June 3, 2006

• we have been waiting for a revolution for a long time.... it's been 37 years since the last one, a racial revolution that left much of the cities of New Jersey literally smouldering (to say nothing of a 10 year old girl petrified for her father who worked in one of those cities as an inspector for the department of health)... but all of the signs of oppression, disenfranchisement, discontent, bewilderment > the things that lead to revolution > are present... we are ripe for revolution... we need one!

  
  

  in USA Today, Julianne Malveaux writes, "The average American has not experienced much good economic news lately. The wealth gap is growing. Median family income has been dropping. Meanwhile, gasoline prices are up 36% from a year ago. With interest rates rising, those with adjustable rate mortgages face higher payments, and residential rents also are nudging up. Incomes are not keeping pace with inflation, and the job market is weak...New York Times writer Louis Uchitelle describes workers as "disposable Americans," and daily headlines about layoffs - recently reports surfaced that Walt Disney Studios will lay off up to 10% of its workers - reinforce the sense of job insecurity.There don't seem to be many breaks out there for those at the bottom. The $5.15 hourly minimum wage has not been raised in a decade. The most recent tax cut legislation that extends breaks on capital gains and dividends will provide the bottom 40% of taxpayers with less than $20 in tax cuts over a three-year period. In contrast, more than two-thirds of the benefits of the tax cut will go to the top 5% of our nation's earners."

  
  

  we are told continually that unemployment is way down.... down to about 4.7% nationwide, which is a nice, low figure, sure, but one that LIES! like a rug!!  most of the jobs are lower paying service sector jobs, and many of the unemployed have exhausted their unemployment benefits, and so they are no longer counted.  they still don't have jobs, but yet, they are no longer counted as unemployed!  my friend, JV, just got a job after being unemployed for 18 months....

  
  

  oh, and you already know how i feel about health care!  i did finally get my appointments squared away, but at an enormously inconvenient time and in an extraordinarily inconvenient location.... <rolls eyes as steam comes out ears>

  
  

  so... it seems we need a revolution.... even Rf wants to know why we, as a nation, don't change our policies, particularly in regard to the existence (or lack thereof) of a viable third party.  sweden, and germany, and the UK , and israel all seem to function with multiple parties in a coalition government.  these nations used our system as a model, but managed to find ways to improve on it - or at least, one hopes the changes have been improvements.  http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70980-0.html  is the link he sent me to support his thinking.... it is a good read....

  
  

   

  
  

   

  • 9:50 am
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