Videos and Confederation of the Great Lakes

Nicholas, this is thoughtful, thorough, and provides valuable insights.  One, the visual culture trend jumps out at your humble servant as he goes through various discount, thrift, retail stores here in Florida over the past three months.  What he sees is lots of romance paperbacks; serious factual books are disappearing.  The same is happening in large retail giants like Wal-Mart.  The video disc section is twice as large as the print section, which includes magazines like Guns and Ammo.  Yesterday, this writer visited the historical museum in Cedar Key, Florida.  The volunteer at the desk, a retired M.D. from New York, told me that not one book store exists in Levy County.  The last one was across the street from the museum, which a retired M.D. from Michigan opened and ran.  He and I became friends over the years; it was one of my favorite stops there.  His wife got sick, and they had to return north.  The book store is now empty, up for rent.  You get the idea.

Two, your discussion of economic domains reminds me of the Canadian consul general from Chicago who a year ago came to speak at a luncheon in the Madison Club, Madison, Wisconsin.  He said, given the population, production, water transportation the Provinces of Canada and the State of America on the Great Lakes could easily create a Federation, the Federation of the Great Lakes he called it!  It would not need the rest of the areas like Kentucky, South Dakota, Manitoba, etc. to become prosperous.  It would trade with them, but it would not provide corporate and social welfare for them!  This is economic domain big time; yes, it was suggested during the US Civil War.  Northerners who opposed fighting Southern planters for Wall Street banks suggested a Northwest Confederation, similar to the Great Lakes proposal.  They said what went on in Dixie was none of their concern; they could use the Great Lakes to make a living without cotton!  If Wall Street and Washington are not careful, such projects could easily emerge.  They would rely on economic domains, not political boundaries, as their engines.  If this country experiences institutional failure, which it could do yet, look for such economic domains springing into autonomous life and shedding the parasites on them.  Thanks for listening.  Dr. Rux

Winning and Losing in Wiarton, Ontario, Canada

Walter, wow, wow, wow!   I love your reflections.  Please keep them coming.  I also concur with your analysis in the email below 100%.  Pollster John Zogby in 2008 detected a trend in the U.S.  He called it "authentic."  You state this here.  People, he estimates it at 48% then, are moving toward the value of "authenticity."  They are tired of fakes, phonies, and frauds lying to them, exploiting them, and destroying them.  Zogby argues Americans have two traditions.  One is commercial; the other is conscience.  New England has its roots in Puritan conscience, not commerce, which came later.  Walden Pond is a symbol of this authenticity, and Zogby says Americans, and Canadians too, as North Americans, are moving more and more toward their versions of Walden Pond.  They are willing to work for less if they can have time for themselves and those whom they love, their neighbors, communities.  You document this superbly in your description of the musical event in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.  There is hope in this.  One of the best experiences of my life were the four years in Wiarton, Ontario, Canada.  I did not know it at the time, but my time there was one of the few in my lifetime where I felt a sense of community, which is absolutely basic to mental, social health.  At the time, I thought it was exile; as the Chinese say, who is winning and losing depends on when you ask the question.  Now, maturity has framed those years as one of the greatest learning, living experiences of my life.  Dear friend, we see the world the same way.  It is comforting to know that you value what I do, see what I do, and hope for what I do.  Please consider collecting your poetry, essays into some book format.  It could be paperback.  It could be self-published.  Make it your heritage to those seeking authentic.  God bless, Paul