Wall Street

This is the status that Robert Reich just posted on his Facebook page: Wall Street's six largest banks are far bigger than they were in 2008 when they were deemed "too big to fail," now accounting for more than half of the assets of the entire financial industry. Their combined profits rose $70 billion over the last year, a 30% increase over the year before. Yet much of the Dodd-Frank law that's supposed to prevent another "too big to fail" bailout is still on the drawing boards because the banks are delaying and watering it down. Last week Treasury Secretary Jack Lew threatened stricter measures if they won't allow Dodd-Frank to be fully implemented, but it sounded like empty bluster to me. The banks are also too big to nail (the Attorney General admits he doesn't have the resources to prosecute them); too big to jail executives or traders (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission won't even go after a JPMorgan executive who allegedly lied about rigging energy prices); too big to derail their market manipulations (not only energy prices but aluminum, copper, and other commodities, according to yesterday's Times); and too big to curtail their trading on inside information (as they buy warehouses, pipelines, and ports they also gain inside information about firms and industries that no other investors have). What should be done? (1) Senators Warren and McCain have just introduced a new version of the Glass-Steagall Act, to separate investment from commercial banking. We all need to get behind it. (2) The Fed is becoming more serious about capping the size of the biggest banks, a measure long overdue. Fed member Daniel Tarullo is pushing this. (3) In addition, a small tax (say, 1/10 of 1%) should be imposed on all financial transactions to both slow speculation and raise funds that could be used for, say, our schools (human capital is more important than financial capital). But will reform really occur before we face another Wall Street disaster?

My Political Platform

If I run for office, this will be my platform: • Increase solar production by 200% per year. • Increase wind production. • Get rid of all loopholes and subsidies for fossil fuels. Impose taxes on fossil fuels. • Raise taxes on the wealthy and on corporations. • Lower student loan interest rates so that the federal government is not making a profit off of students. • Increase education spending. • Zero gerrymandering. • All political spending must be 100% transparent. • Impose a tax on financial transactions (even if it’s 0.01%). • 60 mpg for cars.

Criticism of Republicans

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=549199785095802&set=a.297095436972906.93385.174319502583834&type=1&theater Quote from Pulitzer and Tony award-winning playwright Doug Wright: "I wish my moderate Republican friends would simply be honest. They all say they're voting for Romney because of his economic policies (tenuous and ill-formed as they are), and that they disagree with him on gay rights. Fine. Then look me in the eye, speak with a level clear voice, and say, "My taxes and take-home pay mean more than your fundamental civil rights, the sanctity of your marriage, your right to visit an ailing spouse in the hospital, your dignity as a citizen of this country, your healthcare, your right to inherit, the mental welfare and emotional well-being of your youth, and your very personhood."" There's a bit more to the quote, but it's the best I've seen so far.

Inspiration

What is inspiration? Is it an automobile rolling off the production line? Is it an empty stage? An empty field? Is inspiration an aircraft lifting off the ground? Is it walking across the stage and shaking the dean's hand? Or is inspiration something that comes from within? Maybe inspiration is the team that designed that automobile. The actors who live and breathe the stage. It's the athletes who play their game on the pristine field. Inspiration is a soldier coming home. It's the feeling of completing something amazing. Inspiration is lift. Poise. Grace. Freedom. Inspiration.

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

Research and Projects at TJ

I want to create a website (or even just a Google Doc) that includes all of the research/projects that are going on at TJ. That way, students can come up with new projects. They can also band together with people who share their interests, skills, and/or goals. They would be able to collaborate better. If an actual website was created, there could be forums on which students can communicate (that could just be a Facebook page for each tech lab).

I'm planning on going into the CS lab, so maybe my senior tech lab project could be the creation of the website I described above.

I want to create iOS applications for Intranet, and a desktop application for Intranet. Students can also created software to rival BlackBoard, Turnitin, WebAssign, LoggerPro, and grading systems. They can contribute to open-source communities such as SourceForge, Linux, Google Code, Intranet, TJ's websites, and TJ's computer systems (well, I suppose those aren't open-source). Students can design new hardware and software that can benefit all other students in all fields of study.

Daniel Perkes, SGA Communications Coordinator

SAC

Today at Woodson High School, the FCPS Student Advisory Council chose next year's student representative to the FCPS school board. I believe that this is the fourth year that the position has existed, and three of those terms have been served by TJ students: Arvin Ahmadi (two terms, now at Colombia University) and Keegan Cotton (Class of 2011). I didn't win the election. I lost to one of the twelve or so other candidates. Eugene Coleman won the election, and I completely agree with the decision made the SAC. The election was very close and I had a fantastic time speaking and meeting people from all around the county. It was a truly rewarding experience and I hope to attend school board meetings and participate in the SAC in the future.

Daniel Perkes
Class of 2012
SGA Communications Coordinator for TJHSST, 2010-2011 school year