jimi

Jimi Hendrix - Moon, Turn the Tides ... Gently Gently Away

restless

after-hours libations overtly neutralize emptiness

avariciously lapped; opulence never endures.

anxiety. lucidity obfuscated—necessarily evasive.

anguished, lacking outwardly nuanced expression.

aware—

love: opportunism needlessly enshrouded.

economic meltdown and the collapse of the us

is anyone else fearful of the current US economic climate?

we need to start to realize the power that we wield as consumers. if we don't give corporations our business, they cease to exist. the American consumer needs to start focusing less on short-term benefits (i.e. giving business to large retailers such as Walmart simply because they charge the lowest prices) and realize that he/she has the power to choose where to shop and which businesses to support and that his/her purchasing decisions affects the American job market and the quality of goods made available by retailers. By shopping at large retailers, we tell corporations that our primary concern is low cost goods; we express that we don't care about protecting the American job market, we don't care about the quality of the food and other material goods we consume, and are content to propagate destitute living standards and non-existent environmental standards in the 3rd world.

recent legislative changes have enabled american corporations to contribute as much as they wish to politicians campaign funds. don't we realize that this means all politicians elected in the future will be in the pocket of entities that, in many cases, have stronger GDP's than most nations? America functions under a shadow democracy. in a true democracy, all ideas and all concerns of the people would be addressed by the government based on what the needs of the people are. as it stands, only those parties with the most dollars see their concerns addressed by the government. hence why we only have a two party system. in france, they have multiple political parties and each has a voice that is heard by the people prior to voting. here we have republican and democratic party conventions. in debates, only candidates of these parties are taken seriously. this is because corporate dollars either go to the republican or democratic parties. their ability to be taken seriously is directly tied to the amount of campaign dollars they are able to attract from the biggest contributors (corporations).

our empire is heading for a fall. we have built an economy on a multi-trillion dollar deficit that continues to grow by a billion dollars a day--a billion dollars a day that we don't have. american tax payer dollars have been used to prop up our banking and auto industry, and yet what returns have we seen on our investment? instead of those dollars going to research and development and improving our infrastructure (like our neighbors in China...) we see our money go to failing businesses; all we are doing is delaying their inevitable tumble into bankruptcy.

we continue to fight un-winable wars in the middle east in our quest to promote democracy and install pro-American regimes in the developing world, as well as preserve our access to middle east natural resources. if we instead spent our dollars on the development of alternative energy sources, we could stop succumbing to the wishes and needs of nations that export oil, petroleum, and natural gas and start focusing on improving conditions at home. if we can improve the lives of american citizens by improving transportation (further reducing our dependency on fossil fuels), health care, and access to higher education, we could lead the free world by example.

we continue to export jobs to developing nations while offering no other job prospects to the american working class. the college class has betrayed the american working class. those of us fortunate enough to have access to higher education have focused on globalization and international trade as a means of improving the living conditions and wealth of america. what we fail to realize is that those gains are only ever seen by the upper class--those with management positions or those who start companies. the working, unskilled class of laborers lose their jobs to cheap foreign labor and can find no other work. by outsourcing without making higher education/training free for all of our citizens, we displace millions of americans and leave them without work--creating a large group of the american population that is depressed and unproductive. if we are going to argue that international trade improves productivity and gives americans access to cheaper goods and better technology, we need to provide for the rapidly changing job environment. if we expect our labor force to adapt to rapid changes in the job market, we need to give free access to education so that displaced labor can find new, high tech jobs. i'm all for us staying ahead of the technology curve as much as we possibly can, but i'm against us abandoning those who cannot afford access to proper education.

in barcelona, students revolted as a result of the government even hinting that students would have to start paying for a college education. riot police were called in and student protesters were violently evicted from the college. here in america, we are content to pay $40k+/yr for an education that in many cases fails to even find us work!

we need to forgive the debts of the 3rd world and stop shutting them out from free trade. the desperate situation of these nations serves to explain why such radical, insane leaders are able to take power. why was hitler able to take power in germany? the treaty of versailles punished germany after the first world war. it crushed germany's economy and failed to provide it with any means of rejoining the international economy. a desperate nation seeks a savior, and hitler answered the call. hezbollah in lebanon is another example of an organization that won the people's hearts simply by offering a solution to a people who felt they were without a voice. indeed, the only way developing nations can find a voice in the international community is by obtaining access to nuclear weapons (e.g. north korea). only then do we deem the threat real and start paying attention.

do we think we're any different? look at the current status of the american economy. we are headed for collapse. who will we turn to in our most desperate hour? our oppressed citizens are the uneducated working class. who do they listen to? fundamentalist christian leaders and talking heads from fox news (bill o'reilly, glenn beck). we don't take these bigots seriously, but soon, when conditions become desperate enough, these individuals might prove more of a threat than we expect. when they galvanize a despondent section of the american population to act as one because they feel slighted by those in america with the power, we will be forced to start to take these bigots more seriously. and who financially backs these leaders? you guessed it--american corporations.

the patriot act allows our government to warrantlessly wiretap whoever it wishes. america owns territory where it tortures suspected "terrorists" (guantanamo bay). how can sedition exist in a nation where the people have no real civil rights?

be wary. realize that your purchases dictate who has power in this nation, and ultimately who has a voice.