Can You Hear Me Now?

It is so heartening to know that we are all thoroughly ensconced in our small, insignificant lives. Wondering who will be the next bachelor/bachelorette? Is Chaz Bono really dancing with the stars; who will his/her partner be? Is my favorite football team going to have a shot at the Stupor Bowl? Who’s going to be on Oparah tonight? Do we eat in, or go out for dinner tonight? What am I going to wear to work tomorrow?.......questions, questions, questions…..and so few answers!

Well, listen my friends. None of those questions will mean a hill of beans if this Country doesn’t get back on its feet. As stated previously, we are not in a recession; we are in a modern day depression. You simply cannot compare the economics of the 1920’s to those of today. Almost all the variables have changed significantly. The one that hasn’t is the avarice and greed of the super rich and their multi-national corporate behemoths. One recent estimate points to the Apple Corp. having more cash on hand than the U.S. Government. Be it truth, or fiction, the picture remarks like that paint is not a pretty one. If, indeed, it is fictitious, I’m afraid it isn’t so far from the truth as to be summarily dismissed.

One picture I cannot seem to get out of my head is that of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. If Congress equals Nero, then the Nation equals Rome. Take a serious look around around you. You will see and hear things you never thought would be evident in American Society. You will see folks in affluent neighborhoods using food stamps. You will, increasing, become aware of friends and family who are among the long term unemployed. You may have already seem the foreclosure (Bank owned) signs in your immediate area. Are you aware of the fact that Banks are now starting to demolish their home inventory to lower their tax burden? That’s right! They’re bulldozing houses to the ground because of their huge inventory of unsellable homes, and they don’t want to keep the properties on the full tax roles.

Take a short, little drive through what we used to call Industrial Parks. Notice anything odd? Empty builds are what is left of a once thriving Industrial and Manufacturing environment. What happened; where did everyone go? The jobs in those buildings were shipped overseas for cheaper labor. The people didn’t go anywhere. They’re all still here; either unemployed, or under employed, and living day to day wondering if they’ll have a roof over their heads tomorrow.

Throughout History, great Nations and Empires have risen and fallen. Their demise has been by their own hand, more so than any outside force. The question that haunts me every day is, “Are we going down that road and plunging into the dark, empty abyss?” More often than not, my answer is coming up, “Yes!”.