Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Survival
Food, shelter, medicine; pick two. That's austerity under the new world order.
And that's only true where tribal or state institutions still function. If markets have their way, even one will soon be a luxury.
So where does that leave us? Family, friends, and social networks can provide a safety net of sorts, but what happens when they're all in the same sinking boat?
My guess is that relationships between state and federal governments are going to change, because the catastrophe of corruption that has captured the federal power of the purse is devastating the ability to provide state, county and municipal services essential to our economy and environment. While the White House and Congress might dance with glee over handing the U.S. Treasury to Wall Street, I imagine most governors and mayors are appalled at the carnage they have caused.
Living inside the beltway bubble, lavished with perks and presents from lobbyists, our pain is invisible or unimportant to those involved in dismantling our society. Fortifying our networks by creating alternative forms of survival -- like we did as part of the 1960s counterculture -- may not solve our problems, but in the meantime, it is perhaps all we can do under the current circumstances.
And that's only true where tribal or state institutions still function. If markets have their way, even one will soon be a luxury.
So where does that leave us? Family, friends, and social networks can provide a safety net of sorts, but what happens when they're all in the same sinking boat?
My guess is that relationships between state and federal governments are going to change, because the catastrophe of corruption that has captured the federal power of the purse is devastating the ability to provide state, county and municipal services essential to our economy and environment. While the White House and Congress might dance with glee over handing the U.S. Treasury to Wall Street, I imagine most governors and mayors are appalled at the carnage they have caused.
Living inside the beltway bubble, lavished with perks and presents from lobbyists, our pain is invisible or unimportant to those involved in dismantling our society. Fortifying our networks by creating alternative forms of survival -- like we did as part of the 1960s counterculture -- may not solve our problems, but in the meantime, it is perhaps all we can do under the current circumstances.
