Forbes magazine recently ranked Boulder the smartest city in the nation; a ranking based on the level of master’s, doctoral degrees, etc. per capita. This is due to the large number of federal science labs and private technology firms in the city, as well as the the university. 

I am a CU student and daughter of two people in the aerospace industry.

With access to these smarty-pants Boulderites, I’ve found that I’ve been able to have a means of  thinking critically about many contemporary affairs: the election, the financial crisis, environmental degradation. And as we continue to think about “change,” I find the role of Forbes Magazine (“The Capitalist Tool) in all this fascinating. Forbes, to me, represents the continued harping of the staunch capitalist model at a time when the world is questioning some of the very fundamentals about the way in which our society is functioning. 

Steve Forbes (president of Forbes Magazine) wrote an article after the financial crisis, “How Capitalism Will Save us.” Even after Alan Greenspan admits to his own uncertainty with the future of the deregulated free market philosphy, Forbes continues with unwavering optimism. 

He will be coming to visit the University of Colorado next week. Speaking about “Economic Structure and Culture in a Globalized World,” I wonder how he will reconcile the ugliness of current economic conditions with the cultural components that reinforce it every day. It will be interesting to see whether his optimism is misguided or if he has a legitimate perspective that may alleviate our nation’s troubles. We’ll see. 

The event will be on Tuesday (Dec 9th) at 7:30pm at Mackey Auditorium. Tickets are $10 and available in the UMC Bowling Alley on campus, at King Soopers, at the door, or ticketswest.com. Doors open at 6:45pm. 

I’ll be there.