It is true I have been a politician---for some 20 years it is said. While I have seen may "interesting" things none seems to match the debacle we now are witnessing. We are at an odd juncture it would seem. Most of Europe is being pounded by austerity, probably to a level most of us in the US of A don't realize. The statistics on unemployment of youth is frightening in the hard hit countries.
Like the US, the many countries of Europe are also being run for the interest of big corporations and the wealthy, all of whom seem to be doing just fine. It is a shift that is very uncomfortable in view of possible social instability. The truth is, most of Europe, like the US, has to drop its standard of living primarily because it was living beyond it's means. Again, like us, they borrowed tons of money to develop their economies only to find out that it was not possible to pay back the loans. There simply is not enough resources to drive the system. They can not compete with the powers of cheap labor in the third world. This being the price of globalization. All very tragic, all very obvious, but not all peoples of the earth can live the rich life of the west without depleting the world's onetime supply of resources in a matter of a few years.
I seems sad to watch the spectical of floundering politicians, who to often suffer from rectal-cranial inversion, trying to sort it out. They are so ingrained with neoclassical economics that they are not able to see the forest for the trees. The world is changing and it is not comfortable.
In the US we have this debt limit issue that has been going on for years. In itself it is bizarre because we always exceed our budget and add on more debt. It is easy to see why the conservatives are screaming themselves blue that we can not do this---because we can not. Someone will have to pay it back and that will be our kids and grand kids. The sad part is these same people just think that by getting rid of government we will go back to being rich. How delusional can we be? Yes, we have to cut back but that will create a recession or worse. Oh, like create a lower standard of living--- just like in Europe.
The Democrats want to spend money to save the economy and then pay it back after we grow, grow, grow not realizing that this growth things is coming to an end. But if we have no growth, then we will have a recession or worse. Oh shit, it would seem no matter what we do it will be going to the same place---a lower standard of living. So the question is why don't we just sit down like adults, evaluate the situation, and then start instituting a lower standard. It sure as hell would help if the rich would also be willing to take a hit and disperse some of their untold millions to lessen the blow for the less fortunate.
It would seem that if they continue to accumulate all the goodies, the rest of the populous might just get a touch pissed off. So when will the Hamptons burn?
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