New Yorker writer Jane Mayer says the Arizona audit is an unprecedented undertaking, with potentially explosive consequences for American democracy.
Mayer notes that although the audit appears to be the work of local extremists, it's actually being funded by sophisticated national organizations whose boards of directors include some of the country's wealthiest and highest-profile conservatives.
The cidiot sticks a small recycling bin next three large garbage bags every week and is so proud of all they are doing for recycle their garbage. They ignore the dumpster full of debris buried in the landfill after their last attic purge, the discarded appliances, the roofing material and their junked car. But they recycled their cans and bottles, so virtuous.
Because the cidiot believes in global warming, they are so proud to have subscribed to a solar garden, hundreds of acres of farm field or forests paved over with solar panels and electrical equipment. They call it a garden, because they seeded some pollinator friendly plants around the solar panels and access roads. Ignoring the fact that electrons are completely fungible and it’s impossible to know if the trickle of electrons from the solar facilities is actually the ones you are burning or essentially just a marketing job by the big utilities.
Then I could go on and on about the endless marketing of other green products that fill my advertising feeds. The reusable makeup brushes, the bamboo tooth brushes. Buy more stuff, the green stuff, the landfill is waiting for it.
I just hate green marketing as it sells a delusion and a falsehood to the urban consumer. It legitimizes consumption, it makes it feel okay to buy, use and throw away at a fevered pitch. While I get why marketers want to make a profit, they way they play on the emotions of the urban consumer is terrible.
I listen to the news from time to time, but less and less, because it seems like there is absolutely no news anymore to listen to — it’s like NPR is just vamping for time. About the only thing newsworthy is climate change, as the northeast floods and gets smoked out, and the partisan extremists pontificate about how wonderful they are. I guess the grafters can’t be bothered to come up with decent news stories to distract the public’s attention with anymore.
A 1972 MIT study predicted that rapid economic growth would lead to societal collapse in the mid 21st century. A new paper shows we're unfortunately right on schedule.
This past spring I started on my journey exploring mental health services, thinking now was the time to finally start making some big changes in my life, dealing with various issues I faced. I made some of the minor changes, they weren’t too hard to make.
I started tackling some of the bigger things but then came to realize that they really aren’t that big of an issue in my life and that over the years I’ve mostly turned those bad habits into something positive that is actually improving my life. And maybe there isn’t that much of a reason for me to change immediately.
I don’t have to settle down right away, I can continue on my current path, making more money each year, living fairly frugally and working towards a better tomorrow with that off-grid property in a place like Missouri where I can have fires, make my own electricity, raise my own food, manage my own waste, and own the guns I want. But that doesn’t have to happen right away, and if I’m continuing on that goal its better as time allows investments to grow and be added to.
I’ve been listening to and watching a lot of self improvement videos and podcasts lately. I’m trying to learn ways to better deal with my anxiety and let things roll off my shoulders. I could go back to counseling but I want to learn more myself without paying that $25 co-pay all the time, taking the time off work and being told my problems are dumb. If the solutions to improving my life are ultimately in my hands and in my mind then I think there is a lot I can do myself to improve my mental health without necessarily spending money.
So I don’t know if I really need to change anything right away in my life but I should continue to learn, grow and think more about my future and how I will get there.