Hope For The Best…

There is a well known professor in Russia who thinks that the United States is going to fracture into several countries. Sadly, he may be right.

History is full of stories of great empires that achieved dominance, crumbled from within, and then declined; achieved dominance, crumbled from within, and decline. The United States is not immune from these same forces of history.

Our military continues to be overextended in the Middle East. The U.S. government spends money it doesn’t have to bail out reckless banks and lethargic automakers and plans to spend more on universal health care and renewable energy. The Federal Reserve prints money out of thin air to buy government bonds as our No. 1 debt customer China worries aloud about the value of their investments.

At the same time, Mexico continues to collapse on our Southern border while politicians on both political parties favor amnesty for illegal immigrants that have flooded the country by the millions over the past decade. The overwhelming majority of Americans oppose amnesty. That doesn’t matter to our enlightened leaders, who are in the pocket of their corporate donors that favor open-border policies that leave wages suppressed and workers divided.

Americans are gradually migrating to areas where they will be among their own ethnically and culturally. Right and left ideologies both favor small, local organization of like-minded groups.

New York exhibits all of these traits. The post-September 11 unity in the city, like in the rest of the U.S., was short-lived. New York is as divided as the rest of the country. I wish it were not so, but it is and it may be too late to turn back the clock to a more unified time.

I hope for the best, but I find myself preparing for the worst.

Take This Job And Keep It

My new column is now online at Kotori Magazine. It’s about the dismal state of the economy and the fragile position everyone is in. Even those of us who luckily still have jobs are on edge, waiting for the pink slips to land on our desks.

Should I get laid off again, things would no doubt be rough for a while. I am already trying to save as much money as I can in case this happens. I know I will make it through though.

And there is an upside to unemployment and a silver lining to every set back. If it were not for being laid off in 2001, I would not be involved with music the way I am today and I would not have an online column.

Here’s hoping opportunity knocks in another form besides layoffs.

In Like A Lion

March started us on the path to spring by giving us a big dose of winter in the form of a blizzard. The approaching blizzard dominated the news Sunday and the city was prepared.

My commute to work in the mornings is usually delayed and crowded. The MTA does such a poor job on a daily basis that commuters are accustomed to frustrating travel. I noticed no difference in my commute this morning even though trains were officially delayed.

I like the snow, though I’m sure my attitude would be different if I was a property owner who had to shovel it. No, I am a lazy apartment dweller who can enjoy the beauty of the snowfall and be clear of the most obnoxious of its consequences.

A big snowfall is a beautiful sight to behold: a blanket of white over everything, bright highlights tracing the boughs of the trees and fresh landscapes unspoiled by footprints that will be gone soon.

The blizzard brought snow to regions that don’t normally see it. It is a chance for our friends in warmer climates like the South to enjoy a taste of real winter. So what if you hot wet or you didn’t get to spend more time at work. For the first time in five years, students in New York public schools had the day off because of the snow. Who can be against that? Enjoy the snow.