You bring up so many excellent points. The U.S. has never been focused, or in any sort of agreement, on quality of life. The wealth disparity drives up prices for coffee and conversation to be considered affordable socialization. Yet, when I travel, those conversations away from my community are relaxing and memorable.
Sadly, you're right. There has never been a serious conversation outside of the circles of diehards. In Washington, there have been a handful (maybe not even) of voices and they were cast off as crackpots. There was a rep from Oregon a long time ago. Anyway, nobody even really tries that hard anymore, which is a bad sign.
I can almost guarantee that “collision” wouldn’t have ended well here. There’s no such thing as an accident anymore- everything is always someone’s fault. It’s exhausting.
I don't think it's melodramatic to say what you describe is a sign of the overall deterioration of the society, of the country at a much larger, more future-shaping (like now and the next years) scale.
One man’s cost saving is another man’s lost income.
We try to spend money locally. We want local businesses to thrive. Yes, you can buy your skis 20% cheaper at a big box store on the edge of town. Then there is nobody to service your skis; that service you need nearby.
You bring up so many excellent points. The U.S. has never been focused, or in any sort of agreement, on quality of life. The wealth disparity drives up prices for coffee and conversation to be considered affordable socialization. Yet, when I travel, those conversations away from my community are relaxing and memorable.
Sadly, you're right. There has never been a serious conversation outside of the circles of diehards. In Washington, there have been a handful (maybe not even) of voices and they were cast off as crackpots. There was a rep from Oregon a long time ago. Anyway, nobody even really tries that hard anymore, which is a bad sign.
I appreciate the comment.
I can almost guarantee that “collision” wouldn’t have ended well here. There’s no such thing as an accident anymore- everything is always someone’s fault. It’s exhausting.
I don't think it's melodramatic to say what you describe is a sign of the overall deterioration of the society, of the country at a much larger, more future-shaping (like now and the next years) scale.
One man’s cost saving is another man’s lost income.
We try to spend money locally. We want local businesses to thrive. Yes, you can buy your skis 20% cheaper at a big box store on the edge of town. Then there is nobody to service your skis; that service you need nearby.