AMERICA... YOU FUCKED UP.

Dear America,
                      you fucked up. You used to not give a shit about what the rest of the world thought about you. You used to make cool shit. Really good cool shit, like~ cars that were the envy of the world, fridges that often lasted longer than the people that bought them, shoes that could be re-heeled and re-soled, pens that took ink refills and signed important documents with authority, watches that you'd have repaired not replaced, lighters made of metal that saved GI's from Nazi bullets, hats made by craftsman, shelving units made from real wood, toasters that had slots big enough for bagels even before people started toasting bagels, toys that taught about the importance of capitalism, radios made from space age plastics, clothes that fit right and somehow never went out of style, candy that would definitely rot your teeth but not give you cancer, and on and on and on and on.... You had it all and you blew it. It was right there, cradled in your calloused hands and you let it slip right through your fingers. You got greedy and tight fisted and that fucked it all up.

When did quality and pride in ones work get put in the backseat? When we were sold on CONVENIENCE, that's when. It's been a long, slow, gentle erosion on our senses that's shifted what's important. That and a focus on short term costs over long term savings. DISPOSABLE GOODS~ "Why fix that OLD thing when it's cheaper and easier to get a NEW one?"

So as I sit here in my living-room,ticky-tacking away on my chinese made LENOVO laptop, wearing my El Salvadorean FRUIT OF THE LOOM undies, my Mexican LEVI's, my Dominican Republic HANES t-shirt and check the time on my Philippines made TIMEX... I wonder what I can do differently...

I s'pose I could try being more optimistic.