wanted: people to tell their stories

[cap]

and how these lives have been changed since 2000. I am writing a blog to collect stories about life in these United States... Something like the WPA Federal Writers Project.

No one is capturing any of the massive dislocations caused by the bush administration and I want to document it in a manner similar to WPA.

If anyone wants to help collect stories (besides telling their own) let me know.

Uploads of pictures, videos, audio are also welcome.

[SouthernDem2004]

1. I guess positive stories are not wanted?

[cap]

3. Sure... why not...

but it must be in context with the story of your region. Please identify your city/town and state. Put your story in context of how employment has grown in your town, how well your particular sector has done), how poverty has decreased, how health care has improved, how education has gotten better, etc... (don't BS me on this, I am a trained economist and can tear apart Kudlow's ravings).

Would be really interested to know which part of the South has done better. Has class equity improved in your part of the South? Urban/rural/small town? Or is it still same old same old. Old family networks which control most everything. Small class of drs, lawyers, brokers and very small businesses and professional teachers and a few government workers (folks making over 25K). And then, mostly working class folks making 8-20K.

Has the lack of unionization really lead to a better life for the working class? If so, how? Do your cleaning ladies match unionized ones in NYC in terms of pay and benefits (You can make 15K in NYC, + vacation, social security, retirement)? For stuff that is being offshored, how do folks feel? Are you close to the mills in NC or SC? How are the people doing there?

By all means, there have been winners and losers in this economy. Let's hear the stories from the winners. Somebody has gotta be doing well in this economy. Remember, the rich got richer during the Great Depression. My half-uncle did well during the Great Depression. I have been trying to track the winners in this economy (besides the ones making over 300K). But put it in context... dont just brag.

[7th_Sephiroth]

2. its been a long, wild ride

*sigh*

[cap]

4. let me know...

if you dont want to post here on DU, email me at [e-mail]. I can work with you and release only a story that you would like to have told...

Or if you just want tea and sympathy in privacy, I am a willing ear.

[7th_Sephiroth]

5. thanks, i have some interesting stories

coming of age in the 2,000's (i'm 20 now)

[cap]

6. let's see a young 20 something...

Urban or Rural? College educated or not? What part of the country? what did you try to do? why did you make a particular choice? What did you think life was going to be like growing up? Do you still think so?

There's a whole lot happening now... that's really not your fault. What do you do from day to day?

During the Great Depression, my dad rode the rails... Knocked on every door to get work.

[7th_Sephiroth]

7. semi rural

i have some computer degrees in pensacola florida, i tried to survuive, and alot of choices i made because of a deep depression, and my life was laying itself pretty well working with my father, as for what i do day to day, i just try to surrvive

[cap]

8. so what's an average day for you

... get up, brush teeth, take shower, eat breakfast... and then what?

Computer fields a tough field these days... Are you working in that field? Do you want to be working in that field? Or are you doing something altogether different?

A lot of young folks these days are finding it tough to get traction so dont feel bad.

[7th_Sephiroth]

9. get up, take a bath

eat some breakfast, work on the destroyed house/land a bit, i work programming power monitors at the moment i hate computer work, but i do installing, too, witch is pretty enjoyable, got stuck out in michigan last febuary running wires over a certain department store, saw things that would make the store chain go under from the bad press/lawsuits

[cap]

12. tell me more...

what happened to the house/land? what are you doing to fix it?

Why do you hate computer work? What's great about installing?

What was Michigan like? What part were you in?

A number of retail stores are heading for bankruptcy nationwide? What's going on in the one you were with? How were the employees of the store handling it?

[7th_Sephiroth]

13. i tried e-mailing you but it would not send

we had a bunch of trees fall on our property, only one hit the house smashed ther roof and messed up the windows of our breakfast nook, were fighting the insureance company to get it all fixed, i hate computer work because its stressfull, repetitive and tireing, when i'm installing i get to move around alot and i'm good at wireing things up. Michigan was cold and forbidding, i was all over it in febuary, and what a woman on a plane once told me was true, the cold weather freezes peoples hearts, everyone was cold there. i would rather not discuss right now what i saw in this one store in particular right now, but when it comes out there would be quite the scandal

[Sugarbleus]

10. Ooo, this could be very interesting....

I'd like to submit experiences both mine and others... not right this minute, but I will come back to this thread and give my story to you when I'm more awake.

My story is about going down hill financially et al. Is that what you are looking for?

I'm intrigued.

[cap]

11. all stories are good...

like I told SDem, there are people who've done well and people who've lost everything.

I want to know. Tell me about the folks in your area. How their lives have changed. Nobody is asking about just ordinary folks these days.

[undergroundpanther]

14. Citypaper here in maryland did a story

About a booming business

Eviction officers. The people who come into your house when you get evicted and put your stuff outside.

They pilfer from the things they take out of homes,they admit they make better profits when the economy is going to shit.They are basically vultures who thrive on ruined lives. The company discribed was Spidey inc. http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=9755

Look for business that profits off other peooples ruin or misery and you will see who's doing well.

[Sparkman]

15. Tell me this, Economist, is 10% of gross sales OK for a consultant in PCB

industry. If I operate my own business, middle man'g printed circuit board manufacturing, should I be able to get 10% of the invoice dollars from the sale to the customer? I've always wanted to access a pro who doesn't have a personal stake in my case, to get a truthful opinion.

[Biased Liberal Media]

16. Are you still accepting stories?? /nft

[rstolz]

17. Stories

Are you considering stories of the deportations, police intimidation and arrests that have been happening since 9/11 among immigrant groups? and the movement of immigrants across the country and fast growing immigrant - documented and undocumented - populations in states not accustomed to immigrant populations?

Are there other dislocations you have in mind?