Not buying

Not buying, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

And so he the Great Recession lingered on, year after year.  The rural areas of the country drying up and becoming near ghost towns.  This we before the second shock to the economy which caused whole towns and cities to die.  This would continue until the big wars broke out.

The candidate

The candidate, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Elections are like pigs at a feeding trough,
it's a money game of corruption...
and the lowest common denominator wins.

No Traction

No Traction, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Sometimes the only way to move forward is with a little help.

Come Together

Come Together, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We often find ourselves miles apart,
so is it really any wonder we can't solve
the problems facing us?

Fading America

Fading America, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We've had our heads in the sand for quite some time, perhaps too long to turn the slide the country is in around.

Caged

Caged, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Sometimes the world seems to close us in, leaving us little in the way of options... those times are long in passing, but they eventually do.

Rush of movement

Rush of movement, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

In a flurry of youth,
the rush of summer,
dreams were strong,
a rush move movement,
until the time passed by

Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The U.S. decline was a result of an inability to get anything done. The economy under the thumbs of non-producing paper pushers.  Experts at nothing were given too much control, and even during the height of the great recession bureaucratic ranks swelled, doing more harm than good.

Folds of color

Folds of color, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

In its simplest form,
it moves the imagination,
and stirs the soul

I've got to go

I've got to go, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

I'd like to head out to anyplace that offered opportunity and freedom.  There was a time when the future looked bright and anything seemed possible, but we traded that for a handful of trinkets.

Food

Food, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Cell phone cameras have come a long way in the last five years... making the camera of choice for spur of the moment photography.  This gives us much more freedom in capturing the world around us, and to change that world.

Fading Angel

Fading Angel, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

As the great recession rolls into another year, and with a fiscal cliff right around the corner, it truly seems like the good times really are over for good.

#epicfail

#epicfail, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

As tensions mounted,
and economies collapsed,
no one seemed able to lead,
nor right the course we'd taken...
that would have required admitting failure

Breakthrough

Breakthrough, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Images are disposable in nature, like all things in life, they hold meaning for all but a brief moment...

Election Green

Election Green, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Elections are about money, theatrics, and lies. Gone are the days when they are about the good of a nation, or a better future.  It's a bloodsport of corruption, nothing more.

Wet Tacos

Wet Tacos, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

There is no easy street,
no road to success,
just a long slow grind

Stop

Stop, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The demands in life and the challenges ahead are something that never stop.

Electric

Electric, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We're shooting ourselves in the foot by not building and improving our infrastructure. We know this, yet do nothing. Hardly a way to improve the economy or build for a better future.

Mega Bytes

Mega Bytes, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The world of technology keeps rolling forward, making these interesting times.

Political Convention

Political Convention, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The mud slinging, and cult like furry is getting old.  It serves no one well and the nature continues to slide and suffer as a result.

The time of our lives

The time of our lives, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Our passing claim to fame is but a flash, and all the more reason to make it count for something.

Once upon a time

Once upon a time, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Once upon a time there was a land of freedom,
where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
were God given rights.

These were rights that couldn't be taken away,
and protecting then was the fundamental purpose
of government.

Corruption, greed, and power, as it always does,
found a way to subvert the freedom of the people,
actually convincing them to give it up, all for the
greater good.

That greater good was big government, nothing more.

Unclaimed

Unclaimed, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Unclaimed, like words never spoken
or loves lost on the trial of time.

One Cheer

One Cheer, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Once cheer for a nation falling apart, a nation going backwards, a nation in decline...

We could do better if we were willing to put our differences aside.

Party Time

Party Time, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We lose our minds to mindless parties,
empty words, and false promises...
all that matters is that we feel good about it.

Weaved

Weaved, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

There's always odds and ends to tie up

Passing Time

Passing Time, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Passing time has caught me losing things,
forgotten moments that won't come back,
pages of youth and visions of the past...
all gone now.

Electric Spaghetti

Electric Spaghetti, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Our connected lives, you'd think they'd be simpler...

Off limits

Off limits, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Discussing politics at a summer gathering isn't a good idea, especially if you're not like minded on every twisted issue, which is why I don't bring up such things.  And yet, there I found myself, trying to change the subject, trying to stay neutral and get back to enjoying the day.

It was like doing a Kaboki dance, exhausting.  American political culture has become unhealthy and unproductive.  We're divided and subdivided on every issue, where honest discussion of issues is gone.

Throw in a biased and corrupt media and you've got shark infested waters, just waiting for the next feeding frenzy.

Such is the state of the world, and why healthy discourse has become off limits.

Behind in filing

Behind in filing, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

It's the worlds of clutter that we build around ourselves that becomes overwhelming.  We've got the technology to simplify things but we use it to do the opposite.