Just Another Day in AnyTown, USA

Just Another Day in AnyTown, USA

by Shelley Bluejay Pierce

There is an irreverent sense of newness to the passing days now…as if that giant, cataclysmic “shoe falling from the sky” is not only on a collision course but is going to be a direct hit on all of society and what we humans have conjured up as reality. For, in fact, there is no reality in our ‘reality.’ Many years and repetitions beyond count have brought me to this place of learned helplessness, aided considerably by the propaganda-spewing-media, political lost causes and the countless talking-heads without brains. 

I have felt all along that the only way there would be a solution to the disaster called ‘civilization’ that we have created is for it all to be wiped off the planet. Yes, all of it! There can be no shred of evidence left in the wake of this clean sweep for if the tiniest particle of the humanity we refer to as ‘progress’ remains? We will grab hold of it like an infant digging for a wet nurse and give in to our lusts once again. We repeat the repetitions and like worn out vinyl records, find the built-in grooves that allow us to skim the surface and slide by….not growing….not changing for the better….just happy to stay in our warm pile of shit because it is warm and offers nothing else.

So many of the articles I have written in the past reveal my feelings of impending doom for our society in general. I feel as though very few readers have gleaned much from my rantings or perhaps I am like one of the talking-heads they have heard as background noise amidst the onslaught of techno-information-overload and they have quite simply learned to tune me out. Warnings about the cancerous deception-growths within our political leadership have been largely ignored. My finger pointing at redundant environmental and social awareness non-profits that have been proliferating like rabbits mating unchecked in our own back yards are, as well, ignored. I am not the only voice that has been screaming about these issues, albeit my screaming was indeed done from the wilderness, quite literally.

And so here we are….today…this day or the next makes no matter because they all look alike and have no unique characteristics to grandstand any other day. Our health care is the butt of jokes worldwide and just how poorly cared for the ‘richest Nation in the world’ is has reached the epitome of designation of a third-world country. We are the most entertained humans on the planet and yet, our country is most surely the least informed about its own leadership and systems that govern all within its ivory towers….which are decaying into dust before our very eyes due to the lack of maintenance performed on a heavily used infrastructure. But, Americans blink back a few tears as they watch their television sets, eating their voluminous dinners, and feeling a nanosecond worth of empathy for those killed in the most recent, preventable bridge collapse.

We, the People, supposedly and blindly governed by people that “We the People” voted into political office to do as we want them to do, are clueless as to what the electorate is truly doing on a daily basis. Billions of hard earned taxpayer dollars are sent to other countries under the auspices of promoting democracy and aiding in the civilization processes of those deemed lees-than we Americans though few Americans can recount the names of even those countries having received our foreign aid. Meanwhile at home, in our own country, we have people dying of preventable diseases, living on the streets with no homes because even the richest of the middle class can no longer afford their own residence, and seeing enormous cities crumble into dust thanks to importing all our goods from other countries rather than building and selling our own goods. We can afford to care for every other country on the planet, it seems, but not our own home turf.

As the dawn breaks and the sun rises once more, there has been little change from yesterday, last week or last year. We are still in complete denial of the uncivilized nature of this created Utopian civilization we call reality and begin the daily grind once again so that the pockets of the rich are filled and the spending frenzy of those in control of the purse strings runs amok. We read the headlines of more wars, financial ruination, environmental contamination and we sigh…drink our Starbucks coffee and move on with our day as if nothing in the outside world has anything to do with our selfish, inner world. We somehow find comfort in blaming the sick and dying for not contributing more to the financial stability of this giant, super-sized-happy-meal of a country and fail to see that it is our own environmental irresponsibility that is killing off our own work force. We quickly blame our young people for their laziness and lack of motivation for our sad ranking amongst other highly educated nations. Far easier to do that finger-pointing than to hold accountable a sick system that educates at the cost of an entire lifetimes’ worth of debt and wonder why we are not competing in the global economy.

So drink up America! Eat, drink and be merry! Survive and thrive in this junkyard we call home and when it all comes crashing down around our feet, which it will and has already been doing? There will be no mass rush on the purchase of social conscience and awareness at the Black Friday sales. No, far from that will happen when reality comes face to face with the real reality. We have been so thoroughly indoctrinated to find someone else to blame and somewhere else to place the fault that we will avoid any personal guilt whatsoever. Until this civilization can support us no more, the tit has dried up and produces no more fat-laden milk for us to guzzle down will we have the slightest pangs of awareness hit us between the eyes.

Just another sunrise in AnyTown, USA.

"Nailing Jello to the Wall?"- McCain vs. Obama Debate

Shelley Bluejay Pierce

October 1, 2008

Like most people, I watched the debate last night with critical eyes and ears wide open! I suppose I was waiting for the follow-up attacks from McCain calling Obama a "terrorist." That didn't happen but there was an interesting attempt by McCain to grab the media spotlight that was apparently successful because the information he released in his commentary has been all over the mainstream news this morning....while the economic indicators around the globe show MAJOR distress and the Feds have cut the interest rates again here in the USA.

Announcing, for the first time in public, was a McCain "solution" for our sad economic times. How about buying up all the "bad mortgages" in this country so that people can stay in their homes?

This little addition will cost a staggering $300 billion dollars.

$300 billion dollars? FROM WHERE? Using what funds? More taxpayer money John?

Really?

My only response to this little media-grabbing-ditty was shock and disbelief. Sen. McCain used a common expression later in the debate that basically describes my reaction to his $300 billion dollar bail out. Sen. McCain described Sen. Obama's tax cut policies as being changeable...
"sort of like trying to nail jello to the wall..."

In my opinion, Sen. McCain's notion to spend $300 billion dollars MORE on bad debts is exactly like "nailing jello to the wall!"

Once again, this administration, congress and other agency leaders inside the Washington D.C. elite circles have waited too long to address a crisis in the making. The fear factor and panic-state mentality was used to the advantage of those who needed to make BIG moves and without the necessary time to review and adjust the economy in an intelligent way. The first bail out bill was only three pages of a "free pass" for the Paulson elite. The follow-up bill that was later defeated added tiny safeguards for the American people. (TINY being the operative word here!)

The recently approved bail out bill grew from 4 pages to 400 and included earmarks for ARROW MAKERS and RUM PRODUCERS.

Really?

Are we seriously aiding the economy with that?

Well, no, in my opinion, but then I am not an arrow manufacturer nor a rum producer.

The inclusion of the billions for the arrow-making-rum-producing titans embarassed me for our country. How would the allies to the USA see this? What would their citizenry think of their own slap-in-the-face from USA leadership as their own homelands are suffering from our disastrous economic condition? No one has discussed that impact.

In the end, I suppose the only ones smiling are the arrow makers and rum producers.

Once again, the bail out bill was rushed through with little to no serious debate or examination and we taxpayers just watched over $700 billion dollars float out to various sources. We are left to pray this will aid our disastrous economy.

Now Sen. McCain throws more "jello at the wall" with a $300 billion dollar home mortgage purchase idea. Does he have some kind of money-printing shop set up in a warehouse somewhere that we are not aware of? Where is this government coming up with this "money" to pay for any of these recent bail outs and also find more billions to buy up "bad mortgages?"

I am not an economist but with only the slightest research and understanding, the novice U.S. citizen can learn that our dollar value is plummeting and our debt owed to the likes of China (for some $500 billion!) is at obscene levels. Our deficit spending has created such a black hole in the US treasury that many great minds in economics are fearful that we may never dig our way out.
Hence, the only way to solve this disaster is throw MORE money that has no value at mortgages that have no value and watch the US economy deflate like a popped birthday balloon.

Really?

The longer I have thought about this image that Senator John McCain used in his debate rhetoric last night, the more I actually believe he is onto something here.

Yes, the entire financial system bail-out is EXACTLY like using a nail and hammer to pierce jello and hope that the jello sticks to something after the piercing! The congressional and financial wizards leading this country are grasping for a nail and hammer (obscene amounts of ever-increasing value-less currency) and furiously piercing a melting hunk of jello (the economy) in brain-less attempts to nail that jello to the wall.

I have a new idea that goes along with my earlier thought about buying the next president and vice-president a piggy bank whereby they could learn the basics of not spending what is NOT available inside the bank. I suggest that we take that $300 billion dollars that Sen. McCain seems able to magically come up with and we buy enormous quantities of hammers and nails from Home Dept. Then, we buy a huge stock of jello from WalMart. With the financial announcements made this morning, both of these giant companies are now projecting a severe, downward turn in their earnings which is going to impact all of their operations and investors so they can use the income now more than ever.

Let us do something truly productive for our economic woes and invest that money into two companies that need to keep employees working. Box up all those hammers, nails and boxes of jello and ship them not only to Washington D.C. but around the planet to all the world leaders. In the frenzy of attempting to nail jello to the wall, we might actually accomplish the goal of "fixing" the global economy!

Think about it! If we could occupy the leaders and stockmarket money-grabbers with this task for a while, the true professionals in economics may have the brief window of opportunity, without government interference, to study the new 21st century global economics! If the jello-nailing activity could be sustained long enough, the brightest economic minds might actually create a workable economic sustainability for our futures!

Yes, Sen. McCain! For once, you are on the cutting edge of new theory and progressive thought!

We can help Home Depot, WalMart and if we are really creative? We can upgrade the package to include those arrow makers and rum producers.

I wonder how long we could keep the government officials busy trying to nail the RUM FLAVORED jello to their walls using ARROWS!?

"I am going to buy George Bush a PIGGY BANK!"

by Shelley Bluejay Pierce

September 18, 2008


Just this morning, President George Bush finally addressed the American people in regards to the massive financial collapse we have been watching over the past few days. Many of "we the people" have probably been wondering where the heck the President has been in terms of speaking to all of us about the collapse and what he and the governmental leaders are going to do about all of this.

Many have expected a major, prime-time, evening address so that the workers in this country, who pay the tax bills, would be home to hear what their leader had to say to reassure them.

We didn't get that. Not even close!

I was prepared this morning for a long, fluffy speech this morning from the President but we did not get that either. Actually, we got nothing but a less-than-three-minute long speech, in which he took no questions from the press corp, and walked off...stage right folks, exit quickly and go hide inside the White House.

That was it.

Three minutes given to a major crisis and all I could thinks was, "Seriously? Are you really kidding me President Bush? What the hell was THAT!?"

He also made some one-liners that immediately had me in a fighting mood. His opening statement attempted to make clear that he understood the U.S. citizen's pain right now. He stated, "I share their concerns..."

Really? Are you serious with that comment?

How can you and Laura Bush "share" in the average citizens' concern over the current economic crash when an article Bloomberg News released in May 2006 states:

"President Bush and his wife, Laura, had assets valued between $7.2 million and $20.9 million last year, up from as much as $18.1 million a year earlier, annual disclosure forms released last night showed. Bush, who says his economic policies have helped Americans increase their wealth, is still making up ground from the start of his first term in 2001, when he and his wife reported assets of as much as $24 million."

Are we to supposed to believe that VP Dick Cheney also "shares our pain" when in the same article referenced above states:

"Vice President Cheney disclosed a portfolio worth as much as $94.6 million in 2005."

A few seconds later in this "speech," President Bush began with "We have taken control of...." and continued to describe how the Federal government has stepped in to the financial fray.

Yes, you did "take control" of the financial crisis by breaking the very laws of a capitalist nation and within seconds, placed us in the same socialist category as China.

Why, thank you Mr. President.

How kind of you to take hard earned, taxpayer money to purchase AIG and instantly plunge the US Government into the business of "owning" an enormous insurance company!

I can assure you that I, as an average US citizen, feel much better knowing that I now "own" part of a multi-national, multi-trillion dollar-asset-laden, international corporation that has its roots in... CHINA!

I am feeling so confident that the financial leaders in this country got a bargain price for AIG as well since we taxpayers paid $85 billion dollars for this gem of a company.

Yes, I feel so much better now.

The last statement from President Bush, in his mini-money-commentary, provided the US taxpayer with even more reassurance that all was well with the financial health of this nation by saying, "....there has been additional liquidity by infusing the market with 55 billion dollars into the system...."

Over the past few days, I have watched the US economy unravel into a nightmarish, panic-driven mess while news commentators rattled off financial numbers that the average US citizen cannot begin to comprehend. Several of the more astute economic gurus continued to remind viewers that the USA budget deficit stands at approximately $500 BILLION dollars.

Hearing these figures caused me to pause and wonder how or where this administration is getting "cash" to infuse anything, let alone purchase an internationally based insurance company, bail out Freddie and Fannie, pay for supplies and rebuilding the hurricane Ike areas and STILL pay for a billion-plus-dollar-a-week WAR!

I found myself reverting to what I would call, "focused nostalgia."

Once again, I was wearing the monocular blinders, called "age" and orally repeating the mantra, "I remember back in the old days when...."

I flash backed to my childhood when I received an interesting gift one year from my parents. Inside the pretty, wrapped package all tied up in bows was a piggy bank. While the piggy bank was pretty with its little flowers painted across the surface, I was less than pleased with the gift! Being a child, I wanted something exciting and rare that would make my gift a topic of conversation and envy amongst my young playmates.

Instead, I got a glass, painted-flower-adorned.... piggy bank.

Whoop-ti-doo! I can remember thinking.

I thanked them and set the pig carefully upon my dresser in an attempt to show my parents that I actually gave a hoot about this blasted glass pig.

However, over the next many years that I had that piggy bank, I learned the true meaning behind my parents' gift to me. Each week that I completed my assigned household chores or did something extra to help my parents, I loaded a few more coins into the pig. On special occasions I might be lucky enough to place a tightly folded dollar bill or two into the slot cut so neatly atop the glass pig too.

Over a few months time the pig became heavy and I could barely lift it! As Christmas approached, I remember asking my mother to help me remove the plastic stopper in the belly of the pig so that I could remove my precious loot and go shopping with my hard-earned money for gifts.

I was never so sad as one day standing at a checkout counter and wanting to buy a very special gift for my Grandmother without enough coin to do so. I begged and pleaded with my mother to help me with some additional money to purchase this rare treasure and that is when she did the greatest thing a parent might ever do for their child...

She said, "No."

I still remember the agony I felt having to go find an alternative gift that I had enough money to purchase. I felt angry, disappointed and dismayed at the concepts contained within this new economic-waste-land I was now learning about. However, my mother was beginning lessons that I would need over a lifetime and I am grateful beyond what words can express that she bought me a little glass pig.

That piggy bank taught me the value of working hard to earn your money and the self-control to say the word, "NO!"

After watching the Bush administration over the past eight years, I have decided that I have just enough coin saved aside in a large glass jar (yes, I accidentally broke my piggy bank from childhood...crushing event in my life, I can assure you!) to purchase George Bush and Dick Cheney a piggy bank.

I might even have enough coin to purchase a piggy bank for the incoming new President as well, if I dig through the couch cushions a few times. I may even attempt to buy one of those extra-special ones that you can record a comment into the voice recorder deal that many toy manufacturers now include on items. I will even honor the long used political catch phrase, "Just say NO!" as the message recorded into the little pig.

The value of the piggy bank sitting upon the leaderships' desk might provide daily reminders to, "Just say NO!"

Each time they are tempted to withdraw money from the bank to pay for items they deem important but may not have enough coin to cover?

"Just say no!"

Think of it will you? The national debt would slowly disappear as a balanced budget emerged.

The Social Security accounts might be repaid to the people of this country who worked decades of their lives paying into that piggy bank in hopes of a return on their original investment when they needed that money.

Think of it all! Perhaps I could organize a fund drive and by all of us pitching in some saved coin, we could buy each Congressman, state Governor, city Mayor and all of the big-wigs on Wall Street a piggy bank that would remind them...
"Just say NO!"

...to spending more than you have in the bank.

"Just say NO!"

...when temptation strikes and you are buying into a deal that sounds too good to be true.

"Just say NO!"

...and the gift of a little glass piggy bank might just be the single most important gift we as a united people could ever gift to our Nations' leaders.

Anyone have extra coins hidden in their couch cushions to contribute to this cause or are you needing those coins to buy food, pay the electric bill or put toward your house payment?

Sadly, the priceless lesson of "spend only what you have enough money for" is another of those mantras from the "focused nostalgia" mindset. Those of us who are old enough remember when this was the predominant mindset in this country.

I am a person of strong conviction, however, so I truly am going to send the next President of the USA a piggy bank as a "White-House-Warming" present.

If the pig doesn't have one of those new-fangled-high-tech gadgets to record my voice? I will revert to the "focused nostalgia" art of hand writing a note, which I will deftly place atop the pig with the inscription,

"Just say NO!"