7 Main Differences between the Great Depression and NOW
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There are 7 main differences between the Great Depression and what I think will be an even Greater Depression coming. Those differences are both economic and social as well as global. I'm going to make this as short and sweet as possible. I don't believe in bull sh*t. So here it goes.
They are:
- We don't make anything anymore and we are competing with "slave" labor in other countries.
- We are completely in debt both individually and nationally and the size of government is out of control.
- The Baby Boomers are a comin!
- We're already in 2 wars (3 if you count Libya).
- We don't have intact families.
- We aren't related to the land any longer and we are dependent upon the government.
- We have no moral compass and the prison population is the largest in the world.
1. Let's take the first item. We don't make ANYTHING anymore. When is the last time you saw "Made in the U.S.A." on anything? I can't remember when I turned an item over and saw that, that's how long it's been. We used to make everything, we used to make cars..now the cars sit in lots with no buyers and the corporate executives come every few months with their hands out so that they can make their million dollar mortgages. We used to make gadgets and widgets and plates and toys and T.V's and furniture, now what do we make? I think we still make chocolate but I just recently heard that the York Peppermint Patty factory recently closed it's doors and moved south in order to have cheap labor.
This is the most important item in the list because if we don't make anything, we can't employ anyone to make anything and therefore we can't tax anyone not making anything...get it! It kind of brings everything to a standstill.
2. The second item, debt, is the second most important thing. During the Great Depression, no one was in debt including the government. Now all of our tax money just goes to pay the interest on the national debt. When considering all of the unfunded mandates the debt owed per person in the United States is 1 million per person! In the Great Depression we didn't have the Housing Crises, or the Credit (card) Crisis. As citizens we can't get a grip because the pole has been waxed with oil from debt. It's difficult to start a business if you are bankrupt and it's difficult to even make ends meet when taxes take such a big bite out of everyone's paycheck and grocery bill (You don't think that taxes are just in your paycheck do you?). The government is simply printing money out of thin air, when that happens inflation is speeding down the highway and will come sooner than you can say $10 milk! No one has any cash saved and even if you do when inflation hits it's going to take all of your cash. We didn't have this problem in the Great Depression because no one was in debt (generally speaking).
3. The Baby Boomers are a comin! Yes, they are and when they start "in mass" drawing on that social security ponzi scheme we've all been paying into and using up the medicaid resources it will be a hit like you've never seen before. There IS NO MONEY people! Not only will they want their money but they will also betaking out their 401k's and savings out of the system, out of a system that already doesn't have enough money. This was also NOT a problem in the so called Great Depression.
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4. During the Great Depression WWII helped to get us out of the
Great Depression because it provided jobs, now we are in 2 wars, the
problem here is that the amount of jobs created is not sufficient to
bring us out of this tsunami. Maybe we should have WW III, maybe that would do it! I'm being facetious in case you didn't get it.
5.
The other reason this downturn is going to be worse than the Great
Depression is that we no longer have intact families. During the Great
Depression, people helped each other, people went back home and families
assisted each other. And in that family there might be 5 or 6
siblings, if one got a job he or she contributed to the family. Today
we are lucky to have one family that is intact with maybe 1 or 2
siblings, let alone extended families. Moreover, there are a lot of
people who are single and without anyone to go to should they get into
trouble. What will these people do? Where will they go when they are
at the end of their rope?
6. During the Great Depression 25% of
Americans lived on farms, today that figure is less than 2%. Not only
did they live on farms but a lot of people had victory gardens and
chickens and knew how to survive without electricity, today that number
would be next to nothing. We are very dependent today on technology and
the government back then we weren't. Should another Great Depression
hit us now, we will be much less able to take the hit then we were back
then.
7. Finally, we have lost our moral compass. We have the
highest incarceration rate in the world, one in 99 people in the U.S. is
in prison at a cost of over 49 billion a year. This was not the case
during the Great Depression. When people have their backs against the
wall, with no moral compass, violence will be the norm.
I wish I
could provide some good news and if you know of any in regards to this
topic please feel free to share it with me. Finally, I hope that I am
wrong but I think the facts speak for themselves. Good luck and God
Bless us all.
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Yes, I agree
crikey, you are in a cheerful mood!I hope you are wrong, I fear you may not be.
Yea, funny thing is I am cheerful anyway, because why not? It doesn't help to be sad, BUT that doesn't mean that I am blind to what is going on either.
Very good points. It's been bad already for many people, and it's going to get worse before it gets any better. I agree with Vladimir. We need revival.
Too bad government can't legislate spiritual awakening (ie, make it happen). I have felt this way for many years.
There may be another factor making the coming crisis worse than the one 80 years ago: Now there's widespread utter dependence upon high technology (which we take for granted, smugly - electric grid, internet, TV, cell phones, etc). If it crashes, from sabatoge or natural disaster or whatever, there could be a lot of helplessness & confusion & paralysis. Just a cheery thought to brighten your day, ha ha.
Yes, I eluded to that in item #6. It's a scary time.
Enjoyed your straight forward post. You've got it all correct as far as I'm concerned. I don't know which of your points is most alarming. Personally, I wish I lived on a farm right now and not in the city. Great Hub.
The farm thing is something I think about everyday.
A friend of mine recently gave me a button that simply says "to have more, desire less". we have been lving in a consumerist society for a very long time. it may very well be that we'll al be forced to. there is a lot of gloom and doom about the future, all of the what ifs about wide spread blackouts and even anarchy sweeping across this country. time are certainly tough.
You kow, if a person gets in an accident and finds themselves suddenly paralyzed, that person cannot focus on what they cannot do for very long. In order to recover, they must focus on what they can. If they don't, they'll die. while it is true that we don't built much in this country, there are things that we can do. we must focus on that.
many years ago, there was an airliner that crashed, oklahoma I think it was. the airliner with 150 or passengers suffered nearly complete loss of control. the only thing that the pilot had control over was the throttle on one engine. these pilots are trained, they have it drilled into them inflight simulators to keep flying the plane no matter how many malfunctions they encounter. that is what this pilot did. he kept flying the damned plane even though all he had was the throttle on one engine, he brought the plane down and saved a lot of lives.
it is true that things are pretty broken right now, but we've got to keep flying the damned plane
there are people that build things, people who work in cottage industry all over this country. I am one of those. I and many others like me are constantly looking for new things to do, new ways to make money, new innovative ways to save money.
in the great depression, the biggest cause of loss, the biggest factor that kept it going was fear. Had that pilot in the oklahoma airline crash succumbed to his fear, he would have stopped flying the plane and everyone would have died. I and others like me who build things could succumb to the fear, hide in the basement with a shotgun and a few hundred pounds of rice and wait for the end. believe me, if we did that, the end wouldn't be far of.
it was said in the great depression, it was true then, It is a pretty safe bet that it is true now, the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.
Hello Brie.
Thanks for valuable info.
I talk about bad things often, but I do not fear. I must live what I preach and preach what I live. This is only way to go.
Because I went through socialism I want to inform. But we did not listen and got what we were ignorants of.
God will take care of believers.
I agree, do not fear him who can kill the body, but fear Him who can send both body and soul to hell.
awesome information
I do not want to play devils advocate but I believe we all have our place in the world. For example, my birthday is on my license that is reality in theory my birthday has been in the making for years, decades, before Jesus Christ when our first ancestors arrived. With that being said everyone is like that the world is like that. I did not choose to be born I was part of the process.
Again the world, in theory when you look outside is a man built world. We built roads, business, law and police structure. In theory we had to. Without communication we would still be cavemen. Mothernature we can not control, whether or not we are in depression we have to think positive and work together.
As for the farms in the great depression, lets be honest people could not surf the web and go on airplanes to visit theiur friends. We were building america. California still makes up 70 percent of the agriculture grown. America now adays also preaches the importance of school and education. If we pay more attention to our mentors maybe we can turn people who want to be farmers into enviromenatlists or engineers.
Rather than critize the problems we are all experiencing and re stating the facts we need to concentrate on what to do to rebuild america. Thanks to the news, reminding us of what bad living conditions we are in, the last thing we need is more scared people giving their two cents about last nights news and upsetting people much more then they need, and concentarte on how we can help. Remember out of the great depression came fdic, social security, and the start up of banks all which we use today.
I don't think I am scaring people as much as alerting them. I hope that I am wrong but I don't see how we can avoid some of the things mentioned (like the Social Security problem). I think that having accurate knowledge will help people prepare. I don't think it's ever prudent to put your head in the sand.
I agree. It is unjust world. But looking on bright side, I believe that in-spite of troubles, Lord is in charge. But only if we are under His shield. I believe in rapture. I went through socialistic hell, and He help me to come to new land :).
But please keep hubbing. You are bringing good info.
Thanks Vladimir
Sorry Brie, but I disagree. First, luckily it no longer appears that we are headed towards a depression period, let alone one worse than the GREAT depression. Second, many of your points aren't substantiated by fact (for example, double check your source that "during the Great Depression, no one was in debt including the government"). Instead, everything appears based on anecdotal evidence or misconception/misunderstanding of our economy.
Take the myth that "We don't make anything anymore and we are competing with "slave" labor in other countries."
We have the largest economy in the world, and among the highest GDP per capita anywhere. We manufacture more today than at anytime in our nation's history, it just happens to be a shrinking part of our overall economy - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For example, it allows for a more diversified and resilient economy. As bad as things are here at the moment, they are deteriorating much more quickly in places like Germany where manufacturing still plays a bigger role.
I frankly question every point you make, at least as it relates to us somehow being worse off during another great depression. So what if we can't grow our own vegetables anymore? Do you really think our economy is going to collapse to the point we all move back onto farms? Agriculture has shrunk from more than 40% of GDP in the early 1900's to less than 2% today, yet we produce WAY more food than we can possibly consume. That is technology and productivity for you.
Things are bad, and may get worse before they get better, but I think no matter what, we'll be much better off than we were during the Great Depression.
I would like to know your sources. Mine are here:http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2009/04/world-econo and also the film IOUSA as well as a few others that I would have to look up. Yours are?
Also, the comment about there being no debt in during The Great Depression was overstated I should have said much much less.
Well, there are too many issues to cover on this particular topic. As there are a few more variable that can factor into the outcome of this recession. As the author stated that they are realistic points, but the end result can appear more depressing and frightful.
In general, most people are followers, a few are leaders. If chicken little says the sky is falling, people will run for cover. If the leader states in order for us as Americans wishes to better the economy. Then go out, live a little, spend a little, allow the money to circulate. If all you are doing is retaining it in the bank, collecting a mere lousy 1/2 percent in savings, 2% if you're lucky in a CD.
Only the banks win. In addition, due to all the housing lending catastrophe, they are reluctant to loan YOUR money out to others. Only if your credit is impeccable, and comparable to God. Another word, the banking industry is not doing their part in recirculating the economy to assist in rebuilding the economy. One does not have to be an economist to figure this, just apply a little common sense.
Times are tough for everyone, as a small businessman, on my 5th year, I did better in my first three years than the last two. I saw this French movie while back, the 70's when I was a kid (showing my age). I can only remember the ending part. It was about the French Indo-China with their Vietnamese counterpart. The Captain is navigating his cruiser out of the Mekong Delta.
His first officer looks at the Captain and says " Je crois que on perdu cet guerre" ( I think we lost this war). The Captain replies, "evidament, toute est perdu sans espere" ( evidently, all is lost without hope).
Keep up your spirit and your hope.
In spite of everything I am optimistic personally. I think that there are ways to navigate through the mine field, but saying everything will be fine does not help (not that you said that). I believe in looking at the facts and finding the truth and then making decisions based on that. Good luck to you.
Brie, You sound exactly like what the problem truly is in America today--- typical whining, uneducated, misinformed lazy people whom have nothing better to do that offer a misinformed opinion (on system created by the governement you condemn)
1. A stupidily simple google search ( an american product) reveals this webpage http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/
2a The US government has not been debt free since 1830. It is a well known fact and If you knew your countries history you would know this.
2b. The size of governement manages 360+ million people presently, and numerous agencies to effectively manage these denizens. For and example of them please refer to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States
3. Yes, this is a suprise to you? What else was there to do in 1946?
4. Two Wars? Again, you don't understand your statement. Wars in what regard? Monetarily? Personnel? Technology? Land gain? Resource gain? Intelligence gain? If you open you narrow cross hairs --you can see we have been at war everyday for the last 200 years. The only difference is that the body count is at times lower. But this knowledge would only be useful if you knew what federal agencies there were and why they are chartered.
5. Here again you don't know history. During the great depression, people did not have automobiles and plane travel was not abundent, didnt have phones ( or one per ten people), didnt have computers, didnt have means to keep food cold or preserve it, didnt have health care, etc.... Furthermore, the great depression only affected 15% of the US population. Keep in mind - 25% of the work force IS 15% of the population (even today) This includes people who are old enough to work and are below retirement age. There was 1/3 the population in 1929-1940 that there is today. There also was TB, Pnumonia, Polio and other health factors that create the "lore" of the "great depression". Another factor that was around then that isn't around now is the cause of the "dust bowl". So as a the populous evolves so does the soicety. You should travel to Utah, or visit a Catholic family- the ideals of many members in a family are still alive and well.
6. This is just evolution of a society. I am sure you would be complaining if you no longer could walk your horse on the street because of automobiles.
7. Correction -: You have no moral compass. Look at the opinons you have given and the conclusion that you have drawn and unfortunately have found support - Meanwhile, most of your conclusions are not US history. Even your statement is just lip service, "I believe in looking at the facts and finding the truth and then making decisions based on that. " If this was truly your mantra, you would have done a better job instead of providing such easy opinions to shoot holes through.
My sources?
Google. College History classes, History Books, paying attention to detail
Sad, but very true. We have to produce things, not broker them...
Nice piece, Brie. Seems like your most vehemently offended were those that barely could compose a sentence without a misspell or paragraph without a coherent thought. One factor that you omitted was the educational system in this country no longer being competitive with the rest of the planet. I believe we now rank #24-28 in the world. There are more honor students in India alone than there are total students in this country. Eventually comfort, resting on your laurels, isolation and the chest beating "we're #1" mantra will catch up to you.
Thanks HalC3, I have written (on one of my other hubs) about the school system. I used to be a teacher so I am well aware of the problems. Here is the link: http://hubpages.com/hub/What-is-Wrong-with-America
You are right about it all, but we must have wanted to be where we are at or we wouldn't be here. I'm a firm believer in "choice" - obviously we've all played into the three blind mice game - we turned our eyes away from it all - we got sucked into fancy cars, movies, games, music, media - we made our focus "entertainment" and "luxury" - we chose something that isn't sustainable living.
The house of cards was built on sand and not only has it collapsed and taken us with it, I'm not too certain there is a way out.
I agree LessthanZero, however one should always live their life with hope because to completely give up does no good either.
Excellently put Brie. I’ve been meaning to write an article about an impending Great Depression but I haven’t because I thought the subject is too big for a lot of people to comprehend plus people just accuse you of being a pessimist rather than a realist. But we are already in the longest recession since records began so it makes sense to at least consider what hardships we could face in a depression.
The bottom line is that Capitalism is an ideology that has failed. People don’t realise that the reality they know is really just a flawed social theory that is contributing to infinite amounts of problems in the West that it is becoming harder for the mainstream media to conceal.
Our generation would suffer far worse than the generation who struggled in the Great Depression as we are the people who have been entirely programmed to revolve our lives around consumerism. Rich or poor, we all depend on the supermarkets for food. So what good is infinite amounts of wealth if the system collapses? Back then, they didn’t have much so they were more equipped to deal with hardships, we are far more vulnerable than they are, they could grow vegetables, make clothing, rear animals, they were all survivalists yet they still struggled. What can we do? Well we can shop!
Our lack of skills will contribute to our own demise. Our loss of community and kinship to each other means we are far worse equipped than the people who endured The Great Depression. The recession is now easing so people will breath a sigh of relief and continue to chase materialism under the misguided assumption it will bring long term happiness. The clock for boom and bust has been reset by the bankers bailout and the financial cartel now have free reign to continue with the cycle of debt making that powers the system. Tick, tick, tick… the time bomb continues.
If people want to know what will happen when the bomb finally goes off they should read Grapes of Wrath or watch the excellent film adapted from the book featuring Henry Fonda.
To Everyone who has commented in the last 2 months: For some reason my email notification was off so I wasn't notified when you wrote your comments. Thanks for commenting and I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond in a timely manner.
I believe the best thing to do for anyone now is to learn how to farm and how to grow your own foods! period!
The government and whatever the things that they have been doing are not exactly doing the proper job that they are paid to do.
The country has been very much in debt and they make it worst by bailing out companies for 800 billion dollars!
How could anyone survives such stupidity.
The people should fire the whole congress IMO
I agree, unfortunately the people who really run things would just run new, corrupt people.
You provide quite a bit of information there, and it all seems to be historically accurate. I just have one thing to offer, and I'm going to preface it by saying I'm not pro big government even though my comment will make me sound like I am.
We are in a depression, don't kid yourself. Whether it will be as great or greater than the great depression remains to be seen, but I believe it will. The one thing that currently seperates us from it is our government. During the depression, you couldn't apply for unemployment, or disability, WIC, welfare, etc, which is why nobody is starving in a Hooverville like the did 80 years ago. You are right about there being no money, and once the pennies that are left are spent, then it will be a Great Depression. God help us then.
I agree Caladan Ravnos, thanks for commenting.
I appreciate your views, but your facts aren't cited (I know for a fact that millions were in debt during the great depression, most 401K'as have already been pillaged, and it wasn't WWII that got us out of the great depression - it was the manufacturing base) and your writing style is...well...as an English teacher I would probably give you a C-.
That being said, I agree with everything you are saying. I also believe the fix is very simple - people should cut up their credit cards and live well below their means (this entails saving, cooking at home, and only making purchases that are needed).
If we all did this, you witness a sea-change in the economy.
Well, Mike..the manufacturing base was based on WWII. As far as being an English Teacher,why don't you publish some hubs and then we'll have something to critique, if you don't like my hubs don't read them. Regarding the credit cards and cooking, I have already written several hubs about that. And, ummm speaking of citations, where are the citations on the facts that you are disputing?
You are maybe a little right about the moral compass being the causes of so many people in prison or committing crimes. But the biggest problem is the size of our government and the laws they pass on a daily bases that are hidden from the public eye or even vote. We are entering a police state, check points, real I.D. and so on! It's been the case since civilization that when a group that is in charge of the masses without any repercussions they become spoiled and act out and get away with it until people overthrow the group in charge. We are a young country compared to others in the world. I guess the clock is running out on this government.
I have seen this
Good for you, most haven't.
Hi Brie. Thanks for a very interesting and provocative hub. I agree that we have enormous structural problems in front of us but they can be addressed if we force our government to face them and not pander to special interests. I believe the Obama administration has taken several halting steps towards this with enormous push back from the right. It is unfortunate that we do not make as much as we used to here but we do still produce most of the new cutting edge technologies. The baby boomers are a coming and we must re-structure how we are going to fund government retirement benefits. I don't believe government will ever eliminate them. That would be political suicide and politicians for the most part operate under the rule of self survival. I hope that the 2 wars will be wound down within 5 years and let's hope we are not stupid enough to enter into any new ones. Personal debt has begun to decrease with this economic crisis and I hope this continues though I'm skeptical. The Obama administration has promised to come up with a plan to decrease the structural budget deficit and I hope he does. If not, we will be headed off a an economic cliff. I have to maintain my faith in the U.S. to find our way out of this economic crisis and solve our problems. The alternatives are too dire. Thank you again for this hub encapsulating our problems. I still have faith we will solve them but my faith is wearing thin.
I guess it's better to have faith than to have none, thanks for writing.
Thank you for finally promoting the truth online. These facts are being intentionally hidden from the american public by the Obama administration. This generation of children are TOTALLY dependant on technology and other people. When another great depression hits they will have to turn to survive because they have no valuble skillls. Prepare for it america, its coming. Soon.
Thanks for commenting john h
Thanks for commenting john h
Great hub, Brie! I support your thoughts on the matter. At least you're keeping people AWAKE.
Thanks JD, hope you are well.
BRIE
For what it’s worth, my comments
1 .We don't make ANYTHING anymore.
The world is a lot smaller than it was back when many of the products were made in the good ole USA.
We can’t compete because of higher labor costs (union and higher living standards), the government taxing structure hinders local investment in the USA. Taxes by the government on our made products leave us at a disadvantage in world trade.
2. The second item, debt, is the second most important thing.
The present congress and administration idea of coming out of the recession is to spend more money,Ignore the national debt and create additional burdens on the rich and businesses.
2/13/10 2:04 PM EST ( NOTE THE DATE )
President Barack Obama is hailing pay-as-you-go budget legislation he SIGNED Friday night as one in a series of crucial steps needed to snap Washington out of a destructive pattern of overspending.
“Now, Congress will have to pay for what it spends, just like everybody else,” Obama said in his radio and Internet address released Saturday
morning. “After a decade of profligacy, the American people are tired of politicians who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk when it comes to fiscal responsibility. It’s easy to get up in front of the cameras and rant against exploding deficits. What’s hard is actually getting deficits under control. But that’s what WE MUST DO
3. The Baby Boomers are a comin! Yes, they are and when they start "in mass" drawing on that social security ponzi scheme
Social security is now paying out more than what the fund is receiving. The government will be paying on the IOU’s with borrowed money. Social security laws will change.
4. During the Great Depression WWII helped to get us out of the Great Depression
The stimulus bill started out as $767 billion, today it is $ 826 billion. Unemployment is at 9.7% and the job market is still flat. Note that only 43% of the stimulus has been spent mostly in the public sector. The private sector jobs cannot be found.
5. The other reason this downturn is going to be worse than the Great Depression is that we no longer have intact families.
The morals of the country in raising families intact with fathers and mothers together does have an influence on future generation.
6. During the Great Depression 25% of Americans lived on farms
In those days people were poor. Today progress and invention has made the USA one of the greatest countries in the world today. Along with progress comes the environmentalist.
7. Finally, we have lost our moral compass
The politicians remind us that ‘’we are a country of the rule of law ‘’ except that Washington feels that they are above the laws. One example is that President Barak Obama and Attorney General Holder refuse to enforce the immigration laws of the land. They are in violation of their duties required by the constitution and oath of office.
Brie, the good news is that you are aware of the serious situation that our country is in with the present Congress and Administration. It is for all of us to speak out and demand the truth from our elected officials in Washington. The fact that Congress is silent regarding the administration’s actions are disturbing. My messages to remind them is ‘’ you were elected by the people to do the peoples work before the work of the party’’.
Perhaps I was wrong about Ms. Hoffman. I admire your deep intellect, list of achievements, the similarities of interests, and the scope of your concerns. I share many of these thoughts and values. I watch out and avoid to some degree, the deep focus on what are negative, yet real issues, simply because I wish my life to be constructively directed into positive achievement and successful outcomes. I love life, nature, the great outdoors, travel and reading. I love music, festivals and fairs. My political interests and awareness tend to take me to places that ultimately are counterproductive to contentment and happiness. I give to many people and try to make the world a better place.
God bless you,
Jim Court
Elmhurst, Illinois
I love this hub! everything you have said is right. you know a lot of people think us humans are advancing and becoming smarter because of our technology but really technology is the result of our forefathers ideas and our fathers work. in reality we as a human race are definitly no smarter than we were 5o years ago.metaphorically speaking technolgy has evolved where as we as humans have not.
Very true.
You can write to me using the contact button if you want.
And where is that located?
Upper right hand corner below my pic.
Great piece, lot of good points, however I would leave God out of the equation since God left us out of the equation when the Big Bang took place. Not that I don't believe in the Creator, but less about that and more about what needs to be done to correct the situation would be a bolder comment.
The problem IS that we have left God, God never left us.
For one thing America's infrastructure is falling apart. From power grids to dams to bridges to streets all need to be fixed. I heard a term called 'patch and pray" in reference to fixing the bridges. Stop these stupid wars and bring the troops back and put money back into America or face the dire consequences.
I agree...we need to have a French American Revolution!
God isn't going to do anything. Everyone needs to take care of themselves.
I disagree John
I would say that we have much more of a moral compass today than during the depression. How could that be disagreed with? It is true that our prison population has exploded, but I would take into consideration of cause/effect rather than result based upon percentage of the population. Since the 30s, we have declared more things illegal, like "drugs." It isn't that drugs are a larger part of our society by any means, in fact, they are now used much less. Take a look at the levels of opium consumption over our country's history. Cocaine was a substance sold at the store, and in every spectrum of product. During the 20s and 30s we considered women to be property, no rights, along with minorities. A klansman was president just a few years earlier (Coolidge). A great part of the American population had no problem with lynching a black man for looking at someone wrong. We hadn't yet even put the Japanese in internment camps, but would soon. Child abuse was rampant and approved. We didn't even try to fight companies who were abusing the people, dumping waste in the water supply, selling contaminated products. The "good ole days" weren't good for anybody unless you were a white guy with privilege.
Sorry, forgot to talk about the prison population. Right now in America the prison lobby is the 2nd largest lobby out there. Think about that. Health care, big oil, banks...nope, prisons. There are billions in the prison industry, and it is easy to sell too. Prisons get 35k per prisoner, but they don't spend 35k on the prisoners people. That is profit margin at its greatest level. The more you make things illegal, the more the prison population grows, the more money the boards can pocket. Right now, over half of the offenses dealing with incarceration are due to drug offenses. 64% of those involve marijuana. It is a sham people. More people are in prison not because we are a worse society as individuals, we now have a system which allows for private prisons, for profit private prisons, and a list of laws that declare plants illegal.
Wait, did you just praise GOD and then declare the need for a American version of a French Revolution? Wow, talk about historic irony.
Ask a child who has been sold into sex slavery if things are better!
Hmmm...so child sex slavery is a new thing? Today we have laws and regulation to fight it, while in the past it was just tolerated. Seriously, after all the tings mentioned, all the things that have changed for the better, and you seriously think the 20s and 30s were a more moral time? Holy cow. Wow.
Why don't you read some books that were written at that time and see for yourself. Even the newspapers would help to enlighten you (from that time). Things were not anywhere near as bad as they are now, you are just ignorant of it.
I never said child sex slavery was new...it is now more prevalent.
The 1930s problem was political-economic. This one is political-economic AND overpopulation, resource depletion (including energy source depletion, fresh water, arable land, oceans running out of fish...), half the people already dependent on government, government AND corporate "ossification"...
I disagree about the resource depletion bit...I think there is more than enough if the governments would quit stealing it from the people.
It also bears repeating is the deadening effect of stifling bureaucracy and inertia. Just mentioned on radio this AM: It took only 18 months in the depression of the 1930s to build the Empire State Building, at the time the tallest building in the world. Today, almost nine years after 2001-09-01, there is still a big hole in the ground where the twin towers stood.
The fricking wog mosque near "ground zero" will likely be built before the twin towers are replaced.
In those nine years since 9/11, Dubai has put up the new tallest building in the world. China and Brazil have built humongous dam and irrigation projects. If the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, California), also built during the depression, was to fall down and need to be replaced, would it ever be rebuilt? Not in our lifetimes.
So true, so true...this is a result of corruption too.
9/11 was an inside job. And that's why there's no skyscraper replacement or memorial.
I too believe it was an inside job, however, you'd still think that they would have a replacement.
I hate to agree with this but I definitely agree. Everytime I hear that the economy is starting to "bounce back" I see gas prices going up, cigarette prices going up, I see the price at the register for groceries going up only thing that isnt going up is income. Its going to get alot worse before it gets any better that is for sure
What a tremendous Hub! To get this kind of a lengthy (and numerous) comment string is amazing. You handled the many comments very well. I especially liked your response to John. Short, sweet, confident and to the point. Couldn't have said it better! Please keep writing!
Wow, thanks for the great comments I hope you are a fan!
and what about that ticking time bomb to our south?
And what exactly is it that you think GOD can do for us? If you truly believe in God, doesn't it follow that he made us this screwed up? Oh wait, I know...free will.
Free will given to humans is like giving a monkey a machine gun to play with.
I have a higher view of humans than that of monkeys.
So what exactly do you and the other "believers" who posted earlier think that God is going to do for us to solve all our problems?
Maybe ANOTHER mass extinction?
He is coming back and will reign as King of the earth for 1000 years.
It's all been foretold. He will turn our swords into plow-shears.
Christopher Hitchins will find out that he has been living a fairy tale pretty soon since he has cancer...I hope he wises up before it's too late.
Before Jesus comes, there will be a great Tribulation in which the world will suffer more than ever before...read the Bible, it lays it all out. I'm just warning those that will still be here.
Fervent "Christians" get cancer too. Porky Falwell dropped dead from eating too much,
So if you believe the Bible, why are you writing columns about a depression? Just accept it and get ready for Jesus to return. By the way, why doesn't he get his ass back here now and stop child abuse and genital mutilations and starvation in Africa. Do you believe in Santa too?
Yes, everyone dies including your overweight friend Christopher Hitchins. Jesus will come back when the last person to be saved has been and when all the prophecies are fulfilled...don't you worry you will bend your knee too!
We do not know the day nor the hour when Jesus will return, he told us to watch for signs and those signs are here. It could be tmo it could be in 5 years, of one thing I'm relatively certain ...it will be in my lifetime. And, I have very few possessions if that matters at all.
And yes I really believe it and I write about it because its true whether I am here or not.
Satans greatest advantage is that you don't believe in him.
again. why are you writing about a depression? who cares? Jesus is returning anyway, so none of this BS matters. Satan? Why did GOD create Satan? If God is all powerful and all loving, where did Satan come from? And if satan exists, how are you so sure that Satan won't win???
You describe this like it is some movie that you know the ending to. the truth is you don't believe this nonsense or you wouldn't care about the depression we are in (now that I believe) And you wouldn't care about your column or your writing career or how many followers you had. You have an ego just like we non-believers. you are kinda cute though, in a Tina fey kinda way.
I care about the people who will go through...maybe you don't care about others but I do.
My writing is a hobby, I enjoy it...
Actually I like your writing,but if you believe Jesus is scheduled to visit earth in your lifetime, why aren't you home with family waiting for Him. And does he visit other planets too?
And I would like an answer to my Satan question. If you believe that old Bealzabub really exists, then how do you know Jesus will win this fight between good and evil? Doesn't it scare you that Satan might win??
Probably because you don't freaking believe it!
And I really do like your writing.
Jesus told us what to do while we spend our time here on earth and that was to spread the gospel. I visit my family when I can but those that are saved I will be hanging out with for forever so I'm not to worried about it now.
I know that Jesus will win over Satan because of all the other times he has said things that have come true. I'm 100% sure of it because of the prophecies that have already come true and because of my own experiences with God.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to believe in the existence of satan and be "100% sure".
If you are 100% sure, then Satan is a made up concept. Are you also 100% sure you won't get some form of cancer (like Hitchens) Of course not, because cancer is real.
Whatever
Brie, You are right about most things that can be proven. That is a pretty good record. Your religious thoughts need more work but keep trying.
My religious thoughts just fine...maybe you need to work on yours!
I hope God gets here before Radical Islam does.
Me too!
what is your opinion on that?Im worried for my children s children.
Trust in Jesus Christ and hope for the rapture. Teach them that no one knows how long they have on this earth. Heaven is our true home and if we trust in Jesus we will be ok in the end. There is no hope outside of Jesus Christ. Don't teach them to be cowards, teach them to be courageous and that we have but one life to shine no matter what. You want to teach them that what they do on this planet will matter in eternity.
This country makes Hondas, Toyotas, Izuzus, Mitsubishies, Fords, Mercedes, BMWs, Hyundais; We make Boeing Aircraft in demand worldwide. The reason we have fewer extended families is because we have cars, the Interstate, and freedom to pursue jobs anywhere we wish.. We have not lost our moral compass; we now build, buy and sell prisons, and enact enough ridiculous laws to keep said prisons occupied. We didn't have the SS or Medicare safety net during the first depression. And lastly, tax the rapture-heads.
Thanks for setting us all straight, I guess we can all go to bed and sleep soundly now that you say everything is really ok.
Your opinions would be much more easy to qualify if you included works cited rather than just citing a movie you saw and one study.
Some things are not cited because I feel that they are obvious.
Thank you for sharing this!! I have a hub that is along these same lines, I sort of touched on this subject, but not at all to the level in which you have. Great work!!! My hub, mostly talks about gas prices, and unemployment issues, here in the Great Northwest. Please feel more than free to check it out, and leave me a comment, tips, or suggestions. Thank you, from a brand new fellow hubber. A.B.
I will amybradley77, thanks for commenting!
Eh, I don't see what a moral compass has to do with our current prison population. That is just right-wing rhetoric.
Over half of our prisoners are there for non-violent offenses. Sell drugs or flip burgers? Gee, tough choice.
During the great depression, we didn't have so many jailable offenses. We still had homicide, prostitution and theft.
Getting tough on crime has done nothing but increase our prison population.
Well when you see yourself and your fellow humans as nothing more than accidents of nature it's easier to kill them...does that help you to see the relevance?
Hello Brie, I love all your different articles and thoughts. I beleive when people learn how to do the job God gave us to do being caretakers of the land we will not need government as much when raising your own food and helping a neighbor with their needs as well. Building a small community can be a small piece of heaven to live in peace at all times, good and bad. I offer small plots of property for rental or leasing land to live and to raise a garden on. The information needed to get more information is in your off-grid living sites. I am located in south central Illinois. God Bless and Good reading Steve
Thanks Steve, who knows maybe I'll lease one of your plots one day! Good luck
your welcome brie at my camp fire any time
Actually we do still make some things, some very big expensive things like airplanes and weapons that are sold to other countries. But it's true that if you go into a retail store you won't see many small items with "Made in USA" labels.
War Things...
I generally agree with your bullet points, but I don't really identify or agree with all the underlying arguments.
Also, I'd like to insert a PSA about using superlatives and using absolutes. Schtuff like "We don't make ANYTHING anymore" is obviously rhetorical, but they really only serve people who are all ready in your camp. In fact, rhetoric is what turns away people on the fence and on the other side of it. Clearly this is an opt-ed piece, I'm just saying don't be surprised when your rhetoric is met with opposing rhetoric. For wonderfully horrible example of how this can escalate, watch some news commentary! The truly negative responses posted here are actually a result of the political arena that exists today. I have to admit I was ready to write some angrier things here (not at you.. just about some of the things I disagree with... that are being exploited to distract from the fundamental and structural problems with our political system), until I cooled off reading all the comments.
I'm embarrassed to say that I usually a little biased against the religious types when it comes to politics... and for me politics has now bled into any discussion about just about anything. Many of the bullet points above are not strictly political, but I think they are arguably influenced heavily if not exclusively by politics. Unfortunately, I feel the number of true Republican politicians has dropped to a dangerously low level. The fake ones are selling morals to the masses, but getting those "war things" made. We need to get back to small government. With Republicans trying to build a massive political machine and the Dems trying to build a massive social machine... we just end up with an effing big machine. Big things are typically not fuel-efficient. It seems like when Red vs Blue got taken to the next level things started getting a lot worse.
um, what were we talking about?
Hmmm. I guess this turned into a confession of a agnostic liberal. I guess I'll leave it at that. I didn't even say one thing I meant to.
Well, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the Reps vs. the Dems, both are wrong and I agree with you about big government so I'm not sure what you were so angry about. And, it's true some if not most of the bullet points are social rather than political but then I guess I never got a list of the rules that said I had to write a purely political article.
I'm South African, but our problems are mostly the same as yours. Turn anything around in South Africa and it has also been made somewhere else. We have a very high unemployment rate because of that, our own people simply cannot compete with those prices.
I'm one of them, but too many people have to look at social grants to survive and in the end the people with an income are taxed to death.
So, if you ask me, we are not all that different from you. All the other points you mention is more or less the same here.
Well, I think it will be a world-wide depression Hendrika, thanks for writing.
I can't say I enjoyed reading this because it scares me, but I think you are right. I was really surprised to learn it was 2 years old. It reads like this morning and I can't argue the logic of a single point.
Thanks Poetvix.
Okay, sorry for this,
BUT...
"Turn to God"?
And everything will be hunky dorie right?
Spread that gospel!!!!
It has worked wonders so far!
I was raised Pentecostal and all I can tell you is that we were taught what our parents thought to be right because their parents taught them.... The Bible was written by MEN and a soul CANNOT BURN because IT IS A SOUL, not flesh and I do not believe in the biblical rendition of hell.
THIS IS HELL.
I have lived in poverty all of my life (Because God was so GOOD to my family), been raped twice, kidnapped, held hostage, had a son hang himself and more... yeah, GOD IS GOOOOOODDDDD.
If God is what helps float your boat, so be it, but for me, I prefer to not have it preached to me because I am in hell with idiots and yes, I AM ANGRY. NONE OF US KNOW WHAT IS TRUE until the day we DIE (if then).
Prison... It is just a place where criminals network and learn to be worse criminals WITH CONNECTIONS! So very sad....
I'm sorry for your troubles but if you don't want to hear what I have to say you are welcome to move on...no one is forcing you to drop by!
Vladimir Uhri Level 5 Commenter 3 years ago
Brie. Thanks for true and informative thoughts. Only answer is to return to God, I mean entire nation.