Gary’s Question: How does Detroit’s bankruptcy affect YOU?

Recently my brother emailed a question to me. He asked: “How does Detroit’s bankruptcy affect you and the Encore Boomer Movement?”

I answered, “Detroit’s bankruptcy does not directly affect me or the Encore Boomer Movement.”

Still, it offers a unique opportunity to work with existing citizen groups and create new ones within the city to help them help others “redeploy” their resources and energy toward locally owned banks, credit unions and local businesses so that they rebuild their local government into one which represents their interests rather than those of the big international banks and other predatory capitalists (Republicans) / white collar criminals.

We have a lot to do and big money to overcome.

I have come to believe that we, the everyday people, have been the subjects of a long-lived and extremely well executed “mind meld” whereby those with the means to do so have for years successfully manipulated what we accept as the “American Way” into a money making tool which serves their interests alone at our collective loss. One example comes to mind. Remember the draft from the 60s and 70s? It was a big deal back then to serve your country by submitting yourself to the draft, i.e. be a real American and feed yourself to the “the man’s” war machine. As best that I can tell, the only people who benefited from the Vietnam War are the same people who today are “pulling the strings” of the U.S. House of Representatives… they are the 1%.

What do you think?

"Why is it we have finite resources for health care but unlimited money for war?

WASHINGTON - November 6 - Following a statement on the Floor of the House of Representative, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) recently made the following statement:

"Why is it we have finite resources for health care but unlimited money for war?

"The inequities in our economy are piling up: trillions for war, trillions for Wall Street and tens of billions for the insurance companies. Banks and other corporations are sitting on piles of cash of taxpayer's money while firing workers, cutting pay and denying small businesses money to survive.

"People are losing their homes, their jobs, their health, their investments, their retirement security; yet there is unlimited money for war, Wall Street and insurance companies, but very little money for jobs on Main Street.

"Unlimited money to blow up things in Iraq and Afghanistan, and relatively little money to build things in the US.

"The Administration may soon bring to Congress a request for an additional $50 billion for war. I can tell you that a Democratic version of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is no more acceptable than a Republican version of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Trillions for war and Wall Street, billions for insurance companies... When we were promised change, we weren't thinking that we give a dollar and get back two cents."

The question Rep. Kucinich asked all Americans goes to reality of what our actions reveal us to be versus who we think we are as a nation and as individuals.

We have been blind.

While sincerely believing that the United States stands for good, we have been blind to the abuses and avarice wrought by the few who have benefited beyond belief on the backs of us - naive and trusting Americans. First they pirated and then mutated the "American Way" to their advantage and finally unabashedly plundered the "American Dream."

Now is the time for us to make our actions, our nation, our government, conform to our view of ourselves and change the direction of our nation.