Hello, everyone. As many of you have noticed my blogging fell off a bit this year. Part of this is that real life concerns and work that either earns me money, or might earn me money in the future, has taken precedence. But part of it is that so much of what annoys me on a day to day basis are things that I have already blogged about. If you've perused my posts, you've seen my complaints about the incompetence of government. So you'd think I'd have more to write about during a US Presidential campaign. But the reality is that the positions of most of the candidates are so banal, so pandering and so obviously lacking any sincerity, that I haven't felt much need to attack any of them. It feels too much like mocking toddlers or fighting with cripples. So I'll wait till the general election before I start pointing out why various political positions are stupid. And frankly, no matter who gets nominated, there will be a plethora of possible content on this front.
At the end of 2015, we're still sitting in the middle of the same terrible economy that we've had since the great recession. I've hit on the causes of this many times, but it's still disconcerting to hear the government crow about all the success its had getting people back to work. If you really think living in a part time, no-benefits gig economy is progress, you deserve a heap of scorn. Bragging about a low unemployment rate when the participation rate is bobbing around all time lows is willful ignorance. It's as if politicians don't realize that they are damning themselves with their own faint praise. There's a reason why Trump and Sanders are popular, its because the populace of the USA has realized the emperors have no clothes and no idea that their ugly nakedness is flapping in the breeze of their own hot air for all to see.
I find that I don't have a lot to be thankful for on the global economic and political fronts either. Terrorism has become a global issue and, if we aren't careful, a world war. Politicians seem torn between sticking their heads in the sand or wanting to nuke whole regions of the world. Like mass murder ever made people less violent and vindictive. Of course, ignoring problems usually isn't an effective solution either. Still, the lack of intelligent well thought out solutions is depressing. This reality doesn't leave me with much to write about, as I'm not one for hand wringing histrionics or stating the obvious. Suffice it to say that we're going to need targeted solutions to a multiplicity of problems and some global stability before we're going to be able to handle this issue.
I guess, when it comes down to it, the point of this post is to say so long to 2015 and good riddance. Also, with so few things in the public sphere to be thankful for, that we should all focus on ourselves, our friends, and our families, for things to be happy about. When the world looks like crap, I guess you need to go home and hug the ones you love. Find happiness in the personal. And lastly, here's a virtual ogre hug, from me to you, for reading my blog. I wasn't sure who'd read my posts when I decided to vent my spleen on the internet, but a few thousand of you have. And for that, I am grateful.
No comments:
Post a Comment