REAL ECONOMICS VS. POETRY ECONOMICS

So THIS has been in news of late. Not a new story. In fact, Elizabeth Warren (and Amelia Warren Tyagi) wrote on this in one of Warren’s books. Warren’s book, THE TWO-INCOME TRAP, remains FRESH and relevant as people pay attention to the link between educational poverty and housing foreclosures. What Warren admirably does is push the issue further to tie it to what she determines to be the trap of two-income earners. That is, when households started incorporating the second income into determining what they can afford—including housing—such households eliminated the financial safety margin (or de facto savings account) offered by a second income. And when such households upped the price for homes to move into areas with better public education, and then one or both income-earners lost their jobs, there wasn’t much financial margin for accommodating the suddenly unaffordable house mortgage.

There are some solutions proposed by Warren, one of which is obviously for people to rejigger their house budgets to rely only on one income. But she suggests something that I may (or may not—am still thinking about it) suggestion, which is to eliminate the link between residency and assigned public school … as a means of lowering housing costs. Yah, that’d be a MAJOR move indeed. Warren says that eliminating that linkage would allow for a wider distribution of financial resources across schools (which I support because I would like kids to have equal access to equal quality education). But the transition to this would force for a significant devaluing of housing values, which might make it untenable to voters, or politicians who cave in too easily to what it takes to generate votes. I think that transition could be overcome though … Still, this former economics major would need to know more before agreeing either way with Warren’s proposal (a respected contact notes that notwithstanding the often abysmal state of public education in many areas of the country, the U.S. still spends more than many (developed) countries on public education which imply that other factors are at work). But what I do take from this book is how Warren needs to be admired for at least proposing a solution…and I like how her brain works…

… which is yet another faux prelude to another update of my Recently Relished W(h)ine List below. In the Publications section, note that if you see an asterisk before the title, that means a review copy is available for Galatea Resurrects! More info on that HERE.

And, just for kicks, here’s a question for you: which of the respected—and accomplished!—poets in the list below may be in danger of falling into a rut in the writings. Can you guess…?

PUBLICATIONS
* ADVICE FOR LOVERS, poems by Julian Talamantez Brolaski (Impressive. Worthy of much attention so, Peeps, pay attention to this book!)

* MOTHER WAS A TRAGIC GIRL, poems by Sandra Simonds (love it!!!)

LIFE ON MARS, poems by Tracy K. Smith (interesting to contrast it with her prior book DUENDE. While these are two good books, LIFE ON MARS contains more … duende…)

DUENDE, poems by Tracy K. Smith

WELL THEN THERE NOW, poems and poetics by Juliana Spahr

THE GREAT ENIGMA: NEW COLLECTED POEMS by Tomas Transtromer, Trans. by Robin Fulton

ENGINE FOR EMPIRE, poems by Cathy Park Hong

* MINIATURES, poems by Meredith Cole

* WEATHER IS WHETHER, poems by Harriet Zinnes

WE CUM ::: COME IN THE YIELD FIELDS AMONGST STATUES WITH INTERIOR ARMS, poems by j/j hastain (consistently fabulous in making fresh the love and/or erotic poem)

SYMPTOTIC LOVER // THERMODYNAMIC VENTS, poems by j/j hastain

THE ASIAN AMERICAN LITERARY REVIEW, Spring 2012, Eds. Lawrence-Minh BuiDavis and Gerald Maa

YELLOW FIELD, October 2012, literary/arts journal curated by Edric Mesmer (a stellar effort!)

DRAWING BEYOND: AN EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY DRAWING, exhibition monograph by Eve Aschheim, Caroline Burton, Theresa Chong, Maurice Galimidi, Patti Jordan, William Kentridge, Sun K. Kwak, Caroline Lathan-STiefel and Sara Schneckloth, curated by Marsha Levin-Rojer (some of my favorite draw-ers are in this!)

THE TWO-INCOME TRAP: WHY MIDDLE-CLASS MOTHERS & FATHERS ARE GOING BROKE (WITH SURPRISING SOLUTIONS THAT WILL CHANGE OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURES, economics by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi (see above introduction)

THE TEARS OF MY SOUL, memoir by Kim Hyun Hee (fascinating memoir by a North-Korean ex-terrorist)

BAD MAYONNAISE, short stories by Donna Wyszomierski

PALE HORSE COMING, novel by Stephen Hunter (these sniper novels by Stephen Hunter are amazing! I continue to gobble ‘em up like popcorn with mucho hot butter!)

POINT OF IMPACT, novel by Stephen Hunter

HAVANA, novel by Stephen Hunter

SOFT TARGET, novel by Stephen Hunter

BLACK LIGHT, novel by Stephen Hunter

NIGHT OF THUNDER, novel by Stephen Hunter

THE 47TH SAMURAI, novel by Stephen Hunter

I, SNIPER, novel by Stephen Hunter

THE MONKEY’S RAINCOAT, novel by Robert Crais

THE WATCHMAN, novel by Robert Crais

INDIGO SLAM, novel by Robert Crais

THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, novel by Gerald Seymour

PREY, novel by Linda Howard


WINES
1998 JJ Hahn “70 Block” cabernet Barossa Valley
2002 Parks Vineyard cabernet NV
2007 Peter Michael “La Carriere” chardonnay
2006 Dutch Henry merlot Yountville