I posted this little rant of my tumblr, but thought I would share it here too. We watched "Trouble the Water" last night, and that really brought a lot of these thoughts to a head. I'm crying again just thinking about people being left to suffer and/or die because they didn't fit into the government's (aka the corporations) desirable demographic.
Things in this world are just becoming clearer and clearer to me, and I’m feeling an obligation to at least start a conversation.
Much of the people in our capitalist, Western society are being controlled by needing to buy everything. Shelter, temperature control for poorly designed structures, food, transportation, health care, communication, clothing, entertainment, these all require a constant stream of money. And in order for wealthy people to keep a big stream of money coming into their pocket, more and more things are becoming “necessary” to buy.
The bottom is falling out, obviously it has been for awhile. We took out a mortgage for a house 5 years ago. Our loan was for $97,000. We now owe $82,000. That’s 5 years of monthly payments of $760. A lot of months we paid extra thinking that would help pay off the loan sooner.
760x12x5=45,600
There is only $15,000 taken off our original loan. That’s $30,600 in interest directly into Bank of America’s pockets. This alone makes me feel sick, but on top of that our house is now worth less than $50,000, maybe not even $40,000. We might end up having to foreclose if we can’t get a short sale, which is fine with me because I’m never taking out a loan from a bank again.
I’m telling you all this so you can possibly avoid it, and we can stop giving crap loads of money to banks and be more in control of our lives. Save money and buy something small with cash! Maybe a little rundown place that you can do repairs on. A travel trailer/camper is a good idea too. Even if you’re paying rent, you’re paying the landlord who is then paying a mortgage.
I also think people should stop going to college without a specific goal, and start learning real skills. Learn a skill that you can barter with: construction, food production, sewing, healing, car repair, electronic repair, carpentry, cooking, baking, hunting, etc. Learn about the natural resources in your area and how you can cultivate and replenish them.
I just can’t sit back and watch more and more people getting shit on because they don’t have the money or the means to fulfill their basic needs. If we can’t take care of each other, we have nothing. We need to get our money out of the corporations. The more they get, the more they want, literally. They have to see their profit go UP every quarter. There is a lot here to wrap my head around, and I know we are living within a structure that has been set up for the benefit of the few and will be very difficult to change. But I feel like I have to try at this point, to at least start talking about it.
i often wonder what will be left for my kids. i am so happy for you that you are working to bridge this for you and your family.
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