Economic Crisis What if we Can’t Fix It Who’s preparing for that?

So far nothing has worked; not bailouts, or conversions to bank holding companies, not front page stories or investigative committees…nothing is helping the economic crisis it only continues to get worse.

What if we cannot stop the economic crisis from continuing to deteriorate, what if the economic levees break?

How is our government (Federal, State, Municipal) preparing for the worst case scenario?

How are we hoping they are preparing, what should we be expecting of them, what can we do?

cross-posted at Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

I know it is hard to imagine but what if all the TARP/Bailout/Stimulus don’t work.

What if the world economy does break?  What if growth stops?  Declines?  

It is already happening and so far nothing ANY world government has tried has helped.

So what if the economic titanic is actually going to sink, regardless of how many life jackets we give to the ship instead of to the passengers?

I want to hear my government addressing this issue now.

I want to see them multi-tasking: trying to keep the ship from sinking AND also working on lifeboats, life jackets, ect…

I have prepared a presentation for my local municipalities.

I call it an economic emergency response plan.

A significant decrease in budgets mean a decrease in services, what can a city  DO NOW to prepare for the worst case scenario if we cannot save the economic ship.

My presentation looks at the worst case economic scenario unfolding in the not to distant future and challenges local government to set up a plan and take CONCRETE steps NOW to prepare.

Some of the items addressed:

Water

Food

Energy

Safety

Water-install deep well hand water pumps at public parks and schools, ensuring access the clean water in the event of disruption of power, water system maintenance problems, ect.  Regain control of local water supplies or step up monitoring of private water companies.

Food-create and fund community, school and resident gardens THIS SEASON.  Purchase seed (real seeds that residents can collect and save each year) and distribute, provide training.  Victory gardens helped citizens survive during the last great depression.  Things are different now; we rely on way too much of our food to come from far away.

Provide loans and grants right now to encourage local farmers to increase their infrastructures and produce as much food locally as possible.  Reach out and educate residents NOW on the need to have a garden, raise rabbits, chickens, worms, edibles.

Plant fruit and nut trees in public spaces.  Allow parks and open spaces to grow, no more unnecessary mowing or spraying. Foraging may be a necessity in the not to distant future.

Energy:  Limited solutions for this issue.  Wherever possible municipalities should try to retake control of power supply or supplement private power.   Conservation.

Education on how to prepare for when and if extended power outages become a fact of life.

Security:  Cities need to initiate neighborhood watch programs again.  Educating neighborhoods and training them to look out for each other and their property are critical.  

Working on the above three items is a great Safety policy and  will help keep communities calm, As people tend to get angry when they lack food, water and electricity.

I also touch on health care, emergency shelters and food banks run BY the cities.

RIGHT NOW municipalities still have some revenue and some credit.  

City Governments need to be challenged by their constituents (THAT’S YOU) to reevaluate and redirect budgets to address these needs.   Many projects, whose budgets were allocated BEFORE this crisis, need to be reevaluated and stopped.  New directions need to be taken with budget dollars to help cities and their residents weather this economic storm.

Implementing these items may ensure the relatively decent endurance of citizens in the event of a disastrous economic crisis.

It will be up to citizens to compel their local officials to make preparations to help residents weather this storm, if in fact it does arrive.

I will probably be laughed out of city hall, but I have to try. I will demand to know:  what preparations are you making to help your citizens?