So I think most of us can agree on two points: 1) the economy is tanking, fast and 2) very few Dems (or any pols, for that matter) are speaking of solutions that will make a difference in the lives of we Little People most affected by that. Others have told me that even if the Phonebook Theory proves true, it will be very hard, well-nigh "impossible" in terms of realpolitik, for a Democratic administration and Congress to find the money needed for stimulus and aid programs. Now, I'm too radical to buy that excuse, "the money just won't be there," but I'm practical enough to believe that no politician elected this fall will propose an 80% cut and redirection of the DoD and war budgets to social programs. Short of a 'pitchforks and torches' movement/takeover of DC, that's just not going to happen.
But I was sorry to hear some news from a friend yesterday, news that was depressingly familiar. Job loss, and loss of health insurance, and the derailment from her plan to retire soon in minimal comfort. I'm fond of the saying, "No one will save you but you," and I'm starting to think it's time to take the next step along the path of that particular faith. My question is: are we ready to start helping each other?
I've got way too much crap to deal with today in real life, so this has to be short. But I'm asking you to Dream with me here for a moment. There are many examples in history of successful organizing and grassroots action. Are the netroots ready to take the next step? Is there enough trust, or need, for us to go beyond writing and talking? Or is that a silly dream? I'm not talking about what the netroots normally has done; supporting 'good' politians and combatting SCLM
is important work, but it doesn't put food on your family. I've been a participant in the Underground Economy for a long time, and I've seen it work well; life in the 'hood taught me a lot about how that can happen. And I'm very inspired by some recent work I've done locally. It's not hard at all, I'm findng, to get my neighbors and area coworkers on board with things like gardening, caring for needy elders in the area, and suchlike.
Anyway, someone suggested to me recently, and only half-jokingly, that the way to avoid various tax and FEC type regulation issues, is to organize as a religious group and qualify for some of that faith-based aid money Obama spoke of increasing. In the past, I've suggested a "Democratic health care cooperative," that would be non-profit. What ideas do you have?
I honestly believe that it's too late, and a new global Depression is coming/here. Here is some complicated econ stuff I barely understand but which doesn't bode well for all of us, if I grok the author's analysis correctly. I'm also told that there has been double-digit inflation in commodities and goods people need to live in places like China, India, Vietnam...the list goes on.
It's hard, but I'm trying not to be 'head in the sand' about these harsh developments. Forgive me if this post seems overly Kumbaya and naive.
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PB 2.0?
Why not?
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
Well done, chicago dyke. I also think we're in a recession and
heading into a depression. All the indicators are there. The link is very informative, I especially liked this part about "independent monetary policy" (hmmm, sounds like a deregulated system to me):
``There's a lack of independent monetary policy; it's been inappropriately stimulative,'' says Nariman Behravesh, chief economist with Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts. The answer, he says, may be to ``tighten credit more aggressively,'' the way then-chairman Volcker did in the early 1980s.
Such a policy shift would mean pushing borrowing costs above the level of inflation and keeping them there even at the cost of a steep slowdown that might send commodity prices into a tailspin. Faced with inflation that approached 15 percent in 1980, Volcker pushed interest rates as high as 20 percent and drove the U.S. into its deepest recession since the 1930s."
Greenspan et al's biggest mistake was trying to slow the bleeding. When things started going south, they should have let them play out. By prolonging the decline it will be that much more painful. Call me crazy but deregulation of the banking/securities industry was madness. Since when are the people with the cash register going to stop themselves from playing with the money? Yikes.
I love this job!
Wait are you
saying we should get some of Obama's expanded Faith Initative money? I'M a believer!
Seriously, what did you think of pb 2.0 overall? What can we do? I am very worried about many...
that's exactly what i'm saying, TruthP
thanks for the links to the PB2.0 and other post of yours; i've been busy lately and haven't had the time to keep up with all the good work here.
...i'm sort of steaming mad right now as i just had a toussle with someone who refuses to admit they have been on a campaign to lie about me and my "support" for HRC. anyway...
yes. i think we are all going to have to be ready to do Whatever It Takes to get by. this winter is going to be bad, next winter even worse, and the one after that more so. because the solutions to our problems, such as affordably heating a home in the north in the winter, will take years to acheive, on any sort of broad scale. as individuals, we've got to take the reigns in hand, and realize that no amount of speechifying or tax credit will 'save' us from the harsh realities you describe in your post. so if you can qualify for some faith-based, indeed any, kind of aid right now, i say do it.
i guess i'm trying to fill people with more of a sense of urgency. i started doing the garden posts a few years ago, as i knew the rise in food prices was coming, *and* that it takes practice to grow a true "victory garden" that can actually feed you. heh, i should know, as despite my serious efforts and large plot, i'm still not there. anyway, thanks for the interesting links. if i have a short answer for you, it's: get to know your neighbors and consider starting a neighborhood resource sharing pool. and open your mind to ideas about sharing your space as well. "two can live as cheaply as one," and the like.
A recurring dream of bread & herbs
I think this was the same sort of conclusion arrived at in the 60s by DFHs, and gave rise to our short-lived, for reasons too complex to go into now, communal movement with free clinics, 'n all.
I have to say it, but Ralph Nader nails the private health insurance industry as the biggest threat to health care.
I guess a question this old dog has--do you want a Movement or a Revolution? I'd opt in for an evolution of consciousness, but I fear that sort of "spiritual" change occurs only after much more suffering, and then I'm less dog and more scaredy cat.
But I'll be happy to share my basil with you. Alas, I should have known better but last week I boiled the echinacea, oregano and lemon thyme by treating them to a shower while the sun was shining full on them. [And please, y'all, sling no effete/elite slurs my way. Even the poorest Greek or Italian peasant will have at their front door an old olive oil can planted with these herbal gems that make living a little more worthwhile.]
"Small pharma"
Echinacea in the garden, eh? Anybody else know some useful herbs that are medicinal and legal and easy to grow?
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
tons---
http://www.herbsguide.net/
(there are a million sites for em)
whaleshaman, are they dead?
If not and you can, bury a 20-oz soda bottle with a row of pinholes about 1/2'' up from the bottom, wrapped in an old onion net or pantyhose leg, in the soil in the middle of the patch. Fill it with water once every two weeks and you should be able to never worry about boilt herbs again.
We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
For herbs, only, yes Sarah?
It sounds like a device that the Fremen would use in Dune.
I'm guessing that the water diffuses slowly through the soil, and that there's no evaporation loss.
Would this work for the rest of the garden? I love watering the garden at night, it's a good ritual, but it also breeds mosquitos and there is evaporation loss.
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
Lambert, the things you fail to mention
L: I love watering the garden at night, it’s a good ritual
Lovely, also insures high humidity after dark right at ground level where the little mildew spores are waiting to spring to life.
Tsk, tsk. Water in the morning, let the sun dry the leaves and by sundown the top of the ground should have dried out, much lower humidity around the plant leaves.
You can make an inexpensive and effective drip system out of an old hose. Bend over and tie together the end to close it off, then lay around the garden spot and poke a hole with an ice pick or a nail on the underside where you want water to drip. Don't bury it or roots will grow into the holes and plug them up. Turn the faucet on full open to ensure that water comes out of all the holes. End of the season, coil the hose and store it with the ends screwed together to keep spiders and other crawling creatures out.
Actually, I figured that out...
... so I water very close to the ground. No splash, and deep into the soil, so little evaporation.
I understand the argument, but I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrifice the ritual.
Good point on the old hose. I may have to implement that this year, since the tomato patch is so profuse (touch wood).
[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
we need to gather all the online tips and tricks, maybe--
i recently found out about another way for cheaper healthcare, besides freelancer's union and mediabistro and other professional groups --
depending on the state tho, and probably mostly midwest or south -- Farm Bureau -- Google for : "farm bureau" health insurance
and you'll see the state bureaus...it's like $50/year to join, then you can join their plans.
you are my new hero
i'm actually part-owner of a farm, so i should be joining one of these anyway. i'm chagrined to say that it never even crossed my mind to look into this, though i certainly knew of the existence of farm bureaus.
thanks for the tip. i'll let you know if it results in my actually getting health insurance.
lambert, he said an olive oil can ... a 20 oz bottle will slow-
drip irrigate about half a square foot every time you fill it. Got no soda bottles? Poke pinholes in old milk bottles, set them down so only the handle's sticking up, put a couple pinholes in the lid to prevent vapor-lock.
Yeah, the Fremen had some tricks. But you know who's really on the ball?
ICASALS, the Israelis, and the High Plains Underground Water District.
My mother used to irrigate her flowerbeds and vegetable gardens with dishwater, in the days when "running water" meant you brought it up from the well in a bucket, heated it on the stove and washed dishes in an enamel dishpan on the cabinet. In the 1930s, the things people did to save water in West Texas (and other Dust Bowl places) would curl your hair. She would let the dishwater set half an hour to cool and pour it through an old rag to keep the grease and soap from killing the plants.
We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
Lambert needs a new evening ritual!
One that doesn't spread mildew.
Readers?