A Perspective That Puts Workers 'in the Frame'
"TMI" must be an ever present threat in these forums. Nonetheless, I'm going to post quite a bit here and hope that it is not so excessive as to impel rejection or repulsion among readers. The first piece of what I offer is a song that I adapted from an FDR campaign tune, which I suppose that I intend to help Barack Obama, though I must say that I trust him about as far as I can throw an elephant left-handed; after all, he is a member of the central wing of the Demopublican political monopoly that has guided America so splendidly in favor of the rich since 'Honest Abe' left his sinecure with the railroads to lead the initial charge of the modern U.S. empire.
But I digress. Here are the verses and refrain for all to ponder. It speaks for itself, for the most part, and, 'Lord willing and the creek don't rise,' will appear soon on YouTube. The Obama campaign had no interest in it, which is another story altogether I suppose. Doing this was hilarious fun, whatever else transpires in regard to it.
SubPrime Blues
(a lyrical adaptation by Jim Hickey)
I.
The latest views have struck me funny,
Say you have no say if you haven't got money.
Now so many good people scared half to death,
I'm going to get something off of my chest.
2008 is coming on strong,
So when you place your vote, please don't vote wrong.
REFRAIN:
We've got the blues,
The subprime blues
Vote away those blues,
Those subprime blues.
II.
The rich folks seem to want to be master,
But it's their sayso's caused the whole disaster.
Now I gotta say, folks, that it ain't no joke,
We've got to do something, or we're all going to croak.
We can't get a job; we've all been robbed;
The credit's all gone, and the corn's all cob.
REFRAIN:
We've got the blues,
The subprime blues.
Vote away those blues,
Those subprime blues
III.
If we had equal rights, and democracy aplenty,
We might be happy, less trouble to the many.
Says the hard-working mule to his elephant boss,
'You eat like a pig, now we're all at a loss,
You've had eight years, proved nothing but a curse,
Instead of making things better, they're getting worse & worse
Says the long eared mule,.I'm through being fooled.
REFRAIN:
We've got the blues,
The subprime blues.
Vote away those blues,
Those subprime blues.
IV.
Then the elephant boss told the hard-working mule,
'Would you please shut up, you've never learned to rule!'
The mule said, 'Elephant, this ain't no joke,
If we don't do something we're all going to croak.
We ain't got nothing but a boat load of debts,
The money's no good, you placed all the wrong bets.'
REFRAIN:
We've got the blues,
The subprime blues.
So vote away those blues,
Those subprime blues.
V.
So hard-working mules finally decided to seek
The guts they'd need to stop being so meek.
The mule said, 'Friends, it's time to take a stand,
We can't trust the wealthy, got to make our own plan.
We've trusted born rich for hundreds of years,
And all we got for it is misery and fears.
REFRAIN:
We've got the blues,
The subprime blues.
So vote away those blues,
Those subprime blues.
VI.
The latest views still look pretty funny,
Say we've got no voice, unless we've got all the money.
So many good people crying the blues,
I want to say we've got to get a clue.
2008 is coming on strong,
When we cast our votes, let's not go wrong.
REFRAIN:
We've got the blues,
The subprime blues.
So vote away those blues,
Those subprime blues.
REPEAT(AND EXPAND??)REFRAIN:
I had visions of multi-media impact long before "Roger and Me" came on the scene, but I haven't Mr. Moore's chutzpah, huevos, or savvy, so that my work has yet to see much of an audience, save for a few odd journalistic and community education gigs that reached significant numbers of folks at one time or another. Now, I'm electing to lay out what I want to convey, for free, even though I really do have to work for a living--as an ESL teacher and hack-for-hire--in hopes that in some way it contributes to useful conversations. Every writer has to grapple with the weirdest sorts of megalomania and self-loathing, a whipsaw effect perfectly suited, perhaps, for one whose family has so many instances of 'bipolarity.'
In any case, the prime purpose of posting today was to lay the basis for a more expansive examination of the current financial crisis, an upcoming analysis of the ongoing meltdown that will proffer perspectives that have yet to show up in any material that has made its way to my inbox or doorstep. Of course, Fidel and Hugo and Evo, not to mention many of my former fellow travelers among the pinko factions, have undoubtedly weighed in on this matter in more or less similar fashion as I will soon develop. But maybe I've got something useful to provide as well. I invite readers to continue to peruse, when I deliver the following installment, and decide for themselves.