' and another word that is placed after 'against'.

So assuming it's FIGHT AGAINST ________. What fills the blank? Inflation? Wow! Assuming we can indulge in a 'fight against inflation', how exactly is the fight seen and measured?

What we have done so far is ensured the dumbness of most people in this country. Education hasn't been good enough to make most of us understand the dynamics of 'inflation'. If we can't completely fathom the dynamics of inflation then how do we fathom 'fight against inflation'.

Vote for him because he speaks the stuff that most of us don't understand.

Economics of bandh

I had to write this. Otherwise, I would've burst.

Anyone, who's studied the very basic economics, knows that the greater the number of sellers in the market, the better it is for the buyers. And if there's only one seller in the market, buyers will have a torrid time.

Let's say 'governance' is a product/service. How many sellers do you have? Based on our general knowledge and general interest in politics, we would say Congress or BJP, or UPA or NDA. It looks like there are two sellers. Think about it, are there two or more sellers?

Two points here:

1) You can say there are two or more sellers only if you have an option of switching.
2) Assuming that competition among sellers benefits buyers, the latter should be able to switch in real quick time.

Sure, there's an option of switching. When? Every 5 years. And after you swtich, when does the benefit accrue? Ha ha ha ha. Your guess is as great as mine.

Whether a dying patient can switch to a better hospital only depends on how many minutes/days of life he's got. If he's got just half an hour of life left, switching might not help.

The structure of governance, or let's put it 'the market for governance services' is ridiculously stacked against the buyers (voters or common people). Top it with the fact that individual allegiance matters very little. You might prefer an independent candidate, but the majority might prefer a Congress candidate or a BJP candidate. And since the two parties have had a chance to govern and channelize monies, every chance for them to lure the impecunious in their fold through momentary pecuniary benefits. Lo, there goes majority.

Coming specifically to the bandh.

Petrol prices were always be destined to rise. Why? Coz everything that we do to produce more and consume more and grow more requires energy. Only the most radically effective or path-breakingly efficient solution can rescue us from the the spiralling prices.

Did the leaders not know that if we grow like any of the western countries we wouldn't have the space to accommodate cars if every family bought one?

Did the leaders not see that Mumbai is has such a staggering number of people that it possibly can't have any more cars on the streets?

If the western countries' type of growth is what we are aiming at now, did the leaders not see the western countries' modes of transportation? Why couldn't the provisions be made 20 years earlier for a good public transportation system? Not just in Mumbai, across the country, in all the growing towns and cities?

But of course, why would they bother to see anything at all. There's no competition for at least 5 years. After 5 years, there's no emancipation. Another bull-shit governance service provider with monopolistic power walks in. And we keep alternating between the bull-shitters.

Imagine the enormous movement it takes across the country to make the monopolistic government concede on even a single point which the masses think might be beneficial.

True democracy can't stand on monopolistic governance structure. Just coz you get a chance to choose once in 5 years doesn't mean it leads to democracy. Just coz there's an institution of 'elected representatives' cannot mean there can't be monopoly. Till the time we can't switch between two or more governance service providers in real quick time, it's going to be a monopoly. And we are going to face the consequences of a monopolistic governance.

I wrote about this earlier as well. Here.

PS: There's another factor 'economies of scale' which has an impact on the market of governance services. Will elaborate on that on another day. If you want to keep a track of these thoughts, please subscribe to the blog and the posts will be delivered to your inbox.

If local trains are Mumbai's lifeline...

there should be more of them, right? Many many more of them, I suppose. Instead, what do we find?

The attempt to build wide wide roads. And then when wide wide roads get choked, build bridges. And then when wide wide roads and bridges together get choked?

Yesterday, for a change, I decided to travel by the local trains. I calculated that the space that a car which might typically carry 2 guys on an average occupies train-space which can carry nothing less than 12 people and, that too, very comfortably. And yet, what does the government do? Nothing. So around 20-25 odd people squeeze in that space which a car carrying 2 typically occupies. Rationally and economically, it boggles me.

It's incredible, how a thing so so so darn obvious isn't adopted and people in general are treated like fish. Those travelling in cars are no better. Ask them. Travelling isn't fun for them either. The roads are cramped. Just cramped. But one thing is, they don't get to bear the inhumanity of travelling by locals. They have some space in which they can sprawl!

Adopting cars as a way of life isn't just a problem on the roads. Buildings - residential and commercial both - require parking spaces. It is not so difficult to imagine what could be the alternative uses of such spaces. Children can play, adults can work out and in general the city can be much more open and visually beautiful. Commuting wouldn't take as much time. And if there are more bicycles, surely there are likely to be fitter bodies all around.

Don't give me economics and mathematics. Nope, this doesn't cut. To my mind, economics is only extending the cash-flow cycle. What's received in huge salaries is only going into maintaining bigger cars and bigger health checks and remedies, and bigger expenses to keep ourselves entertained since space-driven and fitness driven entertainment options are dying.

Oiler Spoiler

For a very long time now, I've felt our administrators and policy-makers are the craziest and the most moronic people around.

In Mumbai, Britishers laid down the railway tracks which are still considered the lifeline of the city. When that is so, did it not dawn upon these guys to create more such lifelines instead of encouraging maniacal car buying, building bridges with no impact on congestion and pollution and suffocation, and then calling it growth?

This piece was somewhere in the middle pages of HT. It is more important than any other piece of information, especially in the context of economics. Oil prices rise and the world order changes. With the current policies, India might be no better. Especially when we are completely dependent on other countries for energy.

Bhagwad Gita called upon to fight Anna Hazare - A conspiracy theory

Congress is in a spot. Corruption is an age-old issue. And Anna Hazare and team have raised a storm which just doesn't seem to subside. It isn't a wonder coz when it comes to economic progress, more than the policies it is corruption which has hurt the common people the most.

The attempts to make Anna Hazare seem a controversial figure have so far failed. For most part since Independence, Congress has been in power at the center. The current situation might put a full and final stop to that.

What's the recourse? Play the next best card. Religion. Seed a controversy to kill a controversy.

Go to a far off land. Attack the most celebrated and followed scripture of the country. Create an external enemy. A religious one. Make the important men and media give it time and space. Make the important men speak gibberish. Plaster pictures of protest. Make it seem like the identity of the country is at stake.

Arouse a religio-patriotic emotion to kill the existential grouse. Can they pull it off? Hide corruption behind religion? Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...