Re: <nettime> Education costs; was How a Library Saved My Life.

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

Good points and applicable across many disciplines and
endeavors which have succumbed to the star system and
its attendant innumerable low- and not-so-low paid
attendants which service, market and protect investment
in the stars.

Few of these attendants are educators, or warfighters, or
doctors or architects or elected office holders. They do
run the celebrity shows in the background and are the
source of most budgetary increases while still flogging
the high-value of the bold names to attact consumers,
tax allocations and donations.

This is not necessarily bad if those who run the show are
provided with jobs, salaries and benefits to save them from
a lifetime of drudgery and poverty. Indeed, for every star
driven enterprise there are corollary benefits for those
who support it and keep their mouths shut as Ted indelicately
put it.

To be sure there are predators who add little value to the
star system but which most reap its rewards: investors, 
bankers, lawyers, university presidents and deans, publicists, 
gossips, critics, trophy mates, fashionistas, artistes, gallerists, 
liposuctionists, cosmetic surgeons, stylists, tv judges, 
comedians, talk show hosts, well, envy the welter of forums 
where stars and strivers and other idiots are marketed.
Did I not mention architects, actual and metaphorical of
wretchedly vulgar Raw Story excess?

Still, education and health care grotesque wastage is
minimal compared to that of national security manifold
greater, now the driving force wastage, profiligacy, 
unaccountabiity, and destruction of life on earth and in 
space, corporeally and mentally. Secrecy about 
national security is the single greatest threat to
democracy for it generates emulation and provides
cover for all disciplines and endeavors.

No federal institution exceeds the use of secrecy outside
the national security apparatus except health care. And that
is due to proprietary claims of the health care industry,
pharmacalogical leading the pack of doctors and hospitals
and unions and most of all, investors and aptly, secret
doctor investors. Prepare to be shattered that there are 
educators secrety investing in edu-privatization way beyond
high salaries and directors fees. Double check investors in
student load predations working both sides of the racket.

No private institution exceeds the use of secrecy outside
the complicit federal reserve system than financial
institutions. Swiss banks are chumps by comparison.

The second massive attack on the US after 9/11 was
planned and executed at the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York, then headed by the current Secretary of the
Treasury. That attack continues pretty muchly unabated
while the monstrous reconstruction of WTC proceeds
camouflaged by sappy memorialization and military-grade
defiance, aided and abetted, as ever, by the Justice System
which punishes little and excuses much. Nobody yet whacked
for allowing 9/11.

All praise for the shitty jobs Finance and Justice and Defense
and Government and Entgertainment and Sports and Best
Universities provides for, ahem, working people, particularly 
for the heavily stigmatized still facing humongous prejudice
by the highly select Star System.

All shame to those who believe this cannot be bettered, call
them apologists for Status Quo, the oldest profession. Status
Quo as in don't ask for givebacks or clawbacks or confessions
of ill-doing. Blame those other criminals. Want a piece of my 
culpa over drinks at the Century or MOMA? I can get you on
Rachel, or better Spitzer.





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