If you’re a committed capitalist who believes in endless growth, stop reading.

I don’t know what I’m talking about.

But then neither does anybody else.

When it comes to the economy it’s a guess, it’s a dream, but it’s rarely reality, and never common sense.

If you believe it’s okay to speculate on real estate and drive the cost of housing constantly up so that our major cities become unaffordable, stop reading.

If you believe taxes should be so low that our bridges fall down, stop reading.

If you believe regulation is an evil gypsy spell and we can rely on the goodwill and responsibility of corporations, stop reading.

If you believe our natural resources should be taken for profit, public education is a waste of money, it’s okay to buy politicians, prices shoukd always rise, and wages should always stagnate, stop right now and don’t read another word.

Because the truth is we’ve built a globally unsustainable economy and here comes the pain.

The truth is human nature tilts to greed.

The truth is our natural resources belong to all of us.

The truth is speculating on peoples homes is gutting our cities.

Deregulation is making America unsafe.

The stock market is a casino.

The safety net is shredded.

The Florida hurricane did more than knock over homes. The need for growth has pushed prices so high many of the folks who lost homes will never be able to rebuild.

Deflation is making it impossible to travel.

Bands are cancelling tours.

It costs $210 a week to commute by train into New York City.

A 460 sq ft apartment in San Francisco is renting for $4800 a month.

Those are examples of the America we’ve built.

It’s not politics. It’s not one party can fix it. It’s our economic system that we pledge allegiance to.

And there’s more pain coming.

Everything below tbe 40th parallel is a gamble.