"The wealthy, not only by private fraud but also by common laws, do every day pluck and snatch away from the people some part of their daily living. Therefore, when I consider and weigh in my mind these commonwealths which nowadays do flourish, I perceive nothing but a certain conspiracy of rich men in procuring their own commodities under the name and authority of the commonwealth.

They invent and devise all means and crafts, first how to keep safely without fear of losing that which they have unjustly gathered together, and next how to hire and abuse the work and labor of the people for as little money and effort as possible."

Thomas More, Utopia

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Chris Floyd and the Black Milk Blues

Been in somewhat of a funk lately and I can't quite put my finger on its exact cause. I have long learned to internalize the futility of working within our plutocratic political system to effect meaningful change and I had never climbed aboard the Good Ship Obama so his inevitable lurch to the right was not for me the crushing disappointment it has been for the foolish Obamabots. No, for me I suspect it's something a bit deeper, a lingering fear if you will that the current apathy and willful ignorance of many Americans concerning issues of grave importance may in fact be a permanent feature of our landscape. There are flickers of recognition here and there but on the whole I don't get the sense that people are connecting the dots fast enough or even trying to. Maybe I'm reading too much into what are my admittedly limited personal observations and casual research, but it sure seems that despite the rapidly approaching meteor on course to crater the US economy for the foreseeable future and the Bushista's mad designs on Iran, Americans remain largely oblivious. Again, perhaps it's just me.

In any event I happened upon this incredible essay from Chris Floyd the other day and, while it didn't lift my spirits entirely, it put some issues regarding human nature into context for me that were truly revelatory.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Naw, Coldie it ain't you. I see the same thing. I was arguing the same point with comrades just three nights ago during a break in the action.

I told them CPD members will not have to worry about losing their jobs. Things will have to get drastic for that to occur.

Sure, our raises may be small, but we still have a job, with medical benefits for family members. Maybe the deductible will go up, but we still have it. Look at how the mayor is refusing to release (for the first time) the projected city budget.

As Floyd's article states those on the top will not have to worry much. Those on the bottom rung will lose the most. Hell, it is already happening. Unfortunately fellow comrades are blind because of their blind alliance to the Commander-in-Chief.

"leftisthebest"

Coldtype said...

The level of awareness is marginally above average in my unit but even here much of the frustration and anger is misplaced and unfocused.

Anonymous said...

cold type love your blog,
Do you know if there is a way to recall the city adminstration similar to california? My wife and I love the city and her career has just started and so has mine. We can't just move because I love being on the job here.however this state political system needs a enyema.these alderman are rubberstamps and 2011 is too far away to dump this guy. He is flying to china but the city is broke.help!!!

Coldtype said...

There is certainly a way to introduce recall elections here as well as referendums for major legislation like they do in California, but it's the voters who would have to do all the heavy lifting to put such a threat to the status quo on the agenda. The deeply entrenched and highly concentrated special interests that benefit and thrive in the current political environment would move heaven and earth to prevent such an outcome.

All that's required is a change in the current legislation, however, getting such legislation passed would very likely call for different politicians--or at least ones less fearful of moneyed interests and I'm afraid there aren't many of those. In light of this circumstance voters are really left with little choice but to organize around the issue of referendums and recalls then demand this legislation from sitting representatives and removing those who don't get the message.

What's important to take from this is that real change of this sort will never come from above.

Rue St. Michel said...

Hi Coldy - I love your blog and I'm a big fan!

Did you happen to see Bill Maher on Larry King? They both went on about how stupid Americans are. King even quoted Mencken.

Here's the link.

Just wanted to drop by and share some goodies.

Now Workers of the World - Undress!