one wearies

the beginning of the end must be nearing as i received yet another five mailings over the u.s. house seat being vacated by pete...it is a mishmash of interests and, frankly i don't think mine have anything much to do with the entire business...they have a variety of return addresses...seattle, denver, whoretown, and a couple are local...and, unsurprisingly, given the area, they all have union bugs...beyond that it gets a bit murky as to what's going on...a couple of them are "paid for" by the candidates' local election committees...the others are from vaguely named entities like the "voter protection project" ( protection from what? objective information? ) ...or "democratic progress" ( progress for democracy or democrats? ) and the "bold pac" which sounds like dark money to me...and all for democratic candidates...one wonders if there is some ignored republican actually trying for this...there must be...but i can't think of anyone who knows who that might be...

some weird stuff here...mara reardon calls mcdermott a "former republican"...nasty stuff around here...and old tom may indeed have opposed trumpy's impeachment...lots of folks did for whatever reason they may have found...i wasn't opposed however there was never a time when i though the senate could possibly convict...the point is tom wasn't in any more of a position to do anything about it than i was...it was an opinion...right or wrong ( and that is utterly subjective ) he has a right to one...

"proven leadership" "proven progressive" "results" and a "plan" for more...bitter experience has me questioning exactly who we are leading and planning for here...reasonably sure that if my interests don't happen to align with those of their handlers they aren't going to receive too much consideration...at least not after november...and i see my former union has endorsed on of the candidates...that isn't really a favorable thing in my estimation...i was part of that organization for more than three decades and got to see its leadership in action...again, my interests there were secondary to the leadership's...so i have another  six day to wade through this dreck and come to some sort of a decision and then vote...it is not getting easier to do so...the one thing that keeps me at it is knowing they don't really want me to ...they'd rather have a small, predictable turnout...which it would be if pete were running...he's not...they are..and, as usual, it's a negative choice.

deep in denial

just a quick note to say the state has denied me any portion of the princely $136.00 they were willing to let me have because my $95.09 gross for the past week was deemed "excess earnings"...well...certainly in "excess" of the world bank's $1.90/day poverty line...but nowhere near the amount needed for a "living wage" in this county by the MIT living wage calculator...again, being denied is no massive loss for me...i am solvent...the point is there are others doubtlessly being denied who will find it a hardship that drives them deeper into debt...which is the point of the whole political process...the upward extraction continues and politicians of all parties and ideologies continue to be unreconstructed slime...enjoy the holiday.

a federalist rants about the rabble

“the people of the interior part of these states [new England ] have by far too much political knowledge and too strong a relish for unrestrained freedom, to be governed by our feeble system, and too little acquaintance with real sound policy or rational freedom and too little virtue to govern themselves. They have become too well acquainted with their own weight in the political scale under such governments as ours and have too high a taste for luxury and dissipation to sit down contented with their proper line, when they see others possessed of much more property than themselves. With these feelings and sentiments they will not be quiet while such distinctions exist as to rank and property; and sensible of their own force, they will not rest easy till they posses the reins of government and have divided property with their betters, or they shall be compelled by force to submit to their proper stations and mode of living.” stephen higginson. from "the report of the manuscripts commission of the American historical association December 20, 1896 p.754"

old steve was a "leading boston federalist"...at least that's what the report says...and so does charles beard in "an economic interpretation of the constitution of the united states" on p.303 so i will run with it as at least probable he was...and here he is clearly presaging madison in federalist X ( the report maintains steve was ranting in march 1787 and the first "federalist" did not appear in the "new york independent" until that october ) when he becomes shrill about the political dangers to the elite posed by the "superior force of an interested and overbearing majority" in a system that allows the rabble "far too much political knowledge"...so what did the elite do about this? the convened a convention, ostensibly to reform the articles of confederation, and then overreached that mandate and pulled off a counter-revolution with a document that doesn't so much guarantee as limit rights...bear in mind the "bill of rights" are the first ten amendments to the constitution...those rights weren't even being considered in the convention..they were an afterthought tacked on in an attempt to appease the anti-federalists and make the whole thing fly in the states' ratification conventions...the idea of the "will of the people" being the guiding precepts of the government was an invitation to chaos since a free people would not submit to "their proper stations and mode of living"...an idea which was an anathema to a native born elite...something had to be done or there would be shay's rebellions everywhere, imposing tax moratoriums, debt forgiveness, and paper money...none of which suited the hegemonic culture of the time ( which is pretty much the hegemonic culture of our time )...so this whole democracy business had to be subverted by " a more perfect union"..."more perfect" for whom we might ask...have a shufti at the preamble to the declaration of independence and the preamble to the constitution and note the tone...and, if you have the time, take a look at john locke's "fundamental constitutions of carolina" from march of 1669...he is the putative godfather of the u s constitution and his preamble is dedicated to the hope that "we may avoid erecting a numerous democracy"...he was all for limiting the "will of the people" and had some severe property requirements for voting, much less holding office...an idea that appealed to madison, hamilton, and john jay raving about the "best men"...they perceived a massachucetts tax revolt as an existential crisis and used it to create a system of institutions remarkably resistant to change...the system aint broke...it's working just fine.

it's all about debt

"it is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach...over you as soon your income falls beneath a certain level." down and out in paris and london.

a run-in with the bureaucrats was an inevitability...it is a part of the institutional structure because the clavinist state hates charity passionately because it makes the proles lazy and dependent when they should be out working for the favor of god...and every reason that can be brought to bear towards the end of charity is a valid one...certainly the hoosirer state subscribes to that belief...i went back to work last week...however i filed an unemployment voucher yesterday because my working hours have been curtailed by the covid-19 virus and the limitations the governor of this fine state has placed on "re-opening"...in response the state has clearly decided that $143.19 ( gross ) represents a living wage and i am not entitled to any sort of charitable stipend...that, on their own, they were prepared to pay me a stunning total of $136.00 a week for 26 weeks is another clear indication that they have a distorted vision of what "living" is...but again, the clavinist state hates charity and, if the dogma is to be believed, wants us all at work...that structural unemployment is something of a necessity to capitalism to keep the downward pressure on wages that full employment would negate in place goes unmentioned in the drive to "get people back to work" and the political mantra about "jobs"...the good news ( for me ) is that i am not destitute and not receiving a stipend this week will not see me starve or lose my place of residence...i am at an age when i have very little in the way of outstanding debt...stuff's paid for ( and, oddly, "the system" seems unhappy about this...i get warnings about my credit rating from my banking institution [ who want me to take out a home equity loan to bolster it ] and credit card offers have begun to reappear in my junk mail...those i shred )...there are, unfortunately, people i know for whom denial because they worked what can only be described as a lightly paying week will present difficulties and, no doubt, push them deeper into debt..and the calvinist state hates debt too, right? they used to throw debtors into prison, right? well..not quite..they used to imprison people for not paying their debts, not for being in debt ( unless you were a noble...everyone knew that nobles were "good for it" and would never stiff a prole merchant )...from a capitalist viewpoint debt is a good thing...it is what creates "new money" ( interest ) and as long as the proles can pay something towards their debts ( how much of the stimulus was retaken almost immediately in the form of mortgage payments or some other deferment to creditors? i know people who did exactly that ) the "new money" keeps rolling in..so much of capitalist/government thinking is geared towards finding a balance where debtors can survive. but never get out of debt...think ideological payday loans...stifle charity and force the proles to work for just enough so they can survive and pay something towards their debt...adjust the systemic demands so that increased status includes demands for increased consumption ( veblenize them ) allowing levels of debt to rise to meet income so the money continues to trickle upward to to those of true wealth who own the debt...when mcconnell and his cadre of whores talk about killing medicare and social security it isn't because they "cost too much"...it's because they want to drive the elderly into debt penury along with the millennials who have already been fucked over by student loans...debt is the key to creating a framework to analyze the political/economic thought of both wings of the national party...they are hampered in this by the democratic ( or, rather, republican ) forms the framers burdened them with when they gave the constitution the appearance of being a guarantor of government "by the people" which the authoritarians among them would happily ignore, given any chance at all, ( and this could in part explain the trump presidency ) in their pursuit of more wealth...they are convinced that their interests are the "national interest" and that they have a right to whatever they can take...elections are coming up...sort of...have a close look at the newbies that want to get "into the game"...ponder whether their interests reflect yours.

the gloves are off

the bombardment of campaign literature continues and it is of note because of its relative rarity...the politics of this city, county, district, state are so utterly predictable that virtually no politician finds any sort of campaign expenditure a necessity...except when an incumbent dies/retires...then it becomes an imperative...

a couple of outstanding things about this...first i found it hanging from my front doorknob when i cam home from work yesterday and the ritual of political door knocking/glad handing must surely contravene the governor's executive order about "social distancing"..and secondly, why haven't i heard of this guy? i am not a fan of politicians which is exactly why i pay some attention to what they do and say...never heard of him...haven't seen a sign or billboard with his name on it ( there are mcdermott signs all over the damned place...especially in porter county...probably hobart too ) and yet he has ( it says ) the resignee's endorsement...perhaps he feels that cachet negates the need to campaign...and he may be correct...

mcdermott, on the other hand, not only has signs all over, he keeps sending me epistles telling me how many people think he's a great guy and multi page ones telling me why he thinks he's a great guy...he will have to pardon my skepticism...especially about the narcissistic stuff...

meanwhile mara candelaria reardon has engaged in what, for this particular county, must be the ultimate political slur...she called mcdermott a "former republican"...hence not only slime, but slime with no political loyalty or ( gasp! ) integrity..she is either oblivious or thinks i am stupid...or maybe both but who cares what this doomed campaigner thinks? whomever gets the nod from the polity will play the BAU game or be tossed out in 2022...no one stays long in the house by bucking institutional imperatives...there are no outsiders in the house...this gem comes to me from something called the "voter protection project" ( when was any politician interested in protecting a voter? ) with a retuen address of 401 32nd avenue south, suite 303 seattle washington...the pathways of political money are various and convoluted...nixon got busted by two crime reporters following the money and pols have been covering their tracks with increasing complexity ever since...who knows...perhaps the climate in washington state is friendlier than hoosierland...or maybe "suite 303" is located in a vacant lot...either way it is removed from the gritty post-industrial realities here...and those are exactly why tom and mara want to leave...better opportunity in whoretown.

may is in june this year

i have a fair interest in politics...the wider ideology of corporate governance is of some concern ( or should be ) to all of us because it is a corporate government...madison insured it would be in the hands of wealth and corporate structures have been the legal shield for the sociopaths that control them since jay gould and charles tyson yerkes walked the earth and corporate structures have owned politicians since...there are some outstanding personalities that attract my attention as well...i believe some have been discussed here before...i might have even mentioned the congressman from this district in passing...however he was never on the front burner in editorial terms...fairly low key and nondescript...he survived an ethics investigation a few years back but beyond that ( in comparison ) he has been fairly monochromatic...

so when my mailbox began to fill up with campaign mailings from people who wanted his job i began to wonder...and i will admit that he is so monochromatic that i missed the news tidbit that announced his retirement from the political grind...these things happen...there are louder politicians and larger issues at hand effectively drowning him out...so change is in the air...sort of...because i am left wondering if his replacement will make much of any difference in the general trend of things in the late empire...i am inclined to doubt it ( this should come as no surprise )...mara candelaria reardon doubled up on the mailings today...one from "maria for congress"and another form something called "chc bold pac" which disclaims "not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee"...so someone has an interest in seeing mara elected beyond maria...certainly she has an uncomplicated platform...monochromatic almost...fitting...big on healthcare...okay...it is an issue...it is expensive...it is biased towards wealth ( find me something of import that isn't...you cannot )...it is not equally dispensed...mara will have her hands full with the insurance lobby and i am betting they have more cash than she does...back to that corporate/wealth business again...and one wonders how far that "progressive" will be getting her should she make it to congress...they have a habit of wearing down newcomers until they fit the corporate mold...ask pete... tom's mailing ( "paid for by democratic progress. not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee' ) has a few more planks in the platform beyond echoing maria's healthcare fixation...i have heard a great deal about clean energy in the past twenty years...the post-carbon institute is all for it...bp/ammoco says they are too...with a few provisos and a quid pro quo that will allow them to recoup loses over sunk costs in infrastructure..."lord, make me clean...but not yet" we have to think of the shareholders...again there may be trouble with the lobbyists and they have a way of getting what they want..."by the people, for the people" or not...create high paying jobs? for whom? tom? that's another chestnut that has been kicked around for years...heard all about it as unions have been busted, the "right to work" guaranteed, and the extractive upward redistribution of wealth carried on...someone needs to work out a new script for campaign promises...the old one has so many holes no one believes it anymore...which may be a mechanism the pols are relying on to engender the voter apathy they so love and rely on to keep things manageable...the last thing any politician wants is to have to actually address the needs and wishes of madison's "interested and overbearing majority" ( and, for who knows what number of times, i am going to suggest a close reading of the federalist papers as a primer into why things are they way they are...the system madison, jay, and hamilton laid out aint broke...it is humming away nicely )...let's keep a lid on the rabble by boring them to death with the same, tired rhetoric while we work on BAU with our handlers...that said i will vote on june second...i have voted in every election i have been eligible to since november of 1972 and will continue to do so into my dotage...not because i have a shred of belief in the rigged ponzi scheme that is government...but because it makes the bastards nervous when people turn out...they hate accountability like the plauge.

a well organized country

"the figures given by masse in 1760 on the ascension of george III, suggest some redistribution of wealth, the merchant class having gained at the expense of the landed class. but if we want to find the really rich and powerful people in the kingdom, politically and socially, the experts tell us they belonged to barely 150 families, 600 to 700 individuals. in france at the same period, the old established nobility numbered some 80,000 persons and the nobility as a whole 300,000 or 1 to 1.5% of the french population...by the same token economic decline is said to have closed the doors to promotion, reinforcing the status quo. peter lasset has suggested that downward mobility was more widespread in pre-industrial england...we may conclude with voltaire that in a well organized country, the smaller number 'makes the greater number work for it, fed it, and submit to its government.' " fernand braudel. "civilization & capitalism 15th-18th century volume II the wheels of commerce"

number six isn't exactly happy about where he finds himself in relation to both the collective and to leadership in "the village"...i can empathize...there seems to be a lot of surveillance going on and some subtle...and not so subtle...attempts at persuasion/manipulation...there is nothing new in this...hegemonic culture has always had an interest in divining and controlling what the rabble think and in steering the way they might act..simply it seems more because the technology has improved...per rutger bregman by 2013 six billion people owned cell phones...six billion transponders in pockets giving out locations to whomever might have access to or the ability to sell that information ( oh i have one too...a flip phone...no "smart" phone for me...i may give away my general location as i pass from the coverage of one cell phone tower to another...there is, i believe, no gps that will pinpoint exact location...and i do have a faraday bag in my vehicle if i am being obdurate )...someone might be interested in why you are at jimmy johns so often or who is at that motel...they want "one hundred percent entry" into acceptable lines of thought that equate the interests of the elite with the "national interest" and they get their way entirely too often...there is a lack of struggle in utopia and that may be why they always turn out dystopian...nietzsche may have been on to something...and it may be why we invent struggles when there aren't any...no need for invention when you can struggle against hegemonic indoctrination...i get to go back to work this week and the media, for the most part, and certainly the majority of the punditry is going to try to tell me this is "necessary" ...we will see...it is true the daily number of new cases of covid-19 is falling off...slowly...by tenths and hundredths of percentage points a day ( 20283 new cases yesterday compared to 25612 the day before...down..but still 45454 in two days while 17086 are listed as "recovered" in the same period...per johns hopkins numbers )...probably because people stayed home...we will have a look at the end of the month and see if that holds true or if there is a spike...certainly the hemegons want me to think it's okay to go back...they are deeply biased and, near as i can tell, untrustworthy...they want a bull market and don't much care what the consequences for the polity are and, it seems, linsey graham thinks i have gotten enough free money so back to work for a non living wage i go...at least for the nonce...i am in an "elevated risk" population and if my co-workers begin to fall ill i will be staying home again...i have no interest in dying for retail...or don trump...or the dow...or the 1 to 1.5%...collectives suffer form "group-think"...more liable to manipulation as peer pressure creates a herd mentality..it is why politicians of all stripes love a rally ( think republican national convention or nuremburg ) and denounce individual thought as heresy...number six maintained "i am a free man" as he resisted...we could explore just how "free' any of us is...and might find we do not like the results...i will, however, try to avoid crowds.

all the news that fits we print

i have the new york times delivered to my door on friday saturday and sunday...the friday and saturday papers have a $3 cover price and the sunday $6...it costs me an additional $2 for the delivery for each edition so the sunday paper i just perused actually cost $8...i went to the home improvement store this morning ( where people entering without a mask were directed to the service counter to purchase one...i had one ) and acquired four bags of composted manure for my garden work at $1.99 a bag and, after having digested the paper, i am inclined to think the compost was a far better investment...i subscribe mostly because the times is the "paper of record" and despite its claims to the contrary is a mouthpiece for elite viewpoints ( they are not reaching out to the working class with advertisements for condominiums whose cost runs into the millions of dollars...and that wine club is for wine snobs...or wanna be ones anyway ) and, at times, unintentionally profoundly entertaining...mostly it is a barometer of what the 1% and their acolytes are thinking...the business section is always worth a read...the sunday magazine you can keep around for the crosswords...the "in depth" journalism is mostly a yawn...there are the occasional articles of interest...however the real treat is the "style" magazine which is a distillation of the times daily presentation on how we should be living our lives...they are chock full of ideas on how we should rearrange our closets...

what we need to know...

what we should be watching...

how we should be living... and the op-ed page is full of ideas on how we should think...a wonderful package...all of human life is here...except it is elitist conceptualization from a corporate entity that is in business to make a profit and not necessarily disseminate fact...no different than fox news or msnbc...it has, of late. been brimming over with articles about how to cope with isolation...the city is genuinely suffering...no gainsaying that...they have an inordinate number of deaths and that is tragic...i am not trying to engage in covid-19 denying or disrespecting the grief people are enduring...what it does highlight is plagues are anti-urban events...everyone who could left london in 1665 and i am fairly sure wealth has departed the city in numbers...it is the poor who are left with the disease and i have to wonder how many of new york's underclasses pay attention to the times...few i imagine...fortunately, while i have been mostly home for the past nearly seven weeks, i have a suburban back yard with beds of winter rye and wheat ...and ramps..and asparagus i can escape to when i weary of my room...there are suburban advantage the "new urbanists" are completely ignorant of ...willfully or not...and i wonder how many of them are in the city...basically i am weary of the urban perspective...today's "at home" section of the times had a "how-yo" article on making a "printer's hat" out of a sheet of the newspaper...

finally found a reasonable use for the opinion pages.