money; photo by ALJ
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The Economy
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Seattle Times economics columnist Jon Talton published a story on January 3rd entitled The Way We Work. It has statements I here share:
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The mid-1970s was the high point for American wages . . . since then, pay has stagnated or even fallen for most workers.
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Consolidation, automation and out-sourcing have reduced jobs.
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1978: average worker / chief executive officer pay differential was 30 times. In 2014: 303 to 1!
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Half of wage-earners make less than they did in 1999. Age discrimination is a quiet crises.
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47% of households in 2015 have no savings.
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51% of American workers make less than $30,000 yearly.
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Inequality has widened to its worst since the eve of the Great Depression.
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| The above and more can also be found in other sources, including Harper's Index. One way to explain it to young people is thus: in the good old days of the 1970s, an ordinary North American man could get an ordinary job, that paid enough so he could buy a house, support a wife and children. That is far from the case today. Salaried workers, in general, are less worse off than wage-earners. Most union members are better off than those not. Government workers are better off usually. These days, due to various factors, a college degree does not guarantee high earnings even in realms such as computers, and medical practice. |
| Other factors influencing the empire's gradual disintegration include: over population, greed, extreme weather, corporate governance of congress, drug abuse, peak oil, population displacement, decreased sense of community and increasing alienation, and increased chemical poisoning of our environment and bodies. |
| Since the situation is so multifaceted, there is no simple "solution." Various little steps, if taken by enough individuals, may slow slightly the decline and fall. One such is voting. The next president really does matter. Voters content largely with status quo, are best served by calculating Clinton. Those voters dismayed, and yearning for improvement, can either go for passionate Sanders or one of the less than perspicuous Republicans such as Trump. To not vote at all, is to cede power to the voters. Vote! |
| Other helpful things to do: become informed beyond what the mainstream media doles out. Build up a true --not virtual-- social network, especially with neighbors. Transfer money from for-profit banks to credit unions. Buy organic food and learn to forage and raise some of your own, and cook with whole foods rather than processed ones. Support small local businesses. Invest only in environmentally and socially screened funds. Agitate for fair tax reform. |
| My business credo: contribute to society's betterment, without exploiting or being exploited; be neither over-worked nor under-worked. In other words, a just, sustainable approach. |
Every one of us has our own experience, and views the world uniquely. In winter, enjoying leisure, I ponder certain matters. For example, much strife in the world is caused by "Us" versus "Them" conflict. People often are exhorted to be prepared for an increasingly global and competitive world. The way I see it, if we would cooperate more and compete less, share more and fear less, life would be far better. More altruism and socialism, less selfishness and capitalism. Bottom line: the economic foundation of the modern age is perched currently on very thin ice, and cracks are enlarging rapidly. The economy cannot grow indefinitely; it must downsize. We should act now, while we have wiggle room, rather than waiting until catastrophe forces us to.
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Mainstream media focus largely on headlines to garner excitement and thereby get higher ratings to sell more ads. Disasters and exciting news get most coverage. Scandalous and sex news is deemed especially luscious. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860) wrote: "newspaper writers are, for the sake of their trade, alarmists: that is their way of making themselves interesting. What they really do, however, is resemble little dogs who, as soon as anything whatever moves, start up loud barking." Graybeard executives hire fresh graphic designers and editors to try to appeal to young, hip, well-off readers. Grown-up vocabulary, proper grammar and traditional punctuation are forsaken. Incremental or creeping phenomena such as steadily increasing overpopulation, resource depletion, species extinction, rising human displacement, mounting debt, crumbling infrastructure, melting ice sheets and chemical poisoning of our food supply . . . are so routine as to not be news. Yet these scary things erode the very foundations of our rich civilization, and bode ill for our future as a species. Together they act as a dimmer switch turning down the light of our world. The European Union may disintegrate. India's bad war on currency is causing huge turmoil. Venezuela is collapsing. Japan is in dire straits. China staggers under pollution and debt. Africa as usual is full of fighting and famine. The UK is in enormous trouble financially. To get informed about what is really going on in the world, read alternative media. A good collection of this sort of reporting is on the excellent blog: (www.RiceFarmer.blogspot.com).
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(originally published in my Febuary 2016 and ("Mainstream Media" onward . . .) in my February 2017 newsletter)
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