Leaders' Reaction To Economic Peril Is Sadly Soporific
Thinker and writer James Howard Kuntsler tries to shake us out of our collective denial with some choice words about the perilous state of our economy: incomprehensible debt, oil overdependency, farmland loss, resource depletion, an unaffordable vehicle fleet, sprawl development, collapsing airlines, an archaic train system, and more.
As I read his essay, (and as I've said before, Kuntsler is not for the faint-hearted, but if you don't read him, you are missing out on some fearless truth-telling), here's what ran through my mind:
How can anyone in state government with a straight face justify the late-2008 launch of $1.9 billion in pubic spending on remodeling and expanding I-94 between south Milwaukee and the Illinois state line?
Why hasn't the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission - - the outfit that created this $6.5 billion regional freeway rebuilding and expansion debacle - - recognized reality, admitted miscalculation (error would be unthinkable) and recommended pulling back its plan because the $2.30-per-gallon gasoline price assumption upon which it was based has been shattered by gas prices that are spiking out of sight?
Why is the collective leadership and planning capacity in this area - - whether elected officials, SEWRPC, the business collaborative M-7 and/or others - - incapable of action with some urgency behind it?
Why haven't they thrown their doors open, begun to meet and seek public opinion about how to at least mitigate the widespread consequences in this new economic environment - - ramifications that are already showing up, like housing foreclosures and job losses, to mention but two of the more obvious.
Why aren't they leading some sort of coordinated, common approach to solutions to the additional demands that are coming for more public services in 2009 - - when state shared revenue to local communities will fall further - - at the same time that evaporating property values and tax bases will force more trims to budgets and problem-solving resources.
It's as if those whom we call leaders - -whether in government or the private sector - - are popping Valium when their creative thinking and organizing will be needed with unprecedented acuity by everyday citizens/taxpayers/consumers.
I'd say that July 4th was being truly recognized if I saw an energized commitment from people with their hands on the levers of power to get busier with today's realities.
1 comment:
Either our leadership is like a deer frozen in the headlights and is so used to the status quo or like their true constituency, the 1 percenters, have no trouble affording necessities such as food, energy and heathcare. Let them eat cake.
Herbert Hoover reacted similarly to Republican Depression I, by swatting down uprisings such as the Bonus Army (they are all the same, they love war but hate the veterans), and by constantly proclaiming that "prosperity is just around the corner". Eerily similar to the invective of the Bush Regime and it's congressional enablers today in their reaction to Republican Depression II.
Who cares about depressions and the plight of the lower 90% of the income distribution when we can put road builders and the oil industry on the public tit, and give retiring oil CEO's such as Lee Raymond $400 million dollar gold plated retirement packages. Just like feudal society, we want the rabble to be dependent on the resources of the overclass. Renewable energy, universal single payer healthcare, and excellent public transport and other infrastructure are reforms that will mitigate our economic peril. However these reforms empower the average citizen over the economic elite, which is why the current economic elite does not want to solve these problems.
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