In Spain, they don't put a bird on it
Portland strives to be oh-so-European, but in the real Europe, things seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Witness a story about the 20-to-35-year-old set in Spain, which is actually taking to the streets to say that it's fed up with sitting around with nothing to do. As one of the instigators of the demonstrations has pointed out, Spain is not exactly a grassroots kind of place, and so this is a big deal:
Many of the new protesters say they are disgusted with the unions that do little to represent their interests and with both of Spain’s main parties, which they view as corrupt and unresponsive.Here in Portlandia, you don't see this sort of thing. You get the earnest Bus and OSPIRG kids on the one hand, and the anarchists with the hoods and the spray paint on the other. None of them seem to be asking the right questions, or inspiring the many PBR retirees in between.
| Posted at 1:31 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (5)
"Here in Portlandia, you don't see this sort of thing,,, None of them seem to be asking the right questions"
On top of that many in Portlandia then ridicule others, say Clackamas County, when they have had enough and take action.
But I think Portland's and Multnomah County's people are boiling and may be just round the corner of their own rebellion. Or the corner after that?
Posted by Ben | June 7, 2011 6:29 AM
What’s happened in Spain is coming down the pike in the US. Boomers are welcoming Boomerangs back into ancestral homes. More generations now live live under one roof than at anytime in modern US history. Over the last ten years the percentage of population age 16 to 24 that is employed has dropped about 15 percentage points,
down to 45 percent. The requirement that health insurance policies must cover adult children through age 26 will drive the trend yet further and the trend of non-employment is seeping into the 25 through 34 year old age group.
In our household as we are looking at retirement homes, there will be downmarketing but no downsizing. We will purchase an abode suited to welcoming the kids back from college, ideally with an apartment above the garage or space to add something like that, recognizing the reality of it all.
Posted by Newleaf | June 7, 2011 6:44 AM
If you want a Portland-Europe connection, don't forget Greece.
That beautiful country - often called the cradle of Democracy - is in the throes of a massive debt crisis that many experts predict will lead to default.
How did this happen? Some shaky Greek politicians made a deal with Goldman Sachs using such charming terms as "fictional exchange rates" - and involving some of the same notorious derivative instruments that these investment firms used to put America on the brink.
Who was in charge of Goldman Sachs when this happened? Henry Paulson - now the beneficiary of help from Portland's city council as minority owner of the Portland Timbers.
I wonder if anyone in the Paulson family even winces a little bit as they look over at Europe and see the unrest and misery in Greece? Something tells me they don't. It's always on to the next suckers, isn't it?
One final note: Yesterday James Carville - the ultimate Democratic spin doctor - said that civil unrest was "imminently possible" in America. I know Drudge has that today but I record "Imus in the Morning" and heard James say it myself.
So these Wall Street bankers - specifically Henry Paulson - were not only involved in the nightmare in Greece, but they've hurt America so badly that they could bring that part of the European experience to our shores as well. Go Timbers.
Posted by Bill McDonald | June 7, 2011 8:21 AM
Bill, it's already happening here with Paulson's minion, Randy Leonard. Using the Paulson playbook he is borrowing us close to the tipping point of ~40% debt in the water bureau. They're laughing all the way to the GS bank.
Posted by Old Shep | June 7, 2011 9:41 AM
Here in Portlandia, you don't see this sort of thing. You get the earnest Bus and OSPIRG kids on the one hand, and the anarchists with the hoods and the spray paint on the other. None of them seem to be asking the right questions, or inspiring the many PBR retirees in between.
Those three lines says it all!
Posted by al m | June 7, 2011 11:05 AM