This is What Happens When the Money is Gone
August 8th, 2010
What collapsing empire looks like: This is a short post which is really a roll-up of links to other things, but it illustrates what I’ve been feeling for a long time. The current financial crisis and overwhelming U.S. debt is going to force unprecedented changes how we live. Many state, country, and local governments are just accepting that the money is gone, and our standard of living will drop.
Consider (all from the article):
- Hawaii eliminated school for 17 Fridays during the year
- Camden, New Jersey is closing its entire library system
- Clayton County, Georgia shut down its entire public transportation system
- Utah is considering making 12-grade optional
- Colorado Springs shut off one-third of its streetlights
Nothing in here about California, which I find surprising. Marijuana is almost legal, and crack sentences have been reduced, which means that a massive percentage of people who would have gone to prison will not. Additionally, Oakland lost a significant percentage of their police officers – a city which could ill-afford cuts in that area.
This is what it looks like when the money is gone. And I don’t think there’s any coming back from this. This is the new normal. The relationship of the citizen to the state is being redefined, forever. We just need to accept that things like public transportation, libraries, and even public education are not ever going to return to what we grew up with.