Tommy Douglas, Future of Medicare (1983) . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2oUInTUl AM

MUST SEE!!!!!

Folks . . . it ain't gonna get much better.  I read something last week that explains a lot.  Have you ever wondered why the last few recessionary cycles the "lag" between the official end of the recession and employment recovery keeps getting longer and longer when this shouldn't be the case?

I ran across this: http://waaam.org/twelve_points_summary.p hp . . . which is about health and longevity, but I took special interest in # 12 from an economic perspective.  Some highlights from their paper relevant to this post (available via email if requested) . . .

"XII. The Leisure Class

The global financial meltdown of 2008 has led to an accelerated adjustment of economic reality for billions of people worldwide. Indeed, automated technologies such [as] artificial intelligence, voice recognition, virtual secretaries/personal assistants, and service industry robotics will become more utilized and thus displace the need to  have humans in 7 out of 10 of jobs in the service,  administrative, and support sectors. As a result, billions of people will not be needed in the workforce...

The inevitability of the Leisure Class is a pressing concern. With the restructuring of global economics and the advent of advanced automation and artificial intelligence, service and support jobs simply are too expensive and too destructive to the ecology  ... For example, bank automation has slashed the need for tellers and service representatives.

... [I]t has been estimated that in the near future, the US economy could produce all the goods and services generated today with as few as 2 in 10 current workers on the job. ... "

We can all see this.  It's real and is happening now right before our eyes, today, and will only accelerate.  Just this week a friend of ours was visiting from the east coast and we loaned him our car to drive into Seattle to look around.  Upon his return he mentioned how impressed he was with our city. Why, he went on, he even got a great tour of the city by getting on our new light rail, which he said was free, and went all round the city.  It was completely automated, he said.

Welcome to the future.  These employment figures may improve a bit, but with each new technological innovation . . . comes a decreased need for employment.  NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS!!  Is this the elephant in the room?  Shouldn't we at least begin a dialog about this, since we can see it clearly and know it'll only grow?  Not to be "afraid" of machines and automation, quite the contrary.  We should be considering how to better organize ourselves for this.  Yet, nothing is being mentioned.

And I've been both unemployed and underemployed for nine years.

. . . post worth reading . . .

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/030 8/9149.html

Do the math.  Evidently Gov. Richardson did.

May I suggest this post . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3 /21/112047/802

This might, perhaps, be the reason for Gov. Richardson's endorsement today.

You would know.  To quote from Martha Stewart . . . Republican apathy is "a good thing" . . .

But I doubt if Independents will forgo the election.  Everyone's fighting to win this non-affiliated group over.  

You know my feeling?  We've been hearing about the death knell of the Republican party for quite a while now.  Are we not already seeing this?

IF a third party were to emerge . . . this may just be the final nail in the coffin.  Who knows?  Would be interesting, though.

Notice the approval rating for Congress recently?  Did you notice the results of the special election in Georgia this month?  Which of the two Republicans won?  Hmmm?  Well, the recount isn't over and the winner isn't official yet . . . but if upheld . . . this is a CLEAR MESSAGE that "politics as usual" is being rejected.

Again, take the low approval for Congress today, add the repudiation of Georgia's "inside" candidate just this month . . . project this nationally in '08 . . . and you can see how this works.

If we don't get out of Iraq, if we don't pass meaningful legislation, if we continue the way we have these past six or seven months . . . people may toss both parties, not just Republicans.

Leiberman was an aberration.  Look for more Venturas and Green Party candidates to do well.

You can discount this man if you want, but not Unity08.  The longer we wait to get anything accomplished, whether it's the war, health care, immigration, ethics, Impeachment, whatever, the more of am impetus there will be for a third party to emerge.

Never mind that it's the Republicans who are obstructing.  I've actually been waiting for this to happen.  If our leaders continue on their present course, bickering back and forth with no progress on any major issue we face today, the more backlash there will be against both parties.

So, not only will the Republicans lose, Democrats lose as well.  This is not necessarily a bad thing if you think about it.  "Competition" in any market is good, even politics.

HORRIBLE SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VERIZON SUCKS!!!

Matt,

This is one of the best posts I've read.  All I can say is "Amen Brother!"  

This is exactly why I "woke up" and decided that enough was enough, that if I didn't get involved, things would just get worse, and that, yes, if things did get worse this would be my fault.

Seems there's several million more out there exactly like me.  

How many will it take to get this mess straightened up and on the right track?  Only one . . . me.  And my friends, of course, those several million more who's also said enough is enough.

In this regard Bush and the rest of the Republicans have actually done America a huge favor.  Things have gotten SO BAD that many in the general population are, perhaps for the first time, starting to wake up and take notice.  This is a good thing.

Well,  I like "Purgegate".  Nothing comes trippingly off the tongue, does it?  What about "Unjustified Justice", "Injustice at Justice", "Justice-gate", "No Justice at Justice", "Attorney-gate", "Judicial-gate".  Hmmm?  Screw it.  How 'bout merely "Scandal of the Century"?

I agree with the article and comments and have had this on my mind for several weeks.  Those who ran for election who oppose this war won.  In the minds of everyone this was a mandate.

What are they doing?  In our minds, nothing, or very little.  One would hope there is a method to this delay, but who knows for sure?  We are very accustomed to "empty promises" from politicians, who while running for office promise the moon but once elected never deliver. The "First 100 Hours" was nice and was a giant step in the right direction, but we all know that Iraq was the primary reason Democrats were given control of Congress.

It's as if "we the People" don't matter.  Am I wrong on this?  Are we merely being placated here with the passage of other popular legislation?  We spoke and we said what we had to say very loudly and forcefully.  There was no ambiguity.

Who's listening? Is there really a plan for us to end this war?  Or is this merely "business as usual" inside the Beltway?

Washington needs to get the message that we want our government back.  It belongs to us, you know, and is only loaned to them for a set period of time, on good behavior.  If the Democrats (or certain Democrats) can't or won't deliver, what is the best way to get the message across that we will no longer tolerate this?  How do we go about doing this?

We're told that politicians don't make their decisions based on polls.  Hmmm?  That's a fine line they have to traverse, I'm sure.  If they do, that's pandering; if they don't then they're not following the will of the people.

We ARE the government!!  From the very beginning we told the world that government "of, by and for the People" must bow to the will of the people, or those who are governed have the inherent right to change their government.

I think we can all agree that we certainly don't need to change our government . . . only those who are elected, if they ignore us.

Let the debate begin on how to best reform the reformers.