AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: the dying Economy
Last week after the markets closed
We heard the most unearthly scream.
Collectively we pinched ourselves
To make sure it was not a dream.
And sure enough the scream was real
There was no doubt; it had to be.
It came from us as we all watched
The dying god, Economy.
Yes on the dollar bill it says,
For everything "In God we trust."
But that's because to God we pray,
"Don't let Economy go bust."
With money and the things it buys
We try to fill the void within.
It can't be done but we believe
Without it emptiness will win.
More money to fulfill "The Dream"
Has been for us our only care.
Economy's demise will mean
"The Dream" becomes a real nightmare.
Now if we all do not wake up
And of the void we do not learn,
We'll keep our 'god' on life support
And find our nightmare will return.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 06:48AM
Reader Comments (19)
bailing out the crooks that created this mess is akin to throwing gas on a fire.using scare tactics to misinform the public is a joke.let the markets take care of itself
wallstreet is nothing more than a ponzi scheme to give them anything is a joke .let them fix there own mess.monday morning every average invester should call there broker and get out of this market or you may find your self broke.
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It wasn't "the crooks that created this mess" any more than big companies cause pollution. Financial pollution like environmental pollution is the consequence of the collective "American Dream". The only solution to the pollution is to change the dream, a change that sadly doesn't seem about to happen. Apparently not even Barack Obama, the leading evangelist for the gospel of change has the vision required to preach about changing "the dream". It seems his vision won't be able to penetrate the ceiling of the White House either. During the presidential election Friday night I heard him say loud and clear his solution to the present financial crisis would be to make the fat cats thin, a common refrain. Doug.E.Barr
My issue with this is, where was Washington and Wall Street when tax payers were losing their homes, oh ya, they sent a message that they over estimated their speading and were out of luck . Why didn't anyone go runnng to Washington to help bail them out and yet now we are welfaring large establisments on Wall Street.
Typically our vertical cone-shaped economy crushes those at the bottom indiscriminately. When those at the top shit, those at the bottom have to try to clean it up; and even after the clean up those at the bottom are left holding the toilet paper. That's just the way it is and will remain until the cone collapses completely crushing all of humanity, or less likely it seems, until we create a horizontal economy. Doug.E.Barr
the powers in washington wont help the average person on main st. smalltown but let there friends on wall st. have trouble then its a crisis we save our money for what we need why should we bailout someone that doesnt. let free trade seperate the bad ethics from good I thought that was the way it was supose to work!
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What is "supposed to work" is obviously not working. For "it...to work" requires a common purpose like for instance the survival of humanity. Generally, we do not have the common purpose. We have the same purpose but it is the survival of "me". The relevant characteristic of having the common purpose is unconditional cooperation. The relevant characteristic of having the same purpose, like for instance getting as much money as we can any way we can, is unrestrained deadly conflict. Specifically, we have a blend of the two purposes the relevant characteristic of which is a measure of conditional cooperation. At the present time the dominant component of the blend is the conflict that is characteristic of having the same purpose. The blend does not remain static. The ratio of unconditional cooperation to unrestrained deadly conflict changes and the present trend does not look good for the survival of humanity and "me". Doug.E.Barr
I have lost faith in US government after the senate passed the wall st and finantial bail out bill. Now there is one thing we know it is a goverment against the people.
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According to Polling Report.com, a CBS poll conducted 9/27-30/08 revealed that President Bush had an approval rating of 22, a disapproval rating of 70 and an approval-disapproval rating of -48. The Congressional approval rating was 15, the disapproval rating was 72 and the approval-disapproval rating was -57. It would seem that you are not the only one who has "lost faith in the US government." Doug.E Barr
Once again, your elected Senators have refused to listen to their constituency and have passed the Wall Street Bailout. Corporate welfare for the obscenely rich! How much more of this arrogance will be tolerated by the average citizen is yet to be determined. Hopefuly, that will be decided in November. I. myself, will be voting against my Senator who voted "YES".
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Voting "against (your) senator" for voting in favor of passing the bill to save the existing economy will not help unless you vote for a senator who will vote in favor of passing a bill that creates the economy that is equally beneficial to all. Of course that would mean the majority of Americans would have to agree that more money is not equivalent to more meaning in their lives. If we can reach that consensus we will be voting for humanity. Doug.E.Barr
I have tried every avenue to express my negative concerns about this Wall Street bailout. I have e-mailed the House of Representative, the Senate at both local and federal levels. I have read about the over well ming lack of support by the American people. Why and how did the Senate pass this bill? The people of this country should be heard! This bill should be dead and Wall Street should take it beating the American way and move on. Maybe the "Fat Cats" would learn from their mistakes, if "THE USA" would make them accountable for their decisions.
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The present economy is destroying humanity. However, if it fails before it is reformed you will be signing your comments "Joe Unemployed". Come to think of it, you probably will not be able to afford the fee that brings the internet to your computer, if you even survive the crash. Your failure to understand how inextricably linked to the economy you are, is an unforgivable ignorance that is contributing to the financial crisis. Doug.E.Barr
Doug,
It is obvious that you are young. I grew up in the environment that a person need to make his money before spent it. In the last forty years the evolution of buying something you can not afford has been embraced. You seem to be one of those individual that doesn't know the difference between something borrowed and sometime a person owns. The picture on the outside is not always the way it looks - "I need the new home, I need 2 brand new vehicle's and the 2.5 children to be an AMERICAN". I find your commits interesting, but if I do loss my employment I know that I will be able to provide for my family without the use of a credit card. The only bills I have out there are the monthly costs of living. I save before I BUY, this probably a stupid concept, but it work for the people in the "Depression" and again it would work for the USA. So maybe Doug, I will loss my Internet service, but like most "AMERICANS", we will Survive! I do not need to valid my existence by the material goods I have in possession. I feel that giving my children the best private education in my area is the most valuable Item I can offer and being a kind person. This will fulfill my life!
I do feel for you, if you think that to borrow for show is what built this great country. You have fallen into a deep economic trap and an understanding that someone out there is go to borrow you out to succeed - Let me be the first to tell you it is not going to happen! I think the unforgivable ignorance that is contributing to the financial crisis is not going to change until people and your self understand the past. The past can shed some light on the future.
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If you come back Joe, read my bio before offering any more uninformed opinions about me. I may respond to what you wrote sometime but right now I have to take my 92 year old mother to the clinic. Her hearing is bad enough but it is even worse with a wax plug in her ear. Doug.E.Barr
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I reread your comment and I apologize. It seems I wrote a poem only above average Joes will understand. DEB
I will NOT VOTE for any elected official (ever again) who supports this bill.
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This too is an ignorant comment. Doug.E.Barr
For those of you not familiar with rural America, let me let you in on something. Our economy isn't intertwined with wall street or the financial markets. Typically our economy is depressed. For an example I will offer that in our region the average income is 25,000/year. Yes, you read it correctly, 25,000. One thing you will note also, rural America is not as heavily debt ridden as urban America. We have a belief out here that if you don't have the money for it then you don't need it. As for the coming Depression, we will survive and probably actually thrive. Those of you in the urban areas will be the ones to suffer at the hands of wall street and the D.C. bureaucrats. I was not, and am not in favor of this or any other bail out plan. I pay my bills on time. I run my own business and I don't borrow money to meet my payroll. If you are borrowing money to meet your payroll you have a cash flow problem and need to find new customers that believe in paying their bills. I don't borrow money for my business to buy new equipment just because. I do it when we actually need something to improve our services or to add services. Yes, I make more than the average income in my area. But, I continue to stimulate my local economy. I make all purchases locally and try to buy from local manufacturers when possible. I may pay a little more for my merchandise, but it works. And, it keeps me independent from all the mumbo jumbo. Except now, I'm on the hook for 850 billion like every other American. My representative didn't pay any more attention to me than yours did to you. As Thomas Jefferson said "the tree of liberty should be pruned often" Nows the time to do some pruning
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You could be right Bill but it sounds to me like your view of life ends at the horizon. Just as the air you breathe is somewhat polluted by the stacks of the remaining Eastern factories, your rural economy is similarly polluted by Wall Street markets. It just takes time to reach you and it is somewhat diluted by the time it arrives so it won't be as obvious. In case you haven't heard yet, second hand smoke kills. We are all in this together. TJ, your third president was apparently a wise man so I don't think even he would recommend pruning the branch on which we are sitting. It would be more prudent to do the pruning when we are sure we are standing on the ground. Doug.E.Barr
UMM....HELLO I am an educated woman ...BUT this is WRONG on EVERY level..This is all a house of cards !!!...not real it;s a bunch of money grubbing S.O.B.'s that have some how managed once again to pull the wool over the american publics eyes..OH PLEASE come bail me out of my financail crisis MR. PRESIDENT...HA what a joke these MO FO's are out for them selves and al the while get to keep there 4-5 houses and boats and jets and vaca homes, not to mention there million dollar salarys...WAKE UP!!!! people......OH and by the way please let me know how long the 700 billion last the A** holes they just free wilingly handed it to ....and PLEASE let me know who is paying this back ....and I woulld REALLY love to know where every single penny is spent.....will we find out?? will we every know?? ....who pays all this $ back ?? WE DO!!!! the hard working average american...pass the buck.....LOL...how about pass the bucket!!!!.....
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You may be educated but you do not understand the cause of the problem. Don't feel offended though for neither do the legislators, including the two men running for president nor for that matter does anyone who thinks regulation will solve the problem. The cause of the problem is "the Dream" and we all participate to some extent in "the Dream". At the most visible, ugly end of the consequences is the "bunch of money grubbing S.O.B.'s" living on "wall street" who do not think twice about destroying the lives of others and the environment that sustains us while trying to get as much money as they can any way they can. At the opposite, less ugly end of the continuum are those of us living on "main street" who do give a second thought to others and our environment but then return to our first thought, "me". The rest of us are between these points and the distance between them is not far. How many small, local, neighbor-operated businesses withered and died because we got a "better deal" at WalMart? Given that "the Dream" is the cause of it, legislators regulating "Wall Street" will not solve the problem. The only solution is for all of us to change the dream. Barack or John and the rest of the legislators will follow. Doug.E.Barr
the whole enonmy will go poor
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Well said. Doug.E.Barr
i know
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Consensus is encouraging. It is saddening the agreement is on a subject so discouraging. Doug.E.Barr
Well, Doug, you are absolutely correct about the misguided dreams or measures of success in our world. The question is: How will that ever change? Johnnnes
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"That (will) change" if we each begin to regulate ourselves. If you are really interested in finding out how we can begin to self-regulate read "the last why: the poem" or "the last why: the precis" I mention in my introduction at the top of this page. Links to them can be found in the navigation just below the introduction. The explanation will be available in "the last why: the essay", the source of the other two versions but it is presently under re-construction. If there was a demand for this long version I would be working on it now but the few clicks I have had on the parts that are complete tell me there is very little interest and thus no need to rush. I will return to it shortly however, as soon as I finish another project that demanded my attention.
In the meantime the evidence of self-regulation is adequately explained in the shorter versions. Generally, the more voluntary self-regulation, the less forced collective regulation. This present crisis is irrefutable evidence we exercise very little self-regulation and the predictions of more regulations to come is not a good sign for humanity because at the extreme end of more regulations is absolute restriction and death. Specific to this poem, evidence that we are beginning to increase self-regulation would be the gradual disappearance of Wall Street, the epitome of the need to have more money. In addition our present vertical economy would gradually flatten out. Further evidence not directly related to this poem would be the gradual disappearance of all religious/philosophies; but that's enough for here. Doug.E.Barr
poem is sweeet.
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A source of energy for the mind perhaps? Doug.E.Barr
Lets be frank about what's going on in our financial markets ---- the rest of the world which basically controls if not all most of the USA's economic wealth by controlling major interest in the USA investment markets {BANKS} have now decided to withdraw its money from the entire USA stock market.
It's not the american people whom have worked so hard for many generations ---withdrawing their money over the last few weeks driving the markets down to hell!!! - but that of the rest of the world's international markets - causing what I've called "Artifical Recesion" - make no mistake they are concerned what the elections will be bringing to America? We are headed for a Socilaist Governance - but we are walking with blinders and are being lead to the well with no water!
I've said this for many years, that with the amount of the free world investments into US soil and the cause and effect it would realize when and if what is now going on would happen, is the real villian.
You could blame every politician - whether democrat or republican in both houses for this debockle we're in - the only solution is for the American people to demand the accountability of all and vote them out of office with people who really care about the future of this great country.
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We both can't be "frank". So let me be frank. You'll just have to try being clear. Doug.E.Barr
I think this poem is totally awesome and NOI'm not a born,bottled, or bleached blonde who is just commenting so that i can feel smart. This is an insightful and very true poem. I was just wondering do you believe that we rely on the economy too much do you think the economy is more important than our morale? Looking back on the history, really the beginning of this "Newfound" country did we really care about the pain we were causing others? This may sound irrelevant but this is how i view your poem. I view it as a way of saying that our hopes and dreams will die along with the economy and i truly don't believe that. I understand that i don't know you and that you may not enjoy what i've posted but you should take all constructive critisim and use it. Here is some for you: write about more controversial issues and make sure you clearly state your point. Don't state the obvious. Don't state what majority of the people think put your views. I also think you might like a website called poemhunter.com
nice poem!!!!!
Here we go again! 2011 :)