Trey Smith
As a follow-up to my post from this morning, what I am suggesting is a form of a word that has become very popular these days: austerity. When we hear or read of this word today, it is about one segment of society forcing other segments to be austere. The segment that forces austerity does so to enrich themselves beyond measure.
It's an odd dynamic. Wall Street wants you and I to accept austerity so they can be anything but. While we should readily accept degraded incomes and services, their sequestered world will see vastly upgraded incomes and services. In this case, austerity becomes nothing more than a tool to impoverish the many, while enriching the few.
Voluntary austereness is a different animal altogether. It is a conscious personal decision to tread lightly on Mother Earth. It is the understanding that the more I possess comes at the expense of others who may struggle simply to survive. In many ways, austerity isn't the proper word because we choose to lead more simplistic lives joyfully, not staid and dourly.
When austerity is chosen willingly, it is done so for the sake of the community at large. It is an uplifting and positive decision. When austerity is foisted upon others, it is done so for the sake of a small minority. It is a mechanism to sweep others aside and remove the basic joys from life for the many.
It seems to me government austerity is a bad idea at this time. The economy needs to expand, and cuts in government spending can only result in its contraction or stagnation.
ReplyDeletePaul. your own deep found truth or are you parroting propaganda?
ReplyDeleteI'm not an economist, Ta-Wan, but I have been reading in the subject for the past four or five years. That is my opinion based on what I've read from many sources. I regret that I cannot offer you conclusions drawn from my own research into the raw data, but I haven't done any.
DeleteI'd say - Forget the 'economy' of money and go for an economy of humanity, happiness, comfort and pleasurable being.
ReplyDeleteWhat we really need, above all else - this is enough. Period:
Shelter. Healthy natural food. Clean water. Good air. Simple, effective medication/care.
The rest is in addition and not primary, and so to cause neglect, of these.
I agree with you more than you might suspect. In fact, I began studying economics a few years ago in part to learn of ways of transitioning from our unsustainable economy to something simpler, more humane, and sustainable.
DeleteMy concern with the present state of the economy, however, and my desire to see more growth in the short-term, is motivated by concern for the huge suffering of people who are out of work or under-employed.