Karen Brandow died last night. I share with you the words of her partner Charlie King, which express how many of us feel in this moment.
Rest in peace, Karen Brandow (1954-2014)
Charlie’s prayer:
GD bless Karen. Thank you for the gift of her life and welcome her home. Comfort those of us who have loved her. Stir up her spirit in our midst so that the good she left undone may be done by us. Karen Brandow, Presente!
Steve will be playing at Peoples Voice Cafe in NYC on October 11, 2013. You can find out more about the evening here.
Steve is excited to sharing the evening with Paul Stein and Filthy Rotten System. You can find out more information about Paul Stein at wikipedia or at Paul’s website
Despite all the fear mongering some politicians and pundits have been flinging about, I am happy today that the Backwards States of America have taken a step towards nationalized healthcare. I admit, I am as disappointed as anyone about Obamacare, but my disappointment is that it is not single payer, like many civilized countries have. Instead, it is a kind of bastardized “affordable” care, which may have been the only thing possible given the insurance, pharmaceutical, and medical industry lobbies which buy off our government representatives. It was all that could be accomplished in the “land of the greed”.
However, today I am happy, because my adult son, who has not had health care insurance for about 10 years, now has it, and it was indeed affordable. Like many slimy employers in the land of the greed, his would pay the fines for not covering employees until the cost of the fines exceed the cost of the insurance. To them it is a simple business decision. That is what these fine folks (read greedy bastards) think of their employees.
I watched one by one as my children left college and were immediately summarily dismissed from my health insurance and thrust into a jobless economy. People with little resources trying to start out have no insurance, and must work for employers like Walmart that limit employee hours so they don’t have to pay benefits of any kind. I think people wax nostalgic for some long ago time, when employment was full (provided you are white), life wholesome, and you had a job for life with benefits and a pension. This no longer exists, if it ever did. It is just harder to pretend that it does today, even if you believe the US brand of capitalism works.
Since it doesn’t, let’s move toward a living minimum wage and single payer health insurance. That way, even if they “bestshore” the production, folks in the sales and delivery chain can make a decent living with buying power and fuel the economy.
American capitalism has undergone much change from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century until the present day 21st century or “information age” as some would say. Although the general dynamic of a ruling class that lives like parasites on the backs of the working class has not changed, the face and methods of capitalism has.
The following graphics tell the story.
Early 20th Century Capitalism:
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21st Century Capitalism:
