Fresno Famous

That's not too rosy

Hmmm...That's not too rosy.

steady eddie, I get the joke.

...considering the source of the remark is someone who has built and sold her first empire very prior to age 30, and is usually busier than a one armed paperhanger... I didn't see it as a promo for sloth... (Few people in recent memory have impressed me, or inspired me more than Ms. Euston... even IF she does like Madawnna.)

Personally?
Having both seen and experienced what just 'going on the system,' can do to folks, I just really dug the mayors idea, (all puns intended.)

It used to be a huge part of my job as a case manager and counsellor to get all sorts of folks into the positon of good work -rather than just being 'on the system,' -and it's darn near impossible after a point...
-That's why I'm so down on it, unless there is no other way.
(It's like resorting to just prescribing morphine to a patient... you just want to try all other ideas first, ya know?)

I think it would be cool to see similar 'community,' stuff happen here in Fresburg...

Havn't a clue as to how to pull it off.
Back East there was a pretty big hit with such things as 'city gardens,' (which transferred vacant lots into, um, well,,,,, gardens.)

I dunno...

There's gotta be something that can be done, as a communal effort, where a sense of 'ownership, and cultivation,'
-can overtake and run off this defensiveness that so often happens whenever somebody starts talking about the town...

-I think that's part of the trick... I mean, you see it in a lot of the posts that (endlessly) glorify the past...
-The stuff was often loved because there was a personal identity and sense of heritage with so many of the businesses or events.
-I think that's why folks like 'homespun,' rather than 'mass produced.'

There has to be some sense of personal involvement, and then a sense of enjoying the fellowship, and then just plain old fashioned building shit that people will be blessed by.
-Besides, working like an animal, and really accomplishing something burns off a lot of bad feelings, (I don't know how many things I've visualized and knocked to kingdom come when splitting firewood... good therapy.)

I know there was a movement for a while for this huge killer wooden playgrounds to be built in a lot of communities in NJ, Pa, and NY... and it was a way of everybody making something safe and cool to bring their kids to... It worked.

Habitat for Humanity can have that effect, but it has to be kind of on a smaller well lit stage, -and very well seen, (though I love what they do.)

There's gotta be something that a whole community can do, that they can all actively nurture, that is accessable, (even if on a small scale,) so that a positive substantial 'thing,' can be created and pondered and act as some sense of an anchor for a better state of mind...

Only way to displace the cynicism and sense of loathing is to do just that, displace it with something that is alive, locally built, all participated in, and there for the community to see.
Once that catches fire, things change...

Damned if I can't think of what would work like that...
I feel like I'm staring at a big pile of wet wood and it's November in the rain... 's been gnawing on me since I read the post... just one big '...how do we do that here?' sort of thing...

It'll come to me.

What are you burping up? Anything?

sheesh

"We think we'd rather sit at home and feel bad about ourselves than dig a swimming pool in the freezing cold, but that's just us."

"we...just us." can't jarah make a joke around here, or state her own opinion about what she would rather do? did she say that it was less honorable to work, that building things was wrong, or anything other than that the plural of jarah would rather sit @ home than dig a pool?

now, i do understand that her blog post reads incredulously because she has used italics. but hey, she doesn't have to agree with the mayor of lindsay's strategy. and you are all welcome to comment with your opinions. but sometimes we need to just shake ourselves, understand the snark, appreciate it for what it is.

It worked in the 30's and

It worked in the 30's and not only helped to expand the nation, but expand the intergrity of the individual. It built good roads and good men.

jarah, i'm on to you.

jarah, i'm on to you. Sittin' back on the sly and shit. You are a fuckin' hustler. Like Rick Ross hustler. Like Weezy F. Baby hustler. You gettin paid, girl. You could sell salt to a snail. I love you

I don't think a lot of them

I don't think a lot of them have that choice to just sit around and throw a pity party for being out of work. Especially if being without work means the heating bill doesn't get paid.

And this isn't just the workers in the fields. Many of the small growers will probably have to sell their farms because of the freeze. They have bills to pay as well.

W.P.A.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration

uhhhhhhmmm, I beg to differ.

As someone who has, in the past been out of work due to layoffs, or physical injury and such,
I think the mayor of the town of Lindsay is on to something.

I spent a lot of time also getting people onto unemployment as well, (all of which had earned it, everybody pays into unemployment when they get payed each week, some more than others...)
But I've always had mixed feelings about it.
It turns your legs to rubber.
It's very hard to get off of, once on.

To be out of work, just stuck home with nothing to do is cute for a little while, -but there is a sense of self-worth that begins to erode when one is no the dole for too long.

Having lived in single digit weather amidst blizzards as a regular regimine each year?, I can honestly tell you that this is not harsh weather. Dress appropriately, keep moving, take a break to warm up once in a while, you'll be fine.

I can also attest that there is a bit of satisfaction when one braves bad elements,
gets together with a bunch of other individuals,
slurps coffee,
grunts,
scratches,
breaks wind,(okay, usually men working, but I've been surprised...)

and then states,
'..okay, what'll it be today to earn dinner.'
-'swimming pool.'
-'freakin' swimming pool? genius, sheer freakin' genius'...
right, well then, there it is, lets go.'
(I've built swimming pools, they're actually fun... hard work, but fun.)

(and you get to work, and you piss and moan about it,
and you take a break and drink coffee,
then work more,
then each lunch,
then work more,
then go home tired at the end of the day, (more pissing and moaning,)
---but on the far end of it, there is a serious sense of something having been accomplished.)

I can't begin to tell you how many many times I've been somewhere where I hear some kid ask '..is that the _______ that you built over there.'
'...yep, sure did, me and a dozen other people, froze our asses off, but there it stands.'

This isn't just Norman Rockwell stuff here.
I've had tons of work over the years, in areas where the economy sucked,
-but at least you felt alive because you were actually doing something.
(You want to watch maladpative behaviors and domestic problems increase? have a town full of folks sitting around with no work to do. People disintegrate real fast like that.)

-That these folks are building up their town is also very cool.
-It's called town pride and sense of ownership.
-Let them build the pool... they're going to care about it.
I pity the first idiot with a spray can that goes near the change rooms.
-Everybody who was there to build it, -and everybody who knew someone who did, is going to feel better about their town, and themselves, for having done such a thing.

It's demoralizing to sit at home, only to get paid more to do nothing, -than to be working and accomplishing something.

Having done both?
I prefer to be building, -even at a lower rate,
-than puttering around the house in slippers all day, watching Oprah and freakin' Dr. Phil.

It's kind of redneck, but it's true.
The best sleeping pill is an honest, hard days work.

there's my .25