It's all my own fault.

It's been, what, 11 days since I last posted? I've been off on vacation to Hell. I couldn't afford it, of course, but I had to go somewhere nice long enough to recharge and remember that there -is- something better than my current situation in life. As potential Presidential Candidate Herman Cain has been saying....

Ah, ha. See there? All my problems are my own fault. No matter how anarchistic, progressive, or liberal one is, if ya grew up in a Republican family in the age of Eisenhower, this is your eternal truth. The problem is I, me, my, mine. The world is my oyster and I'm allergic. I'll have to stop surfing the web and go out there and get me a better job, yahoo. I ain't lookin' fer no bailout that'll make you poor rich bastard son-of-a-bitches pay the kind of taxes I do, no sirree, Bob. Heck, I make enough to eat meat every now and again. I'm not 'plannin'.

Oh, by the way, my mania for collecting pics of old WPA posters and art has been turning up a few real goodies. The "W.P.A." stood for "Works Progress Administration". It was one of Roosevelt's policies during the depression to get people back into jobs. The government paid for the unemployed to work building roads, damns, and etc. - and artists to make public art. This one was called "The Lord Provides":

 and this little gem seems topical, if a bit faded. Of course, government doesn't pay for education much anymore. Building houses, fixing roads, educating people into trying for a better position in life - these ideas may have paved a way for the great economic boom of the 50's and 60's but they're old hat now.

Which reminds me, have I posted this one yet?

Ah, yes, move on, move on.

Ya gotta have money to live here.

Living here has become more and more problematic as the poor and the non-rich old have been targeted to be pushed out.

Which reminds me, I got a postcard from Laura over at Austanspace while I was away. She's still up in Maine where a friend has taken her in until her home is approved for human habitation. You wouldn't believe the shenanigans going on over these Melrose apartments where she live(s)(d). The town seems intent on obstructing the tenants return, especially after the affordable housing folk spent a ton of money to fix them up after the hurricane (kill two birds with one stone, anyone)? It looks like what they really want is to get rid of  subsidized housing. Those folks don't have the money to support the antiques dealers, art dealers, and jewelers in town. I wonder how they'll get rid of the trailer parks (i.e. affordable housing for the folks who used to have the good jobs that closed or moved away)?

O my gosh, lookit the time. I gotta get off to goin' workin' - winter's coming and around here it does get a mite cold. The Baptist Church sold off its signed Tiffany window to get their certificate of occupancy for having their overflow shelter where the homeless can sleep overnight when it's below freezin'. I'm not sure if I'll be there or not. If I cancell my health insurance, I'll have enough to pay my bills so maybe I'll be able to stay in my studio apratment.

The thing I keep wond'rin' about is what are they going to do with those of us who can't pay our bills? (Which in the United States of America seems to be the biggest sin you can commit. Just look around, bankers almost never go to jail.) We certainly can't stay here, it seems. Nor can the elderly, nor can the disabled. Us folks just don't fit into the image the powers that be want for Brattleboro. Where are they gonna put those of us whom they tell to keep moving on, to just go away?