sleepwalking into the future...where are we now?
hello this is my first posting under FUTURE CALIFORNIA. my intention here is to record my thoughts and stimulate dialogue on the future of California and the West Coast of North America generally. we live in pivotal times, real cross-roads of history. the effects of globalization and general Westernization are being felt all over the globe. here in California we are at the crest of this wave of change. old cultural forms are changing and new patterns emerging. my opinion of this is neither good or bad, this is what is happening and it is for us to observe and perhaps choose to participate.
divisions in our shifting society have become very obvious in contemporary America. the political/cultural divide is an aspect of a larger global "culture war." here in America this has polarized the people into three main camps: right, left and other. the right is on the rise as they move to consolidate power and shed the government of its social programs. the left is in disarray, floundering on successive defeats, cut-off from their traditional base. and then we have the other category, including the apathetic, the cynical, and the plain lazy.
as America is a microcosm of the global process, so is California a microcosm of the national process. it is often remarked that things happen here first. the aforementioned political divide is clearly marked in the golden state. the lines of division are basically coastal liberals and inland conservatives. also we have the more traditional demarcation of northern liberals and southern conservatives. this is the general scheme without including the millions of "others" who have opted out of the political process.
needless to say the state leans more to the left. so we have seen increasing differences of opinion with the federal government as it leans to the right. in my opinion these differences are only going to increase with time. as the conservative political agenda impinges upon our states own agenda tensions will rise. here the question is, to what degree are we obligated to follow the federal level of government? here is where the theme of sleepwalking comes in. my premise is that the federal government is sleepwalking into the future. i must acknowledge James Kunstler as the originator of the term, his insightful perspective on our national situation should be read by anybody concerned about our future.
as the feds recklessly spend our future wealth and engage in foreign adventurism, we here in California should evaluate our position. of course this is already being done on many levels. particularly here in the active San Francisco Bay Area. should we continue to support this. would we be better off taking an independent position? what do we do when our leaders are so clearly working against the common good?
divisions in our shifting society have become very obvious in contemporary America. the political/cultural divide is an aspect of a larger global "culture war." here in America this has polarized the people into three main camps: right, left and other. the right is on the rise as they move to consolidate power and shed the government of its social programs. the left is in disarray, floundering on successive defeats, cut-off from their traditional base. and then we have the other category, including the apathetic, the cynical, and the plain lazy.
as America is a microcosm of the global process, so is California a microcosm of the national process. it is often remarked that things happen here first. the aforementioned political divide is clearly marked in the golden state. the lines of division are basically coastal liberals and inland conservatives. also we have the more traditional demarcation of northern liberals and southern conservatives. this is the general scheme without including the millions of "others" who have opted out of the political process.
needless to say the state leans more to the left. so we have seen increasing differences of opinion with the federal government as it leans to the right. in my opinion these differences are only going to increase with time. as the conservative political agenda impinges upon our states own agenda tensions will rise. here the question is, to what degree are we obligated to follow the federal level of government? here is where the theme of sleepwalking comes in. my premise is that the federal government is sleepwalking into the future. i must acknowledge James Kunstler as the originator of the term, his insightful perspective on our national situation should be read by anybody concerned about our future.
as the feds recklessly spend our future wealth and engage in foreign adventurism, we here in California should evaluate our position. of course this is already being done on many levels. particularly here in the active San Francisco Bay Area. should we continue to support this. would we be better off taking an independent position? what do we do when our leaders are so clearly working against the common good?
posted by pjack | 11:23 AM
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