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There's a whole lot of people who think it is.
What is 350 parts per million? 350 parts per million is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that many environmentalists - including James E. Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies - say is the safe upper limit. The consequences of carbon dioxide staying above that level is, according to those same environmentalists, world catastrophe induced by runaway man-made global warming.
However, I say, in truth, a different number is the most important number in the world.
I say that number is 14,164.53.
What is 14,164.53? 14,164.53 is the record level that the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached on October 9, 2007. At that level, with a record percentage of Americans invested in the stock market through the 1980's invention - 401(k) -, a record percentage of Americans found themselves in a position to not only retire early, but retire in luxury. As they examined their retirement account statements their eyes popped.
Then just one year later they found their 401(k)'s worth just over half of what they had been., and they saw all their dazzling hopes fizzling.
For this reason they swept into a power a community organizer with a funny name, because he promised hope and change. The hope and change that this demagogue held out was about ethereal matters such as social justice, but what they thought he really was going to change was the value of their 401(k)'s. And this community organizer knew that the people thought he was really talking about hope for their 401(k) account,, but what he really had in mind was to exploit the people's gullibility so he could usher in an era of big government and control over the lives of the people.
The people sold out everything - their principles, the American Dream, their children's and grand-children's future -; sold out everything for the number 14,164.53.
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You can only hear stories like this so many times before you lose your mind with anger, become and activist, boycot unethical companies and change your life style to promote good on a local or national scale. It is up to the individual to spread knowledge and insight on issues like these. Once you have the knowledge you can no longer claim ignorance, it's almost a burden, what are you going to do with your new found knowledge? Ignore it? Feel anger but remain silent? We all know the baby boomers attempt at a flower powered boycot against unethical procedures in our goverment failed miserably, look around, it's those flower children who now shop at wal mart and sit in state offices sipping their lattes working a 11am to 3pm job because they can't agree with their political counter parts. Once these yuppies are in the nursing home sipping apple sauce through a straw we'll be able to make some real progress.
ReplyDeleteWhile you folks enjoy your social security, I'll be busting my back end until I'm 70 to pay the morgage, I'll be shopping local, educating my children on the difference between right and wrong and ethical behavior. Let any of us left who still have a back bone stand firm.