For the Long Haul

With the failure of the Detroit we make another step towards a 2nd class economy. While not the first city to fail it is the largest to fail. It is also failure of what had been one of the worlds premier manufacturing city.

The decision to close down this industrial powerhouse was made by folks who don't live or support the community but by robber barons (the 1%) who saw the plants in the 3rd world countries who worried less about their folks and more about lining their pockets. I'm talking about their leaders who didn't mind if the water or infrastructure or air quality was destroyed but more about how rich they would be. After all they didn't live in the area.

The level inequality between the haves and haves not has become even greater. The size of the poor or working class increases with less means at hand for they to provide for theirself and at the same time their government responding to the demands of the elite's continue to demand cutting of social services. This to me is the breaking of the social contract that has always been understood.

FDR saw this coming about that despite the fact that it was the same people who stepped up and won the war answering the call for service he knew that memory was a fleeting thing and the same people who brought you the great depression would once more take on the the uppity working class and take on the task of putting them back into their place. That was  the reason he wanted to pass a bill of rights for the common man.

Today I heard that the number of jobs for those looking for full time work is declining while the jobs for part time workers is increasing. In short people are working two to three part time jobs in order to work enough to support theirselves. It is the continuing decline of the common man.

So. We continue to short sheet the avg Joe of decent jobs, housings, and wages along with true health care for all.

But, things will change and it will be not today not tomorrow bout when the US has it's own Arab spring  when the workers rise and true revolution take place and equality and justice truly becomes for all.

Treading Water

Years ago and I do mean years ago my Dad taught me to swim. Before he started though he said I needed to know how to float first. So I learned how to lean back into the water, take a deep breath and relax. Then he taught me the second phase of learning how to swim and that was how to tread water. At the time to me it seem that Dad was taking forever to teach me how to swim and I ask why?

He responded it wasn't all that hard to learn to swim but I needed to know that when I grew tired from swimming and was in deep water that I was all right for I could just turn over on to my back and relax and float. Then once I was ready to go roll back over and then by treading water see where I was and begin swimming toward my goal. My Dad was trying to drown proof me.

Well, suffice it to say that I did learn the lesson that my Dad was teaching me that when you get over your head sometimes you need to just lean back and relax float for a while until you regained your strength and then tread water till you figure out where  you are headed.Well I am hoping that I have recharged my batteries and with renewed strenght begin anew to write.

While I have been catching my breath I have noted that nothing really has changed. The "Robber Barons"  of our time are still waging war against the middle and working class. Congress is still ineffective as ever and the economy is still pretty much screwed.  Along with the environment pretty much still short circuited with abnormal heat waves, tornadoes, and storms that seem to be more intense then it the past. In short everything is SNAFU.

A person first response would be what can I, one individual do about it?

Simply this, from one snow flake comes an avalanche that can change the face of the playing field. Who is to say you are not that snow flake that makes a difference.  For me, the ideal of giving in and remaining silent is not an option. To so is to fail my grandchildren.

So, with that in mind I have floated and regained my strength lost from swimming against the current, I have treaded water and caught sight of the distant shore and once more I am swimming forward against the current without question but to give up is to drown.

Projects - reading - Movies and TV

 Projects -  Recently I completed the finishing of a table top on a dinning table that my wife wanted done. The undertaking reminded me how much I like working in the shop. Now while I have a number of projects in mind I have not really had the time or money to follow up on them. As the saying goes "life happens as you make your plans". But I still make plans and hope to start up on a few of them in the near future. 

Reading - I have been slow on my reading but starting to pickup once more. I always seem to go in cycles anymore and reading is but one of those cycles. Currently I have almost completed Craig Johnson "The Dark Horse" and when I pull the book out and thoroughly entertained.  I particularly like the method he has been using in his time line. I want say anymore for now as I don't want to  give away the plot.

Movies and TV - Recently my wife and I have been watching  some unusual shows on TV such as "Zero Hour" and "Crossing Lines" on NBC, "Glades" and "Longmire" on A&E along with "Primeval: New World" and "Warehouese13" on SiFy, "The Killing" on AMC and "Copper" on BBC America. All of these shows have peaked our interest and managed to maintain it because of either their quirkiness  or difference from the  usual staple of mindless crap normally put out by the entertainment industry.