Guilty County

I worked for 20 years in a state employment office.  We offered job search assistance, training, veterans' services and unemployment insurance. We never could shake the label "Unemployment Office. In a day, I may see those with six figure incomes (with or without advanced degrees) to others scraping by on part time minimum wage work. In my experience, no group had a tougher time than those saddled with criminal records. It was even worse for females with criminal records. The guys could still find construction laborer and other forms of low skill back breaking work. Women less so, at least in my experience.

I was pretty good at getting people to open up, sometimes too good. A young African American lady, Tonya, (not her actual name) sat down and let me know right off the bat she had a felony. I forgot what it was for or even if she told me. She knew she was in for a rough time and taught me much about life as a poor dark skinned person weighted down by a permanent criminal record. She was not at all nasty or angry, just detached. From her, I learned about police occupation; warrantless home entries, constant observation and random stops leaving people afraid and powerless. Tonya also told be about Guilty County. According to her this was the hardest county for a former offender to find work in the whole state. I saw nothing in my twenty years that would make me disbelieve her. She was far from the only person who taught me about the criminal record label.            
 
I had one Hispanic lady (We'll call her Ella-not her real name) who had a drug possession charge because her ex-husband left a small amount of cocaine in her car. Ella was a permanent resident (non citizen but here legally). Her English was so so, with no high school diploma and she was over fifty years old. She also had three high school aged children she was raising on her own. No one would hire Ella. Eventually, she got some part time work cleaning buildings for minimum wage. She had a good work ethic, was always positive, funny and trying to do the right thing. I never saw her feeling sorry for herself or blaming anyone for her situation. Ella just wanted to work and get by. Her brown skin and felon label made her untouchable here in Guilty County. Unable to support herself and children here, she moved out of state and I lost touch with her. She's resilient and will always get by but society has sentenced her to an old age filled with poverty and struggle. The punishment far out weighed the "crime."

I could write for years about the people I've met and what I learned from them. But let's not get off topic, former offenders. My cube became a confessional of sorts. I needed to know what the barriers were to help them. I talked to murders, drug dealers (unlicensed pharmaceutical reps), child molesters and God only know what else. I rarely asked what they did if they told me they had a criminal record. I would rather not know but most told me anyway. My role was to help any and all without judgement. I found the problems faced by this underclass so acute, I created another blog dedicated to former offenders- Get a Job with a Criminal Record. It is not much but something. The situation is not completely hopeless but we can do better.                             

"The New Jim Crow"

"The New Jim Crow"

Michelle Alexander

Racism is still thriving here in the US. The Klan robes have been traded in for suits and ties.    

Buy this book?

Spinning in- What are you going to do?

By any number of measures, the USA is at or very near the end of her life-cycle. Our leadership has left the reality based community. Climate change, income inequality, gun violence, technology threats such as mass surveillance and AI are nothing to worry about. Let's buy Greenland! We have leadership hell bent on solving made up problems like the video game menace and ignoring those just listed. If this is not terrifying in a society that has far far more guns than people, I don't know what the word terrifying means. I've not always felt this way.

When I was a kid, we looked to the future with wonder, possibility and amazement. 2000? 2020? Wow as a kid in the 70's! Now that we are here in 2019, what do I see? Hottest months on record, melting glaciers plus sea level rise, the ever present threat of nuclear war (no, it did not end with the cold war), a made up separation of us and them by the powers that be for the powers that be and racism is still alive and flourishing. I'm sure I could think of more and you could to. What to do? Ignore it all and hope it goes away? Hope this is all just a bad dream and we wake up? No, we have to do more.

I'll start with myself. I see almost no hope with either major political party. Yes, the Democrats may crash it all a little slower and easier but we are in for a hell ride on the way to the crash site. I see a similar result with the Republicans, only faster with even more damage. Don't look to Washington DC for answers. I have to look in the mirror. I can help people find the job / life skills they need to get by and help others. I can be a bridge between the made up us and them. I can listen and talk to others. There is only we. Be aware of of anyone who says otherwise. I can get to better know the local issues here in my community and look for positive just solutions.

Now... What can you do? What will you do?                

Three Writers

Explore Ideas

It looks like I'm getting back into the blogging world. I'd like to share with you three writers who have helped shape my thinking over the last five or ten years.

Chris Hedges does a good job of telling us what is wrong and why we are hurtling toward oblivion. The Coming Collapse is a good way to start. He has also written numerous books as well. I'm now reading America, The Farewell Tour. Grim but necessary reading. He also has many videos on YouTube as well. Be warned- not happy or uplifting reading.

Stan Goff is a former soldier turned antiwar activist who teaches us a lot about ourselves many of us would rather not know. Stability is one of the most informative posts I've ever read on line.  He has also written a number of books. Borderline: Reflections on War, Sex and Church took me on a dark tour of military life and some of the history of misogyny. If Stan writes it, know he has done a lot of homework.

John M. Greer writes beyond current sound bite culture about what climate change means for humanity, spirituality and our slow fall back to a post industrial world. There is no one apocalyptic event that casts us back into the dark ages. Rather, it is a long down hill grind. Here is his current blog, Ecosophia. I have read more of his old blog The Archdruid Report, which discusses peak oil and its aftermath.

Do I always agree with these guys? No. Still, I would recommend all three to anyone interested in life beyond yourself.           
 

   

 

My Writer's Page on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/author/paullavack

Forsaken Values... Save One

I'm writing as a Leftist. The problem with Liberals is that they think our system can be saved. It cannot. Our political system as it exists now, cannot even begin to cope with the problems of climate change, income inequality (think globally), nuclear weapons proliferation, rising nationalism and a host of other critical issues I'm forgetting right now. I agree with Chris Hedges' Et Tu, Bernie for the most part. I think Bernie is still a part of our imperialist system. But maybe I'm wrong. I see the Democratic Party as hopelessly corrupted by Wall Street money and beyond reform. I'm hopeful we are witnessing the slow suicide of the even worse Republican Party. Time will tell. I'm into solutions. Anyone can make a sign and go protest. That is a good thing but have an answer when asked, "What do you propose?" But before proposing solutions, let's look at what's wrong.

Our forsaken values:

"All men are created equal." Set aside the sexist problem with this for a second. This has never been true here in the United States. Yes, we had the Civil Rights Movement. We have cut back on the blatant open racism of the past for what appears to be a kinder gentler form of racism. It is not. Racism is alive and indeed flourishing here. Cops gun down unarmed African Americans with impunity. There is the gender pay gap. Women are not paid equally for equal work. PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. There are a number of inequalities and it would provide for almost limitless posting. I think you get the idea.      

"One person, one Vote." Voter suppression has in practice from the beginning and is still going on to this day. Slowly, as more and more people have gained the right to vote, the elites who run the show have had to come up with new ways to control things. Politicians now pick the voters and not the other way around. And to become a successful politician takes funding, more funding the higher you go. Our so called choice is most of the time between two parties who mirror each other on so many issues. I agree, the Democrats are just a little saner but they are basically on the same payroll. Until we figure out how to separate money from politics, I see little chance for real change for the better.
     
"Trial by Jury." Beyond the realm of TV, this is no longer a reality for most facing charges. Many charged with crimes are coerced into taking a plea bargain. Then throw in "for profit prisons" and it is easy to see why so many see our justice system as anything but just. Once you are out, good luck trying to find meaningful, well-paying work. The justice system is overwhelmed and cannot cope with the sheer volume of cases. Things like the so called war on drugs and the criminalisation of poverty are not helping.

It is also not helpful that we have a two tiered justice system; one for the poor and one for the rich. Both justice and politics are for sale here. This is a whole topic for another time. Let's get back on track. 

"Freedom of speech" This one works really well until whatever you are saying is heard by enough people and you are upsetting those in power. It was not long after MLK started talking about poverty here he was assassinated. Further down the road when the Occupy Movement started to change the national dialogue, the media was quick to turn on the discrediting machine. Occupiers were dismissed as freeloaders wanting free stiff.  No, read for yourself.  

"Judaeo Christian Values" This country is anything but Christian (as I understand it anyway). We view compassion as weakness, humility as vanity and forgiveness as quaint. And we are all about the value of life unless you are the wrong color or the wrong creed. Taking care of the poor? Let's drug test them. Let's kick them out of healthcare. Lets make them criminals. 

Save one you ask?


Pursuit of Happiness. Get as rich as you can as fast as you can! Clean air in the way of profit? Who needs clean air? Climate change crimping your bottom line? Deny it. Want to make mountains into money? Go right ahead! Afraid of school shootings leading to profit loss through regulation? You too can buy a legislature!

 

Reasons For Optimism

I know, I know. Things are not looking good for the ole human race at the moment. Short term thinking oligarchs are doing their level best to maximize profits no matter the cost to the rest of us. This is a civilization killer according to Jared Diamond. The Donald, AKA 45, may be the best thing to ever happen to the Left here in the USA! Hold on, keep reading. We need to look beyond politics. Keep in mind the Democratic Party is in the death grip of Big Bankers and Wall Street types who lack vision beyond this quarter's bottom line. They offer capitalism lite (repackaged more of the same). Bernie thinks reforming this sad bunch is the best way to go. My gut tells me this cannot happen. They are far too heavily invested in the status quo to offer any real change. I think there is a good chance they will lose to Trump again for this very reason. "I'm not Trump," is not a winning strategy as we have seen. They have to do better. They will not. The Democrats have no alternative vision as of this writing. But there is still reason to be hopeful and get up in the morning. Why?   


Teachers Saying OH, HELL NO to business as usual. They are getting results. Sure, public education has deep problems but consider the alternative; "For Profit" schools teaching the blessings of subjugation and the joys of the free market. Don''t quit on us now, teachers. We need you more than ever.

Students have also had enough of business as usual. School shootings have become American as baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. Yet, our so called leaders continue to sit on their hands simply refusing any reasonable response. They offer absurdities as solutions like arming teachers or letting God back in schools. The kids have had enough of adult bullshit and are standing up for themselves. Join them! Don't quit on us now, students. We need you more than ever.     

Black Lives Matter formed in response to on going extrajudicial killings (murder) by police of African Americans all across America. They too are saying OH, HELL NO to business a usual. African Americans should not have to fear for their lives at a traffic stop. Don't quit now! Stan up and be heard.

I thought I knew how racist this country was until the election of 2016. Man, have we got some work to do. A good first step is to step back, sit down and listen. Just listen...      

Poor Peoples Campaign and Reverend Barber are shining a bright light on economic inequality. Those who don't see this the ever widening gap between rich and poor as a huge problem are unknowingly playing with fire. Criminalizing poverty is no solution to poverty. There are better ideas. If we can fix this problem a lot of other problems diminish.   

There are more good things to get involved with. Find your passion and go make something good happen. Quitting and relinquishing your power only serves those who don't have your best interests at heart. Get up and get involved. It is our duty.