Well, I have done it again; I have made my week come down to three days left for a bevy of papers, presentations, and finals. As a father of two that commutes 45+ minutes each way everyday and currently juggles his schedule around THE EX, I am finding less and less time to focus in the areas I should; shoulds will kill ya right??? I have procrastinated a presentation paper for the County Administrator and Commissioners down to the last second and find myself bogged down by meetings and the schedule to pick up the kids. Is anyone else out there feeling pressure? This is in no way to create some downer topic this morning peeps but let's get in to the politicking shall we.
We ALL know (yeah even you non-believers can feel it) that this good ol' US of A is in a bit of a jam; we are facing the bankruptcy of our Federal Government by 2030. The pressures on the American Family have never been greater than they are today. It is near impossible to sustain a cohesive family unit without both partners working full-time which places our children in daycare or alternative education settings that create separation anxieties, behavioral and learning disabilities, despondence, and the continued fracture of the all important bond between parent and child. I am sticking with the parenting aspect only because I have to get my two at lunch today and drop them off with grandma in hopes that my 2 1/2 year old doesn't go out of his mind in what will most likely become an hour commute back home to the country tonight. Thankfully I am one of the lucky one's; I have family and the best partner in the world to cover my back when I am stretched to thin. However, there in lies the rub, I am alwaysstretched too thin.
Our local governments here in Oregon face on average a 40% turnover rate within the next 4 years of their workforce. Because of a steady decline in available Federal General Fund dollars there have been few opportunities for the re-supply of able young talent to fill the workforce gene pool; this creates stagnation and the potential for catastrophic loss of mentoring talent from those that have led from the front. Without the ability to re-up our government workforce, social programs will be the first to feel dramatic effects which in turn will place even more pressure on our children, schools, and communities. Trust me peeps what lies beneath will make the most recent economic downturn look like a bump in the road.
Baby-Boomers are retiring at a dramatic pace and living longer to boot; social security and medicare have long been the greatest draw on our nation's economy and the need for radical change is eminent. If we do not make an about face and change our ways immediately we will surpass the Great Depression in ways never imagined. We must begin to lead from the front; get involved today and start asking your local government what their short and long-term planning decisions are in order to handle the increases in population (especially the west), the increased needs that will be faced by continued immigration and gentrification that occurs in re-developing areas, and for those of you in the SW, what are your communities doing to plan for the inevitable water crisis facing Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona? Did you know that Grand Cooley Dam at its current pace of water decline is facing complete dry-up within the next fifteen years?
We cannot stand by in this country with an attitude of apathy; you can and do make a difference. The problems that are facing our country and world have been handed down through the generations and are landing smack-dab on the doorstep of Generations X and Y. These problems will not go away and we must stand strong and face them or our children will be left with the aftermath of what we said we didn't have the strength or courage to face.
It is not all doom and gloom peeps. I have witnessed amazing things over the past couple of years. People are re-thinking waste and their role in creating a sustainable community; there has been a wonderful increase in regional and localized co-op farming. Why, yours truly, with the help of his beautiful partner Miss "A" have started a young farm on miss "A's" property; we call it Cherish Farms and are hopeful to begin expanding our fledgling free-range chicken (eggs only, no meat) business to include organic unpasteurized goat milk production in the next few years. We have a beautiful garden that provides a large crop of vegetables and fruits for our consumption as well as extended family and friends. We compost, turn out the lights and un-plug appliances, things never thought of even a couple years ago; most importantly we talk about the world and what is going on. We all must increase participation and communication, we can do this.
I have been in the Lion's Den over the past several weeks and I know from an insiders (albeit regional) point of view what we are facing but Murt's never give up; I'm Scotch-Irish, I don't know how to quit. I will post some links to a variety of websites I want you all to take the time to visit and think about. This is not a lesson in liberal propaganda or a pie-in-the-sky ploy to get you to "drop out" and start communal farming; rather, this is a message of hope for my kids, my nephew Kee(and big "ups" to Brady and Jackson as well), Liam, and all the others that will take care of us when we can no longer take care of ourselves. We are all stretched too thin but we can and must begin the process of change.
I love you all...
Murt
Topic of the day: Pressure!!!
Quote of the Day: " Man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that great gift of freedom with which the ill-fated creature is born." Fyodor Dostoevsky
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