Do You Know?

John Darvill

1991

Published in:

The Northwest Technocrat, 4th quarter 1991, No. 325

... Next year's U.S. Federal Deficit is expected to be at a record high. The previous record was in 1986, $221 billion. Next year's deficit is expected to hit $350 billion. The current gross Federal Debt for the U.S. is $4 trillion, 78% of which has been accumulated since 1980; this means that the Federal Debt per person is $16,215. Some of the reasons for this record deficit are: $30 billion to help bail out ailing financial institutions; and the cost of Desert Storm, $61 billion. These are the figures as they stand at present; who knows what lies ahead? How much money will go to newly "liberated" Baltic States, and other "freedom" seeking former members of the U.S.S.R. -- not to mention what remains of the U.S.S.R. plus whatever other causes our political leaders consider it expedient to support?

... In 1990 something in excess of 60,000 businesses went bankrupt; this is an increase of 20% over 1989. One of the worst hit areas was New York City where there were 704 bankruptcies, an increase of 468% over 1989. On the other side of the country, in San Diego, there were 478; which was an increase of 113% over the previous year. Mounting deficits, increasing bankruptcies, the loss of more and more jobs, decaying infrastructure, an eroding competitive edge -- how long before they reach into the hat and there are no more bunnies?

... It was once a major part of the American Dream to own your own home, but that dream is rapidly turning into a nightmare. In a recent Census Bureau study, it was revealed that 57% of all families are unable to buy a median priced home in their community and that 91% of renters cannot afford to buy a home. As time goes by, many more aspects of the American Dream will begin to crumble, and the nightmare aspects will loom ever larger. The nightmare can be relieved by waking up to the realities of the situation, taking steps to understand what is happening, and to then take a stand for a more positive future.

... The increasing efficiency of modern technology means that modern labour saving devices will be installed that enable more work to be done with fewer employees, and that the cost of the new equipment will be amortized over a shorter period of time. Until recently, the trend was for the service industries to take up the slack in employment. In the 1980s, they added 20.5 million jobs to the economy. Since this current recession began, however, service industries, which account for 75% of all jobs, have trimmed their workforces by 300,000. As a result of the aforementioned improvements in technology, many of them have gone for good.

... "Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink." This old adage may soon take on an ominous meaning. In early summer, the agricultural areas of this Continent have had their rivers and streams laced with high levels of pesticides. In the U.S.A., one in six people drink water with excessive amounts of lead, a metal which impairs the IQs and attention spans of children. Microbes in tap water are thought to be responsible for 1 in 3 cases of gastrointestinal illness. Even the chlorine placed in water to disinfect it produces carcinogenic compounds when combined with other substances in water. Also hazardous are the toxic substances seeping into water from various toxic dumps, the seepage from sewage, from overburdened or inadequate plants, leaking underground storage tanks, and contaminants from many sources that are allowed to penetrate into our various water systems that are already low in quantity and rapidly becoming of dubious quality.

... The trend toward chaos becomes daily more apparent to those who take the trouble to look. There is a breakdown in education, in health care, in housing; and the numbers of people living in poverty grows; this includes children. Traffic has become more chaotic, both on the ground and in the air. Pollution and environmental degradation have become serious. And, even more to the point, the inability of our politicians and business leaders to cope with these problems is more pronounced. As noted earlier, we must awaken to the nature of the problem, which is the inability of a system that is based on monetary concepts to deal with the problems of a technological age. The only thing standing in the way of solutions to our myriad problems is money; remove it and all else that is needed to arrive at solutions to most social problems is in place. Investigate the possibilities; contact the nearest branch of Technocracy and see what the organization has to offer.

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