I write these and work these web pages trying to reach a people who are interested in the America of this country’s founding. Interested in a free life that can be lived together in harmony pursuing our dream without the invasion of another person. As I have slowed down my pace and really started taking stock of what is going on around me I am realizing that there are people out there who have taken it upon themselves to administer for us against us. I see a uni-party politically, you pick…. Nancy Pelosi or Mitch Mc Connel doesn’t matter; these people get elected with the premise that they are serving those who elected them. I don’t believe they are any more. I think they go off to Washington and meet new friends and for get all about us because it is good for them to do so. They continuously get elected and do more to help themselves as they go. Then they develop the idea that they are doing good because they use our money to do good things. Problem is that it is for everybody else or the group who has enough money to get in their ear all day. These are not representatives, these are cronys working on their pet projects for themselves. Crony capitalism has become the norm.
In today’s title selection I merged to ideas for what I think I see. In Wall-e I see the last few generations of Americans and their belief in the goal of doing nothing but playing all day like small children is a dream come true. (Read this as retirement) The idea that creativity and labor are worthless and entertainment is the spice of life. This is a pervasive ideology. I see a nation consumed in entertainment and themselves. Interestingly the ship on which they live is called “Axiom”. How apropos! I think they are making fun of all of those who appear as I see them. I think is purposefully done, we have know since childhood that mean people who think of themselves as ‘better’ always criticize and make fun of others. I think I read this right!?!? Yeah, maybe, yeah maybe.
I get it though, for the most part. A John Doe works hard to live well according to his own standard. He wants to do it without interference and undue burden, because life is hard enough. While John’s off working and doing family life, thinking he can live well; there’s a Captain of his ship who is spending his whole day being the one who makes the John’s life a pursuit of limited choices. John isn’t even aware, he only knows what he knows. He knows that Captain Trump took over for Captain Biden but that is something that happens regularly and he believes he is part of that happening. The illusion that he gets a choice. Boss Tweed would be proud, “I don’t care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating“.
Which brings in the Matrix idea, if you don’t think you’re running in a squirrel cage you need to look again. It took me all of these years of hard work 10-12 hour days for 30 years to realize that the dream that I started off with is gone and “Who Moved My Cheese” is a reality. Sure I am wealthy by any standard except maybe the ignorant American. I have had a good life but like any father I wouldn’t wish the hard grueling life I lived on anyone. I see why people would want an Axiom existence. Life has become so difficult that most young people give up on the idea of an American dream and now look to experience as the current dogma. Pursuit of a good life has been redefined as ‘as good a time as I can get at any moment because life is so desperate I’m likely not to get anything better’. It used to be that everyone believed in the possibility to become president, own a home, have a paid car, eat well and enjoy those around us more. Today; who wants to be in government? Not one decent person would, it’s awful. So the selfish go and we get what we get. Owning a home now takes a two income household that makes the average salary of a federal employee, the average American can’t afford the average house on two average salaries. In the 1970’s a one income household could afford a house, two cars, food and entertainment. My father bought three new vehicles between 1971 and 1976, not financed for 8 years, bought. He was a coal miner, a normal everyday hard working employee. Sure I grew up in a fixer upper but I had a home. Majority of people finance cars so long now that they are getting as long as a mortgage was in 1970. Normal mortgages were 10, 15 and 20 years. People often paid for houses outright or had loans with seller until the government start pushing loans. There were 30 year mortgages sure but no one wanted one, we came up with 20% down and borrowed the rest for as short a time as we could afford. Owning that asset meant security and stability. “I have a place to lay down every night and a fridge I can keep what I like in”. To think a car is $100G and more with 8 year financing. I paid $46G for my first house in a very nice neighborhood. Most people only enjoy those around them on their phones, everywhere I go in every restaurant I sit everyone has their nose in their phone. I see families doing it, all of them! What is it like at home? Axiom I suspect.
I see all of this moving of the cheese symptoms I describe above as a product of the Matrix with a twist. I don’t believe that there is a matrix that is run by a certain group of people or computers who have ultimate control but as one person put it, “you only need the common interests of a few powerful people to affect a great deal of people”. I was taught a bunch of lies in school as I’m sure you all recognize now. Not because my teachers were liars but they too were taught a lie and passed it on. One reason I really like the teaching of Jesus, “seek the truth and the truth will set you free”. I want to be free! In any case, one lie I’ve heard over and over is that our founding fathers were against high taxes and unfair government (taxation without representation). The best way to lie is to take a truth and twist the nuances of it’s context. As in: taxation without representation is a reference to being represented in government not taxation, taxation was the relationship the people had. Meaning you tax me therefore you recognize me as one of your people but you don’t actually recognize me as your people because you won’t give me voice way over there in London and do what you want with me as if I have no choices. Another being the Boston Tea Party, people got upset about the high taxes of tea and a bunch of pissed off men threw some tea into the harbor. This did happen, a truth. The context though is this, men were pissed off with the government “corporations” running their lives, controlling all of their decisions by controlling all of the venues for their choices. If you wanted tea I came from Cathay on a company ship owned by a crony of the king. The epitome of crony capitalism. The companies controlled all things in the colonies, what went in and what went out. A man thinks, ‘man! I make lumber for ship building, I’m going to do well’. Then he finds out that he sells at the merchant rate and he buys at the merchant rate. No benefit, he’s working taking all the risk only to realize he is a basic employee of the company. All profits remain with the company and go elsewhere for another’s benefit. His life is difficult with little upside. If he can manage to get large enough then he will get clout for making life easy for the company he will get rewarded for being a player.
You see we had a revolution not mostly because of bad government, high taxes and a shitty king; it was because of crony capitalism! The king of England was just the head crony. Companies controlled all aspects of life and very unfairly. Much like today but today we have technology that makes it much more bearable. It is far easier to get by. ‘Getting by’ means having a place to sleep inside every night and having food everyday. this was an extremely difficult process in the 18th century. A man spent all daylight hours pursuing just those things.
The matrix of today is the government and the corporations it colludes with to organize the choices in our lives. We live on the Axiom to a degree and the choices are made by others as to what will be available to each of us. This is the main reason why I preach, be local buy local. If you can’t get it near you, you likely don’t need it. If you don’t need it then your best foot forward for you neighbor is to buy from a neighbor in the next town, at least he uses the same dollars and has the same problems. The corporations use their power to take your wealth and put it to work for them to get more power to take your wealth. Same as in the Revolutionary times. You just become more subjugated to them and the one who controls them. Look around, you have not ever been controlled more by a government employee than you are now.
Remember be a revolutionary, be local , buy local. Take back your freedom and live the best life ever with someone in person!
Greg