Why We Should Become a Nation of Nomads

In keeping up with the current political climate, and that is quite a task when one is trying to keep one's blood pressure under control, I note that things are not going well in many individual states.

For example, Governor Walker in Wisconsin.  He has attacked union rights and done away with unions' ability to negotiate.  He has indicated he will lower taxes for the wealthy and corporations while removing tax credits on the poor and middle class.  And he is raising tuition at the state universities.

Governor Kasich in Ohio has also gone after collective bargaining rights and job creation has been turned over to a non-profit board, which he chairs.  (Conflict of interest, anyone?)  Oklahoma is reducing services to the elderly.  Montana wants to create an armed civilian militia.  Florida is removing some Medicare benefits which would force some elderly out of their homes and into managed care.  From state to state, education is losing, public sector employees are losing, the elderly are losing, children are losing, women are losing.  We don't win in America anymore, we lose.  And we are losing a lot.

But surely not every state has become a bastion for the wealthy, and a meatgrinder for the poor.  Missouri and North Carolina aren't the most user-friendly states, but at least they still have Democratic governors.  New Mexico has not yet bought into the wave of rights removal that has overcome other states.  It appears to be the same for Utah (Utah???).

So as the winds of change blow from state to state, what is the average citizen to do to protect their employment rights, or their children's education, or their semi-old age?  I suggest that we be prepared to jump ship, to vote with our feet, to head for greener pastures.  Now I know it's not easy to pull up stakes and move on, but it seems clear the rug is being pulled out from under us, so we may be better off in the end by seeking a change of scenery.

It shouldn't take much research to discover which state has the most to offer, based on your personal concerns and needs.  Then sell your home if you have one (and many of us no longer do).  Mortgage still more than the value?  Just start putting those mortgage payments into a savings account.  It's taking banks even longer to process foreclosures because of all the short cuts they took last year, so you could stay put for almost a year before anything legal occurs.  By that time, you're savings is looking pretty good.  Then get rid of everything you don't really need – clothes you haven't worn in the last two years, all those appliances you figured you'd get fixed one day, the extra electronics (you don't really need five TV's), the furniture that you throw a blanket over when guests come to visit.  You'll still probably end up with a good-sized U-Haul full of stuff.

Oh, the job thing?  Chances are many of you are job hunting right now, but if you do have a job, see about relocating.  Of course, you may want to change companies (tired of working for Corporate America?)  Hopefully the state you've selected has a lower unemployment percentage than the one you're in.  Start job hunting several months before you plan to move and use social networking to connect with people who are already living in your new locale. 

Mankind started out as wanderers, moving from place to place when the weather changed, or the water dried up, or the land stopped producing.  Our circumstances are not so terribly different now.  If where you are living now is making your life harder, why not consider re-locating to a more friendly environment.  I know they say that things will get worse before they get better.  I’m in favor of being somewhere else while it’s getting worse and coming back when things improve. 

I don't crunch numbers well, but I'm willing to bet that 4,000 or so citizens moving out of a state is going to have a negative impact.   Eventually they may get a clue, but meanwhile, you've streamlined your life, you've found an environment that is more in-line with your concerns and needs, and you may find dozens of other benefits you never considered.  Speaking from my own experience, I've lived in West Virginia, California, Indonesia, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.  I've managed every move, and I'm not averse to doing it again.  Only the next time, I'm planning on retiring somewhere in the Caribbean.  I'm pretty sure I can't afford to stay in the U.S., so I'm looking for something warm and affordable.  With a cabana boy.  Hey, we all want the good life.  Time to go looking for it.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I just finished reading Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The book, which is soon to be an HBO movie, certainly goes a long way to explaining what's wrong with our system of electing the individuals who will guide our ship of state. Even the most pure of heart candidates must be sullied by the pragmatic requirements of the process. The candidate must cater to all elements of his constituency, no matter how extreme. No comment by an opposing candidate must go un-twisted into a racist, sexist, humanist, (fill-in your own) diatribe. Negative ads must be prepared from the moment the candidacy is announced and be ready for air at a moment's notice. And the money must keep rollin' in.

Sure, I know that politics is a sleazy, sordid game, but it's difficult to face the truth that even if a person truly wants to take the high road, wants to focus on the issues, and sincerely wants to make life better for the average citizen, it ain't gonna happen. It's cut-throat all the way.

It was also interesting to discover that Elizabeth Edwards wasn't so saintly on the campaign trail, that the McCains had expletive-laden fights in front of their staff, and that Sarah Palin's staff began to believe that she was mentally unstable. I guess we already knew that John Edwards was a dog, so no surprise there. I understand Meghan McCain is concerned about how she will be portrayed in the movie, even though she only appears briefly in the book. But she's apparently done more to prove herself a shallow, entitled twit in her own book, so What-ever!


I am also following the various political soundbites that continue to insist that America is a Christian nation. (Don't get me started on Terry Jones. He should be voted off the continent and air-dropped into Kabul.) Now, generically speaking, I have no problem with Christians. Some of my best friends, and all that… But I'm wondering, if all these people are insisting that this country should be following Christian principles, why aren't they leading the way in practice.

I'm certainly not a biblical scholar, but I believe Jesus' statement that one should render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's (unless he was misquoted or it was taken out of context), is a pretty clear statement that there should be a separation of church and state. I also believe that one of the creeds of Christianity was that orphans and widows should be cared for, the ill and disabled should be given aid, and the poor should be looked after by those who had been given more. Yet daily one of our political parties puts forth another proposal that will remove that care and support for those same citizens in need. Still looking for the practice of Christian principles here.

I'm also thinking of the statement that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man to enter heaven. Again, this may have been misquoted or taken out of context. However, I'm waiting for someone to point out that all the CEO's are in danger of never reaching their heavenly reward. So it is our Christian duty to see that when the time comes, these towering figures of corporate entitlement will be able to glide easily through the pearly gates. St. Peter is smiling and saying, "Jeffrey Immelt, you lost all your fortune when you had to pay your taxes. Come on in." Hey, it could happen.


Meanwhile, the zombies in Madison, Wisconsin have given me hope. A mass of zombies, reportedly in more numbers than the Tea Party rally, marched on the state capitol. They were planning to eat Governor Walker's brains, but learned that he didn't have any. One sign stated that Republican brains were full of excrement…and such tiny portions as well. We may see more such street actions in the near future and I think it's great. I know a number of people who won't vote because they don't believe it will matter. But they will happily put on costumes and makeup to make our elected official look like idiots (not that many of them need any help). And they will willingly sit in the front offices of corporations who have avoided paying their taxes, so the rest of us can cover their bill and pay more for their services as well. I think this is how we get things changed. We make a nuisance of ourselves and embarrass (if that’s possible) the powers that be.

Remember how fandom took on the religious nutbags of Fred Phelps at Comicon? That’s what we need. Our own special brand of insanity. Because that’s what they have no defense against. I’m gonna go work on my zombie costume. Some of us have already been practicing. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pddHOEzRBXg for zombies and poetry. You can’t beat it. (I’m the one on his right leg). Ahhh, good times.