My Companion Piece to Steiny's Post
It's time to face the facts. There is no middle class. We all know it, but refuse to believe it because doing so is much too painful. But if you look at the state of this country, the truth is undeniable. I blame neither the Republicans nor the Democrats. Instead I blame the Republicans AND the Democrats. They got us into this mess. They refuse to get us out. Perhaps they fucked up so badly for so long that they no longer care to do the right thing. They have their money. They have their status. They have all they need and want. We, the American people without means, are unimportant. There are no lobbyists representing us . . . even though, when you think about it, the people we've elected should, in fact, be our lobbyists, right?
I like Steiny's post. It speaks volumes because it speaks the truth. Thank you, my friend, for posting that. This is my response:
posted by Surfsister @ 18:05
13 comments
13 Comments:
Thanks for your heart-felt comments. It is good to hear from the real American people - so hard to know what is really going on from here. But I think you are right, from where I sit. It was a train crash any half intelligent person could see looming so they can't have intended to fix it. I don't know how you feel about war and the space program, but boys and their guns & rockets - why is the US government still playing these games when it can't pay its social security bill? You guys must be livid.
Michelle, the situation here is dire in ways none of us can begin to explain. I think one of the problems for Americans is that we were given the rules of the game. We all followed those rules. Then, without us realizing it, the game was changed. The issue, then, is that we all only know how to play by the rules of the old game. In other words, we were told you go to school, you get a good job. You get a job with a good company or with the government, and you've got a job until retirement. For the most part, we all got our medical insurance through our jobs. Well, there are no jobs. So people no longer have health insurance. We were told that you buy property, you've made a good investment. Now, property isn't worth shit. We were also told to put money into the stock market as a way to assure your investment is safe and profitable. We all know how that turned out!
Those are the rules we know. The game has changed. No one can tell us what the new rules are. People still want to believe they are part of the middle class. We have no middle class. We're all now poor. Period. And those who were once considered the poor have now moved to a lower class for which there is no name. I would argue that the middle class is now the poor and the former poor are now the invisible (because they have no voice at all).
We are fucked. Yes, I said it. Our politicians are useless. The rich and their needs are the only ones that matter to the powers that be. I've stopped believing that things will improve, that elections will help, that anyone with any power cares. We are fucked.
Jesus.....well Australia has bought into the same game. It's a game that I never bought into, which doesn't necessarily mean I will be exempted from the fallout. Robin and I are 'technically' below the poverty line, so I agree with you, the middle class has slipped to poor and the poor are completely disinherited. I work with Aboriginal people and they struggle to pay their bills, they are so poor, though at least our government still gives them a meagre handout. But we built our house ourselves and have a really small mortgage, we knew this was coming and although it hasn't affected Australia yet, it certainly will. I have taken up growing vegies again, sounds a bit lame maybe but....reckon it might come in handy one day.
I wish I could sponsor you to come to Australia. You may not want to come. There are a lot of South Africans, Zimbabweens, Middle East people, Chinese and Africans moving here. I think though that we might be defending our shores against the hordes before too long when the rest of the world really wants to come here. Trouble is, we won't be in such a good position when things slow down for China, which it will because America and Europe are its biggest markets. We are all in it together now I think, but I acknowledge how aweful it must be in the US. Australia's banking system is quite different, we have never been able to walk away from our debts ie the housing market. But property is overpriced to hell at the moment, though some bargains in the cities now coming on line.
I am waiting for the markets to open tomorrow to watch the fallout from your market slump. It's not going to be pretty. I don't have much superannuation anyway so that won't be a problem. If I can keep my job I will be the most ancient lecturer around! Walking into class with a zimmer frame - you gotta laugh.....but sorry things are crap over there.
Wrote this little comment on the broken political environment back in 2008, on my long dead Myspace, transfering it to this blog space in 2009. Still holds true:
Blah...Blah...Blah...BLAH! While the public continues to belittle each other, ignoring the obvious truth of the matter, as the innocent and guilty continue to suffer and profit...America begins that slow descent into the pit of inevitability and annihilation.
Given the continual display of childish behavior by all political/media parties involved, this election will probably be the one that conclusively inaugurates the self-implosion of our countries ability to control the problems at home, while orchestrating and widening the evangelical-inspired Armageddon within the middle-east.
So, go ahead America...vote wit the gut...dance the dance of the deliriously dumb...become disenfranchised and bitter...continue making those blatantly biased statements that clearly display the kind of righteous rhetoric that can only serve and enhance those forces of division and their continuing grip on our government...like the pied-piper playfully leading us all into the abyss of ignorance and doom!
Goodnight, and GOOD LUCK!
if we become too bitter then they won. live, make other people's lives better. have fun and kick ass everyday.
peace, love and flex fins,
stein
You are right, my friend. I'm certainly not bitter. I'm a realist who's not afraid to call a spade a spade. If we continue to live simple lives, much of this stuff becomes unimportant. Your life is virtually the same whether or not the politicians do what we thought were there jobs. Since I opted out of the American Dream long ago, I can go on living my life without fearing the future. Rich, poor . . . it makes no difference in my life.
Besides, surfing boards and mats keeps a smile on my face every day.
I'm with you, Surfsister. There's a big diffference between being a realist and being negative. Ignoring the realities of life is what got us all in the shit in the first place. Pretending things don't change and get tough sometimes is just self-delusion. Staying centred and content when you see what is going on requires a lot more wisdom than being in denial. Denial is what the pollies do, we can't fail, our system is foolproof......we aren't killing the planet, consumerism is not a closed market. Just keep investing in systems that fail.....You know the drill!! If we can't deal with the fact that there may be no fuel to get to the beach for a surf, what then? It's gonna take a lot more effort than just singing that dumb song - 'be happy'.
I am with you! =) I just told the hubs,,well we lost a lot of stuff..but managed to save the house..at least we don't have a lot to lose now. WE also learned to appreciate the more important things in life. BUT he does still whine about not having his boat anymore. He loved that boat like I love my surfboard! So I can relate..but a surfboard is a little less maintenance than the boat was.. ESPECIALLY financially. ;-)
What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves - pronto - we'll just be bogus too! Get it?
Why don't you get a job Spicoli?
What for?
You need money.
All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
I've got two and a half jobs. Just sayin'.
hey mon!
Hey Sis,
I hear you and the New Zealand economy is not much better.
Throw in a series of natural disasters (earthquakes) and I seriously have to wonder where the hell we go from here.
We have a city that does not have a central business district and won't have one for another 10 years. We own a business which at the moment is still doing ok but for how long, we have a home that is damaged due to the earthquakes and we are told that we have to wait for the city to do land assessments and then once that is done, we be able to make some decisions.
What to do?
Hey Anonymous, you must be more evolved than the rest of us, cos I still gotta eat! Unless you are really good at growing vegies, you'll be eating your surfboard instead of surfing it.
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