We Gotta Get Outta This Place

It will be interesting/frighten to see what happens over the next few weeks:

George W. used the last-minute timing of Clinton's "midnight hour" law changes at the end of his term as justification for contesting those laws; however, he like other presidents is doing the same thing.

The article "So Little Time, So Much Damage" appeared in The Times a few weeks ago, and a related article. "Midnight Hour" was printed in this week's New Yorker.

Speaking of The New Yorker, there is an interesting article on "new liberalism" here.

At least, it feels like I'm in the thick of something, living in these equally scary and exciting country. The stores are big here. The cars are big here. The weapons are big here. And the fuck ups are huge.

Everyday, I speak to impoverished people who are desperate for work. I speak to people with families to support who are eager to accept 10 dollars an hour. I speak to people who are 64 without any retirement savings. I see resume after resume from people liberal arts degrees but lack "real-world" experience. I don't think I've ever seen economic desperation like this.

The problem is is that so many of these laid-off and down-sized people don't have any transferable skills. Due to the continued de-industrialization of North America, they find themselves unemployed after 30 years working in a manufacturing plant. These people had the "American Dream" and lost it due to variable rate mortgages and lost investments and vanquished retirement plans. They grew up in a world where stability was the goal. However, in this volatile economy, it is important to have flexibility and possess transferable and marketable skills.

I also see impressive resumes from many downsized educated and experienced people who have found themselves competing in a tough marketplace with many other unemployed over-qualified candidates.

At least it makes me happy to be able to offer some people work and be able to hire my friends for decently paying jobs. I feel impoverished, but I know I'm lucky to have a dependable salary, benefits, and 3 weeks of vacation to start. But, I still feel like I'm always playing catch-up. I guess, right now, there is a kind of solidarity in being perpetually broke.

Lately, I've been reevaluating my values. I've never really valued financial success: I always privileged travel and life experience over savings and stock options. But, I don't want to spend my life encumbered by debt. I just want enough money to have as much fun as possible. The one silver lining to the fact that I haven't ever saved enough for a mortgage on a condo is that, if I had, I'd be paying for it right now.

I've always dated similarly laid-back people to me, too, and I am realizing that that's probably not the most solid financial plan. I can't help it though, it's like I have this innate resistance to conformity and popular culture that I am unable to overcome. The lawyers and business people who work in my building all seem perfectly nice, but I am totally unable to be attracted to them without some kind of indication that they have some sub-cultural/dance night/dive bar learnings. Of course, the only people I have eyes for are the 20-24 year old recent college grad interviewees and bike messengers that come into my office.

Then again, I have a problem with dating people who fit the physical and cultural profile, but are pretty pretentious. Sometimes I wonder if something in my brain chemistry is masochistic and subconsciously attracted to people who will sneer when I tell them I prefer to listen to Lil Wayne or Hot Chip than prog rock, anyday. Perhaps my Id is at war with my Superego. They've ended the cease-fire. I think I'm just going to contract out my life decisions from now on. I'm going to go the way of the economy and outsource my life decisions. The contract's up for bidding.