by William Skink

I can’t think of much to reflect positively on as we say adios to a decade that saw the deflation of hope and change, the re-inflation of unsustainable economic bubbles and a widening chasm of income inequality that would threaten the establishment if Americans weren’t so easily divided against each other, rendering us perpetually conquered by the plutocrats, oligarchs and transnational corporations who hoard wealth off shore in the trillions while we bicker about Presidential tweets and Russian conspiracy theories.

I posted my first blog post as “lizard” all the way back at the beginning of this decade–on September 8th, 2010, to be exact. I talked a lot more about poetry back then, but as the decade progressed (with progressives getting the neoliberal shaft over and over) I cultivated a seasoned cynicism toward the national Obama machine and its echoes in little fiefdoms like Missoula with Herr Engen.

Reflecting on the past decade and not just the past year is important because too many people treat the election of Trump as year zero in a mad reset of what’s possible in a zero sum, no holds barred, ends justify the means assault on one’s political opponents. Our quickening plunge seeking rock bottom may finally hit us in 2020, or 2021, but the when doesn’t really matter.

What we do as local communities in the timespan between now and the deferred consequences of systemic rot sometime in the near future will determine how resilient we are when things go bust. The problem, as I see it, is Missoula went all in with gentrification, making us a microcosm of an unsustainable macro-economic paradigm driven by central bankers who will trigger WWIII if the price is right.

Man, so much doom and gloom. Why keep reading these hopeless tirades against the engines of our oppression?

Despite my relative cynicism I hope you do keep reading because I plan to keep writing, and more, this coming year.

I’m not going to make any predictions, but I will make a promise: to the best of my ability I will continue bringing attention to the issues and trends that I think are important as this new decade begins amidst so much uncertainty and turmoil.

Stay tuned…