State of the Disunion
Who wants to be Barack Obama tonight, painting a picture of the State of the Union?
Not me. He has to stand up there and address a nation of angry and scared people. He has to tell them it's going to be OK, when, clearly, it's not. The problem is that everybody's angry about different things, so how do you assuage all fears? You don't.
The Huffington Post is going on about the middle class teetering on the brink of collapse. Is this just another headline to herald in their 15o font size? They seem to be picking up (or creating) a meme that's hotly shooting around the internet, although it's been true for years. Why now?
It's going to be painful, but it's happening, just as it has happened to every empire that preceded the United States. It is collapsing. It got complacent and fat and the chickens have come home to roost. You simply cannot have moronic policy for eight years and bounce back. Wall Street broke it... for America, at least. Of course, they are multinational corporations for whom the success or failure of a particular country does not ruin their prospects. If America enters into a second more painful phase of financial collapse, the big corporations can move their money to safer shores, most likely across the Pacific.
As for the rest of us land-bound moderate- or low- or no-income citizens, we're the ones holding the bag, and the debt and the personal insolvency and mortgage payments and the medical bills will bury us all.
If it gets bad enough for regular Americans who get tired of trying to pay off the Company Store, could there be a bona fide revolt? Do Americans have it in them, and can they consolidate enough issues to create a message? Average Americans are pissed at fat cat bankers, which has led to some interesting action, such as the "fire your bank" movement. Perhaps some pragmatic small-bore movements like this could make the big banks sweat a little bit, but it won't have enough impact unless it is part of a broader action that really creates something beyond superficial change. The big banks clearly don't have enough incentive to change the disastrous financial policies that drove us into this huge pile of shit.
Not that it was entirely their fault. In many cases, they were just the enablers. (Cue "Pusherman," Curtis Mayfield). Yes, many of us willfully accrued devastating debt and mortgages we couldn't pay. Wall Street did have a party, but a lot of us were hitting the the buffet. We cannot blame the freewheeling investors entirely, but they are now the ones conspicuously not changing their tune, while average Americans are starting to practice more sound household economics, by saving and trying to bring down their indebtedness.
At any rate, the Democrats are proving to be ineffectual stewards of real change, leaving the rest of us with... what?
Not me. He has to stand up there and address a nation of angry and scared people. He has to tell them it's going to be OK, when, clearly, it's not. The problem is that everybody's angry about different things, so how do you assuage all fears? You don't.
The Huffington Post is going on about the middle class teetering on the brink of collapse. Is this just another headline to herald in their 15o font size? They seem to be picking up (or creating) a meme that's hotly shooting around the internet, although it's been true for years. Why now?
It's going to be painful, but it's happening, just as it has happened to every empire that preceded the United States. It is collapsing. It got complacent and fat and the chickens have come home to roost. You simply cannot have moronic policy for eight years and bounce back. Wall Street broke it... for America, at least. Of course, they are multinational corporations for whom the success or failure of a particular country does not ruin their prospects. If America enters into a second more painful phase of financial collapse, the big corporations can move their money to safer shores, most likely across the Pacific.
As for the rest of us land-bound moderate- or low- or no-income citizens, we're the ones holding the bag, and the debt and the personal insolvency and mortgage payments and the medical bills will bury us all.
If it gets bad enough for regular Americans who get tired of trying to pay off the Company Store, could there be a bona fide revolt? Do Americans have it in them, and can they consolidate enough issues to create a message? Average Americans are pissed at fat cat bankers, which has led to some interesting action, such as the "fire your bank" movement. Perhaps some pragmatic small-bore movements like this could make the big banks sweat a little bit, but it won't have enough impact unless it is part of a broader action that really creates something beyond superficial change. The big banks clearly don't have enough incentive to change the disastrous financial policies that drove us into this huge pile of shit.
Not that it was entirely their fault. In many cases, they were just the enablers. (Cue "Pusherman," Curtis Mayfield). Yes, many of us willfully accrued devastating debt and mortgages we couldn't pay. Wall Street did have a party, but a lot of us were hitting the the buffet. We cannot blame the freewheeling investors entirely, but they are now the ones conspicuously not changing their tune, while average Americans are starting to practice more sound household economics, by saving and trying to bring down their indebtedness.
At any rate, the Democrats are proving to be ineffectual stewards of real change, leaving the rest of us with... what?
posted by Netizen X | 9:44 AM
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