Obama just caved in to Geithner and gave Wall Street another $2 trillion dream bailout: Support for shareholders and bondholders. Cosmetic caps on executive pay. No firing the executives who caused this mess. No requirement that the banks use the bailout money to start lending again, which was the whole purpose of this charade. I'm disappointed but not surprised, given Obama's choice of advisors. Let's face it: There is a class war going on, we are being wiped out, and it will get worse. We can fight back and simultaneously defend ourselves... by leaving America for a time. I will help any Kossacks who want to move to New Zealand.
America was born out of rioting inspired by the Stamp Act, in an age when taxes were much less onerous and the occupying government was much less corrupt. Our founding fathers would be appalled by our apathethc accptance of our own enslavement. It is time to rediscover our roots.
If you are one of the "little people" who can't afford a congressman, let alone a president, then you have been robbed. The parasitic banker / Wall Street / war profiteer class fleeced you for tens of thousands of dollars, not including 401(k) losses, future bailouts, and future inflation. They sit in their taxayer-financed mansions, hoarding the bailout money like dragons, while we little people clean up their messes and fight their stupid wars. We tolerated their gambling because they assured us it was their own money. We tolerated their rapacious gluttony because they convinced us it was an essential precondition for their nebulous but useful services to the nation. We had to let them run rampant because toppling their pyramid scheme would be, you know, socialism. I confess to helping them by drinking their poisoned kool-aid in years past. I am sorry for not seeing the light sooner, but I see it now.
The middle class is the productive class, with the skills and knowledge that keeps America creaking along despite being plundered by the bankers and politicians. For our efforts, we get nothing but inflation and future taxes. We will have to keep working until we die because our retirement plans are halved and everything we put into Social Security will soon be worthless. Our children have also been sold down the river, and for what? Clothes with the right label, bad art, $1000 wine that probably tastes the same as $10 wine, and a harem of gold-digging whores who tag along, squabbling over the gilded turds that the Masters of the Universe dribble in their wake. Forget about getting any of it back. The crash was due to the spreading realization that our future wealth has already been spent. We are broke- but we are not powerless. We can fight back and win the class war that the bankers and their pet politicians are waging against us.
It is time for a general strike. Time to kill these parasites by removing the host. Time to stop paying taxes and stop propping up the rotten system. Time to drop out. The corrupt elites will tell you it's your patriotic duty to feed them, but at this point America needs harsh medicine, not enablers. Thanks to Bush, 9/11, and the insipid media, we have forgotten what has historically made us strong: Small government, civil liberties, light taxes, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, low corruption, and the promise of the American Deam for anyone with a good idea and a strong work ethic.
We pissed it all away for bling and illusions of security, and we will not get our national mojo back until all the spineless Democrats and most of the dittoheads in the Rush Limbaugh Kool-Aid Brigade take long, hard looks in the mirror and say: "I am a traitor. I destroyed America, killed my brothers, and impoverished us all. It wasn't the gays, or the hippies, or the terrorists, or our constitutional freedoms that did it. It was me. Me and the douchebags I voted for. Me and the evils I did not oppose. Me and my carefully cultivated ignorance. Me and my blind acceptance of all the lies told by church, state, and media. I crammed my head so far up my ass it came out my mouth, and thanks to Karl Rove's miracle butt-lube, it didn't even hurt- until now." Think of the typical wingnut fundies you know, imagine the kind of deep personal hardships they must experience in order to reach such an epiphany, and imagine what kind of dystopia it would take to get most of them to admit their mistakes. It isn't nearly that bad yet, but I fear it might get that bad before fascism and crony capitalism are marginalized into the fringe. After they are marginalized, America will be reborn as a free country and we can all come back, pay our taxes and help rebuild.
Becoming a bum is too much to ask, especially for those with families, but there is an alternative: Escape to New Zealand! NZ is one of the few places in the world where the spirit of America is alive and well. Kiwis are wise and independent in a way that America hasn't seen since the '60s, and the media caters to that. You can't piss on a Kiwi and tell him it's raining. You can't take away his freedom and call it protection. As an example of where the debate is centered, consider the last election. One of the biggest issues was a law that the recent Labour government passed, to stop parents from smacking their kids. 80% of Kiwis saw it as insufferable nanny-state meddling in their lives, and it was a major factor in Labour's loss to the National Party. If this kind of minor issue can bring down a government, you can be sure NZ will not suffer the scams and power grabs which have crippled America. Kiwis still value their civil liberties, personal freedom and privacy, whereas these issues aren't even on the radar in America.
Other advantages of NZ:
- You can be sure your kids will grow up in a free country.
- You can be sure your kids will not fight and die in a stupid, immoral war.
- NZ citizenship (obtainable after five years) also functions as an Australian green card.
- NZ citizenship will give you some legal protection and an instant bug-out option, if you decide to return to America.
- No lawsuit lotteries.
- Much fewer fundies -> larger reality-based community.
- Smaller constituencies mean the government is more accessible and accountable.
- Very low corruption.
- Beautiful, clean, green Middle Earth.
- Isolationist foreign policy.
- Low population density, plenty of water, and rich volcanic soil ensure that NZ will always be able to feed itself.
- Heavily subsidized healthcare and education... and the system actually works!
- Overall, NZ taxes are comparable to American taxes despite the education and health care subsidies. This is because NZ isn't blowing trillions on bailouts, wars, prisons, farm subsidies, and debt interest.
- NZ banks never bought Wall Street's crap, so there is no credit crunch. It appears to be just another recession.
- Economic isolation and a strong do-it-yourself mentality mean NZ has a good chance of riding out this storm.
- The exchange rate is quite favorable right now, and you can make deposits from America. ASB has the best rates, but you will have to provide many forms of identification to open the account, and you will only be able to withdraw the money in person in New Zealand.
- Slower, easier, simpler lifestyle.
Disadvantages:
- Salaries are lower and cost of living is higher than in America (though this may soon change).
- Local councils are much more anal-retentive in regulating homeowners and small businesses.
- Peoples' horizons are smaller. There are fewer big, important, high-paying jobs. The academic world is microscopic by American standards.
- A few government agencies have a dangerous mix of incompetence and indifference. Land Transport Authority, Qualifications Assessment, the police, and the local councils come to mind.
- Petty crime is a problem in the cities, thanks to inaction by the cops, but I'll take Keystone Cops over Joe Arpaio any day.
- The weather resembles the Pacific Northwest.
- The dole is generous enough to be a way of life, and it attracts large families of non-working immigrants. But at least there are no millionaires on the dole!
- There are higher taxes on retirement accounts and other investments left in America.
- Much less glitz and nightlife (for those who care).
Special advantage for male nerds: NZ has a favorable male/female ratio, even without counting sheep. For example, there are almost 10% more women in their 30s than men. This is because the most ambitious men go overseas where the economies are more developed and the pay is better. Also, forget everything you learned from American women. They tend to be shallow and lacking in self-awareness, which often drives them into the arms of frat boy types. Kiwi women are wiser and of higher quality.
If you want to come to NZ, you will need at least $5,000 in savings. $10,000 is preferrable. This is for your visa application fees, plane ticket, settling-in expenses, and sustenence while job hunting. You will need to get your documents in order and get a crimminal background check. The background check can take a few months at least, thanks to a large backlog.
Most of what you need is on the NZ immigration website. The easiest way to get into NZ is with a work-holiday visa, which is available to people up to age 30. Additional work-holiday visas are available through BUNAC for people up to age 35. You have one year to find long-term skilled employment in your field of training, and then you can upgrade to a green card through the skilled migrant program. There are many obscure trades and other skills on the shortage lists- you might be surprised. If your job requires a license you will have to get your qualifications assessed, which can be troublesome. If you are highly qualified, or your skills are in demand, it may be possible to get a NZ green card even if you are as old as 55, have no job offer, and are still sitting in the States! Your children and significant other can also be granted NZ residency, even if they would not qualify by themselves. Gay couples have the same rights as everyone else.
I defected to the real Land of the Free several years ago, due to paranoia about Bush. I will help with information and logistics for American refugees. So watch some Peter Jackson films, try to cultivate a taste for marmite, buy a merino sweater, and don't forget your velcro gloves. Last one out of America is the chump who gets stuck with the bill.
Cross-posted from nobailouts.blogspot.com.