cannibalization continues

Thieves stole a church bell, funeral plaques and vases, copper wiring from a police radio tower, copper wiring at baseball parks, and even an entire bridge during the last month in America. I keep warning my readers that infrastructure cannibalization precedes economic collapse. Do you see the same trends that I do?

When you look at the right indicators, you never make the mistake of thinking that we exited the Great Recession. Two weeks ago, a local thrift store held a one-day sale. I went and bought some more clothes for myself, and the aisles were PACKED with shoppers. The recession is still here, and it's getting worse. Consider the 9-year-old boy who murders for hire. It's already that bad for some people.

It doesn't help that some people are determined to make it worse. We already had companies manipulating the market of securities trading, which is blamed as the main cause of the 2008 economic woes. We also have companies manipulating the market of substantive goods like aluminum by artificially creating shortages simply by warehousing the product away from buyers. While corporate misbehavior continues, Republicans keep insisting that deregulation is needed. Bruce Bartlett (who served in the administrations of Reagan and Bush) writes a denial of this agenda.

Republicans favor tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but these had no stimulative effect during the George W. Bush administration and there is no reason to believe that more of them will have any today. And the Republicans’ oft-stated concern for the deficit makes tax cuts a hard sell.

These constraints have led Republicans to embrace the idea that government regulation is the principal factor holding back employment. They assert that Barack Obama has unleashed a tidal wave of new regulations, which has created uncertainty among businesses and prevents them from investing and hiring.

No hard evidence is offered for this claim; it is simply asserted as self-evident and repeated endlessly throughout the conservative echo chamber.
- http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/regulation-and-unemployment/

It seems that other people are reaching the same conclusion. Even 24% of Republicans questioned in Florida agree that the GOP is intent upon destroying the economy just to make Obama look bad.

We are one year away from the next election.  Please don't vote Republocrat!  Vote for a 3rd-party candidate that you can support.  Write in your own name for every position which offers only Republocrat options.  Just don't participate in the mental trickery that drives people to support the same old government that we've had.

It's a national emergency.  It's time for change.

my experience at the Occupation

Life is unplanned. I have experienced unique events and learned unanticipated lessons during my Occupation of Minneapolis. I joined the Sanitation committee the weekend before this Occupation began on October 7th.

I have camped in the city. I learned that fresh water and reliable toilets are the first necessity for any human habitation. I learned that after 2 centuries, our government has made no provision for these necessities amongst the disenfranchised homeless. I learned that some people will destroy these valuable resources just to satisfy their own whims, disregarding all consequences. I learned that Minneapolis city and Hennepin county will actively evict people from sheltered underpasses into unsheltered areas.

I have slept amongst the skyscrapers. I learned that Minneapolis government actively prohibits suspended tarps or tents at any location, including government plazas and private back yards. I learned that sleep deprivation can account for the dazed and confused look among the homeless, without needing to conjure the phantoms of alcoholism or drug abuse. I learned that two rabbits Occupied the Hennepin County government plaza before I arrived. They survive on grass and human trash amidst the landscape of concrete and asphalt. I learned that some poor bird will slam into glass windows about once per week then fall upon the steps of the Hennepin county building to die.  I mourn them, bag them, and throw their corpses into the trash.

I have slept in a body bag. I learned that wind saps warmth and strength beyond what cold itself can do alone. I learned that moisture from breath and perspiration is itself a dangerous element needing attention in any winter survival strategy. I learned that I am more creative than my government, and I can benefit from my own ingenuity when government fails to serve the needs of its citizens. I learned that political protest can take many forms.

I have danced with native Americans. (video here) I learned that they begin with the basics, the four directions of the compass, just as the pagans do. I learned that heterosexual life includes a lot more continuity between generations than homosexual life. I learned that when multiple systems fail and the entire local environment is polluted with bad ideas and chemicals, the best choice may be to simply start over with a new paradigm in a new place.

I have protested at the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. I learned that they honor growth by erecting monuments to its name. I learned that few people understand how money is created in America, that perpetual growth is required or else the system collapses. I learned that when you find time to educate them, they agree that perpetual growth of debt is a root problem that needs to be removed.

I occupy.

I'm tired, I'm sore, I'm frustrated, I occupy alone in the small crowd, and I continue to work a part-time job.

I occupy nevertheless because the global crisis is already underway, and deep change is needed in our civilization.  I don't know how else to promote such change, so I occupy.