Darker Times

In my 2007 book, Financial Armageddon, I suggested that cash-strapped governments would have little choice but to cut back on essential services, putting citizens' safety and well-being at risk. A report by Detroit's WWJ-TV, "DTE Repossesses Highland Park’s Street Lights," details the kind of thing we can expect to occur more broadly in the months and years ahead:

HIGHLAND PARK – Street lights in cash-strapped Highland Park are the target of the repo man.

WWJ’s Ron Dewey reports that not only have they turned out the lights around Highland Park, DTE Energy has also removed the light bulbs in 1,400 light poles. This, as part of a settlement that lets the city avoid paying $4 million in unpaid bills going back several years.

DTE spokesperson Len Singer said the deal saves Highland Park about $50,000 each month. Where the lights are still on, DTE has replaced 200 of them with newer, higher efficiency versions.

“At the direction of the city we have removed most of those street lights and before we did we had put in replacement lights, about 200 new lights, primarily at street corners and intersections,” Singer said.

“The new lights that were put in are state-of-the-art lights. They’re much more efficient than the models that were in there before, and they’re also fed by overhead lines as opposed to underground circuits, making them easier to maintain and much more efficient,” he said.

However, residents complain that most neighborhoods are still in the dark, raising concerns about crime and safety.

Resident Kenneth Miller said the streets are pitch dark, making it very unsafe.

“Here comes a couple of children right now, on their way to school,” Miller told WWJ Tuesday morning. “There’s no lights. They just have to take a chance on walking down the street … so they can get on the bus or walk to school.”

(I guess it's only a matter of time before the phrase "I've got a bridge to sell you" is anything but a joke?)

Comments

[roger]

Darker Times = shite times.
In California senior citizens,blind or disabled persons
where allowed to postpone their house taxes until they died,
taxes where then collected with accrued interest,
this program is now suspended. Savings interest no matter
how big, only get 0.89% interest.
Compare this to the obscene golden parachutes of the Elite
flunkies.

[Blissex]

There are other examples; one from Topeka:

http://gawker.com/5847619/enjoy-hitting-your-spouse-move-to-topeka

and one from Spain:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/8760955/Electricity-cut-off-to-Spanish-town-over-unpaid-bills.html

but I would guess there are many more like that.

You can be sure that local governments in affluent areas will have no such problems, because even a small tax burden on high incomes can finance services easily.

[Look what they've done for you lately]

Recent Achievements of the Democrats and Republicans
Facilitated a real estate bubble
Encouraged and sponsored financial fraud in real estate and derivatives
Delegated away power to a private corporation the Federal Reserve
Bailout friends and family
Refused to prosecute financial crime and fraud
Encouraged each citizen to become debt slavery through education or housing
Outsourced most of our manufacturing base
Destroyed the constitution and eroded our bill of rights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvdSRN45Ehs&feature=youtube_gdata

[Is the Brooklyn Bridge an offshore entity?]

Goldman Sachs let off paying £10m interest on failed tax avoidance scheme

Leaked documents show top tax official shook hands last year on secret settlement described by sources as a 'cock-up'

In the 1990s, Goldman set up a company offshore in the British Virgin Islands. This entity, called Goldman Sachs Services Ltd, supposedly employed all of Goldman's London bankers, who were then "seconded" to work there.

The device appears to have been designed to conceal the size of the bonuses. Judge David Williams said in 2009 that it was "a way of keeping information about the GS accounts and payroll out of the public domain and confidential".
According to Revenue lawyers, in the leaked documents, Goldman's tactics were highly obstructive: they "resisted for five more years, raking up every conceivable point in the tribunal, and putting up a 'stooge' witness when Mr Housden [Goldman's tax director] was the obvious person to answer questions".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/11/goldman-sachs-interest-tax-avoidance

[sharonsj]

Ya notice how inside information about fraud in the U.S. appears in foreign newspapers but not here? We don't have a free press any more, and it's not because of what Rush Limbaugh calls "state-controlled media." There is no such thing as government-owned newspapers or TV and radio stations. There is, however, corporate-owned media.

When Bush was prez and global warming was called a hoax, it was the Guardian that had an article about the Pentagon Report into global warming. This report was never mentioned in the American media. I located it on the net and read it. The Pentagon said that global warming was a bigger threat to humanity than terrorism!

No wonder Americans are as dumb as dirt.

[roger]

The Corporate owned media does 3 things very
effectively: it censures all news on corporate
corruption, it's propaganda has been very fruitful,
and it also is #1 in demonizing the liberal mind.

[Duped Inc.]

OWS: The Risks Facing America Today

This time support is coming from surprising places. Like former corporate activist (and buyer of companies!) Asher Edelman.

The corporate media and politicians are still claiming that "we made a profit from TARP" and that "everything was repaid."

This is a bald lie. AIG didn't repay their money. Neither did GM. Money was shuffled around in a complex shell game to appear that all was repaid but in fact what happened was that you, the taxpayer, were looted.

You were looted through higher prices at the gas pump, higher prices at the grocery store, lower wages and at the same time zero interest rates so those of you who were prudent got ****ed THREE TIMES instead of twice!

Representative government? Where? By anywhere from 100:1 to 300:1 the people demanded that TARP NOT pass. That the banks that did foolish and in some cases criminal things be forced to eat the consequences.

Again, as I've said for four years: We need a banking system because we do indeed need a way to clear payments so you can pay a bill or buy gasoline and food - so commerce can flow. We do not need these banks that committed these acts.

But rather than do the right thing, our politicians were bought and paid for on both sides of the aisle. It's particularly telling - and galling - that when allegedly being "grilled" by Hank Paulson in 2008 the banksters left the meeting smiling and yucking it up.

First they ****ed you, then the government paid them to **** you again.

http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=195841

[Pretty bright times for some]

'Insane' even by Illinois standards? Union official to get $500,000 in pensions

'Insane' even by Illinois standards? Union official to get $500,000 in pensions
Joint investigation by Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV finds at least eight labor leaders stand to get pensions from both the city and union for the same time period

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44872639/ns/us_news-life/#.TpXd6nJ33To

[Rocky]

Pretty bright times: The only consolation is that these guys will probably be subject to the Obamacare income tax surcharge on his investment income in 2013. Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to public employee pension abuse.

[Rocky]

"His" should read "their" in my post above.

[roger]

There is a lot of talk and anger about pension
abuse both in the public employee section and
in the unions,and it is justified, but lets
remember that this greed is an exact carbon copy
of the corporate/banking world,it has become part
and parcel of our culture, everybody and I mean
everybody is in it to maximize their take anyway they
can. As long as this twisted mentality persist,expect
a nation in chaos,destined to disintegrate some day.

[Baxter]

Uptick and crime and unpleasantness in Ann Arbor, Mi. Pan-handling and crime becoming a big issue as businesses close in the down-town area.

Also is the fact there is no longer any preference for small businesses. CVS, 7-11 and several other corporate businesses moved in recently and are driving the small businesses under.

On the bright side, despite a cutback in police and fire-fighters, teachers, etc in Ann Arbor there is plenty of money for the new 50 million dollar library in development and 50 million dollar city hall offices (and sculpture).

Ann arbor is a microcosm for America where tenured academics at the University bankrupt the community for their pet projects.

http://www.michigandaily.com/news/among-panhandeling-issues-candy-store-close-end-november

[Bailey]

Last nights repub debate covered by Yahoo news had a poll question asking who was winning the debate, oddly Ron Pauls name wasnt listed. Paul had just crushed all the other contenders in a conservative convention poll the same week by a large margin yet he is still black balled by the corp controlled media. Its never been more clear our votes mean nothing 99% of the time and real reform will be fought off tooth and nail.

[MCX Tips]

Its useful and pretty information to use, i really suggest you to work on these ethics.

[Web design melbourne, web design sydney]

Despite a cutback in police and fire-fighters, teachers, etc in Ann Arbor there is plenty of money for the new 50 million dollar library in development and 50 million dollar city hall offices .