Just about every account I’ve read of the reasons behind the protests
from Tunisia to Jordan involve people being righteously pissed about
the rising costs of food and fuel. (I also read that Berneke’s
quantative easing was a huge reason for the rise in commodities prices
and at least Egypt’s food price spike). I’m not surprised. hungry
people, or even people who are scared of being hungry, suddenly have a
lot less tolerance for the excesses of the upper class. it’s why ‘Let
them eat cake’ is one of the few things we thin we know about the
french revolution persists.
what does that mean for us ‘MEricans? we’ve still got aways to go
before the hunger pangs reach past the bottom 20%, but it’s coming. it
might even come faster if claire mckaskill’s craptastic budget bill
passes and kills any possibility of the government being able to do
anything other than pay the salaries of the douchebags in the tacky
blue suits.

—
The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all of your time.
Willem de Kooning