Reply #29: We were lazy.

[Gregorian]

And by we I mean those who bought into their hype of big cars.

Everyone I know was aware of this in the early 70's. The early seventies! But then I'm not from some bumfuck backwards town, like much of this country seems to be comprised. And I'm angry about it. Some saw this coming. Cringing, we just stared in amazement as we let the metric system fly by us. Whoops, that was a signal. Hell no, we won't grow.

Well now what do we do? It's kind of like smoking until you get cancer. Then what? Spend your life savings for medical treatment, and live out your unhealthy days in an apartment? Or keep what you have and die in your home with some modicum of dignity? Either way is ugly.

I'll say it for the last time- I went to my first electric car show in 1964.

The bottom line is, we let the world pass us by. While we were fiddling with Reaganomics and Nicaragua and Iraq, places like China were eating us alive.

So now that I've been cathartic, I will say that there are two forums where I spend most of my time that are examples of what we were, what we can be, and what we are. A machinist's forum, and a bicycle forum. The machinists are still digesting what is and has been happening in this country. Ie., the dissolution of our manufacturing. However, there are still places where the biggest machining happens. And there are still plenty of guys like me and others who have machine shops in their garage, and who can do the work. In the bike forum there are people all over this country who are building fantastic bikes out of a love for it. It may seem trivial, but it's far from it. The Wright brothers were bicycle mechanics. It's more of an indication that we have millions of people who can do fantastic work. I've never been more optimistic.

It's not too different than punk. Yes, punk rock. What we had were some fatcat producers who took the old blues men and essentially shafted them. And the same for the next group of musicians. Then came diy. The punkers were pissed. Fuck the corporations. They put out music with their own help. And this, I believe is how we have to take this country back. Not Ford and his assembly line. Not Schwinn and their factories. But people like Steve garro of coconinocycles. Check him out. Hit by a truck while cycling, he's now building frames from his wheelchair. And he's successful. Or Ibis. They sold their company to some venture capitalists who drove it into the ground, after which the original owners bought it back. And today they are one of the most successful bike companies anywhere. It's just a few guys in Santa Cruz who now have a new warehouse full of bikes their selling all over the world. And importantly, I want to add that Ibis has their frames laid up in China. There can be a symbiotic relationship. Assuming it's ecologically viable to even ship stuff around the world any more. But that's another subject. We can exist in harmony, and profit.

We can do it. If we rely on them to help us out, we're screwed. This is what made this country great. And this is still available. It's not a guaranteed paycheck. It we want a monthly income, then we're at the mercy of the man.

In a word I can sum up the problem. Fear. This is supposed to be the land of the brave. I tried it once. I was scared shitless. I roofed houses with a bad back. I remember lying up their in spasms with a wide open roof, wondering if I'd get it done in time for the rain. I remember wondering if the phone would ring, because I had a 13.1% mortgage. Due in 5 years!

It's sad to see people who are now in freefall. We cannot allow that. I cannot second guess Obama. But looking at the past, and looking into the future, we also cannot allow this to happen again. There is a place for mass production. But we lost sight of what is important. And in the process we lost out on freedom, happiness, diversity. And I'll add that this allowed us to ruin the country, if not the planet.