...The stories I hear are pretty much the same(click here), with a few variations to allow for the pink-slipped brother who committed suicide, or the mother who lost her life savings when the pension fund went belly-up. I have heard so many of these stories that I can fill in the blanks before the sentences are finished. I find myself doing this to keep from sinking into an even greater despair.
It is not pleasant when a homeless person actually knows you and calls out, "Hey, Mike!" as you are trying to walk quickly past him and his shopping cart. This happened to me on 46th Street in New York City in front of the Paramount Hotel. I was with a vice president of NBC and the producers of my show "TV Nation." The homeless man grabbed my hand for a shake and told me he, too, was from Flint, Michigan, but now lives here on the street.
He wanted to describe his favorite part of Roger & Me, which he had seen three years ago when he had a job. While the NBC executive was watching in disbelief, I'm thinking to myself ... I know this guy!
"You remember me, don't you?" he asked. "I used to deliver your newspaper, the Flint Voice."...
One of the reasons the American Auto Manufacturer failed is because they never concentrated on Americans. They made products Americans didn't want, but, settled for simply because that was what was provided. While failing to accommodate their 'best' consumers they sought hope for their industry abroad, expanding their kingdoms and entering into hideous debt. So, today, the American Auto Industry is virtually in ruins, with the exception of Ford which had the 'luck' of investing in liquid capital when it was cheap, thus avoiding government bailout funds.
The survival of JP Morgan was due to its hulking size alone. In the case of Goldman Sachs, it survives inspite of its overt and frank failure, because of the manipulation of its 'influence' though a marketing strategy based in 'out sourcing' its well indoctrinated and trained executives.
This type of 'power' is not only scary for its control of the outcome of American entitlements and sovereignty of its government, but, imposes an overlay to the populous and the allowance of its values as reflected in its market place. This type of consumerism is a form of harassment to 'instill' values rather than 'reflect' values. No different than the profits of Columbus in 1492 when he reported to Queen Isabella the discovery of a new land and its new products and potential for consumerism; the American consumer is 'locked into' the dictates of Wall Street.
Is this benign and good for us OR is it the most harmful venues of product availability that actually harnesses democracy in a manner of servatude? Part of what we are seeing in this economic collapse is the failure of this form of consumerism and its vast effect on a globally vital economy.
We need our companies and corporations when producing a product such as a car due to the large need of capital investment, however, when the markets demand 'change' and it is not forthcoming are we open to a 'sentence' of frustration and political jocking in order to 'enforce' the change that should have occurred within the definitions of 'capitalism.'
Therefore we as Americans concerned with our futures and those of our children have to be left with the answer that 'capitalism' as 'allowed' by Conservatives simply doesn't work. So, therefore, can government ever disappear? Can taxes ever be reduced to only support a military? Can companies ever dominate the resources of the USA without 'control/regulations' by government? When is government too big and when is it grossly insufficient?
No different than Isabella that found genius in the idea of a brave Columbus to find better routes to the West Indies a government has to see the future and act on it with confidence and commitment.
So, how do we find 'value' in consumerism that benefits us and our high moral content? High moral content that incorporates all venues of our lives other than just a 'good time' on Saturday Night. How do we prevent now and in the future such damage to our lifestyles? Where does 'the control' to protect our futures, promises and entitlements come from and how do we make Wall Street work for us rather than just supplying 'dirt cheap' lives that provide an existance above proverty level taking away the American Dream and promise of a happy retirement? Is our Constitution sufficient in its venues of authority to actually protect the people of the USA or do we have grossly deficient laws without enforcement capacity to 'stabilize' our lifestyles and promises?
I propose the USA Constitution and its laws are sufficient to provide incredible venues of control to protect the lives of Americans. There are laws of anti-trust and they should be used on a regular basis to 'break' the log jam of bad business strategies that entangle the American people in values alien to their 'national moral content.' When conglomerates are 'enforcers' of impoverishment there needs to be actions to relieve Americans 'learned understanding' of what life is all about.
We once lived in a 'day' when people were able to secure their best outcomes in life with a good lifestyle plan. We lived in a 'day' when promise to security was a reality and not an illusion. We lived in a 'day' when our scientists were respected and revered for the investment our nation placed in them to carry out a 'path of security and hope' for our country.
When government becomes oppressive and enforces that oppression of our moral content and wishes for our best outcomes and those of our children through 'Wall Street' abuses; we need to attack the mechanism of our entrapment and seek to break down corporate havens of power while returning promise to the American economy.
The Conservatives of the 'opposite' party complain about the current spending habits of the adminisration we need to ask ourselves if 'downsizing' government that began with Reagan was actually an 'investment' into the economic collapse that resulted by the reinvention of Reagan by "W." If the American people weren't blind sided by its inability to grasp what Reagan did to its moral content back in the day when an 'economic cushion' hid all the damage and deficits were easily accommodated we would not be facing the issues of today.
The new government elected in 2008 is necessary to reestablish the moral content of the USA in its 'status' in the world. It is easy and cheap to build 'personal reward' within a 'society' to base it in a theocracy. It is not 'cheap' to build a government that reacts to the moral content of a nation in a way that protects its capitalism democracy. The people of the USA have to come to terms with the 'lack' of its moral content since Reagan and accept how its government has to work to insure its future and promise of all its 'quality.'
It is far more prudent to build a better America than continue to pander to 'cheap' answers to enforcing and upholding the moral content of this nation. We can't allow any of this to happen again and I refuse to believe we have to accept Wall Street on its own definition without the ability to thwart its 'worsening' impact on our soveriegn nation. Dear God, they could have destroyed us !
Homeless NO More !
