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Posts Tagged ‘crisis’

Hurricane Katrina Horrors Linger On

3:01 pm By la Macha · Health · 1 Comment

2 Sep 2009

I just got finished to listening to this interview on Democracy Now! about the effects Hurricane Katrina had on a particular hospital in New Orleans. As waters rose and electricity and water pressure was lost, the situation in Memorial hospital became desperate–pushing some doctors to allegedly kill their more vulnerable patients. Some of the doctors allegedly killed their patients so that they (the doctors) could escape the situation, others allegedly did it as an act of kindness in the middle of hell. One doctor denies killing her patients at all–despite evidence to the contrary.

It’s a hard story to listen to–one that really opens the “death panel” discussion in a way that is much more relevant and necessary to reality. Namely: in moments of crisis and few resources, how do we decide who is going to get resources and who is not?

No doctor should have death on his or her hands because as a society we are so unprepared and unable to handle frank discussions about death. The fact is, especially in crisis moments, and ALWAYS under capitalism, resources are in short supply. And I personally would rather that there is a public debate over who is allowed to live *specifically because capitalism is its own death panel* and who is not.

But, to have that frank conversation, we first need to be able to redirect the conversation to reality. We need to be able to admit that unrestricted capitalism has its consequences. And that individual humans making decisions forced on them by capitalism become scape goats so that capitalism can remain hidden and unchallenged. When we all finally admit that capitalism is a horrible game of parceling out resources to the people who have the least need of them…then we can begin to have frank discussions that might possibly save doctors from making horrible decisions and vulnerable people from being killed simply because there was no other way.

Thought Things Were Settling Down?

11:42 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · economy · Comments Off

23 Oct 2008

lv_greenspan_081023.300w.jpg Well, prepare to huddle back into your fetus position. Economic (supposed) guru wizard, Alan Greenspan just gave testimony in front of Congress about the state of the economy. His news is, of course, terrifying.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Thursday the current financial crisis is a “once-in-a-century credit tsunami” which will have a severe impact on the U.S. economy, driving unemployment higher.

Greenspan, who headed the nation’s central bank for 18½ years, said that he and others who believed lending institutions would do a good job of protecting their shareholders are in a “state of shocked disbelief.”

He said that the current crisis had “turned out to be much broader than anything that I could have imagined.”

I’d offer you one of my thumbs to suck on while in your fetal position, but I need it myself.

Renters face eviction too

7:52 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · economy · Comments Off

16 Oct 2008

It’s not just home owners that are facing eviction these days. Apparently by some cruel twist of capitalistic fate, people who are renting are facing increased evictions because of the mortgage crisis–landlords are not paying their mortgages on time and rental properties are being foreclosed on as a result.

Tita Mendoza and her husband moved into their Miami Beach condo in June and have been dutifully paying the $1,800 rent on time every month. And yet, they could be evicted any day now.

Last month, the Mendozas were served with court papers notifying them that their landlord was being foreclosed on, meaning the couple could be turned out on the street.

One of the only good things about this mess is that some people with hearts are standing up and doing the ethically correct thing:

Last week, Tom Dart, the sheriff in Chicago’s Cook County, drew the ire of landlords and lenders everywhere when he announced he would no longer send his deputies on court-ordered foreclosure evictions because many of the people being turned out on the street were tenants who had faithfully paid the rent.

On Thursday, Dart announced that his deputies will resume taking part in foreclosure evictions next week, but only with stringent legal safeguards worked out with the courts. Among other things, a bank that is foreclosing on a property must prove it informed all tenants of a state-mandated grace period designed to allow them to look for new housing.

Via MSNBC

Still Confused about the Economy?

3:38 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · business · Comments Off

9 Oct 2008

Never you fear, La Macha has been sitting through hours and hours of television, radio shows and reading newspapers to try to figure it all out for you!

The latest greatest explanation comes from This American Life from NPR Radio in Chicago. In a show aptly entitled, “Another Frightening Show About the Economy,” Ira Glass and guests explain the latest Wall Street Freak Out (in the form of the commercial paper market) in easy to understand terminology that gets to the core of how economics in the U.S. work and why said economics in the U.S. is collapsing into hell.

I haven’t listened to the entire thing yet–the part I’m looking forward to hearing:

Act Four. What’s Next?

Ira and Adam answer the question: Was the $700 billion bailout bill signed into law today a good idea or a bad one? (10 minutes)

Some how, I think I already know the answer to this–and it’s not one I will be happy with.

Still confused about the bailout plans and how it might affect you?

1:53 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · business · Comments Off

1 Oct 2008

Suze Orman has the answers! Although I find a lot of the scenarios talked about in this video clip a bit out there (who the hell has excellent credit for heaven’s sake, and why are you even calling in? Please, make way for the rest of us who are drowning, thanks much!) at the same time, I always appreciate Suze’s answers, even if they have little to do with me. They clarify financial situations in ways that I can understand and most of the time she works with people who are more realistic than Mr. I-have-perfect-credit-I’m-so-scared.

Forclosures=Tent Cities

5:47 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · housing|Labor|US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off

18 Sep 2008

MSNBC is reporting that with the increase in foreclosures countrywide, there has been an alarming increase in a phenomenon known as tent cities. Tent cities are reminiscent of Hoovervilles of the Great Depression, basically areas where homeless people congregate and live. What makes these areas different than “normal” homelessness is that generally it’s agreed that most of the people are living in these areas for reasons directly related to events connected to the government/free market, such as the Great Depression or the home foreclosure crisis.

The absolutely only good thing about this horrible mess?

Homeless people and their advocates have organized three tent cities at City Hall in recent months to call attention to the homeless and protest the sweeps — acts of militancy, said Harris, “that we really haven’t seen around homeless activism since the early ’90s.“

I just wish that homeless activism wasn’t dependent on people reacting to what is probably the worst times of their lives.

Maegan La Mala: Thank you Julio! To be honest I was a little nervous. [...]

Ana L. Flores: I was very excited when you decided to join us. I really wanted your voice there as it would add dep [...]

Maegan La Mala: Hola Juliana and thanks for commenting. There is a dearth in activist/critical thinking Latino blogg [...]

Julio Ricardo Varela: Good for you for asking. I got goose bumps just reading this and yes, yes, yes, to it all. Thank you [...]

julianabritto: The sense that I get is that you might feel a little frustrated at the dearth in activist bloggers? [...]

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