Life at the End of Empire

We send our warriors to die to protect the financial industry, the health care industry, the defense industry, the ... well, you get it.

I wish for a happy ending to our recession, but it's not looking good. See, the United States has lost most of its manufacturing base. Why? Because, thanks to overpopulation, there is an infinite supply of cheap labor in other countries. Because the supply of labor is so plentiful, the VALUE of labor declines. In the U.S. you have a worker who wants health care, a pension, and a bass boat, and this guy is competing against some Malaysian guy who works for a bowl of rice and a fish, and, well, guess where the jobs go.

So, without manufacturing, Mother America turns to her second way of making big money, which is new construction. Mother America whores away her greenspace, encourages mass immigration to grow the population, and BUILDS! The immigrants provide both the cheap labor as well as more consumers. Thus, we have the Housing Bubble. The criminal organization known as the Federal Reserve keeps the Housing Bubble going as long as they can. The financial industry is making the most money off the scam, not the poor Mexican laborers. The financial industry is the number one contributor of campaign contributions to Washington. Thus, Washington is paid well to look the other way as the Housing Bubble expands. The Left screams, "Affordable housing for the poor," and the Right scream, "Less regulation so that business can prosper."

And even when the Housing Bubble should have died, the scammers keep it going by offering sub-prime loans and giving houses to people who shouldn't own houses. Sure, there's a risk, so the big banks bundle hundreds of loans into packages, knowing that if a few mortgages are foreclosed, it won't hurt the overall bundle. And then that bundle of mortgages is sold to big investors like China.

But it's a Ponzi Scheme and soon the entire thing starts to collapse. But no worries, because the financial industry has spent $3.8 billion to buy the federal government, who promptly bails out the big financial institutions, and some executives even GET REWARDED! And then our government feeds us this big lie called "TOO BIG TO FAIL."

And due to this recession, I have neighbors and friends who are out of work, but for some strange reason they don't feel the rage that I don't do. They don't understand how the system has completely screwed them. And at my job I work with many small businesses that are suffering greatly due to this recession. Where is the rage, and the demand that we do a major reform of our government and economy?

So, I'm not sure how the story will end because I have a lot of faith in Americans. We are a smart and savvy people and can likely find a way to reinvent our economy. However, things will probably never be like they were before.

The bottom line is that our world and resources are not infinite. You can't keep building, throwing McNasty wrappers in the trash, and burning coal indefinitely without some kind of consequence. Our comfortable dream life, you know, the one we destroyed the environment for, is an illusion. And the millions who pursue it are full of DElusion.

— Todd

"We" Instead of "I"

Love one another, and remember that America is superior, and that everyone else in the world is corrupt and basically sucks. And don't worry about those uninsured U.S. citizens, yada yada.


I just saw the movie "Sicko" by Michael Moore. I don't understand why so many people hate him — I love the guy. The one thing that sticks in my mind is his comment, "It should be about 'we' and not 'I.'"

That's a theme I try to always push, but people don't get it. I was at a leadership conference recently and somehow got into a discussion with this guy about "working together as a team" and that the United States was arrogant. He said he was totally against the U.S. working through the United Nations or working with other countries because he did not want to support "corrupt dictators."

First, what "corrupt dictator" is he talking about? Or is he just parroting Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, like most people do around here.

Secondly, earlier, the guy was talking about being a Christian, church guy type. Wouldn't Jesus want us to "work together" to address the world's problems. No, I guess not.

I'm not sure where this "I" American attitude comes from, but I'm totally sick of it. We are an extremely selfish people, and at the same time we talk about "family values." Yeah, this is the nation where the dumb masses don't want public health care — we just want to keep the insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms filthy rich. You know, the ones that have purchased Congress. And where is the Christianity in all that? What about helping the downtrodden and poor?

Basically, I'm sick and disgusted with this entire country, and the level of hypocrisy I see is mind-boggling. Most in the U.S. have selective smelling — they can't smell their own shit.

One thing I'm sure of and that is our "great" nation will fall, and fall hard and soon. Hopefully, more humble nations will rise to assume world leadership.

President Obama has been one of the few bright spots I've seen lately. And the hate I've seen aimed against him is unparalleled. To have vision and an actual concern for the poor, well, damn, that is SO UNAMERICAN. And as for President Bush, he sold out the American people many times, and most unforgettably, he sold us out with the prescription benefit plan — a nice gift for the giant companies that own America. In fact, so many industries own America (pharmaceutical, defense, banking) that I'm sure our Congress is totally schizophrenic.

And one thing is for sure, and that is BEING AMERICAN means your head will be full of stupid lies, like CUBA IS BAD, FRANCE IS BAD, CAPITALISM IS ALWAYS GOOD, etc.... No one in this country seems to have the ability to question all the lies — probably because they are living so many lies themselves. After all, most Americans are delusional and believe that some guy in the clouds is watching over them. Maybe not. Maybe it's time we all work to help each other rather than putting so much trust in our imaginary God-man, our imaginary good government, and those beloved corporations. Americans, you are totally duped. WAKE UP.