Why Oh Why Isn't Paul Krugman Our Treasury Secretary?

Oh. Yeah. 'Cause he wasn't ever a mucky-muck at Goldman-Sachs. This was in the NYT yesterday:

Americans are angry at Wall Street, and rightly so. First the financial industry plunged us into economic crisis, then it was bailed out at taxpayer expense. And now, with the economy still deeply depressed, the industry is paying itself gigantic bonuses. If you aren’t outraged, you haven’t been paying attention. (Read the rest here.)

I am outraged, but feel impotent to do much. When it comes to money, I don't have a lot in the first place to use as any kind of leverage, and I'm already trying my hardest to do socially responsible things with it. I guess the best I can do is attempt to educate people.

Believe it or not, I've wondered about this ...

Crooks and Liars has an interesting piece today, tracing California's current fiscal woes back to 1978's passage of Proposition 13.

Here in Wisconsin we have our own version, although ours is not part of the state constitution ... yet. The other thing unique about our revenue caps that supposedly give tax relief to property owners, is that they specifically target K-12 public school districts. Our then-Governor Tommy Thompson (remember Tommy? He ran for the Republican nomination in the last presidential election) had a personal vendetta against teachers. He gave us the revenue caps and took away our right to bargain fair contracts, two gifts that have kept on giving for the last 16 years.

Oy

I've been feeling very depressed these last few days. Mainly about the economy, and specifically unemployment. While I am pleased that unemployment has finally moved onto John and Jane Q. Public's radar screen, it also angers me. Unemployment has been an issue for many for a lot longer than the last few months, and I have to say that since Mr. Ether was laid off, it has always felt like there is a current of blame underlying the sympathy, as if somehow he had done something to bring this on himself. His friends/coworkers from his former job distanced themselves quickly; it might be contagious.

Our families and friends "worry" about him, about us ... while they continue to spend their money at stores with proven anti-labor track records -- and I'll be specific here -- like Whole Foods, Home Depot, WalMart, or Copps. If you're reading this, and you care about Mr. Ether and our family, you won't shop at those places. Period. Otherwise your sympathy doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot.

I am angry, and somehow need to find a way to be at peace. Maybe you can help me, because right now it is eating me up.

Yesterday there was a front page article in our local newspaper about unemployment, encouraging people who have been laid off to "make the job search their full time job" and "network." When there ARE no jobs, or the available employers want someone with a college degree, but they are only offering $10/hr., something is very wrong. This assumption that you only have to try harder is blaming the victim. The dirty secret is that the system has been stacked against workers for a long time. If you were non-white with any kind of a police record, you probably knew that years ago. Now it is coming home to roost in what is left of the white middle class.

Work -- with dignity and a living wage -- for a brief time in U.S. history, was an entitlement. It is time to build strong trade unions again. If you aren't in a union, you can still educate yourself about the businesses you support with your dollars.

Looking for union-made products? Here is a good place to start.

Destroying the unions and creating a large jobless class is a tool the rich use to oppress everyone else. They wage war against the poor, working class, and now the middle class through jobs. I'll leave you with the chorus of another favorite Johnny Clegg song, Work For All.

We need work for all.
We want work for all.
We need work to be.
Give us work for all.
Give us work to be.

Michael Moore on the Auto Industry Bail-Out

Have you read this? If not, you should. He has a knack for cutting through mountains of crap, wielding the machete of common sense. Or something like that. Here's an excerpt, but read the whole thing. It's so simple, yet so brilliant.

You might assume from this that I couldn't give a rat's ass about these miserably inept crapmobile makers down the road in Detroit city. But I do care. I care about the millions whose lives and livelihoods depend on these car companies. I care about the security and defense of this country because the world is running out of oil -- and when it runs out, the calamity and collapse that will take place will make the current recession/depression look like a Tommy Tune musical.

And I care about what happens with the Big 3 because they are more responsible than almost anyone for the destruction of our fragile atmosphere and the daily melting of our polar ice caps.

Congress must save the industrial infrastructure that these companies control and the jobs they create. And it must save the world from the internal combustion engine. This great, vast manufacturing network can redeem itself by building mass transit and electric/hybrid cars, and the kind of transportation we need for the 21st century.

And Congress must do all this by NOT giving GM, Ford and Chrysler the $34 billion they are asking for in "loans" (a few days ago they only wanted $25 billion; that's how stupid they are -- they don't even know how much they really need to make this month's payroll. If you or I tried to get a loan from the bank this way, not only would we be thrown out on our ear, the bank would place us on some sort of credit rating blacklist). (Read it here in its entirety)

Kids ... or Cadillacs?

The Big Three

I'm Changing My School's Name to Chrysler is the title of an essay by Seattle middle school teacher Jesse Hagopian, posted on Common Dreams.

I am going down to Washington, D.C. to ask for a handout.

My industry is falling on hard times and needs at least $34 billion to cover basic operating costs—but I assure you the emergency aid isn't just for me and my associates. The truth is my industry is too big to fail, and if it were to go under it would have disastrous effects for the economy and millions of Americans lives.

No, I am not an automaker executive from one of the Big Three (General Motors, Chrysler, Ford)—I teach social studies to 13-year-olds and the Public Schools are my trade. (read the rest)

Watching the pigs belly up to the trough (with apologies to real pigs everywhere) over the last 6 weeks has been disgustingly predictable ... or predictably disgusting. Where is the help for "Main Street" that everyone was talking about during the election?

Baaa!

Today we enjoyed a nearly perfect September day at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in Jefferson, Wisconsin. It was Mr. Ether and me accompanied by my lovely sister (and soon to be first-time grandma) Lisa, as well as the always-delightful Sparkly Seacow and her friend Violet. While Mr. Ether went to watch the sheep dog demonstrations, and Sparkly and Violet did whatever it is that they do (it usually involves a lot of wrestling like puppies), Lisa and I shopped in the 2 barns-full of vendors.

I am usually very frugal at these events. I tell myself I have enough yarn and take vendors' business cards instead. I don't know what got into me today! I bought a pattern for a sweater and a pattern for a shawl, plus angora yarn to make the shawl. I bought some beautiful variegated merino and cashmere yarn to make socks. ($28.00 socks!) I really debated on the sock yarn. I must have gone by the booth 4 times. When I finally went back to buy it, the vendor said, "Oh, I wrote up your receipt half an hour ago. I knew you'd be back." I also bought not one, but two handwoven rag rugs.

Hey, Sen. Gramm is right: our economic woes are all in our heads! We just have to quit whining, get out there and stimulate the economy! (Incidentally, my sister shared the shocking news that her husband was recently "let go" from the tax accounting firm where he has worked for more than two decades. So that's my cabinet-maker husband, my brother with a Master's degree in urban planning, my auto mechanic nephew, and my CPA brother-in-law who have all lost their jobs in the last year. But we're a nation of whiners.)

But I digress into the sordid world of politics. Back to sheep and wool. I love these sheep and wool festivals. A number of years ago I talked a new friend into going with me to the Michigan Wool Festival (before we had our own here.) It was around Kalamazoo when she turned to me and said, "You mean you're really serious about going to this thing?" She thought I was just looking for an excuse to get away from my family for the weekend. Ha! (I think that was the first time I left Sparkly Seacow. Wool is very compelling.) I think I might even go back tomorrow!