WebRanger

A logical question to ask the webmaster of a site focusing on an economic crisis is “What do you know about economics?”

I could sidestep that question by pointing out that this site discusses far more than economics. It addresses a wide range of sociopolitical issues that can be loosely tied to the banner Globalization.

Nevertheless, the web site’s title is a reminder that the economy takes center stage here. So what do I know about economics?

Like most of the media whores who write about our economic train wreck, I have no degree in economics. Rather, I have a BS in ecology. I did take one economics class, Environmental Economics, but that doesn’t count for much.

However, I’m smart enough to understand the basic law of economics, a law that pretty much applies to ecology as well:

There’s no free lunch.

As simplistic as it sounds, that pearl of wisdom consistently eludes some of the world’s most celebrated economists.

To put it another way, I have enough common sense to realize that the economy is more than carefully selected statistics related to exports or the gross national product. As a worker, a former teacher and a taxpayer, I understand that a nation’s economy is best measured by the well being of its citizens. If you’re astute enough to realize that the government’s unemployment figures don’t represent the true unemployment rate, then you have some idea of what I’m talking about.

Of course, politics is central to any discussion of the Second Great Depression, and I’m not just a political expert: I’m a pro. I live in Seattle, Bill Gates’ home town and one of the world’s most corrupt corporate brothels. I spent sixteen years fighting for survival as an employee of the effectively privatized Seattle School District.

I’ve launched several political web sites, and I’ve run for public office six times. I understand politics.

I also understand corruption, having worked for three entities that have been ferociously downsized, two of which have also been effectively privatized - the Seattle School District, U.S. Postal Service and UPS. Along the way, I've been screwed by two corrupt unions, the National Education Association and the Teamsters. As a taxpayer, I’m footing the bill for Seattle’s two new world class sports stadiums, the relocation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other “public-private partnerships.” I know what it’s like to be screwed by national, state and local government and a swarm of corporations that parasitize it.

The best measure of my qualifications to create a web site like Great Depression II is the web site itself. I’ve put abundant information and ideas online for public inspection, and there are a variety of related forums and blogs where which they can be discussed.

Before closing, I’d like to make it clear that I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I don’t know exactly how bad things are going to get, nor do I know Corporate America’s exact game plan. Nevertheless, I predicted the current economic crisis would be far worse than a simple recession long before the mass layoffs of January 2009.

In fact, I’ve developed a penchant for making predictions during my career as a political activist, and my predictions generally prove accurate...sometimes eerily so. Do some research on my first campaign for public office for an example, then draw your own conclusions.