In this edition of Inside JVP, I turn the tables on Alex and “Draine” him of some of his Draineness as I learn more about one of the Johnsonville’s more prolific contributors.

Hello and welcome to JVP Speaks! In this soon-to-be-a-recurring-feature, contributors will kick-off a discussion on a particular topic by writing on a single prompt. This week the JVP asked itself: are you voting? Why or why not? Feel free to answer the question yourself, comment on any of our answers, and to generally get the ball rolling on this important topic! Here’s what we had to say:

Draine on Society

Recently, several pieces of legislation crafted by Congress have come under fire from politicians for their effect on the national debt. Typically these critics have been dubbed “deficit hawks” due to their conservative, or hawkish, viewpoints on the subject. But this type of behavior is not limited to one side of the political aisle. Indeed, all sound-minded and forward-looking individuals ought to agree that we must ultimately reduce the size of the national debt. Thus, a closer look into the nature of debt and deficits is warranted.

Draine on Society

There are two forms of government economic policy: monetary and fiscal. Monetary policy is conducted by a central bank, or the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States, while fiscal policy is conducted by the Department of the Treasury and the Legislative Branch. This article will examine both forms and evaluate their relative effectiveness in promoting economic activity and growth in times of recession.

Draine on Society
The global warming debate has become infantile in practice as both sides stick to their approved platitudes and mantras and each side accuses the other of lies, manipulation, and conspiracy.  The truth, as usual, is more complicated than either side makes it out to be, but not so complicated that the average individual cannot get a good understanding of it.

Draine on Society

On Tuesday December 1st, 2009, President Barack Obama made public his intention to send an additional 30,000 American soldiers to the combat theater of Afghanistan.  Though expected, this move was drastic and raised questions about the intentions of his administration regarding the ongoing wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  The decision to add 30,000 troops to Afghanistan is reminiscent of the decision of the Bush administration to bolster the troop levels in Iraq by approximately 25,000.

Draine on Society

Money is a fascinating human invention that has facilitated economic activity for thousands for years. The decision to introduce currency allowed humans to shift away from a barter exchange economy which had the burdensome requirement of what economists refer to as coincidence of wants. That is, if we operated in a barter economy and I raised chickens for a living, I could only purchase goods and services from individuals who wanted chickens.

Draine on Society

A “recession” is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. Thus, by the time a contraction is officially labeled a recession, it may seem painfully obvious to informed observers. A “recovery” is defined as positive growth beginning from the trough of a recession and lasting until the next recession. The overall expansion and contraction pattern is known as the business cycle, and in true cyclical nature manifests itself over and over again.

Draine On Society

The national discussion on health care reform has recently taken a dangerous turn. What should have been a meaningful discussion on goals and feasibility has been transformed into a campaign of deliberate misinformation. The goal of this campaign is not to enact any meaningful reform whatsoever, but to foster an atmosphere of fear and misunderstanding that will threaten any attempt to change the status quo.

Draine on Society
Hydrocarbon consumption is the American way of life. Every facet of our society is supported by the generation of energy through combustion of hydrocarbons, otherwise known as fossil fuels. The explosive use of fossil fuels has allowed us to make a giant break from the dire population predictions of Thomas Malthus. Mechanized production caused workers’ productivity to soar and outpace population growth, which would have otherwise eaten up all material gains in standards of living. However, this party may be coming to an end, or we may at …