104 The Colorless Flag

Greed is Good. So goes the mantra spouted by a generation inspired and partly spawned by Gordon Gecko. Freedom of mind has had its price. We, or our parents, were challenging the "establishment" and allowing for less of a 9-5er mentality. Corporate takeovers replaced expanding industry and a little-known term called "outsourcing" was beginning to rear its ugly head.

Well kiddies, we "outsourced" ourself right into a depression. This is not a recession, its a fledging depression. I hope the ones that made their fortunes on a falsely-inflated stock market sleep well at night. I'm sure that 1200 thread count sheets, marble bathrooms and catered weekend parties help them. A lot. They insist to us when we watch the news that all is going to be well. Bull. All will not be well as long as you keep thinking you can use your credit card and smile politely when you hear about 2500 more jobs being sent overseas. Go ahead. Tell yourself that you cant make it if you dont use your card. I've said it a dozen times on here: you can live without your cell phone, your cable, your internet. You can live without buying brand-name clothes and eating out 5 times a week. You cannot, however, exist with a level of happiness and sanity without the love of your family and friends. You can live without a new car and a 6 figure house. You cant live without at least some pride in yourself. Some part of us still holds that vaunted work ethic, that proud ring of confidence and invincibility that used to mean "American".

We allowed the monied few to turn us into a nation of service industries. We allowed them to over-inflate our economy and our dollar and at the same time, dig a cavern under the foundation of our economy, our livelihood. Let me tell you that the vast underminings were NOT properly shored up. Now, the weight of a bloated nation is cracking the rock. It is causing the collapse of the whole thing, sea to shining sea.

We take no accountability for ourselves. Its someone else's fault. They didnt have to give me that loan. They didnt have to give me that card. They didnt have to market that thing to make me want it so bad. You didnt have to buy it either. You didnt have to sign the papers, either. You didnt have to make a new generation believe that the only way was to have the biggest, the best, the most, by simply signing on the dotted line.

Take accountability with everything you do from this day forward. Show your kids that working hard doesnt mean just to pay the credit card bills. We need the right KIND of work ethics. We need the right KIND of accountability. Do some research before you vote. There are still some people out there with morals, with good judgement. Encourage them. Write to them. Call them. Urge them to pass laws, HELL, urge them to enforce the just laws. America can be salvaged. We can change. We've done it before and we will have to do it again, if we are to remain a great Republic.

The rant I am on was the result of a dream I had last night. It was very cartoony, but it wasnt funny. I dreamt of the red-white-and-blue clad Uncle Sam, wringing and draining the last bit of color from the flag. The bucket swirled with our colors. A rusty, dingy milk pail. The flag was translucent with the lines still marking where the stars and bars used to be. He had a grim determination on his face and seemed intent on squeezing the last drop from Glory. There was a blood-stained chair sitting in the corner. I have my opinion of that chair, you make your own. His sleeves were rolled up, much as in the old posters. It used to mean we worked hard and we had a righteous determination, now, I fear, it means we dont want to soil ourselves with the dirty work.

Use less, fix more. Conserve, but enjoy yourself when you can. When you've earned it. Not when you've had enough because you have made your debt and are afraid to lie in it. (insert double entendre here). Use your voice and your vote to let politicians, lobbyists and corporate thugs, I mean, big business, know that we are not just fed up, we're done with them. We will change. We have to, or I fear we may fall. America, the greatest Republic ever known, must become a beacon again. We must cleanse our selves and our government of all that is wrong. We must take responsibility again for ourselves, first. When we have control of ourselves again, then, maybe, we can begin helping the world.