Monday, February 28, 2011

grieving

I feel like I'm in a constant, steady state of grief these days. So many people are in seriously frightening financial situations. So much of it could have been preventable by common-sense political policy, but corporate and political stupidity and greed keep it growing every day. Things aren't turning around, and they probably won't in my lifetime. See this photo essay on homelessness in the Seattle Times for just a little slice of life.

Jobs, yeah, it's that simple. It all comes down to JOBS. We can not continue to bleed jobs overseas. Our current economic/trade policies are morally and practically wrong and are destroying this country (as well as the lives of those who toil for low wages overseas).

[naive rhetorical question alert] Do politicians and wealthy corporate CEOs truly understand what it's like to not have work? Do they understand how demoralizing this is? Even putting aside the concrete aspects of not having regular income, do they really understand what this does to one's spirit and sense of self worth? Silly question, of course they don't give a damn about the rest of us. Obviously, looking for solutions from Washington has not been the answer. Looking for our corporate "leaders" to do the right thing and start hiring is pointless.

Tent cities, the real estate crash, Detroit, for god's sake. A drive late last night through downtown DC — just blocks from the White House — homeless folks camped out on the sidewalks all over. Nothing new of course, I just felt/hoped that with regime change, some things might have improved. They don't call me the optimist for nothing : )

I have $47 in the bank, utility shut off notices in today's mail and a mortgage due tomorrow. I, for one, am becoming radicalized by my personal situation as well as what I'm seeing around me.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Credit 'repair'

Here's a great offer from another predatory bank. I'm aghast at this, there is no other word. This is an offering for a credit card for folks with 'bad' credit. It will supposedly help them repair their credit rating, which is great, right? Then they can get back onto the American consumerist debt treadmill, provided they don't break their backs paying these incredible fees and 59.9% interest rates.


If you have 'bad credit', you really should think twice about this kind of 'repair'. The hard-sell of the 'necessity' of credit ratings needs some serious examination. When did we get conned into this? It really is possible to just opt out.

Rhetorical, but it needs asking — do we not have usury laws in this country? Can the people who dreamed up this enslavement plan actually sleep at night?

Personally, here on out, I'm not participating in any of this. I have a debit card, but I will never have a credit card again. It's a honey-coated trap, and I've fallen into it before. Never again.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

DIY housing

Given the economic collapse we are experiencing in the US, with huge job losses and more and more people losing their homes, there is a need for information about alternative, very low cost temporary and permanent shelter.

With a few tools, a bit of land (which could be cooperatively owned) and a serious attitude shift about what is desirable and acceptable in housing, wonderful shelter can be built for not a lot of money. Consider the yurt

[photo released under the GNU Free Documentation License]

A yurt is (traditionally) a portable shelter used by nomadic people in Mongolia and other regions. In its original form, it consists of circular, tightly bound lattice walls with a wool felt covering. Roofing is constructed with poles attached to the lattice at the outside edges and a circular ring in the center. The interior space is entirely open, with no load-bearing partitions.

There are hundreds of variations on this basic plan, and dozens of US yurt builders —
Colorado Yurts
Pacific Yurts
Red Sky Shelters portable "Yome"
Laurel Nest Yurts
Blue Ridge Yurts

Although these may look like tents, they are fully capable of withstanding serious weather conditions and can be used year-around in most climates. If you wanted something more "solid" and super-insulated, there are new, innovative prefab construction techniques and kits available —
CircHouse
ICS Solargon, made with SIPS (structural insulated panels)
Smiling Woods panelized yurts

You can buy plans, parts kits, completed kits. It's entirely conceivable that a family of three could live in a 20' yurt (about 310 square feet) with a basic cost of about $8,000. With variations like straw bale or earthship walls, the cost could be even less.

The links above are just a sampling of what's available. The best overall source of information on yurts is here.