Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hypothetical lunch, economic crises, and consumption thoughts


This is what I think about budget cuts

This the outfit I picked out to meet with some colleagues for a little lunch in Manhattan today. I took this photo around 10:30 or so. I walked to the train around 10:45, and around 11:45, after being stuck underground for about 45 minutes, I walked two stops back home, because the A/C train was suffering a breakdown. My colleagues said it was cool to reschedule, as they are very nice, but I am going to somehow blame this on the unfortunate budget cuts that the state/city have instituted. You know that a politician is doing a bad job if the NY Times* makes fun of them with this zinger: "[Working stiffs are] easy targets, especially for a governor who, like the mayor of New York City, rules out taxing rich people any further lest they pack their Louis Vuitton bags and scoot."

I wrote something very long about economic crises, the fallacy of austerity as an end, and the harmful effects of over reliance on a skittish private sector to promote recovery, but deleted it so as to not alienate everyone. I'll end this post by saying that it is a huge shame that politicians are ignoring the needs of productive New Yorkers by promoting regressive taxes (a soda tax? Getting rid of the tax exemptions on items below $110? Cutting school budgets and 1 library day a week? Allowing tuition increases at public universities? To quote G.O.B. Bluth, "Come ON!"). Yo, tax-averse peeps in NY: keeping this city somewhat accessible and safe is GOOD for your property values, your safety, and your ability to sleep at night!

Finally, this relates to the blog because I want to draw on the political conditions as an impetus for my own actions. I will make a more conscious effort to buy less of everything, especially clothes. I am not the best remixer, but I continue to inspired by the personal fashion/style blogosphere everyday. Summer time is hard for remixing, with the heat, but now that it's below 90 in NY, I'm layering away.
Hope you all had a less ranty and frustrating Wednesday then I. Disagreements, thoughts, ideas are surely welcome.

Tunic: Alwin, Minneapolis (via Cliche)
Skirt: OU
Boots: Durango, via Beacon's Closet
Belt: thrifted

*I have a love/hate thing with the NYTimes. They do some good reporting, good local investigating, but they also cater heavily to the champagne Upper Manhattan crowd, which makes sense economically, but likely influences their views. Also, what's up with their obsession with describing their interview subjects' looks?

16 comments:

  1. gah. I just wrote a long response and lost it. But I agree whole heartedly with the "COME On"

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  2. Hah! I also had a GOB quote pop into my head today. I sat down on the subway in a dress I thought was the right length but in reality was way too short and thought, "I've made a terrible mistake."

    The transportation thing is so sad. I already @#$$! hate the MTA and I imagine it's only going to get worse. They're eliminating every station booth staff at most of the stops near my apt on the northbound sides.

    Also, I like this outfit. I like the shape of it and the gray and brown together. I would never think of it but I think it works together very well.

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  3. Apparently they don't want people packing their Louis Vuitton bags full of $3,000 suits - COME ON!

    I'd hate to think that any city's public transportation could possibly be worse than the CTA, but if it is, man that really sucks.

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  4. The NY Times nailed it. And him. And THEM. Not pouring money into mass transit in NYC seems the stupidest idea ever--when it works, it works so well, and SAVES so much money in the long run. I feel the same way about Amtrak. We need a superb rail system in this country, not ONLY more fuel-efficient cars. Your cowboy boots are good for butt-kicking. Next time, post that diatribe. I don't think your readers will be alienated.

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  5. This American life did a show about the NY budget crisis. I normally love TAL but it was a shitty show. Basically, it was about how we are all so unreasonable, expecting governments to perform all these outlandish services and funding for things like domestic violence shelters. You look great!

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  6. Didn't the wealthiest people in the country just get bailed out by the poorest people in the country, like, two years ago? To me this was the most amazing thing ever. Like, historical amazing. And now there's extra tax on pop? No wonder you are having a bad day.

    In other news, this guy:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHIZ2Jl2vuQ

    I tried to post this on our blog but I don't seem to know how to do that. This was in Toronto during the G20 Summit Meeting recently. You may have heard that things got way out of hand with the widespread protests taking place downtown. So out of hand that they closed the Eaton Centre, a huge shopping mall in the downtown core.

    I thought, because you are so rad, you would understand his need to protest. About his right to shop.

    I will say this: he has excellent diction and he is rocking the utilitarian man-purse.

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  7. I'm of the opinion that it's your blog so you should write what you want to. I wouldn't mind hearing/reading your full-on rant one bit. Of course, I'm with Charlotte about cowgirl boots being good for kicking ass.

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  8. Jesse, La Fille, and Anne: It's good to be amongst AD comrades. After some writing frustration, I may have watched the Mrs. Featherbottom episode. May have.
    D-Med: You are, as usual, killing me. That man is very funny. He is definitely protesting, but I wish he threw in more context like, "I am trying to buy things importing in our country to promote global trade!" or "Why won't you let me pay my VAT? WHY???"
    Ikke: I tried to listen to that TAL but I got bored to tears. Thanks for sending it my way though (I did think they covered the political unwillingness to raise taxes even during flush times as a real problem).
    Charlotte: Thanks for your response. I am thinking of publishing my angry rants, but maybe in a different forum? As part of my morning writing exercise (Have you heard of http://750words.com? I hope some angry long form can clear my head for my productive writing)

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  9. "Apparently they don't want people packing their Louis Vuitton bags full of $3,000 suits - COME ON!"

    Hah!

    I agree about writing what you want. People will scroll if they want to! And read if they want to! I do agree for stuff that's "content" sometimes the most succinct way to say it keeps the most attention, but yet is something I have not mastered.

    Also, how the hell are you, of all people/blogs, not on my blogroll? Immediately added. So weird.

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  10. Totally agree with this. The refusal to find ways to fund necessary public services and works makes me also morph into Gob.

    I love how you've layered here. My own closet is glad the heat has subsided a bit for the time being.

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  11. Darn about the bum train and the postponed lunch date. This outfit deserves to be out in public!

    - Anne-Marie

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  12. changing up hair, shoes, makeup, belts, jewelry, etc. is a good way to vary outfits in the heat - also heat-tolerant separates can help you get a variety of looks (tees, tanks, short- or no- sleeve blouses, skirts and shorts). it's hot a lot where i live, over the years ideas accumulate.

    congrats on your decision to buy less! plus, who cares if you wear the same thing over if you look great? i don't know, i like my individual clothes, i want to wear them more than once every three months.........but to each their own.

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  13. I share the same sentiments...taxes aren't the devil as long as they are being used to provide services to citizens. And the fact that you just quoted GOB Bluth makes me think we would be great friends IRL :)

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  14. gah. I just wrote a long response and lost it. But I agree whole heartedly with the "COME On"

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hah! I also had a GOB quote pop into my head today. I sat down on the subway in a dress I thought was the right length but in reality was way too short and thought, "I've made a terrible mistake."

    The transportation thing is so sad. I already @#$$! hate the MTA and I imagine it's only going to get worse. They're eliminating every station booth staff at most of the stops near my apt on the northbound sides.

    Also, I like this outfit. I like the shape of it and the gray and brown together. I would never think of it but I think it works together very well.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Apparently they don't want people packing their Louis Vuitton bags full of $3,000 suits - COME ON!

    I'd hate to think that any city's public transportation could possibly be worse than the CTA, but if it is, man that really sucks.

    ReplyDelete