There is no physical law that says there has to be enough jobs for all the people who need them even though there have been for centuries.
The idea that the current economic slowdown is some sort of temporary situation and jobs will come roaring back — because they always have — is idiot calculus these days.
The industrial revolution must have been scary for the people who manually weaved cloth, now there was a machine to do their job. And the machine didn’t need any breaks and could work, more of less, tirelessly. I guess the scribes who copied books prior to the printing press might have been concerned about their job security as well. And these were gigantic technologies for their times — they were game changers for everybody. This is the argument people make who think jobs will come roaring back.
But they are wrong … this is very different … and it is a transition to an entirely new economics. If we could just get to the democratic socialism we need quickly. But this is not going to happen.
Another billionaire has come out to declare he needs to pay higher taxes. Why do you think they are doing this? First, it isn’t because they feel they have enough money. Billionaires’ lives are based on greed and it is insatiable — if it wasn’t they would have retired to some wonderful island and enjoy life. No, Billionaires love their greed. But they are concerned that they cannot be successful in a world with constantly shrinking demand. And as AD has said many times, this is all about DEMAND. Take away demand and the economic house of cards collapses. This is what is going on right now. It is collapsing, right before our eyes.
Sure, many people with jobs still think they are smart and everybody else is lazy. I really love the people who work for government — teachers, police, firefighters — who are firmly committed to capitalism. I wish anybody who was against socialism could not hold a government job. First, it seems so hypocritical that they believe in capitalism and it is socialism that pays them each week. Second, they need an education just how much of an idiot they are.
As the drip, drip continues of economic doom, more and more people will be educated that there is no physical law that there will be enough jobs. Eventually — and that is the painful part — people will realize this is either one big community and everybody survives … no nobody does.
America is Doomed.
I teach and have a full time job, and I don’t think it’s hypocritical. I make my students think critically, expose them to the world outside the schools door and encourage exploration. I also enjoy the two months off (which every person should but never will have) to explore and better myself as a person through travel, volunteering, learning new skills and being creative. It KILLS me though to see my less forward thinking and intelligent friends become absolute slaves to the system of capitalism. One high school friend got a job as a bus driver, and his mantra is “in 20 years i can retire”….that’s a prison sentence! And the media drives this into our head that the real world is miserable and that no one can be happy past the age of 30. What a croc of shit. But it will never change in our lifetime and I don’t think right now I want to have children and bring them into a world in which they have to start working at age 11 and have 7 degrees just to get a job at walmart
Good idea Mr. P!!! Don’t have children. Then you won’t have to worry about any of them earning a Darwin Award. HeeeHeee. You are a leech. You are a Gubsamunts leech. 2 months off? Go ahead and take 12 off. 12 per year and take them off for 30 years, Paaaaaaaleasssssssse. You’re drivel bores me. The more of you retarded, worthless Gubsamunts asses get shitcanned the better I like it.
Those who CAN, Do!! Those whoe CAN’T, Teach. Those who CAN’T TEACH, TeachPhys Ed. BwaaaaHaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaa. State bankruptcy will take you out shortly, and I will be oh so glad.
Mr. P: You are a worthless Imp.
Admin, Democratic socialism doesn’t look so promising in europe right now. Portugul, Greece, Spain, Ireland the europeon union hit those folks hard. Next Germany will flood. America is not just doomed, it is the entire world. Africa will rise with China. China will invade Japan. War number 3 ! Food will be limited, buy your booze now. Ammo up Dr. Les. Sugar is the new enemy. General Mills is working on a sugar substute that will cure all the fat fucks in america ! Then it will melt our brains ! You think I am joking ? Talk to a farmer folks. Our stewards of the world. Farmers buy big shit man ! Burrow big monies from banks. Generations of the same craft. They either hate Monsantos or suck their dicks . The yeild in a crop this year in the midwest is big ! Double of last year. A farmer can earn about $50,000+ on 40 acres of corn , beans this year. Just think if you are farming 500 acres ! Watch those debit cards also. When the U.S. tanks the government will rob every american of their funds ! Hahahahahaha good luck suckers !
after stumbling upon your blog I thought it would be a site for reasonable venting, but I see your “agenda” is nothing more than a pumped up liberal democrat vision for Amerika.
The good thing for you is that your dreams will probably come true, as we are closer to this vision than ever before thanks to your socialist and liberal brethren who control politics . The bad thing for the rest of us is that you Liberals will have done what the Soviet Union could not, and all you geniuses who transform America in your Amerika, will end up slaves to the very masters you put into power.
I would say that your ideas would lead to civil war, but with all the fools, illegals and complacent people calling themselves Americans nowadays,, I doubt there are many who think it’s worth fighting to save because you simply cannot fight an overwhelmingly stupid nation that wants to be slaves to the state.
Fuck all of you pathetic liberal socialist idealists who could give a shit about freedom from anyone who doesn’t share your ideas.
Really David ? Really ? Lets see in the eight years that GWB was in power the Patriot act was signed into law, Deregulation of Wall Street (100 yr old laws) were ignored, Commodity Futures Modernization Act Bill was passed, Two wars were started, The trade center buildings came down, Torture of wae prisoniors, no new jobs were created, just to name a few points of why and how americans are suffering and paying the price of a ra-tard in a dictatorship..
So what happened in those eight years bro ? Where were all of these liberals at ? How come america isn’t so awesome ? Why heck, a republican was in power for those eight years ? And the current prez has only been in what three ? I am so glad the Texas Rangers lost the world series. Go love your fetus and hate the child puke !
Freedom huh David ? Go read a book ..You are a warped soul ..Also, your mind has been washed of all firing brain cellz..
Ductile. Do you think for a moment that the decline of our nation started under GWB? Are you really so obtuse to not understand the cataclysm of 911 as you bark about all the horrible events that were directly or indirectly related? That one thing alone could be directly attributed to the economic decline over the next 6 years but you economic geniuses would rather believe it had to be the incompetency of Bush, who at least was more transparent than the current occupier of WH. You stupid f*cking liberals never have understood anything about war, and let me ask you Einstein, if it wasn’t necessary nor important enough to go to war under Bush, why the hell are we still there? And “Water boarding” as torture, boo hoo.. watching an American get his head cut off is more torture for me than having water poured on my face, maybe you don’t and it would figure.
Democrats had total power in DC the first two years under Obama, and what did they do? They forced through every most left wing legislation they could, even writing laws that could bypass the mechanisms to allow options to be discussed. You do know what absolute power does right?
Liberals ruled Washington far longer than 2 years under Obama dipshit. Liberals ruled politics in Washing for most of the past century, all with an agenda of bigger more intrusive government, which ALWAYS means less personal freedom. This isn’t my rant, it’s FACT. Do you think that just because we get an occasional Republican President in power it matters with the direction of the ideology of the ignorant masses, when most schools, media outlets and news organizations feed the liberal message every minute? Even our movies are filled with the result of liberalism. America “isn’t so awesome” because your liberal ideology has ripped out the soul of America and succeeded in making otherwise intelligent people believe that greed is the result of capitalism so capitalism must be destroyed. You always look for something else to blame except yourselves, Obama is the epidomy of this truth of liberals inability to accept responsibilty as he blames everything from Bush, to the weather for things that don’t work out like he planned. Who cares if he wastes a couple of trillion dollars? idiot
The very people (Liberal politicians) you look to for change are the ones to blame for the ills you perceive. Greed can be seen in politicians, in welfare recipients, in everyday life among virtually everyone, it has nothing to do with income but with character, of which America’s has been ripped out by decades of liberal philosophy moving us closer to a Marxist socialist state which is evidence of the ignorance or stupidity of those who push for it. The ideals you represent are nothing BUT greed. Why else would you give a shit how much someone has just as long as you aren’t denied the opportunity to do the same? Greedy bastard and stupid to boot. When you have people who can’t achieve wealth on their own dictating to others that they shouldn’t be able to either, then you strip the very freedom to excel from the people who supposedly believe in freedom. Your philosophy is one of bringing everyone down to the lowest common denominator instead of encouraging everyone to rise to their potential.
The same ideology you push for is not possible to be anything but destructive when you have a nation of people who have no moral compass. Your ideology scoffs at Christian religious influence on society while failing to understand its connection to providing a moral base for a nation of people who could care less about self government because they don’t have a clue about what it means. The thing that destroys societies is GOVERNMENT. When government is all powerful, the people aren’t. It’s over and this great American experiment fails because people don’t give a shit about freedom or potential, they are lazy because they have taken for granted what they have always enjoyed, the very freedom they are pissing away.. and soon it will be over, thanks to your ideological cousins. So keep celebrating as you watch the nation sink further into extinction and I hope when it becomes as you want, you’ll be one who suffers the most from what you helped create from your ignorance or design.
Be sure to tune into your government talking heads in the news or websites that tell you the same BS you’ve absorbed because of your greed to get more from others what you dont have now, to those who tell you what you should think .
Freedom is dead in America.
And Ductile, if you had a clue what a soul was, it would mean more for you to speak of it.
Hahaha at a boy David a perfect biblical name of course ! And you calling me a liberal not even meeting me HA ! I am sure you are a Repuke by the hostile tone in ur grammer. Oh believe me homie, I know all about the Architects of the New World Order. Like the Council on Foreign Realations, Trilateral Commission, Rhodes Scholar program, and Bilderberger Movement. Do you ? I love how Repukes blow over the points I brought up, just to mount my asshole up high so you can penetrate it.
Oh I understand war. It is a huge business. BAE, General Dynamics, two companies which share holders are our finest politicians ! oh ya, I understand your rant. Comming on this site thinking all of us folks posting are liberals. That right there shows me i must not waste anymore time typing this to a little man with a tiny brain. Bub Bye DAVID. Now off to church..
P.S. our republican senate and house is doing such a incredible job right now I must go out now and jump for joy !
Hey, the conversation is getting good. Unfortunately, I agree with both of you, which only proves the point that I have been expounding for over 2 or 3 years on this website and other’s as well. It is a single monster with 2 heads!!! Why can’t you see it. It divides us with rhetoric, but it sucks the dinky of their corporate masters. Both of them suck. It is a blame game. The DumbaKraps did this!! The Repukikans did that.
CYO Asses. Then cover your friends and family. Help those who are salvagable as the new paradigm reveals itself. Do I know what it will look like? Hell No. But it will be very different from where we are now. Neither you nor I will recognize it when it arrives. But it will manifest itself quickly. Much too quickly for most of the fluoride/chlorine/vaccination types to quantify. Ductile will get it. I will get it. Lloyd will get it. I’m not sure about the rest of the commentators here.
And Ductile, the shrimp are running. If you ever get over this way the shrimp are on me, as are the crabs and fish, if I’m still even here and not in Panama.
But I have one small bone to pick with you. You stated that sugar is the new enemy. It is the OLD enemy. More atrocities, more disease, more insanity, more slavery, more environmental destruction was committed by sugar planters than by cotton and tobacco combined. Sugar is not a new enemy. It is an old one. The fight against it is new. For 25 years I have told people that every bag of sugar should have a skull and crossbones printed on the front of the package. Eliminate it from your diet and you will probably not be a victim of chronic, degenerative diseases, like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, Metabolic Syndrome, Cirrhosis, etc… On and On and On!!!!
Ductile, you and I see it far more clearly than most. After the fall of HFCS, Da Gubsamunts will send those subsidies to the farmers who grow GMO sugar beets. This is not shittalk. This is fact. Prepare yourselves for the coming cataclism. Stock up on essentials. Sugar is not essential unless you plan to burn it for energy.
Dr. Figgler has been a self educated, self ordained, Natureopath for over 25 years. Dr. Figgler has 2 college degrees and alot of other accumulated worthless credits. Dr. Figgler is a full time student at the “University of the Internet” and is also an avid reader of BOOKS. What a dud Dr. Figgler is!!!!
I fully agree Dr. Les. Sugar is the old enemy. What I meant is the lillipop newz stations will jump on the sugar band wagon (as they have lately) and your typical americans will listen closely ! But those americans who chow down for breakfest, munch, at the local gas station because of convience won’t get it. I also agree that the two headed monster is hungry ! U can blow any party you want. They both suck ! They both are corrupt ! Look at Detroit for example. The Mayor in jail. Wayne county is under Federal investigation for cronie’s gone wild ! Blah, blah, blah… I just picked up a late 80′s Olympic Arms AR15 that is the true American rifle ( sounds good anyway) which is so accurate, cheap ammo, that will blow through a 1/4 inch plate of steel ! Yep I am ready !
Hey ya Ductile and Figgler,
You both succinctly kicked David’s ignorant head in. Nice job boys!
When are people in this country going to wake up and recognize propaganda and misinformation when they see it? The whole right/left, blue/red, Republican/Democrat, liberal/conservative dichotomies are nothing other than overt distractions to keep dumbed down Americans falsely polarized against each other over emotionally charged, but largely non-issues, while the plutocracy rips everyone off blind. God forbid, should the masses wake up and realize who has really been fucking them!
David, here’s an exercise for you boy wonder- go back about 30 years and start researching the evolution of money in politics, the rise of the multinational corporation and the nexus of ownership in 2010, the meteoric ascension of the finance sector, the dismantling of regulatory structure and in tandem the destruction of legal safeguards implemented after TGD, and notice how all this irrefutably correlates with the declining fortunes of anyone outside the very top echelons in American society (ie look into wealth distribution curves). Now, while you are at it, investigate campaign contributions and voting histories -and viola you will soon realize that both parties have had hands in this whole scale thievery!
So David, you can keep illustrating to the world that you lack critical thinking skills and have been only too thoroughly imbibed with the rhetorical posturings of the elitist class to keep you and the rest of the lemmings subjugated and complacent, or you can conduct some independent research of your own volition that will inevitably destroy your myopic and falsely dyadic worldview that has been force fed to you by countless administrations and their corporate sponsors!
Llyod
Lloyd, your rhetorical skills amaze me, as well as your analytical skills. I used to be able to expound like you. But after 21 years in the “woods”, I’ve forgotten at least 1/2 of the vocabulary that the lesbian nuns beat into my head. I can still express myself satisfactorily, but the days of flowery language are over. In addition, I have dedicated my life to Life Extension and complete health (homeostasis). I need to stay somewhat connected to the University of the Internet before I completely forget how to formulate a complete sentance. I have no clocks, no calanders, no watches,no cell phones, no television. Only this computer. It keeps me connected to the “outside” world. I don’t really want to be connected but I live in such a remote area that I buy nearly everything that I need from the internet, i.e. supplements, superfoods that I cannot grow here, grass fed buffalo (for the small amount of red meat that I eat), parts for machinery, heirloom seeds, etc…. You get the picture.
Oh yes, but I do have a tide chart that I picked up from the hardware store 25 miles away.
Lloyd, you are also invited to the seafood fest. You and Ductile, if we are still alive in a few.
Hey ya Figgler,
Well, I are edumakated …hahaha….and have spent my professional career as an analyst as you are aware…
You know, it would be a helluva weekend wouldn’t it- if you, Ductile and I got together for a seafood fest ….and no shit, that is if we all happen to still be alive given the inevitable war over who is going to eat all this structured fucking debt the plutocrats ran up is coming…I mean, we’re still in the last dregs of a serial denial/propaganda modality, but you can see thats falling apart at the seams in an exponentially expedited manner as who is gonna bail who is falling apart. (Look at the spreads on Euro CDS right now for a BIG clue)
Llyod
Lloyd, I have looked. It is over!!! and Greece is small change compared to Italy. And Italy is as cooked as an overdone pizza.
Who will bail them out this time? Great question. Probably nobody. Germany jumped in and commited. That means that they are now infected with the chronic debt disease when they used to be the only stable economy over there along with the Swiss. It is not a pretty picture. The proverbial shit will hit the fan shortly. A day? A week? A month? Won’t be much longer. US bank exposure to the Euro is huge. Look at MF Global!!! What do you think the “MF” Stands for. I know. Use your imagination. Corzine will skate, like the rest of them. His lawyers will paper it to the point where nobody can understand it. He’ll end up as a victim of the wrong medication, or too much of it or something to that effect. Kind of like when that Kennedy twit hit the wall at 2 in the morning because he didn’t want to miss voting on some bill. Hell’s Bells. By 2 in the morning, every one of those worthless congressman are snockered or hugging a hooker with our money.
Hey, tonight for dinner. 1/2 pound of wild caught JoJa shrimp, on the grill with mesquite and my “special sauce” (GMO free and no HFCS). and organic homegrown tomatoes with watercress from my koi pond. Crabs are still stuffing my traps. What a great year. Don’t know that any of it will continue, though.
“Fuck all of you pathetic liberal socialist idealists who could give a shit about freedom from anyone who doesn’t share your ideas”
No thanks, I’m not into bestiality! Socialism is no different than all current economic systems. It was built out of the past and has no place for the future and if it’s to work needs to be reviewed. What all your right leaning foul-mouths don’t get is that Capitalism is and was doomed from the start. Capitalism is built upon the notion that perpetual growth will continue into perpetuity. That’s perhaps one of the greatest lies force fed to us all, and sadly only the glutinous over-eat. If you’ve very brewed a batch of beer then you know that the yeast will continue to feed off of the available sugars until the sugars are all gone, and then it will die. This is the same problem with capitalism, it has to experience continuous growth to survive, but in time it like the yeast will have consumed all of the sugar and die.
Perhaps there is common ground to found between capitalism and Socialism (by the way Socialism is not communism). If it’s not found then Capitalism that only supports the few will fail at the hungered hands of the many. Our Forefathers knew that generations to come would have to revisit the causes of the past or perish.
“Whenever there is in any country, uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labour and live on. If, for the encouragement of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be furnished to those excluded from the appropriation. If we do not the fundamental right to labour the earth returns to the unemployed. It is too soon yet in our country to say that every man who cannot find employment but who can find uncultivated land, shall be at liberty to cultivate it, paying a moderate rent. But it is not too soon to provide by every possible means that as few as possible shall be without a little portion of land. The small landholders are the most precious part of a state.” Thomas Jefferson
I’m in for that seafood fest ! What makes me smile is our friendly neighbor to the north is just sitting back and watching the show. CANADA ! My buddy is there as I type this working at a refinery in Regina. It rymes with fun ! The only problem canada has right now is they cannot find skilled labor. For what you axe ? oh um , the Uranium mines, tar sands, refineries, blah, blah, blah…The problem is dumb ass americans can’t see beyond our borders..Americans think america is the best country on planet earth. I don’t think so. My buddy is making $1400 to $1500 per day. The job he is on isn’t even a well payed one at that ! He just has a stable gig and he is 61 yrs old. He is a citizen of canada now, will switch his books to their local union, grab canada’s social security/health insurance and retire at 64/65..He has done his bailing of america !
HL
Well I for one am not a socialist nor idealist, nor do I agree with neoliberalism, Keynsian economics, the supposed innovations in finance that got us into this mess or Ayn Rand’s BS musings. I think if you had been on this board much you’d find that Ductile, Figgler and I dont agree with Amin’s philosophy -what he refers to as democratic socialism. It’s ludicrous; ie let the government provide for everyone. Yeah that will work, not.
We tend to focus on what is inevitably coming, the writing is on the wall for anyone paying keen attention- not saying we have all the answers. The coffers are dry, monetization is the only game in town, fraud is the business model, how exactly do you think this is going to pan out?
Lloyd: You’re response to HL was poignant. Thanks for defending both me and ductile against unwarranted attacks. Obviously, HL hasn’t been here long. Hopefully he will stay and learn something.
You are correct in your assesment of where we are. The collapse is in full swing. Both the magnitude and velocity of it are unfathamable except to the most astute, maybe 20% opf the population at best. We are the people who are not sheeple and don’t have on lemming gene in our bodies.
The only salvation I see for the “select few” as I like to refer to them as, is some form of mercantilism, which existed in the middle ages. At least we won’t get blown back into the dark ages. We will be one age ahead of the lemmings. You have to have a marketable skill now and a proven method of survival. The sheeple have neither. Practice barter. I have been using it for over 10 years and ever moreso recently. I might trade a haircut to glaze a window on the barber shop. It gets better by the day.
Doesn’t matter now if you are an accountant. Shortly there will be nothing to account for or to.
Something new will emerge for Amerfreaka and Eurdope. It most likely will not include fiat currencies. Never again! I’m glad Ductile is doing well in Canada. If I could stand the cold I’d probably join him, while it lasts. For me, the Dominican or Panama, the tropics, are the only solution. I want an endless supply of natural Vit D, and I want between 1 and 3 acres of good bottom land where I can realize my dream of being an organic farmer, providing nutricious and delicious food to people who could have never had a chance at health, and just living life doing what I love. And staying healthty to boot.
The acceleration of events even now mesmerizes me. We are in 6th gear with overdrive waiting to shift in. Don’t know if I spelled mesmerize correctly but you get the point. There is no salvaging this mess. You can screw things up so badly that you simply have to wipe the slate clean and start over. My only hope is that the Lloydblankfiens, the Bernakes, the Jamie Dimons (not the Kneel Diamonds, joke), the Alan Greenspans, and most of our corrupt politicians will get the sword of justice. Even a perp walk would encouraging.
Hey Figgler
You are most welcome. I will ardently defend those folks i think really have this thing right, and you and Ductile are my brothers in arms in that regard. I wish I could say that I was as far along as you in this self sufficiency thing. Ive always been a corporate wonk and realize what a crock of shit it’s all become. I lost my Corp high flying job in late 09 and since have been using my intel skills to pick up contracts here and there but see this still depends on the corps outsourcing work that used to be done by folks like me who were regular employees. It’s pretty thin. I need to figure out a different way to support myself I think unless I want to go back to a big ass city like Shitcago or San franfreakso to pick up another Corp job. See I was telecommuting from ID for a NJ company. Idaho is a safe place to be with all hell breaking loose in the big cities so I am really not keen on going back to one of those shitholes.
I’m mesmerized too by the acceleration of events. Not surprising though as now they are having to deal with the bigger and more advanced economies that they ain’t got the money to bail.
Lloyd. Don’t worry about your past job with Corporate. I worked for the USDA for over 15 years before I just walked away. Just couldn’t go to the office one more day. I’ve learned alot since then. A friend of mine (who is a yatch captain offered me a job on a boat a few nights ago. He said he would be blessed to have me onboard with my abilities to repair anything, but I would have to shave everyday (I do shave at least once/week now), keep neatly trimmed hair, and never come home again. No more organic gardening. No more bon fires in my yard at night. No more wild caught crabs, shrimp, etc (you can’t catch them in the harbor in Monaco). I thanked him for the offer and refused. It was a no brainer. He even said that he knew I would never leave here, except for the tropics. He said that he could tell that I’m still having fun. He offered me alot of money. But so did Da Gubsamunts.
You’ll figure it out. You are highly intelligent and resourceful. I know that you will figure it out. It isn’t easy. I’ll be the first to admit that. But I have been at it so long I no longer know how to do it any other way.
Today, I planted geraniums (from seed), more basil, Italian parsely, and started some sprouting boxes on my windowsills (I eat alot of sprouts with my salads). I have 5 more people who want me to cane antique chairs. I’m going to perfect that art because the demand is incredible. Almost nobody can do it anymore. I walked, ran, worked hard, set a few racoon traps because I “donate” the meat to the locals. They love them.
You will find a niche. It will come to you when you least expect it. I am also building solar windows with a carpenter friend of mine. We intend to sell them on e-bay. These are portable and can actually provide most of the space heating for an entire house if you live in a sunny exposure. Things will come. You are just starting the journey.
A friend of mine just returned from Hottlanta. Very hot there. He had to go to some class for some crap or some other crap. There were 3 major fires Sunday night in a 2 block area where he was staying. You won’t believe the latest “urban tactic” of the unwashed. They flash mob a business, grab what they can, then set the building on fire to cover their tracks. Want to live in “Hot”lanta? I don’t think so. I traveled throught the Snake River Valley years ago while traveling from SanFranSicko to Billings, Montana. Gorgeous state. Wish I’d had the time to see it all. I’ll probably see the Andes before I ever see the Rockies again.
Hey ya Figgler
Well, I wish to hell I could figure it out. I feel like I am caught between a rock and a really hard space. Sure, I want to keep living in ID, its a very nice place to live. Unfortunately no jobs unless you consider $10 an hr at Petco or Target meaningful employment and can pay your mortgage and feed yourself on that. I sure as hell cant, so thank god I had lots o money put away but that isnt going to last forever. I’m 41 yrs old and I hear the pundits say all the time that most folks didnt put away even one extra paycheck for a rainy day, so I’ve been able to float but I wonder what the hell people are doing that didnt have an extra paycheck or 25 put away…
I have lots of friends here in the same boat, highly educated, always well off folks, lost their jobs at HP or Micron, dont want to leave, but they too absolutely dont know what the fuck to do. I wish to hell I knew how to fix any item like you do. That just might do the trick.
I feel like I am a dog chasing its proverbial tail. I interview for jobs which are all of course out of state, hoping they will allow a telecommuting deal –the companies are almost always in Shitcago, San fransicko, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York. I end up saying no fucking thanks when they want me to move there and most of the time pay for the move myself as well while taking a major pay cut. Get out of here right? Yeah and of course keeping in the back of my mind, all the stuff we talk about here, what is happening in the big cities and what will when all hell breaks loose when the IMF, Fed etc can no longer keep the boat from going down…I dont want to be in CA or NY or NJ when the economy goes off the cliff the second time….
Lloyd, it isn’t just Idaho anymore. It is everywhere. It is here, too. I was fortunate in that I saw this coming over 25 years ago. I took my “haircut” then. I use to trade stocks for rich people. Yes, while sitting out here in the woods, I’d use the internet to trade stocks all morning and they I’d mow lawns, cut firewood, paint, etc… all afternoon. I no longer trade stocks even though I could. I have people who want me to do it. I won’t.
I understand what you are saying about the 10 buck/hr jobs and trying to pay a mortgage. It is the same here. Homo Depot, Lowes (maybe), Petco (maybe) McDonalds for minimum for sure. That is why you will see your niche and develop it. You will become a consultant, start a small business, something like that. You will probably never make what you used to make unless you do something like that. But it will come. I know you are tired of the uncertainty. I also saved alot when I worked for the stinking Gubsamunts. I had securities, gold,silver, home, etc… When I quit I liquidated it all and bought a 100 year old house in the woods, broken down, in need of repair and renovation. I didn’t know if I would ever earn a penny again. Yes, I was worried. I scrounged (won’t even tell you some of what I had to do). I didn’t want to depleat what few assets that I had left. Slowly, my business took off. I don’t make crap but I’m gainfully employed and can cover my ass. I’m exploring making the solar windows that I mentioned with my carpenter friend and selling them on the internet. It is worth a try. It might fail.
My advice, stay away from the big shitties. I found that stress and challenge bring out my innovation. Try to cut everything out that is unnecessary. Keep the thermostat at 65 or lower. Wear a sweater. I wear long underwear so I don’t have to burn so much wood. I take shallower baths. I take quicker showers and use a water conserving shower head. I’m sprouting organic broccoli and radish seeds on my windowsill right now. That is a weeks worth of salad. Organic salads at the store cost about 4 bucks. Container gardening will work during your warm months. Think about not heating rooms that you aren’t using full time.
I know that most people will balk and say “I don’t want to live like that. Not here in Amerfreaka”. And soon they won’t. They will live worse. If the power is cut tomorrow I would barely notice. They would go freako!!!! You don’t have to be raving Ruby Ridge survivalist to be a prepper. Store some non perishable food when it is on sale. Canned beans, Past (hopefully gluten free, just joking). You can eat healthy for very little. Everything I say requires some learning and some skill. I’m not the least bit uncomfortable. I know that in Idaho you know some people who hunt deer, elk, and antelope. Fix their computer and barter for some wholesome steaks. Give them some advice on some financial matter and have them replace that broken glass pane in your window.
This all sounds nuts. If you can’t plumb the sink you can trade what you do for the plumbing We are in dire straights. I wish I could tell you that tomorrow it will be better, but then I would be a liar. I’m 59 and everybody asks me why I’m growing my hair so long. I tell them “Because I can”. Most of the people who ask are my age and don’t have any. I surely don’t envy them. I feel like I’m 30, and look the part.
Begin to learn natural health. You can pay upfront or pay on the backside, but the backside costs a big bundle and you are sick and ailing to boot.
The internet is your friend. I call it the University of the Internet. We are going through changes that are unequaled in history, at least our history. I’m not such a great sage that I can tell you what is going to happen. But it is happening quickly and the acceleration rate is somewhat terrifying. Something new will emerge. I believe something better. I have a few ideas. Maybe an end to fiat currencies as well as forgiveness of all debt. A clean start, maybe. And a shift in the medical paradigm. No longer disease for profit. Health. Health will pay and disease will cost you. A true 180!!!!! It is going to get rough and the bumps are huge. But we are broke and there is no turning back. The patient of State is on life support and the oxygen is running low.
What is is again, exactly, that you do. I have some connections to business people who might be looking for you. I take care of their “plantations”. They depend on me. And they treat me well. You are an analyst, but what exactly do you analyse?
One last thing. Moving to NY/Joisey for a pay cut would be suicide. Those places are unglued. Just be patient. You still have dry powder. Conserve it and use it wisely. Keep it dry.
Hey Figgler
What do I do? Well I was a highly accomplished Strategic Intelligence Analyst. This means that I provide executives with early warning on where their competitors are going so they can proactively plan with the benefit of foreknowledge. You know anybody who wants those skills I would be happy to hear from them. It appears to me that most of the companies in America today have simply kicked analysts like me to the proverbial curb in favor of short term imperatives, READ: immediate sales, and simply marketing their old tired shit in developing economies. No focus on innovation anymore which has hit my profession hard. If there is no focus on the future anymore, well then little need for future forward analysts…
I agree moving to those big shitties is likely suicide. I had an interview with a start up in San Fransicko the other day. I ran a cost of living comparison. Holy shit, I’d need to make over $200K a year to live comparably. You got to be fucking kidding me, and I know full well that is still downplaying the real difference. With that in mind, I looked into the cost of a one bedroom apt, hold onto your hat-around $3400 dollars a month in SF for something that looks half way decent and around $350 a month on top of that for parking. Jesus…no way. Go out in the burbs, maybe you get a little more space, but still looking at probably $3000 for a small house unless you want to be in Oakland where you will get shot in the ass for going out to your mailbox or be raped if you have a nice car and are a nice looking white woman as part of gang initiation. I think I’ll pass…they could tell I wasn’t thrilled so that was the end of that. The other thing that seems to be going on is the companies want you to fund major moves with no guarantee the job is going to last, no contract. Now, in the old world that might not have been such a big deal as there was more job stability but in today’s climate? Uh I dont think so. I kick out $15K and get laid off six months later? Fuck that and I know a ton of people that did that and got royally screwed.
Anyway I did start my own company and pulled in a little here and there. its damn thin though for the reasons stipulated above and likely given the fact I am really good at doing the work but dont like doing the business dev part.
America is doomed because of idiots like this. I am not going to call someone an idiot and just leave it at that, this idiot thinks the evil billionaire is greedy and Government isn’t. He thinks the Government will “Help us all” by saying “one for me, and one for you and one for me and one for you” – He thinks Benny the Burger King Window Order Taker (who gets my order wrong 4 out of 10 times) should get as much money as Renee the Radiologist. He thinks government will fix all our problems, and they are happy to help . What planet is this guy on?
Hey Dr Les and LBFsucks. I am in the same boat. Although I am NOT in Canada like Dr. Les said ( that is my 61 yr old friend) I am to in my 40′s but I am retired..Retired and highly skilled. Spine is shot from working to hard ! In my trade we all have DDD; Degeneritive disc diease. Except mine is so severe that my surgeon had to put screws and rods in my back ! I need more metal but i will wait untill my legs or arms don’t work anymore..
The world is cruel. The currency wars are killing us. And these last 5, 10, 15 years. All countries participate in the wars. I think by the time my daughter is in college ( 8 yrs away) our U.S. dollar will be worth 50 cents ! I barter now also. Help out one pal then he uses his skillz to paint and fix rust on my rig..Being retired is okay. I don’t miss the heavy lifting or even the money. I think I am doing better now . Dr. my take on your long hair is ; Grow it while you’ve got it !!! Fella’s like us will be the ones to excell in this shit pit ! buy weapons LBFsucks. You will need em when the shit really hits the fan. How do you think Libya rised above ? Yes ! The Libyians recieved weapons to conquer their government ! Without their AK 47 and AR15 this would of never been possible in their roles !
It’s been a while since I’ve looked at this site, and now I remember why. It’s full of people looking to argue and represent themselves as being more intelligent or more educated than the next person. The comments here are a shining example of why America is doomed. The U.S. has been degrading from within for a long time, and it’s about to come to a head. We have become a divided nation of extreme opposing views. We no longer have unity. Our society consists of equal numbers of people on either side of the fence. Then there are those lukewarm who create even more problems by just sitting on top of that fence waiting to join in with whoever’s winning. I understand and in cases agree with some things said here. But overall, what a giant heap of useless babble. If you are not an American citizen, then you can shut the hell up. Your opinion doesn’t count. If you are, then it’s high time to realize that if we can’t unite and support some realistic goals aimed at keeping this nation free for its people, then yes, we are doomed. Our main enemy is our own disunity, and our potential conquerers around the world can’t wait to devide up the peices.
The article/essay could be more objective if it would acknowledge that democratic socialism has its own set of pitfalls. It is in place all over Europe, and it hasn’t faired well in the urban centers or rural areas. Though circumstances are different for both sets, the underlying theme is people do not want to work and produce when there is no incentive for them to do so. It becomes a society where the bar is set at the height of bare-minimum. I can either do nothing and collect my meager, but free living from the state, or I can work hard and have just a little bit more than people collecting from the state. However, I can only have so much – so I put the brakes on my potential because in the end, I am not working for myself, but instead the state. Then, the state, that has to feed and house these non-working people, has no means to do so because the GDP is so low or non-existent. Then, that state gets colonized by another that has deeper pockets. People’s will to prosper erodes and the state becomes a waiting-room for the death of each generation to follow. Meanwhile, the non-working crowd could care less and they spend their time during the days in an array criminal pursuits, pushing the society further into degradation.