I guessed 4 years ago that our economy would be "tanking." Changes in financial regulations (making it easier to borrow more money than you could afford) and changes to the bankruptcy laws (making it harder to get a "do-over" if things went horribly awry) were just two issues which I knew would come back to haunt the nation.
Wealth is created through exploitation -- exploitation of natural, intellectual, and human resources. It is embarrassing when politicians say that they refuse to raise taxes on the wealthiest (or greatest exploiters).
Greed is not good, and greed must be tamed. Taxes are not just a means to raise revenue; they are also a means to discourage behavior. Isn't it time that we discourage the unbridled consumerism which pays workers so little that they feel no option but to purchase cheaper goods imported from China the India at the local Wal-Mart? HIgher taxes on the wealthy and on corporate profits might persuade these companies not to operate for the worse possible long-term outcomes simply to generate the highest short-term returns.
Isn't it time that we discourage the "upgrade and throw-away" mentality which exhibits itself in millions of tons of electronics being buried in landfills, or worse, shipped overseas to be burned up in toxic fires in order to render out the small amounts of precious metals bound into the plastics?
Isn't it time that we realize that we do not have the "rights" to burn up precious and limited fossil fuels sitting in traffic jams cluttered with SUVs with a single occupant?
When did we move from the "can do" nation in which every basement or garage had a workbench and tools to repair and extend the life of our appliances to a nation which feels the best option is simply to throw things away?
Isn't it time to transform our nation? Innovation is important, but are we so shallow that we can't predict what outcomes will result from our behaviors in the next 200 years?
Hmmm.... turns my mind to jelly.
