Plague of Locusts. General Strike. Barter Economy. Outlaw the Corporations.

While visiting a McDonald's for coffee in the late fall of 2008, I overheard a bunch of retired men grousing about the market crash we were experiencing. One said, "The markets aren't operating on value, the markets are operating on fear." To which another gentleman, without looking up from his cofee, muttered, "Plague of locusts."

I think the plague of locusts never went away. They just waited for the market to get a new season of growth before getting ready to strip it bare again. And I think that's starting now. The money will leave our investments, and end up buying yachts for people who already have Rolex watches.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are driving everything toward a crazy showdown August 2. Absolutely no new revenue. Absolutely must cut all social spending. Absolutely no discussion. And everything is twisted around to where "job creation" really means Reaganomics, and "prosperity and jobs" really means "More money for CEO's."

So I had two thoughts...

• A general strike. Just because. We need to make them hurt.
• Barter economy. So what if the IRS taxes it, I'll pay my fair share to the IRS. Just not to the banks and Wall Street. Starve the Beast, indeed.

What the hell, can't work any worse than the system we have now. I said it before and I'll say it again. Corporations exist by the permission of the people, not the other way around. Workers of the world need to get together and put the multinational corporations on notice that they exist only if we let them. If they behave like outlaws, the civilized people of the world will declare them illegal and make them outlaws.

So I sound like a 1930 Communist. Well, I guess I'm being radicalized every time my 401(k) loses another month's worth of the hard earned money I put into it, I hear about another environmental law being flouted by moneyed interests, and I read about people who can't afford medical care.