Shrinking economy?

One of the local papers has a headline about the shrinking economy.

That's bad, and it is the result of decisions taken by specific individuals.

Many of those individuals are today in Obama's government, and are (amazingly)

supposed to be fixing the problem! fat chance.

But, let's be clear: Capitalist economies are not devoted to satisfying real human needs.

They are devoted to making us brand-name conscious and they encourage frivolous consumption.

Capitalist economies are not designed to give everyone a job or a decent life.

Of course, given the facts about the world, shrinkage means pain for people who don't deserve it.

But much of what capitalist economies do is unnecessary--e.g., advertising is pure waste.

Austria is Eastern Europe

Today I had the pleasure of entering yet another work environment...

a large, ugly, badly ventilated, poorly lit cavern of a building..

in which many poor souls are forced to spend their lives....

and at the entrance I experienced DEJA VU

it was the Vratniks module from Hotel Druzba in Slovakia

the same octagon--well, I guess not, this one was round..

But the idea was the same...

and the haircuts...

the thick glasses..

the overall darkness and dinginess of the place....

reminded me of Slovakia,....

and then I saw it the Socialist REalist Mural celebrating work....

but unlike Communist murals, this was a capitalist mural, in which a clever artist

had accurately depicted the high atop the building security camera,

placed there to protect PROPERTY...

the moral and cultural equivalence of Communism and Capitalism....

It's everywhere to be seen!!!!

crapping in your own nest and other fallacies

Since I've been in Europe, I've heard many outlandish things.... opinions about the USA based on little
by way of fact and much by way of imagination....

And, to be sure, my ideas about Europe--prior to living here--almost surely were equally a blend of
mangled fact and puffed up fantasy....

But, today i want to focus on one especial bit of nonsense I've heard numerous times...

complaints along the lines of: you can't criticize your own country AND the place where you live..
because, presumably, that means you have something wrong with you...

OR: if you criticize your home country you are crapping in your own nest

OR; you shouldn't criticize your home country because a country is like a family.

Well, no, actually, the USA is not one big happy family. No one should think that. We are a country with
lots of racism and class divisions

The government of the USA exists for the sake of the ruling class. It may throw a few crumbs to the
rest of us occasionally, but by and large, the purpose of government in the USA is to increase profits
for the rich.

So, no, criticizing the US government is not like criticizing my family.

In fact, it is an intensely naive fantasy to imagine that the very category USA, that nation,
is much more than a myth or fantasy invented to serve the interests of a particular group of people,...

again not a majority.....

amidst the man-made economic disaster

I see the suffering around me...

beggars on the streets and in the subways...

and I hear the shrill voices of those who would like to trivialize their suffering...

or, even worse, rationalize it away...

And I also see that people are yet capable of ordinary acts of kindness.

Video about Greek Protests

In December last year many young people took to the streets in Greece.

Recently a link to a video about these events appeared at Z Communications.

http://www.zmag.org/znet

under "Featured Videos' with the title "Greek December"

The direct link is

http://www.zcommunications.org/zvideo/3049

It should also be found at

http://www.black-tracker.gr/details.php?id=260

In their own words they explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.

What is the U-Bahn?

The U-bahn is a tool for destroying solidarity between people.

Wien?

A Nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to ride the u-bahn for 20 or more hours per week...

or waste 5 hours a week making fotocopies.....

or any of the other things I do to survive...

in a city where some are prosperous, others are comfortable and fat, and many others have much less...