Unrealistic .. its happening now
.. I have been trying to post here a few times, having problems as usually, either too many things going on in my personal life, computer acting up, my own fault of messing up my posts and so forth. I guess I am pretty distracted these days. As I had said before the taxes have been raised quite a bit and so for those who understand the value of the dollar here is a small example:
Minimum wages in Iceland are now just over 1.000 dollars
A gallon of gas is close to 6 dollars.
Just a small example .. not that I even have 1.000 dollars a month in income .. I am really not sure where this will end, if it ever will. I am expecting that quite a large number of people are going to leave Iceland as soon as they get the opportunity, and I do not blame them. It is on the other hand not an option for me .. Some days I do dream of going somewhere far far far .. far away. But it will not be any easier for me there than it is here. Unfortunately the govt has not done anything to encourage education, or tried to make it easier for people to get further education. This seems so unrealistic, just over a year ago I had plans, plans to make myself a future and be a part of Iceland´s future, but today it only seems like I will not afford to even breathe. I am so extremely thankful for that I am where I am today, even though life could be much easier.
I slept for almost 28 hours not too long ago, with only minor pauses. I think my mind was overloaded with worries and it is difficult to go from a life where people go on about their business and continue to construct a life, talking with friends about future plans and hopes, to comfort everyone, and try to tell people it will be fine, no matter what. As long as we have health and a thinking mind, we will be okay. But that is just not a fact, in fact, under this amount of pressure stress and problems the health ends up in the bin. The mental state contributes to deteriorated health, and so forth. And now it only seems as there is no way out.
Food prices have raised by such amounts that it is hard to imagine what to eat through the week, and it was difficult before. This is really bad .. very bad. I am the type of a person that would do anything to help others, and so it hurts me to not being able to. I have been asked for food and money, I have nothing to spare. I have given away what I had, but only to leave me in even worse situation. But this is nowhere close to being over yet. As they said on the news this tax raise was only to cover one fortieth of what has to be done to cover up the deficit. If things get forty times worse than they are ............
I know things can get worse for a long time, and can always be worse than they are but this is just absurd. This is literally surreal.
I can not afford to go to the store, I can not afford to eat 2 times a day, I hardly ever turn on a light, I do not do anything that could eventually cost me money and frankly, I wish I could figure out a way to not get my clothes dirty. Thankfully the hot water here is geothermal, not heated, so there is no electric bill for taking a shower. I wonder what more measures I could take to reduce the cost of living, except quit eating.
I am really not looking forward to much anymore, I was looking forward for the summer and seeing what it would bring but as it seems .. it will only bring more problems that are impossible to solve. I am thankful for the pure water from the tap, which is my favorite drink, and I am thankful for that the grass is getting greener and the birds seem to be having a great season.
But .. this is impossible to get my mind around.
I know I know .. I knew this was coming but believe me, I wish I would have had more time to plan my life. I have had a few months but this all came around way too fast, and gave me no chance of being ready. So I do hope that you out there are aware of what can happen. Not saying that it will .. but it can.
It has been a while since I got any good news, that is real good news. I started thinking the day before yesterday (the day I fell asleep and did frankly not want to get up again) that there is so little that one person can do. I am stressed about all of the coming tax bills that I will have to pay, damn .. Cursed. I know some of you think "well you do not really need a car". Sure, no one really NEEDS a car .. but how to get around if not by car? And i´m not talking about just myself in this context. I know you think public transportation and so forth.
But the fact is, that where I live .. there is no public transportation. And there is no store or service in walking distance. But no .. I do not use a car anymore. Its a harsh life. But in a few days the fact will be that I will be completely isolated where I am. Because not many around me have a car, and the few I know that have a car, are going to park their cars. So .. has anyone figured out how to e-mail food? (Bad joke ..)
I wish I could really describe how I feel, but i´m not the best person for that job. I feel really .. empty or crushed. I do want to believe that things will get better, I do want things to change, I do want Iceland to make it, but the gut feeling is .. that this will be like walking through fire and ice, with an empty stomach and a ton on the shoulders.
I read this interesting article not too long ago, about how many young people have left Iceland, and how many have actually taken their lives. It is really difficult to accept the fact that there are people out there that just do not see any way out .. other than that. I always wish for the best and hope for even better things, but when reading this as well as trying to manage my own day, it really never feels like anything will be "right". Even I doubt that I am doing the right things around my life, but I keep telling myself that i´m doing good. I know i´m not the only one who thinks that.
Sometimes I start thinking .. why does the public have to pay for the debts of the wealthy .. Why am I in debt for what they did, while they just walk away from the mess? Is that fair? Is that really how things work? If I manage to create 1.000 billion króna debt somewhere, will I so be able to just walk away and continue what I do? Why is it possible to do this. How is it possible .. Is it because the wealthy who were able to start this snowball were smart enough to get trough the system and actually use the public as the responsible individuals for these investments? Is that the case?
Hmm .. if they can do it, how could the Icelandic nation get them to be responsible .. Should we all take one giant loan and write it on them? That would indeed be impossible but the thought is great.
I do know that this is NOT all just the wealthy Icelanders fault, many others participated in all of this and contributed to this giant bubble ..
I also know that I am not the only person around that feels like the government is doing everything wrong right now.
Everything they are doing is a step in the wrong direction. I guess it may be because of pressure from the IMF, and possibly other directions as well. Someone said a joke today ..
"What does the former unfit government have in common with the current unfit government? The popular front party!"
Aint that the truth ..
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written by Jo in Seattle, June 01, 2009
Yes, sunshine by all means. You must make Vitamin D to boost your immune system.
I am a firm believer in prayer. Some people find meditation helpful also.
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written by GregInMichigan, June 01, 2009
1. Bailout by IMF which gets rid of debt. This would put massive austerity measures on each person and the country as a whole. Basically you'd lose your resources.
2. EU bailout. However Europe is going down as well. That would be a loss of fishing rights. They will probably say nice things, but in the end you'll have to lose the independence of the nation for that. I don't know if either 1 or 2 would solve the problem alone.
3. Conspiracy IMF bailout (if they are deciding to be "nice"). This would happen, if conspiracy theories about oil future price increases form a hidden tax on the US consumer and the World Bank and IMF make profit from $4 gasoline this summer. They may take the futures profits from an oil future price rise, that breaks the backs of savers in the USA, and further destroys our economy, and give Iceland a bailout. Supposedly according to this (anti-peak oil) theory, elite IMF Word bankers are manipulating oil futures to gain profits for the IMF, through petrol dollar inflation of oil to the USA. Supposedly the money from last year, paid off the debt of many South American countries. This would have to have Obama backing as the IMF is generally run by the President of the United States. If this theory is true, USA is further sunk to save a few smaller countries like Iceland?
Why would this happen? Maybe to give green types like Al Gore a place to retire, but this is just speculation and perhaps fairy tales. This wish point 3 which I would not hang a wish on being correct.
4. Independence and hanging on through the 30 to 50 year isolation depression. In other words, just hunker down with an all out austerity measure and refuse to pay off the debts. This means, moving back in time and working almost like a cultural revolution would do. In other words the movement toward severe austerity measures. This would mean, you'd grow most of your own food. The problem with this is: the country is "on the hook" for the deposits of foriegn governments and Iceland doesn't have a strong military to repel invasions. So in that case, the most aggressive foe would simply decide to collect via invasion. I don't know if this could happen, but you can never tell. 3 years ago if anyone would have predicted what we've seen in the world we'd all call them crazy.
There are some approaches Iceland can make, kind of like the community solution (how cuba dealt with the Peak Oil problem). This however depends on a farming a agro solution. It doesn't get rid of the debt.
Some suggestions: have to look at the solution from a networking community solution, even meaning house sharing. Even if you have to have to share beds in shifts and work other times. This kind of stuff happens on Submarines. A bunk bed is shared by 2 or three sailors who sleep in different shifts. One large bed can be sufficient for a immediate family as well, as this happened in the past and happens in some cultures.
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written by GregInMichigan, June 01, 2009
Some things are very difficult to figure out. One is how to pay the taxes and fees trying to prop up the "old system" as it fails. The old system will possibly have to be wiped away as a part of peak oil implications (but that's peak oil or resource limits), trade isolation is almost the same thing and will likely happen to Iceland.
One thing would be nice if Iceland could get rid of most of it's cars and trucks and put a two track ringed rail system with trains going in both directions around the entire country. Most people live near the coast, so a ringed rail transport system would be better than cars. The biggest problem with that is getting the steel rail ties. And getting rail road ties, which are wood. I don't think Iceland has enough forests for the ties for a rail system, importing the wood would be very difficult. It might be possible to create a hybrid railroad tie with a part of it being composed of wood and the center of the tie composed of aluminum, but that would be a huge expense in energy and material and likely not as good as just using wooden ties, You cannot put rail on a road bed or gravel. You have to have wooden rails for flexing or the trains will bounce off the railroad ties.
A car pooling solution or ride share and errands is the answer for the short term for some folks. In Cuba they made a law where you had to pick up hitch-hikers if you were driving a car. They used trucks to pull "camel" trailers with people in a bus like trailer being pulled behind a truck to have increased mass transit in the city.
Some things like the possible loss of garden subsidies for gardens in the greenhouses in the capital are disturbing news. Garden and farming are an answer. However calculating how much veggies you can grow from a small garden, is not necessarily cost effective and won't be the total solution for most people. Add the fact that you need greenhouses or other solutions to extend the season. Icelanders are going to have to get into high gear and start solving the problem on their own from the grass roots effort. You'll have to get rid of that mentality that the government can provide most anything at all, they are not really able to provide much of a social safety net.
The safety nets will all start to fail with depression scenarios. People are going to have to network and deal with things at a local level better.
In poor counties like Mexico or Yemen, people migrate out as migrant workers in richer countries and send money back home. That is the goal or should be for many of your youth or people with skills. The goal for most poor folks, sorry to sound depressing but this is a fact, is to get somewhere with an economic grid running and establish an economic beach-head and then send funds and aid back home to relatives that remain.
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USA News
Breaking news. . . This is it. . . GM files for bankruptcy Monday June 1st 2009. The beginning of the "LAST GREAT DEPRESSION" starts tomorrow.
One or more of the big three going under was a prediction (in my personal writings that I felt would happen by 2010 or 2011. The fall of the auto industry in America is quicker than I expected.
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Thank You for all the work you do to keep this website and blog going. I really appreciate having a preview of what I believe is soon coming to the people of the U.S. I'm like you...trying to plan, but not able to do as much as I would like. There is talk of a VAT being put on the backs of U.S. taxpayers here. That will break many of us and only one of many government plans to take away the average citizen's livelihood.
How is the garden growing, girl? If you have green grass, the garden should be doing something!
Have you talked to your neighbors? I'm wondering if a group of you pooled to pay for fuel, maybe you could all travel to town once a week in one car. Do shopping, visiting and not feel so isolated. Could it be cheaper to buy some staple grocery items in bulk and split between your households? Does anybody have a farm or livestock close? Maybe neighbors could offer farm help in exchange for the farmer enlarging his herds or flocks to provide meat and vegetables at a better price. Maybe someone is a good baker and could make bread in exchange for garden vegetables, eggs, babysitting, sewing, knitting, etc.
Just a few random ideas. I know it takes a lot of energy to organize something like that. I'm doing my own planning here and taking stock of resources. We produce eggs, chicken meat, hay, vegetables and fruit in my family. Neighbors close to me have fruit, milk, beef, pork, wood for heating, and trades like mechanic, electrician, and plumbing. I could see our neighborhood doing some trading or exchange if things get worse here.
Hang in there. Get some sunshine! It is free and healing.
Thank You again,
G.B.