Doomed by History

Amazing how accurate the saying, "If you do not study history you are doomed to repeat it".

The conservative movement in the United States has been successful, with millions of dollars in propaganda, in fooling the American people into believing that the Democrats are responsible for the Great Recession, successfully forgetting eight years of Bush rule.

This has been no mean feat. In the 2006 and 2008 elections the Republicans were thrown out of power on multiple levels in American politics. For a time, there was talk that the Republican Party was finished.

Desperate to gain traction, the radical right wing, using millions of corporate dollars, manufactured the “Tea Party” movement. This began as an “Astroturf” movement, paid for by the Koch brothers and corporate money, and now has now morphed into a “popular movement” of Fox News and Glen Beck. Ordinary people are buying it!

What has fueled this is the Great Recession, that threatens to become a double dip recession because the federal stimulus has been constrained and maligned by radical conservatives bent on one thing; getting back into power. Obama has not delivered on jobs they say, so try us again!

Any kind of accurate economic analysis and approach to getting the United States out of this mess, has been compromised by a firestorm of attack ads that are meant to discredit “big government” as a solution to the recession. In fact, that is STILL THE ONLY solution to the recessions (s)!

Tragically, through all of this, the welfare of the American People has been thrown under the bus. The very economic free enterprise, de-regulation economic philosophy that has decmimated the middle class, is now being sold to the middle class as a “jobs” approach.

History tells a different story.

In 1936 the American Great Depression was ending. The New Deal, with massive (for that time) government intervention, the passage of Social Security, and the establishment of strict financial regulations, was bringing the country out of a multi-year depression. Franklin Roosevelt, following the convential economic wisdom of the time, to counter the growing conservative criticism of the federal deficit, dramatically cut spending and allowed the new Social Security taxation system to take effect. Projections at the time called for a balanced budget (no deficit) in about three years. Prosperity was right around the corner.

What raising taxes and cutting spending does is to balance budgets. This is similar to a household budget in that you increase your revenue and cut your spending, and you will either balance or run a surplus. Unfortunately, this does not work in a national economy.

You cannot apply the same principles of a household budget to a national economy. There are other people and multiple variables involved in the national economy. That should be common sense. Of course, this is the analogy that conservatives use all the time, except when they go tone deaf about cutting taxes and balancing budgets (fiscally impossible without drastic spending cuts).


Franklin Roosevelt made a horrible mistake in 1936. He cut spending and raised taxes at a critical time, to reduce the deficit that convential wisdom said would fix the economy BUT instead ruined the economy. Consequently, it took another four years to get out of the depression, aided by renewed government spending due to World War II. The facts are, regardless of conservative revisionist history, that the New Deal was ending the Great Depression, conservative principles of budget balancing, just as Hoover had mistakenly done, pushed the country back into the Great Depression. Roosevelt to his dying day said it was his greatest mistake.

Today, we are headed exactly in the same direction. The conservatives, desperate to regain control of the Congress, are screaming that the federal deficit will ruin the country. They have blocked any further government stimulus spending, and created a climate of conventional political wisdom, that dictates cutting spending to end the recession. Of course this includes Social Security and Medicare (that have nothing to do with the deficit). Incredibly, this wisdom also calls on maintaining the tax cuts that created the deficit in the first place!

The Bush tax cuts, for the very wealthy, have decimated the middle class. Wealth has been concentrated in the top ½ percent of the population, jobs outsourced, and welfare safety net programs shredded.

The result has been the destruction of the consumer engine of the United States economy. This is of no consequence to multi-national companies, who have new consumer markets in India and China (and Brazil, and Argentina…and..and). The middle class does not count anymore to multi-national corporations. There are now other massive consumer markets to be mined. Americans simply do not matter anymore to these people. THEY DO NOT CARE..

The result? We are headed into a Great Depression. This one will be different however. In the last Depression everyone suffered. This time the top ½ percent of the American population are doing quite well. Multi-national corporations are prospering.

In effect, the United States is quickly becoming a “third world” country. Deflation is predicted in American markets. As the Depression spreads, it will take down upper middle class families, as the corporations spread their political power and ordinary people suffer. The “ruling class” (sounds un-American doesn’t it but get used to it) has absolutely no problem in doing this. THEY SIMPLY DO NOT CARE!!

The result will be an RULING CLASS oligarchy, like you see in Mexico for example. The United States is headed toward the end of its democracy at the hands of the tea party who purports to stand for “founding values” but is being manipulated by economic elites for their selfish gains. The middle class is done, and with goes American democracy.

What is developing is fascism. That’s right, fascism, with corporate elitist control that hates democracy. All we need is a Hitler. Sarah Palin will do.

The history is there. The lessons are there. The will to actually see, to actually understand, is being blurred and obscured by millions of corporate dollars who are jobbing history for their selfish advantage.

We have failed to read our history and are doomed to repeat it.

World War II was a direct result of the Great Global Depression. Over 75 million people were killed. Our fate will be far worse!

Why Can't the Democrats Get It?

Why the Democrats can’t catch on?

Winning both Houses of Congress and the Presidency at the same time is a great opportunity. In 2006 and 2008 the Democratic Party was given that mandate to govern.

This was especially important to counteract the six years of Republican hegemony that resulted in economic ruin. President Bush and the Republicans in Congress were able to reverse the bedrock financial and home mortgage regulations that dated back to the New Deal. The result was a financial disaster and a home mortgage meltdown of almost Biblical proportions.

Hence, the Democrats swept into power. The American People were petrified as it appeared in 2007-2008 that another Great Depression was about to occur.

President Bush, in a late inning effort to undo years of economic stupidity, rushed a bank and financial sector bailout through, much of it without Congressional approval. Both Presidential candidates gave it their tacit approval, not really appreciating the scope and depth of the crisis.

Herein lies the rub: Republicans never were much interested in the of damage to the middle class from the financial disaster. They were only interested in their Wall Street benefactors, so there was no economic justice concerns in them at all. Democrats, on the other hand, had a tradition of supporting groups for social justice and an economic justice legacy that went back to the Great Depression.

The problem is doing both at the same time. The Democrats message is two fold, while the Republican’s is one dimensional; tax cuts. The Democrats must convey a message that is by necessity complex and grounded in reality, while the Republicans is simple and disingenuous. It is noted that such simple messages are perfectly suited for professional ad campaigns (right down the conservative propaganda alley).

When John McCain suggested stopping all electioneering because of the financial crisis, he did so knowing that his party only need concern itself with the health of the financial elite. The simple solution was easy for McCain to enunciate. The Democrats’ task was much more complicated. Luckily, McCain had the misfortune to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate, and her lack of experience and knowledge derailed his campaign at a critical juncture. Besides, even the most expert ad campaign could not hide the Bush administration’s incompetence.

The Democrats represent the middle class, whose economic position had been slipping for the past 30 years. Unfortunately for the Democrats, during the past 30 years, it’s primary goal was social justice (the Civil Rights Act implementation, voting rights, abortion rights, equal pay issues, and gay rights). Somewhere in there, should have been a realization that the middle class laborer, usually a member of a union, was being destroyed. In short, the Democrats suffered a crisis of too many goals and not enough political clout to do it all. As a result, the people they represented began to leave them.

Republicans, desperately trying to avoid another loss like they suffered during the New Deal, focused on the economy with the same approach that had in reality, damaged the economy and economic justice for the middle class.

Of course, this did not bother them at all, because the political money was with the corporate leaders, who voted Republican anyway. The Democrats played right into their hands because their diverse constituencies demanded more than just economic reforms.

The Democrats, by trying to do too much, have endangered their majority support because economic justice is the most pressing issue of the day and they appear to not be “listening”.

Listening? This is another ad huckster dream. Recently, the Republicans have repeated this endlessly; The Democrats and the President are not listening to the American People. This strikes at the opening that has been present for years; Democrats are trying to serve two policy goals, social and democratic justice. Republicans, who caused the economic injustice in the first place innocently proclaim that it is the Democrats’ fault, and get away with it by hammering away at the goal of economic justice through trickle down economics.

So how is this possible? How could anyone possibly support the Republicans over a Democratic Party whose legacy is economic justice concerns? The Republican Party has always represented the corporations, big business, the rich. The New Deal realized that, and in the shadow of economic ruin, captured the middle class for two generations. So what is different now, given we are in another Recession/Depression that cries for economic justice reform?

What is very different, is the middle class, older white Democrat, who is either living through the decline of the middle class, or who has retired and is watching it affect his children. These older white males are collecting the fruits of the New Deal and Great Society, Social Security and Medicare.

Last summer this was manifest at an anger filled town hall meeting on Health Reform when a middle aged white man declared, “Make sure government keeps its hands off my Medicare”.

This same white Democrat harbors latent and overt hatred of welfare, lumping people of color into “welfare cheats and the lazy”. Moreover, these angry white middle aged men, as Democrats, felt betrayed by their party, as it advocated for people of color (Civil Rights), equality for women, and even for gays and lesbians! This pushed the limits of their limited tolerance to the point that they even voted Republican; the Reagan revolution still lives.

The key point here is retired white men, usually have Medicare and Social Security and take these significant economic justice issues for granted. They have turned on the Democratic Party because it appears to be favoring too many social issues, even Gays, at the expense of their children whose jobs have been outsourced by Republicans. Amazingly, this angry white man is so furious about the social justice issues, enter racism, that Democrats attempts to deal with modern economic justice issues (the concentration of wealth) are either ignored or belittled.

So many times, angry white men I know, go off on the “welfare cheats” and big government give aways to the lazy good for nothings, while ignoring the tragic economic justice losses of the middle class. It is like they won’t blame the actual perpetrators of the middle class destruction (right wing free enterprise fanatics), but turn on Democrats. Read, "What’s The Matter With Kansas".

President Obama’s first year’s in office offers stark examples of this political reality. The President has delivered on both the economic and social justice promises he made during the campaign. Unfortunately, economic realities dictated a “full court press” on economic justice, especially to address the under-employment of the middle class. For example, through extraordinary effort, a Health Care reform was passed, which if implemented has both social and economic justice reforms in it. Polls show a majority of Americans are highly skeptical, and in fact oppose the reform. They simply do not believe there is any economic justice reform in it.

The reason given is that Obama should have been focusing on jobs, and not health care reform. Health Care reform is depicted by Republicans (of course) as social justice reform (another big government give away to those too lazy to have health insurance) and not as an economic reform.

The devil is in the perception, not in the reality. The Health Care Reform actually contains more economic justice reform than it is given credit for. For example, there will be many jobs created with the expansion of health care to millions of Americans. There is a tremendous opportunity for real economic justice. But this will take several years, and America can’t wait. This is understandable when people have been unemployed for almost two yeas.

Bragging about the Health Care Bill, that will not even be implemented for a few years, is little comfort to the middle class who just had its home foreclosed.

So, as we go into a probable train wreck in the 2010 mid-term elections for the Democrats we know why.

Democrats need to simplify, as much as possible, its message to stress economic justice reforms and downplay social justice reforms. A good example of this was the adverse reaction to President Obama’s recent laudable support of the Moslem Cultural Center in Manhatten. Many Democrats I know were distressed that yet another social/cultural justice issue had been added to the Democrats’ plate, while Republicans keep chanting jobs, jobs, jobs.

What Democrats need to do is tell the true story of what deregulation and tax give aways to the rich has done to the middle class. This has to be simple and straight forward and relentless. Republicans are hoping the Democrats don't start using this approach.

However, typical of the Republicans, they just afforded an opening for this approach when they casually blurted out support for extending Bush’s tax cuts past this year. At the same time, they are chanting the need to address the federal deficit. This is so hypocritical than even Karl Rove can’t lie his way out of it. The federal deficit is made up of billions of dollars BECAUSE of the Bush tax cuts; especially for the rich. This strikes directly at the economic justice issue. This should be where the focus of the Democrats’ efforts in 2010 should be.

Economic justice for the middle class does not lie in tax cuts, and corporate tax breaks for the rich. That reality can be the Republican’s undoing in 2010.

Idots

Idots.

That is all I can find to describe the recent polls that blame the President for the economic calamity we find ourselves in.

Really? Or is the the conservative 24/7 press, led by Fox News (who recently blithely gave one million dollars to the Republican Party) who have successfully propagandized the people into believing up is down and red is white?

I prefer the latter. The polls on the actual political savvy and awareness of the average America are not confidence building.

Take the "Mosque" at ground zero for example. Very few have actually looked at the issue, or location for that matter. They just eat up the conservative pundits lies and fabrications.

As for the President. He inherited one of the biggest messes in American History. So far, he has successfully passed legislation far in excess of his predecessor.

Of course, he is expected to cure in one year what Bush did in eight.

Of course, no one is remembering the economic nonsense that got us here.

Idiots!

Taxes!

Taxes…… The word is almost hissed by everyone I know. Ronald Reagan went from selling Boraxo as a washed up B actor to President of United States based on a universal hatred (manufactured and real) of taxes. He reasoned that high taxes were hurting an economy that was suffering inflation and stagflation. Of course, he never actually proved that high taxes caused inflation and unemployment. He did cut marginal tax rates for the wealthy by several points and shifted millions in taxation from his wealthy actor friends to the middle class.

Franklin Roosevelt decided to balance the federal budget in 1936 as the nation had seemingly recovered from the worst of the great depression. He cut spending and cut taxes and the nation lapsed into a double dip recession. He later said it was the worst decision he ever made, which is taunting when you consider all the decisions he had to make to end the depression and win World War II.

California has the dubious distinction of being the birthplace of the “tax revolt”. Wealthy retail and rental owners decided that their property taxes were killing them, and the inflation in home values of the 1970s panicked homeowners into voting for Proposition 13 that slashed property taxes while providing no substitute for the billions that were taken from supporting public services; especially public schools.

Modest changes in property tax law, that would have protected long term home owners, would have worked, but were bullied over by greedy rental owners like Howard Jarvis.

Nobody talked at the time about the plus side to home price inflation; many middle class people became millionaires in the Bay Area because their $25,000 homes were now worth $1,000,000 with absolutely no property improvement. This was false value of homes through no real action of the homeowner.

Hence, the housing bubble essentially started with Prop 13; home values were actually encouraged to increase with no basis in reality, because higher property taxes were stopped. In fact, as time wore on, houses that turned over frequently, were taxed at a much higher rate, while large apartment rental properties, whose value also exploded, were guaranteed ridiculously low rates because they rarely changed hands.

In California, newly married couples, paid thousands of dollars more than their neighbors for houses of exactly the same value, because the other house has not been sold (and re-appraised) . Houses stand in California, mostly vacant now, next to one in the neighborhood whose property taxes are thousands of dollars less than their neighbors. This inequity has NEVER been addressed.

The governor and legislature, realizing that schools could not open with the decreased revenue, shifted support of public schools to income and corporate taxes. This was a huge shift, since before Prop 13 eighty percent of local schools revenue came from property taxes.

This was done in a climate of tax cuts will cure the national inflation problem (which was completely false) so other tax cuts were passed, mostly through California’s Proposition system. The ultimate result of this was to cut taxes while raising state spending, especially relative to school spending. Basically, the bills were NOT paid. The result was a low and inconsistent revenue stream that did not even keep up with the rise in population growth.

For the past forty years California has continued on this path. Meanwhile, conservative think tanks have popped up, mostly funded by the oil lobby, who purport to prove that endless tax cuts revitalize the economy. They, of course, revitalize the petroleum companies, insuring that they make record profits year after year. Low tax rates on petroleum encourages consumption and enslaves us to foreign oil.

The historical record show no empirical evidence that tax cuts stimulate the economy. Tax cuts for the rich and corporations do not result in economic growth. In fact, they retard economic growth because of the greed effect. The rich, who have excess revenue anyway, take their tax cuts and sit on them, or invest them overseas. Corporations do not necessarily expand with their tax cuts. Right now, for example, American corporations are flush with cash but are not hiring or expanding. They are hoarding, ostesibly because they are worried about the economy. One wonders what will happen after the 2010 elections. Could Republican corporate C.E.O.s be sitting on profits hoping to keep unemployment up so Republicans can be elected? The recent evidence of excessive C.E.O. compensation proves the greed factor is alive and well and screwing the middle class.

In 2001 and 2003 huge tax cuts were enacted over Democrat’s fillibusters. Because of this, a time limit had to be attached to them. During the next eight years the economy saw a housing bubble, but no real economic growth. In fact, de-regulation resulted in a financial meltdown that almost put the country into another Great Depression (we call this one the Great Recession).

The middle class has watched as its real income has dropped. Unemployment is at record levels and shows no sign of letting up. And the tax cutters, what do they purpose to undue the disaster they caused? More tax cuts!

American stands at a cross roads. If we buy the garbage the Republicans are spewing, that we MUST cut social programs (Medicare and Social Security) to get “wild spending” under control, and cut taxes, an economic disaster WILL result.

Look at California! The public education system, up through the University of California, has declined massively. Class sizes are soaring, thousands of teachers are laid off, I am sure vouchers will be the next trick. Democracy dies an inch at a time.

Meanwhile, California is considering electing another Republican governor who is promising to revitalize the economy by……cutting taxes.

Even Alan Greenspan, whose leadership of the Fed led us into an economic disaster, now says he was wrong, and de-regulation and tax cutting in fact damages the economy.

If you raise taxes, and cut spending (let’s start with the Defense Budget), you can quickly get the federal (and state) deficit under control. This will lessen the massive governmental borrowing that is going on, and will loosen the lending market, allowing more loans to go to businesses so they can expand. This will be particularly true in innovative business like green energy, that we must grow to start attacking the global warming phenomenon that may kill us all (anyone been to Russia lately?).

California Democrats made a recent proposal to end the budget impasse. This one involved leveling taxes, reducing reliance on income taxes on the rich, taxing petroleum production and basically rescinding a few tax cuts made over the past forty years. A family of four would see about a $250 increase in income taxes. That is $250 a year, and quick math results in about $21.00 a month. That is $21.00 a month!

You would think the Republicans had been threatened with water torture. The first thing out of their mouths was the neat catch phrase, “job killer bill”. Next was “attack on middle class”. What? Of course, they NEVER complain, as their tax cuts have zapped millions of middle class jobs and wrecked the American Dream.

So keep on cutting taxes for California and America. And watch as both become second class entities. Right now the average living standard in America ranks below Mexico! That’s right, Mexico, whose immigrants the Republicans love to hate.

Cutting taxes has NEVER stimulated the economy. There is simply NO empirical evidence (even the Kennedy tax cuts of the early 60s) that tax cuts stimulate the economy.

In fact, there is more evidence that tax cuts harm the economy. Why?

Because the government must pay its bills, even if it doesn’t collect enough tax revenue to do so. How does it make up the difference? One, government prints more money, which is inflationary, and thus harms the economy. Or, the government borrows the money, from a variety of sources, and that borrowing distorts the financial markets and HARMS economic growth.

We have listened for forty years to those who tell us that tax cutting is the ONLY way to stimulate economic growth. For the past forty years, both on the state and federal level, tax cuts have not only NOT stimulated economic growth, but have retarded it.

But, the allure of tax cuts is almost like night light to a moth. The American People keep coming back to it again and again, in spite of the considerable damage it is doing.

Stop it or America dies!

Cowardice and Stupidity

I know, I know...Progressives have a bad habit of calling the conservative movement unintelligent. It is not appropriate and falls into the trap of acting like the metaphor of intellectual snobs that Vice President used in between taking money on the side which led to his disgraceful exit from the public stage. He was a crook!

But there is no other explanation. How else could you explain the conservative stubborn hold to the claim that keeping the tax cuts will not add to the deficit. Couple this with the unbelievable and stupid notion that global warming and climate change are not man-made; and, the ignorance of holding to the position that the deficit is the problem of Obama alone and the Republican 8 year history of irresponsibility has nothing to do with it.

They are wrong and stupid.

And they are cowards.

Rather than tell the people the truth, they hold to the myth that cutting taxes and government revenue doesn't hurt.

The cowardice? That lies in the lie of cutting taxes, still spending, and not taking responsibility.

Conservatives don't take responsibility for their policies. They constantly move from one topic to another and never take responsibility for the thousands of teacher, police and fire fighter lay-offs, the huge hit the middle class has taken in the past nine years.

America is in decline. The conservative policy cowardice and economic stupidity put us there. Now, they lie and deceive, attempting to once again con the middle class independents into voting for their lies.

Meanwhile, they blame everyone but themselves for the pathetic condition the economy is in. They blame the Democrats, the unions, the "special interests" while the truth is the major cause of our agony is a cut rich people's tax approach that has caused massive government borrowing, reduced regulations, and economic catastrophe.

And, they stand on the sidelines, smiling, saying not us...oh no...we didn't do it.

Cowardice and Stupidity.

The Need for Community

Quest for Community was the book. I read it while getting my Masters in Government. I don’t remember the author but I do remember the premise.

The premise was that all political motivations come from a quest for community; at least, until the last thirty years anyway.

The backbone of the liberal democratic tradition that spawned the great social democracies of western civilization is community.

Human beings are by nature social beings. In fact, all primates share that trait. In fact, most animals also are social creatures.

The social community networks and structures are how human beings survive.

Communities exist for everything, from work relationships to economic ones.

These inter-relationships are what we call the social sciences.

Nihilism develops when human beings deny their social being. Individualism as an end itself negates social communities. The hermit is the most obvious example.

Today, politically, the libertarian and extreme right wing are adopting many anti-community, nihilistic attitudes and positions. These are coming from fear. Fear of different groups. Fear of the future. Fear.

Government is depicted as inherently bad. The individual is touted as the be all and end all of human endeavor. Anything that encourages social relationships is attacked as somehow socialistic or communistic.

These nihilistic trends run counter to the community desires of all people.

Americans are one of the loneliest people on earth. This is especially true of affluent Americans.

To be successful in America is to isolate yourself. If you have money you can own several cars, buy a house in a gated community, afford endless air conditioning, a private pool, a private yard, a private farm; everything is private. You also can afford a small family, 1.2 children at last census.

The digital revolution means private computers, high definition T.V.s and all sorts of electronic gadgets that people use ALONE. A digital T.V. means you can watch sports as if you were there. In fact, that is the point; you are “virtually” there. No crowds, you can watch it and be by yourself!!! Alone!

The rich find private schools for their few children. They have Nannies so they don’t even have to see or raise their children. They work all the time on their blackberries and laptops, or I-Pads, and don’t even have to see anyone. Email takes care of even talking to everyone.

Want to see this madness in action? Just get trapped in any traffic jam. You will witness one person per call amidst thousands of cars. You will see earplugs, people texting on cell phones, people listening to I-Tunes, and nobody even looking at anyone else. No human face to face contact.

Most commuters ignore public transportation. They would rather be in their private auto-box, in their own little world.

Today, the conservatives are pushing hard to maintain this world in spite of the negative and potentially catastophic environmental and economic ramifications. Radical conservatives point to “inefficient and failing” government at all levels as examples of community or collective action failing. They demonize community and deify the private individual.

Taxes are seen as collective manifestations of government failure. Any sharing of resources is attacked as Un-American.

So, America uses almost 30% of the world’s oil supplies with about 2% of the world’s people. The United States produces a fraction of oil, but uses most of it. Oil companies, greedy for profits, attack any attempt to move away from a fatal reliance on a diminishing oil supply. Meanwhile, the carbon footprint of the American citizen is the highest in the world.

This is all to feed the anti-community movement, the private, me first pathetic motivation of the desperately lonely American.

Alcoholism is at an all time high. Drug use is skyrocketing. Divorces are over 50% of marriages. The society is falling apart.

We are lonely, partly affluent (a diminishing number are while the rest THINK they are) and BORED. Americans are some of the unhappiest people on earth.

That’s right, bored and miserable. Have any of you every sat down to watch cable or satellite T.V., with hundreds of program choices and not found anything that isn’t boring. In third world countries, the array of T.V. choices would be a bounty of interest to most. To Americans, it is boring. Nothing excites us anymore.

The boredom and the loneliness are not coming from anything other than the lack of community and social contact in our lives. We get sick of our children and our spouse because they are sometimes the only ones we come in contact with for weeks!

Homeschooled children usually do well academically, but often are social misfits. As they mature, it is not unusual to see these bright children turn to drugs or crime. Certainly they are bored. They also don’t know how to relate to other human beings! But, more parents are pulling their children out of public and even charter schools to home school them. This further isolates the children of the affluent in cacoons of miserable lonliness.

The reason for all this misery? Lack of community.

The ache for community is obvious if any of you have ever taken the train. Trains, at least in the West, are museums on wheels. They are slow, inefficient and definitely not timely. However, they are one thing: interesting and have a community.

But is not the mechanic s of the train that is interesting. It is the community! It doesn’t take long before you are talking to total strangers, at first about why you are on a museum on wheels, than about family, home, your past, your children; etc. You find yourself talking to perfect strangers for hours on end.

This is different from air travel. Each seat is divided into threes (usually) and you can’t talk to the person behind or in front of you. So, you visit , between bouts of terror, but now very much. Usually everyone is alone with their blackberry or I-Pod, watching a movie or listening to music, or working; ALONE.

A train is way different. You can walk around on a train. You can move from car to car. They have a dining car, even a bar! You talk, you drink, and…..you live, you are part of a community!

No matter what the nihilistic crowd says, no matter how many billions they spend to keep us isolated from each other and line their pockets, people are still people. People need and yearn for community.

My wife grew up in a planned community in the mid-West. The community was organized around common meeting areas with no back yard fences. Everyone was encouraged to go outside in good and bad weather and visit with the neighbors. She talks about it all the time as a great way to grow up.

In my neighborhood, at least at first because the houses were mostly new, nobody had a fence. We had block parties, and all the kids played with each other. Housewives (there were such things because many moms stayed at home) visited with each other in the front or back yard, sitting at tables and sipping coffee for hours. They shared recipes, stories and lived each other troubles and triumphs.

Remember “I Love Lucy”? Two or three families were always together. The “Honeymooners”, same thing, Jackie Gleason was constantly with various neighbors. In fact, I cannot remember a plot when only the main character’s family was involved.

The difference from today? There were ommunites everywhere. People grew up together, matured together, and grew old together.

Nothing is more sad than the tragic isolation of seniors in American today. My father, for example is living in our home, my mother is gone, and his greatest “fear” is going to a rest home. So, he sits, with his dog, incredibly lonely. He doesn’t go to the Senior Citizens Hall, he does go to church once a week, with us, but that is it. Otherwise, unless we call or go by, he has his dog, his T.V., and his house; isolated and alone. And, the loneliness is killing him.

America is on the wrong track in many ways today. The most profound social error that exists is our rejection of community for isolation. The conservative movement is pushing this hard, in the mistaken belief that community is bad, that individualism is good.

Human beings are primates. Primates left alone, will simply wither and die.

We need community to thrive. We need it for happiness, for variety, for life itself.

That is why we need to rid ourselves of the automobile culture. That is why we need to get back on trains, buses or other public ways of getting around. That is why we need to build our communities with common areas, no fences, encouraging us to communicate with others. That is why we need to encourage public education, public parks, public not private everything.
Otherwise, we will have everything, except happiness.