The American Unraveling

SUBHEAD: As a flea on his back you have a choice of either jumping off or taking a ride with Uncle Sam.

 By Juan Wilson on 29 July 2011 for Island Breath -  
 (http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2011/07/american-unraveling.html)

 
Image above: Uncle Sam celebrates the Fourth at Venice Beach, CA in 2011. From (http://theashleysrealityroundup.com/2011/07/04/happy-fourth-of-july).

On this site we've been talking about it for several years now. Things we are used to and depend on are unraveling. Like a favorite old winter coat that has become threadbare over the years - its hard to notice the change.

Hard to notice until a particularly wet and cold wind blows through it and as you hunker up against a recessed doorway the back-seam splits open. Suddenly its junk. Something like that is happening to the American Dream: Job, Home, New Car, Vacation, Retirement. All those things will shortly be out of reach for most Americans. Those who can simply hang on to neighbors and family will be the lucky ones.

We are being impoverished as fast as our governments and financial system can expedite the paperwork. The reasons are clear. After Peak Oil hit in 2005 it took only a couple of years to crash the oil based growth economy. By 2007 it was all over. The monied elite, like the first class passengers on the Titanic, decided to commandeer the few life boats available.

The US Federal Reserve (a private bank consortium) that creates cash for the US Treasury, decided to bail out the corporations teetering on bankruptcy. A recent audit of the Federal Reserve indicates that the $700 billion TARP was just the down payment. Between the Quantitative Easing (QE1) and QE2, the auto bailout as well as side Bank Discount Windows there was a lot of undisclosed corporate rescues and secret foreign bank bailouts. It all has come to the tune of $16 trillion dollars.

Interestingly close to what the national debt will be after (and if) we raise the US debt ceiling. How much is being in debt $16 trillion dollars?

What are the consequences of owing ourselves that much of the future?

It's enough to snuff out most of the social entitlement programs that have ensured a minimum standard of living for those less well off.
  • It's enough to strangle organized labor. 
  • It's enough to eviscerate the middle class in America 
  • Iy's enough to reduce America to second nation status. 
  • It's enough to bankrupt state and local governments. 
  • It's enough to make the rich afraid to come out of their gated bunker communities. 
It will be enough for rioting in the street.

As I write our representatives in Washington have demonstrated their inability not only to solve our problems, but to even understand what they are. The two contending power bases, without an understanding of the laws of thermodynamics maintain a rationale for clawing our way back to a go-go growth economy - either through enriching the "Job Creators" and corporations (the Republicans), or spending money on high speed rail and highway building (the Democrats). The Republicans seem to want to take from the poor and give to the rich and the Democrats want to take from the rich and give to the poor.

But actually both simply want to be re-elected and get another chance at the money trough. The Republicans will try to apeal to those slightly richer than average who think they are getting screwed, while the Democrats will do the same for those slightly poorer than average.

As we are impoverished we'll find democratic election to government posts will have diminishing effect. The empire has no clothes. Where does that leave us? On our own. And that's okay. As the thrashing of a strangled system gets more desperate we will see ever crazier attempts to set things right again.

In the area of energy no compromise with more will do. From "conventional" sources there will be tar sands transformation to oil; mountain top removal for coal; fracking for natural gas; off shore deep water platforms, and Artic Exploration. Alternate energy sources may be just as bad.

We will see fast tracking on nuclear, hydro-electric, and wind energy projects. Every energy scheme that can be financed will be exploited regardless of damage to the environment. The American lifestyle is non-negotiable, so demand destruction will be the last thing promoted, until it is too late. And we won't even have a seat at the negotiating table. Just look at Wisconsin.

 One thing is clear. As a general rule the bigger the entity in charge, and the more money added (or subtracted) for the common good, the less likely it is to benefit you. Where this all leads is pretty obvious. Hence website content like you find here.

Some have accused us of promoting Doomster Porn. perhaps they are right, but it has not been intentional. We have sensed something out of kilter and have been trying to see where it will lead for the last few years.

For some that future seems unendurable. It can drive them to the fringes of conspiracy theories, or to apocalyptic and messianic cultism. I hope that is not where the currents are taking me. I want to know the future to make the best of it. The synonyms for the word "foresight" comfort me.
Anticipation, canniness, care, carefulness, caution, circumspection, clairvoyance, discernment, discreetness, discretion, economy, far-sightedness, foreknowledge, forethought, insight, long-sightedness, perception, precaution, precognition, preconception, premeditation, premonition, prenotion, prescience, prospect, providence, provision, prudence, sagacity.
Many things should be clearer in a few dozen hours. The United States will either find a way to cling to the cliff edge a little while longer or not. As a flea on his back you have a choice of either jumping off or taking a ride with Uncle Sam. I hope its not too late to start looking to a small printing press and some supplies.

See also: Ea O Ka Aina: Bring it on! 7/17/11

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