January 17th, 2009: Sorry I was Right

Just found the post I wrote in April about the lurking economic disaster which has since come to pass. Wish I had that kind of horse picking ability for less Cassandra-like applications, like choosing lottery numbers. Things are terrible, and they are going to get worse for a long time as the after effects of all the big players trickle down the economic chain. We had it coming for a long time. Unbridled greed and blatant disregard for all those who share our Earth led us here.

Nonetheless, I feel enormously positive about the chance we have to refashion ourselves as thoughtful stewards and kinder people who will develop new energies, provide an internationally competitive education to our children, health care for everyone, a return to the land-to farming and cheese making and  artisanal saucisson made from humanely raised and  slaughtered animals- as a viable and honorable option to law or finance. We need to develop  crafts and trades, and set up schools that teach them. I feel more hopeful politically than I have since working for Robert Kennedy in '68, but worry about the nearly terminal apathy that has set in to our society since Nixon was first caught screwing around with the democratic process. We have become so jaundiced to the repeated disregard some of our presidents have shown for the people and the Constitution, that we merely shrug in acceptance. Where are the ramparts? Where is the outrage? In two days we'll have President Obama, who carries the burden of all of our hopes for the future. May he be kept safe.