by Pete Thorsen
Allen was concerned about the direction his country was going; to him it seemed to be on a downhill slide both morally and economically. Many in this country no longer worked and while some of that number were just honestly out of a job (the unemployment rate was quite high) and actively looking for a replacement job, some had no intention of working again. Some that were looking for a job thought that many jobs were ‘beneath’ them and would only try for jobs that were better or at least as good as the job they had lost.
These people were often unemployed for longer periods now when jobs were hard to find. Some people just wanted the government to take care of them totally and the government actually seemed eager to do just that, whether at the local, state, or national level. Welfare and food stamp programs continued to grow. Many went on permanent disability and were then set for the rest of their lives getting free money and heath care from the federal government. Of course all these actions caused many problems.
Those not working paid no taxes and at this point it was about half the population or more that paid in no income taxes. Actually it was even worse than that because through tax credits many people got back way more money than they paid in. Of course because of the large sums available as tax credits there were also billions of dollars of tax fraud every year and it was growing.
Even those that had good jobs brought trouble into the picture. Those that had union jobs got compensation that could not be sustained. In the private sector this caused no long term problems because when it became too much of a burden on a company that company just closed their doors and went bankrupt. Then many times a non-union company would start up to take their place.
Unfortunately there were also unions at most levels of government jobs and this did cause a lot of problems. The unions asked for more and they got more then when the contracts were up they would ask for more again and they would receive more again. The unions would use their considerable money to donate to the campaigns of those running for public office who would vote favorably for the unions.
The ‘business’ could not go out of business because it was a government entity. So there would just be more and more debt along with heavy burdens on the taxpayers. This was often hidden by using ‘unique’ accounting methods but at some point it would have to be dealt with. It was coming into the light now with the down turn of the economy.
Many cities and some counties were filing for bankruptcy or being taken over by the state. The Federal government did not have this problem because they could just run a deficit budget, which of course they did every year. Year after year of large deficit budgets until the national debt was well over seventeen trillion dollars which obviously was not sustainable either.
The easy and only practical answer was to make budget cuts until you got down to a balanced budget then gradually start paying off the huge debt just like a responsible person would do. Of course Congress would not do that. They made no budget cuts because of a simple fact that every politician knew; spending buys votes and cuts lose votes. So they raised taxes and raised the debt limit to allow more and more debt. Of course the debt just kept growing, way above the GDP of the country into very scary territory.
This was especially troubling due to the very weak economy that was showing no real signs of growth, luckily a hero rode in to the rescue. That hero was the Federal Reserve Bank and though they were not a government entity they had total control of the US Dollar. Their plan was called Quantitative Easing, where they would infuse huge amounts of ‘new’ dollars into the system.
They thought these new dollars being pumped into the economy would make money more available to everyone and grow the whole economy. They would buy US bonds with some of the money this would stop the threat of the United States having a bond sale with no takers as the Fed would always buy them. The Fed would also buy mortgage-backed-securities from banks as this would give the banks huge amounts of cash and remove toxic loans that were hanging around their necks. The banks would be stronger and have more cash to loan out and really lessen the chance of a large bank failing. Of course the Fed’s grand plan that had never been tried before didn’t work.
Chapter Two
Al kept track of the news from around the world and also the economic situation both at home and abroad. Of course it always looked bad but that was to be expected for the most part. Hyped up bad things got people to watch the news so that is what they concentrated on. Al tried to sift through all the news and draw his own conclusions.
He was definitely concerned but barring a trigger event he thought it would limp along for some time yet. Little things happened now and then but were never enough to cause it all to tumble. There had just been a thirteen percent rollback in the amount those on food stamps got each month and many thought it would cause a lot of trouble. In Atlanta there was a protest march about the rollback and a business was broken into and looted but it was stopped quickly and some were arrested. That was about the only protest and then calmed down again.
Al just kept working though he really did not like flying around the country quite as much as he used to. One of his checked bags was a large backpack instead of a standard suitcase like most used. Many would have been surprised at some of the items contained in the backpack but Al was careful not to have any items that could be considered ‘terrorist’ related.
Just a few things for insurance that could maybe keep him alive and help him get back home from wherever he might find himself if the ‘event’ ever happened. Of course nothing ever happened but that was the whole idea behind insurance, wasn’t it?
One Tuesday night in his martial arts class a new girl started and Al had a tough time keeping his eyes off her throughout the whole class. She was lithe and pretty but that wasn’t really it as he had seen many pretty girls before, indeed many pretty ones were in this current class. There was just something that drew him to her. Several times during class their eyes met across the dojo floor. After class Al knew he had to talk to her so he boldly walked up as they both were leaving.
Extending his hand he said “I’m Allen Butler. Are you joining the class?”
Shaking his hand she said “I’m Elizabeth Harding. Yes this dojo is much closer to my new apartment than my old one.”
“I’d be pleased to walk you home if you would allow me the honor.”
After just a moment of thought she said “Yes I think I’d like that.”
So they walked off in the direction Liz indicated and after four blocks and a lot of small talk with a few laughs later they arrived at her building.
“Thank you for the escort.”
“Why do I get the idea that you are fully capable of taking care of yourself? But in any case you are most welcome as it was a pleasure I hope to repeat in the future. If I may be so bold as to ask to also escort you to class on Thursday?”
“I will look forward to meeting you here on Thursday.”
They exchanged phone numbers and Al continued on to his own apartment that was less than two blocks farther with a spring to his step that he did not even notice. He also found himself looking forward to his next class much more than usual.
Naturally it was pouring rain on Thursday so Al showed up at Liz’s apartment driving his old truck. He was somewhat apprehensive about driving the old truck for the first time since he had bought it even though he knew it was totally dependable. But Liz surprised him with her first comment; one that Al could tell was sincere.
“Nice truck. I’ve been kicking the idea around about getting one similar to replace my little car. There are many advantages to a truck.”
“My thoughts exactly. I’ve had this gone through thoroughly to make sure its in top shape.”
“So did you add the saddle tank and the transfer tank?”
“You don’t miss much do you? Yes, I had them added along with the ten ply tires, new suspension, and the heavy receiver hitch.”
“I see it’s a diesel. Is that what you really wanted to get when you bought th
is truck?”
“Yes there are some advantages with having a diesel truck even though I seldom drive it because I walk everywhere normally. Except when it’s raining cats and dogs.”
“Same with me. That’s why I changed apartments because this one is much closer to my work so I no longer have to drive to work and why I also switched where I went to martial arts class.”
“So what do you do for a living?”
“Oh I just work in an office. Nothing exotic, it’s the simple life for me.”
They arrived at the dojo and then had little time to talk during class because both took the class seriously. Al did note that his first assessment was correct and that Liz could take care of herself after watching her train in class. He guessed she would be about his equal in moves. He was stronger and heavier but he thought she was faster and had more finesse to her movements. He thought she looked much better doing them also.
After class he took her back to her apartment and it then became a usual arrangement with him escorting her back and forth to every class. After another week of that Al asked her out to dinner and a movie which she accepted and soon they were often together whenever their schedules allowed.
Al was quite happy to have found Liz. He realized she was just what he had been searching for without even knowing he was even looking for anyone. He kinda thought that she might be the One.
Though things were great between him and Liz, it was not so great for the rest of the world.
Special Insert
The man in the black hoodie was again ready for the protest with his hidden bag and the hidden the crowbar. The protest was not as calm as the last time but the man was not very worried because he had the crowbar and it was a formidable weapon that he had used as such at other times before. Things went just as good as last time though and when he broke the door in the business other protesters were very quick to enter also.
The man in the hoodie went directly to the jewelry but was soon joined by another man. When the other man wouldn’t leave the jewelry to him he used the crowbar on him without any hesitation. Then he filled his bag as fast as he could and made his escape much like before. Soon he was back at his place going through his loot. He thought about the man he had struck with the crowbar not at all; it was simply just another night and another heist that had turned into a very good haul.
Chapter Three
The economy was getting worse both in the United States and most other countries. Europe was having real problems and because of the USA and European troubles China’s exports had slowed way down putting a damper on their economy too.
The United States had just started the implementation of a huge health care reform law and it was a giant fiasco on many fronts. It was causing a big problem for many states because very large numbers of people were signing up for Medicaid.
Though the Federal government pays a percentage of the cost of Medicaid, the states still pay up to half of the cost. The state of Georgia was having financial trouble already (like most states) with the Medicaid costs that were already more than twenty five percent of the state’s whole budget before the new surge in enrollees.
The state had to do something because it couldn’t have a deficit budget like the Federal government could. So Georgia announced Medicaid recipients would have to pay increased premiums and partial costs for services. This was done in several other states also. This led to many getting upset and there were many protests that came close to being called riots. There was even one death this time inside one of the stores that were looted. But that changed nothing because there was simply not enough money to go around so the new Medicaid policy remained in place.
Al watched the news on TV and researched many things on the internet also. It was hard to sift the wheat from the chaff to find the truth without the bias that was found everywhere. It was obvious at least to Al that the economy was getting worse every week. The grand plan of the Federal Reserve with their huge Quantitative Easing program had only helped the stock market both here and even in many other countries.
It wasn’t even keeping all the ‘new’ dollars within the United States. Since the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act signed by President Clinton just before he left office, the banks now could buy securities that were anything but secure with their depositor’s money. And they spread the money around throughout the world. But the one thing that was supposed to happen, allowing more lenient lending to boost the economy, didn’t materialize. Money lending was tight and not easing at all.
At one point the Fed just mentioned tapering down the money ‘printing’ and the stock market in the US plummeted just at the mere mention of lessening the money train. The Fed promptly reported that the tapering was only as passing thought and they would continue with the Quantitative Easing for the foreseeable future. Of course the markets immediately went back up and soon set new record highs. Well then even though the Quantitative Easing was a total bust for what it was supposed to do the Federal Reserve did what losers often do, they doubled down.
The Federal Reserve made big announcements that even though the Quantitative Easing was a huge success they were going to increase the amount to really give the United States’ economy a big shot in the arm. So they bumped the ‘printing’ of new money up from the two point eight billion per day they were now doing to a whopping five billion dollars of ‘new’ money per day, every day. Of course the markets jumped up but little else resulted from the new boost which was almost double the old amount, at least which could be seen no benefit to the American people. But other countries and big investors took note.
Al had some vacation time that he had to use or lose so he decided to fly out to the ranch for a visit and to do some work same as always when he went there. This time there was to be one very big difference from any other trips home; he was taking Liz to the ranch with him.
He had asked if she would like to go with him to get some smelly farm fresh air and do real hard farm work for a vacation. She just smiled and said yes it sounded like a great time. So they flew to Oklahoma City and rented a car and drove the well over hundred miles to the farm.
Liz did not know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by the mix of old and new that she found there. Al had told her that his brother and his family lived there full time but the ranch was actually owned jointly by all the kids (as he put it).
She saw one big older home with three obviously much newer and much smaller homes close by. There were two windmills that Liz could see as they drove up to the large house. There seemed to be solar panels everywhere at first glance. Liz looked at Al and said “This is where some of your money goes, isn’t it?”
“I help out a little sometimes with money because I can’t be here to work all the time like my brother. It is good for both of us. Let’s go so you can meet them.”
Having been warned of their approximate arrival time Al’s brother and his wife were both on hand to meet them as they approached the house. Liz also saw a couple little kids peeking out from the house.
“Hi. I’m Art and this is my wife Joy and you must be the mysterious Elizabeth that we have heard nothing about. Welcome to our home.”
“I am hardly mysterious and please call me Liz. Thank you for allowing me to come here.”
“Please come in and freshen up after the long car ride. Or if you would rather we can take a short tour of the ranch to stretch your legs .”
“Actually a little walk would be great after being cooped up in the car for a couple hours.”
So they all walked around the place a little before going inside the big house where Joy excused herself to finish the preparations for supper after introducing Liz to her twin seven year old boys, Sam and Sean.
Joy welcomed Liz to join her for some girl talk when Liz asked if she could help with the food prep. The two men were left on their own and Al went back out to the car with the twins tagging along and brought in their bags which he put in the spare bedrooms that Joy had gotten ready
. Art and Al settled down in the family room and talked about nothing in particular until they were called in for supper by Joy.
During supper there was the usual small talk about how the couples each met and Liz said she was happy to be at a regular farm because she missed that having grown up on a small farm in Wisconsin. Talk then turned to what they grew for crops and livestock in Wisconsin.
Liz asked about the other three small houses and was told one belonged to Al and the other two belonged to their two sisters, Ann and Amy. Liz did not ask any more about the houses and the subject changed to Liz’s family. Liz said she had a brother that was in the military as a career and that her parents had passed several years ago.
Liz commented on how delicious the meal was and Joy said with some pride that it had almost all came from the ranch. They had a nice sized garden and tried to grow or raise as much of their own food as possible. Then Liz asked if they were ‘off-grid’ because she had noticed all the solar panels. Art said they used the power grid like everyone else and the solar panels were more for emergencies when the power went out.
After the meal and the brief kitchen clean up by all of them they all retired to the family room and the conversations continued.
“So what do you grow here for cash crops? I assume you must have something here that you sell.”
“Yes we grow hay over almost all our land. It is our only cash crop but it is enough. It allows us to do everything ourselves with only a modest amount of equipment so operating costs are quite low. We do grow many other things but they are for our own use.
We enjoy growing our own food and have tried many different things here, from peanuts to fruit trees. We did also have a bull which we leased out for his services but decided it just didn’t pay and only recently we finally sold him to a neighbor.”
“Are the windmills just remnants of the past?”