Individually “thinking outside of the box” in the New Economy (Part I): Survivial

It seems as many people are victims of the present morass in the present economy.  Many have been laid off as the private and public sector has downsized under the banner of budget cutting.  Others have just entered the job market, such as veterans returning from Afghanistan and recent college graduates.  Many are qualified, but few are finding jobs.  Those that do find jobs are finding that they are paying near starvation wages or unstable.  They are still working, but also looking for better jobs. Now, we know that the true unemployment rate is not approximately 8% but more near 20%.  Unemployment figures are being manipulated for the political advantage of both parties during the election year. There is just too much demand for the supply. Yet, before 2008, there was about 2 % unemployment.  What happened?   This has been covered by many economists. This is not a normal financial downturn, but the result of a major disaster caused by the wealthy grabbing more for them and the middle class getting the same income adjusted for inflation.  This is similar to the situation before the crash of 1929. Yet what has the government done? They bailed out Wall Street and GM, but didn’t alleviate the suffering of most of the population.   The battle lines have been drawn between the Right and the Left.  The polarization between the two is such that no compromises have been made to address any of the problems in the American economy.  What is the average American do to go around this and survive if not prosper?  As individuals, we cannot accept this situation as “the new normal” as some economist proclaim.

Our approach as the 99 Percent must be both short-term and long-term. is to think ‘outside of the box.’  We cannot continue to churn in the plight that has been delivered to us by the One Percent.  It is not acceptable for qualified creative people to be receiving unemployment or being unemployed on a micro or macro level. 

The first preliminary step is to recognize that the present system of capitalism is decaying and any effort to work within it will result in frustration and ultimate failure.  The second preliminary step is to visualize what you can do as an individual to go around this decay and build an alternative existence that will benefit you and your family and be in coordination with others building “the New Economy”, “the New Democracy” and the next paradigm.  Some of this is already happening ‘by accident’ and others by direct action.  One of the problems inherent in this situation is a feeling of disconnection and lack of solidarity.  This is changing, but slowly. In fact, we have to recognize that this disconnect is being manipulated by the One Percent for their own selfish purposes.   The issues are extremely complicated and interrelated and can be seen as an insurmountable barrier.

In order to survive, we have to decouple ourselves from the ‘traps’ that have been set for us which mostly revolve around consumerism.  We have been brainwashed that we have to have things beyond just mere survival or what we need.  Most things we think 'we need', is the result of being fooled by the marketing ploys of major corporations. Our peceived needs have been developed to to get us hooked on credit and dependent on the One Percent, thus feeding them. In the remainder of this blog entry, I will start to enumerate ways that people can survive personally and also how this makes a statement in done collectively. Many people are already doing this. What they may not be aware of is that they are also making a a public statement. 

Step Number One is: eliminate all credit cards and live according to your family’s income and put money into credit unions.  This action works on various levels.  For an individual, it is absolutely necessary to survive.  For a message to the One Percent, it means I am divesting myself from you and giving you less power over my life.  If enough people did this , there would be a collapse of major banks and financial institutions. They would cease to have control and the majority of financial control would be allocated to the shareholders of credit unions.  You as a member of a credit union have a say in financial policies.  The major banks don’t want this, so they will do everything to prevent their downfall.

Step Number Two is:  buy nothing  new.  You can find many acceptable items for your household such as clothes, appliances, furniture, automobiles etc. at yard sales or thrift stores such as GoodWill.  Most are more than reasonably priced and in good condition.  You have to be a discerning shopper as there are no warranties associated when you buy at these venues.  Most retail items are over-priced and wear out just as fast as those bought at yard sales and thrift stores.  If you avoid purchase of a vehicle in places that have good public transport, this would also be a good move that would decrease all the costs related to owning a vehicle (i.e., insurance, gas, etc.) These items are normally should be bought with cash or with available funds in accordance with the first step.  For those with minimal income, you will find your budget goes much further.  This ultimately sends a message to the One Percent that you do not buy into consumerism and over the long term will cause the collapse of ‘big box’ stores such as Walmart who pay workers barely above minimum wage, support outsourcing and exploit developing nations.

To Be Continued