sick economy

The IEA estimates that greenhouse gases will drop by more than 2% for 2009. About 3/4 of that drop is due to the recession. The anticipated fall is greater than any previously recorded. Something is clearly working when it comes to climate change. We can reduce our economic activity for example.

If the drop proves anything it is how sick our "economy" really is. How it is an economy of consumption and waste. And to think that some people would like to fix it. To what purpose? So we can make the planet uninhabitable sooner rather than later?

Don't get me wrong. Economic activity is good. Humans need a thriving economy. But it has to be an economy that creates long term value. And that is not something our present economy does. Quite to the contrary. We have an economy that is all about slash and burn. It is all about waste and consumption.

Now you may argue, so what it has served us well. But has it? Not unless you are one of the richest 1% in the country. Otherwise your net worth has most likely decreased rather significantly. You may not feel that way (yet) and the constant brain washing in the media will certainly try to make you think otherwise, but the facts are in. Everyone is constantly getting poorer while the richest of the rich get wealthier.

It has also not made you happier. Here too the facts are undeniable. More people than ever are depressed or suffer from stress. It is a stress imposed by trying to keep up with the consumer society. Trying to outdo the neighbors by buying new stuff and spending more money. Companies constantly try to get you to spend money you don't have. It is called credit. And if you indulge in it, it will enslave you forever. It is worse than heroin.

Our economy does two things really well: 1. it destroys our habitat and threatens our long term survival on the planet, and 2. it shifts wealth from the masses into the hands of a very select few. So select that you, the average American citizen, are not one of them. Not by a long shot. You are one of those being robbed blind and you may not even notice it.

So while you may hope for economic recovery because you need a job to pay your bills, you should think about what you are getting yourself into. Because you are not an innocent player. You, with your consumerist habits, are part and parcel of this economy. Your desire to always throw out things and buy new stuff is the "engine" of this economy. And it does not have to be that way! You can easily put a stop to it.

Begin by buying local. Only buy stuff that has value and will last. Get rid of your cars and do some exercise. Throw out your TV. The list of things you can do to help is endless. And guess what? Doing these things will create local jobs. Real jobs that have value because they are worthwhile. Think about that!

Cheap imported stuff is the problem, not the answer. Walmart is not the solution. Walmart is the problem. Walmart is a big machine that serves only one purpose. To make the Walton's richer. And it does so by ripping off the poor. Walmart can sell you stuff below cost, because it does not pay the full cost of what it buys. It does not pay for the waste and pollution it creates. And it uses cheap offshore (read slave) labor to create its widgets. But Walmart is not alone. It is just one of the many corporations that form the core of our sick economy.