Everyone is watching Wall Street, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I say it’s already dropped, it was in free fall for a long, long time.

Earlier on this blog, I had said that we would hit temporary plateaus and then drop again to other plateaus, as our world winds down. This is where we’ve been for a while, and now we’re dropping over yet another cliff. Sea level is where we’re going and we’ve got quite a ways to go still before we get there.

A bunch of phony moves are meant to “save” the market, but none of them will work. Shrubs ridiculously stupid economic stimulus package was laughed at all around the world. But hey what do you expect from the Moron in Chief? The Fed cut interest rates today in an emergency measure to stop the plunge. I don’t think it will work, we’ve got a long ways to go as our world devolves.

Here’s what you can do: It is (still) easier to make money right now then it is to save the money you’ve made; or more importantly, spend the money you’ve saved or earned on important essentials. Our world is full of glittering trinkets and baubles that entice us to buy, buy, buy. But which of these do you need in the face of collapse?

That is a question that should be on everyone’s mind. Not about how much “profit” you’re going to make on your next gold or silver purchase, but on whether or not you have covered the essentials for life. Making a (dubious) profit is not one of them.

I’ve very little patience anymore for the greedy among us. It’s everywhere as the capitalists scramble to take advantage of every situation. It’s disgusting is what it is. Free fall means a lot of people are going to get hurt. Our local homeless shelter had over 100 people in it last night, and the “tent city” continues to grow. Unfortunately, the city fathers gave marching orders to the homeless and cleared them all out, even though they ALL had permission to stay from the private land owners who were trying to help. See, unless you’re a contributing tax slave, you’re persona non grata, move along and die someplace else.

Our priorities are all messed up. We’re still enamored with the ludicrous thought that the American Dream can still be had. This is asinine thinking from young and old. It’s OVER already, get that through you’re neighbors head and you’ll be doing him or her a great big favor. It’s KAPUT, going down in flames right now before our eyes.

And it’s high time too. Our wasteful, wicked and evil ways as human viruses on this Earth are meeting their determined end. A finite world exploited to the nth degree will react in only one way: it will come crashing down as “easy money” (stupid money) is thrown by the bucketful into the swirling toilet of disaster.

I well realize this blog has seriously strong negative themes. It’s a collapse blog! And there isn’t much positive to really say about collapse, unless… unless you finally realize that collapse is exactly what is needed and long overdue!

But for the “I can’t take it anymore crowd”, here’s some humor: Okay, the world economy is in the toilet, the presidential race is being rigged, pot’s still illegal and people are being tasered. Now here are some kittens in a box. Feel better?

That’s a Reddit headline, but here’s a couple more (brace yourselves or just close your eyes):

I just want to watch the World’s Stock Market Collapse in Real Time, does anyone know any sites?

In a couple of hours the US Stock Market is going to crash : Japan’s Nikkei Index Drops “Again” 4.4 Per Cent on Jan 22

Actually, not to be insensitive, I’ve always found the concept of “investing” in the stock market to be rather ridiculous. Sorry, but it just never made any sense at all. Paper “security” in illusionary “profits” is nonsensical. In a highly leveraged capitalist society, somebody always loses. Doesn’t this matter to anyone? Now, it’s the “investor class”, having already milked the private citizens bone dry.

What can I say? It’s about time. And it’s only fair to be honest. It’s not real money and never was. I never once fell for it, although I do realize that many, many people did. Oh well, move along. Get over it and realize that all illusionary bubbles pop sooner or later.

There are many, many other illusionary bubbles popping now too. The American status as the “freest country on Earth” has been shattered time and time again, as our Fatherland Security apparatus continues to tighten the cinch screws. Being alienated in your own country is a rather weird feeling. Anger, disgust, despair and disillusionment run through your mind at light speed. Daily. If you’re still human that is.

Other bubbles now popping in American minds everywhere: Politics, the whole kit and kaboodle. I wouldn’t give you a plug nickel for none of the mainstream candidates, or the even the chance of a fair election. Religion, and the idea that we’re going to somehow “save ourselves” this time by praying to the right God. Energy, and the thoughts that we can just keep on “engineering our way” towards solutions indefinitely as our world creaks dangerously out of control. The idea of walking is horrifying to most Americans, but it’s easy to see why, obesity has exceeded 50% in this country. Funny how it is the very thing we need the most is the very thing we’re trying so damned desperately hard to avoid.

But that is true about everything right now. We’re trying to avoid a financial collapse, but it’s exactly what is needed to stop the global exploitation of people and resources. It’s not going to be enough, but it’s a start. We’re trying to figure out how to save energy and petroleum, but refuse to consider that we might actually have to start walking or working again. Our desperation to keep this ball of melting wax spinning faster and faster as pieces fly on in flaming disaster is actually causing more problems then solutions. Slowing down never seems to be part of the equation. Using less, buying less, living better, cleaner and healthier lives just doesn’t fit into the capitalistic model of buy, buy, buy and consume, consume, consume. Profits are the ONLY motives now that matter, even in politics, the environment and living standards. If we can’t exploit it, why in hell do we want it?

Oh boy, don’t get me started…. So here I sit, and I’m glad it’s crumbling. I’ve long preached the message that collapse is the solution. Nothing else even stands a chance of rectifying the terrible damage we’ve done. Our way of life HAS TO STOP. We can’t war against it, we need to let it kill itself, which it is doing right now, and no amount of “economic stimulus” salvation packages from Lord Jehovah Bush will change that fact.

I’m not happy about all the pain this is causing, but I’ve also said something else: suffering is going to be a necessary part of any healing we might do. If we’re going to heal ourselves from our pernicious ways, then we’re going to have to suffer. Remorse and regret and economic loss and hardship and pain and hunger and the whole ball of wax - it’s necessary for us to endure these things if we hope to learn anything at all. Otherwise, we’ll just go right back to what we’ve always done like a dog that’s never punished for crapping on the carpet. We keep shitting in our own nest and on each other, over and over again, you bet we need to suffer, it’s the only way we stand a chance to change.

Change only comes from the realization, often painful, that your present situation is untenable. Intolerable situations can cause deep and lasting change. An alcoholic that destroys himself and his family can make a decision to change his life if he wants to, or he can go back to wallowing in his own vomit if the illusionary benefits of being a drunk seem better to him. This is exactly the decision Americans need to make. We’re drunk on our own (past) successes and dominion, but they are all illusionary. We’re addicted to asinine and stupid ways of living. We do not own the planet. We don’t even own this land and all that is within it.

Our entire way of life has been to rape, pillage, destroy and pave over with our wizardry everything we could manage to conquer, including each other. This has resulted in the situation we now find ourselves as our climate spins out of control and the worlds resources have disappeared down our insatiable appetites. It can’t possibly last forever and we need to finally wake up to this fact. It’s time to drop our illusions. And our pretenses and our self-modeling lies of deceit that we’re any different then any other nation that has stupidly run off a cliff.

See, I see this entire thing as an opportunity, not a total defeat. I can easily imagine a better life, for me, for you, for everyone, but not until this present world passes away. We KNOW what this present world is capable of and it’s very evil, very ugly and very much uncaring of all the suffering it creates. But we’re too enamored with our “quality of life” and easy living to really give a damn. “It’s not my problem” until it becomes your problem (and your life). Enter Stage 1. This is where we are at right now. Our lives are now being threatened by what we’ve already done.

In other words - this IS our fault. Pointing blame and responsibility is necessary too. This is also part of the healing process that might come if we survive this. Everything that is happening now is our fault. The human-engineered collapse now underway is the result of our pernicious ways. Even climate change is something we stand the blame for. And of course, the collapsing environment, this is definitely our fault. Mature humans recognize all of this, but I’m in a minority, particularly here in Amerika.

This isn’t news to regular readers, but I’m reminded often of new readership, so there it is again for some of you, and a reminder for the rest. Brace yourselves. Get ready to deal with the essentials in your life. Make wise decisions now on how you spend your rapidly deflating dollars. Now is a great time (and more then a little overdue) to rethink your priorities in life.

I don’t like giving out specific “advice”, since I don’t live in your shoes and vice versa (unlike the rather rude woman that interrupted an important call yesterday and proceeded to dictate to me how I should run my business). Only you know what is best for you. Assess what is happening and where this is all going and plan accordingly. Do it now.