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America's Woes Won't Stop Worsening: Recession, Depression, Implosion, Complete Collapse Or What?
As Christmas 2007 rappidly approaches it appears that hardly any one is getting fat across the Atlantic any more -- apart from the already infuriatingly fat (by too far), infamously favoured few fat-cats and their completely contemptible close knit clan of crooked cohorts, flunkies, families and friends and their ilk.
Of course there are still some who can't quite understand what all the fuss is about.
Nor can any among those self same, self serving, self satisfied sobs yet see the writing on the wall.
Which, upon further reflection, may not be all that bad a thing.
Since when the fast approaching, almighty avalanche of shit finally hits the fabled fan they certainly won't see it coming.
And when it does, as it soon surely must, they'll never know what hit them.
*
Detroit's woes augur ill for US
By Adam Brookes -- BBC News, Detroit
Americans are worried that hard times lie ahead. But in Detroit, Michigan, they have already arrived, with a vengeance.
Michigan, by some calculations, has lost 400,000 jobs in the past seven years. That's in a state whose population is only 10 million.Coming soon to a city near you?
Detroit is seeing unemployment running at nearly 8%, twice the national average.
The number of homes in the city "foreclosed" - or repossessed by mortgage lenders - is among the highest in the country.
The city's charities are getting busier, a sign of economic distress.
(snip)
"This is ground zero when it comes to poverty," Augie Fernandez says.
"Here we are in the capital of manufacturing and we're just seeing it dissipate away."
"To find myself in a position where I couldn't afford a gallon of milk, I couldn't afford a loaf of bread - it was very humbling," he says.Read the rest of this very worrying report.
"For want of a better term it made me feel like a loser, like I wasn't able to provide even the basic things for my family, let alone anything beyond that."
I ask Daniel and Cynthia if they thought of themselves as middle class. They both answer yes. I ask if they still think of themselves as middle class.
"I think we're on the poverty line right now," says Daniel. He wonders if he will be able to hold on to his house.
Of course there are still some who can't quite understand what all the fuss is about.
Nor can any among those self same, self serving, self satisfied sobs yet see the writing on the wall.
Which, upon further reflection, may not be all that bad a thing.
Since when the fast approaching, almighty avalanche of shit finally hits the fabled fan they certainly won't see it coming.
And when it does, as it soon surely must, they'll never know what hit them.
*
Labels: depression, Detroit, hunger, implosion, Michigan, poverty, recession, unemployment
posted by Richard at Friday, November 16, 2007
10 Comments:
And they want kids to go half way across the world and fight for this?
Jesus H.
the founding fathers must be spinning in their graves
I have wonder this easy come, easy go generation could possibly cope with a real depression should it come to one.
It's my guess that nothing like as many would survive as did those who came before.
Global capitalism combined with scandals like the subprime mortgage scheme is evening poverty around the world. Of course, those who live in cardboard boxes or in a park bench and feed at the Food Bank in the West are infinitely better off compared to people living in Calcutta slums, but the gap is narrowing. Meanwhile the rich get richer...
The very tip of the coming iceberg, Richard, and I mean iceberg, no one will be able to afford heating fuel in the Northern U.S. And with the coming influenza epidemic, extreme water shortages, lack of any health care, bankruptcies, suicides, the list goes on, it will be cataclysic. The assault of the innocents and naive believers in whatever kind of hogwash American dream was sold to them by the bought and paid for poodle-media. Meanwhile the perpetrators will be safe behind ten layers of protection, if not in Peru. It is sickening.
You can walk around Walmart any hour of any day in this town and see dozens of fat people, Richard.
Obesity and diabetes is rife in the USA.
A little deprivation might make folks a lot healthier. People in Britain during WW2 were said to be healthier despite the rationing of just about eveything.
Rationing could happen again, probably in my lifetime, and it will be no bad thing in my opinion.
Twilight, I normally respect your opinions, but not this time. There is nothing healthy about cold malnourished children; they, and the needful elderly, will be the first to suffer from the kind of poverty brought about by financial depressions and recessions. Perhaps you only see fat people in Walmart because poor people can't afford to shop. Ration your own food purchases if it will make you feel better, but don't wish it on the already under-priviledged.
*sweetoldlady*
I think that just as much as being overfed, most fat people both in the US and UK are the way are because they eat "lazily". That is to say, far too much (overprocessed and containg lethal amonts of animal fats) so called "fast" food. Mainly because it's the easiest option.
I don't think it can reasnably be denied that there is also a huge plain and simple "greed" element to the equation.
*sweetoldlady*
I understand your views on my comment about rationing, but hold to my opinion.
I doubt very much that rationing would injure the poor and elderly more than they are already injured. They are currently living with rationing forced by circumstances. Rationing would mainly impact upon those who buy/eat more than is necessary for good health.
My view is that rationing will become necessary in the future because of environmental catastrophes, or disaster brought about by war and use of nuclear weapons, not due to any plans of governments to impose restrictions for other reasons.
( PS - We already limit our food spending fairly strictly - we are both seniors on limited income.)
Fat = slob = loser.
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