A lot of things really...but it looks like a small group of people are finally angry enough to try and organize protests against what they perceive to be the cause of all our economic problems - Wall Street. While they are a huge component of the problem, they're not the only ones to blame. Here are some things that might have pissed people off enough to disturb the public peace.
Average Real Household Income:
1990 - $58k
2000 - $70k (+21%)
2009 - $68k (-3.6%)
Unemployment (official figures, but higher due to exclusion of "discouraged" job-seekers who have given up)
August 2001 - 4.9%
July 2011 - 9.1%
From 2001-2011 the Economy Has Grown, While Job Growth is at ZERO Percent.
At the end of the day, most people just want enough to get by, to put food on the table, clothes on their back, have a place to sleep, and some extra cash for leisure. Our government is supposed to work for the people it represents, but the people no longer feel a connection to it or even understand most of what goes on. The level of disconnect is alarming.
When People Can't Take Care of Each Other, They Get Hostile.
I'm actually surprised more hasn't happened. Corporations like Goldman Sachs:
- Created bad financial instruments.
- Told investors they were good.
- Sold them to investors.
- Bet against the investments they just sold via derivatives ("insurance" or a bet that the financial instrument in question will fail).
- Made tons of money by basically robbing many of their clients.
- Paid out huge bonuses and commissions along the way.
- Got into trouble.
- Got Bailed out by the American people via Government Bailout.
- Paid out huge bonuses AGAIN, including golden parachutes for executives who left or were fired.
- Continue playing the money shuffling game.
Financial instability in a family causes a lot of problems. I believe it's the top (or one of the top) reasons for divorce. It makes sense because of the stress it causes. Financial instability in a nation, however, has much more devastating effects the longer it continues. Before every major conflict involving nations, there is always some element of great financial distress. The chaos makes people vulnerable to messages of hope or promises of a paycheck, no matter if the one making them can truly deliver. This leaves populations ripe for the power-hungry to influence. After all, if your family was at risk of starving, how far would you go to make sure you could take care of them?
I don't think we really know until we're in that position. I'm pretty sure a lot of my ideals might fly out the window if I had to slowly watch my family starve. It's frightening what we can be capable of...
I'm not saying this is around the corner or that it will happen in the U.S., but it's interesting to think about the problem in a global historic context. One of the reasons for a unified currency like the Euro, for example, is to help prevent wars. When countries are closely tied by money, it becomes harder for leaders of nations to go to war with each other.
Revolution is Not the Answer, But Change is Needed.
One thing is clear, there is something very wrong with the systems we have in place. They're not all bad and I'm no conspiracy theorist - the amount of cooperation needed is in direct conflict with the amount of greed needed to do accomplish such things. The sad thing is, a grand conspiracy isn't required for the situation we have. Revolution would only create greater chaos and compound the situation.
America is still an AWESOME country. A lot of reform is needed, but we need politicians and citizens with the courage to push for better policies. Government and its citizens must demand better - corporations would have to fall in line...but this is now a globalized economy, so the efforts must be global. It does no good if better laws are created in one country, only for another country to open its doors to allow business as usual. Global problems call for global solutions. No unilateral approach can unravel the web of economic ties the world has created.
America is still an AWESOME country. A lot of reform is needed, but we need politicians and citizens with the courage to push for better policies. Government and its citizens must demand better - corporations would have to fall in line...but this is now a globalized economy, so the efforts must be global. It does no good if better laws are created in one country, only for another country to open its doors to allow business as usual. Global problems call for global solutions. No unilateral approach can unravel the web of economic ties the world has created.
Call me a skeptic, but barring worldwide cataclysms, I don't think you could get human beings to work together on that scale, at least, not anytime soon.
Alien invasion please? Ridiculously large meteor on a collision course with the Earth? World wide natural disasters? ...logic maybe?
Quick, name the movies that have all these world-threatening scenarios!
For Gamers:
Ever notice that in every epic RPG (especially Bioware and Blizzard) that there has to be a greater perceived threat in order to bring opposition together? Alan Moore's "The Watchmen" used this idea as a main plot device too!
P.S. I will take a much needed vacation, so I will not post next week. Thanks all!
P.S. I will take a much needed vacation, so I will not post next week. Thanks all!
No comments:
Post a Comment