Life at all costs: a financial primer

Pockets!!! And pleats.

The nice thing about curling my hair, putting on eyeliner and wearing this unique white dress to go the grocery store in the middle of Winter? While standing in line, a nice old woman approached my 6 foot radius to let me know she thought my outfit to be “precious.” Aaaah, friendly human interactions, how we long for you.

This impressively detailed white cotton nurse-vibe number was procured from an estate sale for $1. I was especially excited, because after going through a rack of clothes, a fellow browser pointed out a plastic tub of clothing, all of which was thrillingly vintage and in my size. People are notable generous and helpful at estate sales. It is a shared joy I believe.

Three tiered rhinestone hoops. Rhinestones are good friends with white clothing.

So many layers of frustration go along with the tired out claim that environmental policies will hurt the economy.  One layer of this is noting *what type of cost and to whom* takes precedent in the tallying of consequences. 

On the one hand : a short term yet understandably considerable loss of profit for those no longer given free license to poison the water, soil, and air.  Yes, it would cost money to clean up an abysmal mess of irresponsible actions that willfully ignore sound science and observable reality for decades/centuries.  

On the other hand, the longtime and longterm costs associated with: healthcare and workforce losses attributable to pollution-induced diseases like cancer and asthma; homes and communities destroyed by raging fires, floods, droughts, megastorms; and generalized “oh no now what” lack of plans to deal with things like lead and fracked chemicals and so forth in our drinking water.

Obviously and depressingly, the second list could go on and on.  The unifying factor?  Those costs are born by regular, everyday people, not the large corporate donors who write the re-election checks.  

How much longer will America accept the majority of our people being sacrificed to the system of poison for profit?  No longer.  We want to move on and do the meaningful work of restoring our basic securities and necessities of life.  We need political leadership that will partner with the many, not sell themselves to the few.