031605

 

San Antonio, TX

Wednesday March 16, 2005

     11:10am  I am about to leave my mom's house. My mission today is to go to the dentist.

     11:20am  I am at the bus stop in front of the Citgo. I'm going to wait for the Ingram-bound bus and see what the letter of the day is.

     11:25am  The letter of the day is C.

                     Hmm, no C's. Looks like I'll have to rely on a courtesy ride when the bus comes going the other way. If not, I'll just walk to the Walmart.

     11:29am  My sister just drove by. She pulled over and told me she had to stop at my mom's house, but she'd give me a ride to Medical Center. Cool.

     11:37am  Cool, there's my sister again.

     11:45am  We came to the HEB.

     12:25am  I am at Travis Park. My sister just drove me all the way downtown, where I needed to go. She was about to leave to Houston. Since she had to drive through downtown it was perfect that she brought me all the way here. She even gave me a dollar. I'm going to walk around the park and see if I can get smoked out for a dollar. There might be some food left at the daycenter.

     12:45am  John Champagne, Ms. Smith's son, he just gave me some papers he wrote. Some good stuff. I told him I would transcribe them.

                     John's papers:

                     Dear Secretary Powell,

                     Disparity and wealth and abject poverty in the world today fuel anger and desperation in the dispossessed, and in those who identify with them. This anger and desperation can be exploited by those with an extremist agenda who would use violence to further their aims. To allow grinding poverty to persist, then, threatens our safety. We could change our social system, to reduce disparity, and to ensure that those on the low end of the income distribution spectrum are assured a significant minimum. By promoting the material security of those who are least secure, we would be promoting the security of all.

                     We need not violate any of our principles to bring about this change. Indeed, we need only live by our principles more faithfully. Almost everyone believes that the air and water and other natural resources belong to all. We could require that a fee be paid by anyone who takes or degrades the quality of natural resources. The proceeds of the pollution fees and natural resource user-fees would constitute a monetary representation of the value of earth's natural resources, (including air and water), and could rightly be shared among all people equally. The value of these resources has been estimated at $33 trillion per year.

                     We should pay more attention to how natural resource wealth is managed and apportioned. We allow those in pursuit of profit to take or degrade natural resources but do not require any compensation be paid to the owners of the resources, the people at large. If we address this inconsistency in our own behavior vis a vis our principles, we will solve many social and environmental ills.

                     Equal sharing of the wealth of the commons would mean about $20 per day for every person on the planet--perhaps enough to make everyone feel that they have a stake in the system and should work to build and improve it, rather than destroy it. Even those who would not do evil may sit quietly when they know another is bent on destruction, if they feel that the current system is unjust and offers no prospect for meaningful change. We must win the hearts and minds of the world's people if we want them to help build and defend a civilization, a free and global democratic global society.

                     We must empower the dispossessed. Would they choose a world that impoverishes them? Given a free and democratic society, what kind of world would they make? What kind of world woudl we make? Every one of us should have opportunities to express our opinion in meaningful ways, (ways that make a difference), regarding how much pollution, monoculture, paving, noise, or extraction of limited resources is just too much. Agreement, (Or lack of agreement), between people's expressed will on these questions on the one hand and the actual conditions in the world on the other could serve as an objective measure of democracy.

                     This change would bring our society more into accord with our own principles regarding commons property ownership; and with principles regarding responsibility for compensating owners when damage is done or value taken. Economic power based on a shared ownership of natural resource wealth belongs to all of us. Our political and economic systems should reflect this fact.

                     John Champagne jc@satx.net

 

 

                     To the Editor: There is a defect in our economic system.

                     We have an economy that hides resources depletion costs and other environmental costs from consumers. There is no general fee or tax assessed in proportion to adverse impact caused or natural resources taken be producers, so these costs are not reflected in prices.

                     Because costs are hidden, there is a distortion that leads all cost-benefit analyses to skew towards more environmentally harmful acts. Consumers do things that tend to pollute the air and water more than they would do if the cost of the degraded environment quality were factored into the prices of the things they buy. This harms the interests of other lifeforms on earth, and it will harm the interests of future lifeforms, including our own descendants.

                     "Economic externalities", (hidden costs), cause us to do the wrong thing. Where are the reporters and commentators who will report on and speak our against an economic system that gives us incentive to do the wrong thing? This defect in our economy disrespects the interests of other inhabitants of this world, and of future generations of humans, by depleting resources that they might rely on and polluting air and water that they need. They cannot speak up in protest. Should we?

                     If we determine that natural resource wealth is owned by all equally, then any money paid by users of natural resources would go to all the people; to each an equal amount. A proper accounting for this wealth would end abject poverty in the world.

                     It is immoral--particularly so for journalists--to acquiesce in a system that gives people incentive to do the wrong thing. It is immoral, too, to acquiesce in a system that gives, at most, mere lip service to respect for public property rights, while making no effort to manifest that idea in reality. If a more efficient and fair accounting of natural resource wealth would spell an end to abject poverty, it seems to me something worth talking about.

                     There is deafening silence in discussion of and reporting on systematic flaws--in economic and political realms.

                     I hope some reporter or editor can explain why my analysis is flawed; or start reporting on natural resource wealth accounting.

                     John Champagne

                     210-737-0954

                     A more real democracy: http://user.intersatx.net/jc/synthesis.html

                     Are your universities and newspapers telling you all that you need to know?

 

                     Okay, I still believe money complicates John's proposal unnecessarily. Like I say, money doesn't help people. People help people.

     12:58pm  I'm telling these kids my story in the park. What was your email? wooliebobs@aol.com

     1:00pm  Athena gave me a cigarette earlier. I forgot to mention it. She said she's given me one before. I've got to look it up. I am sure I've only met one Athena.

     1:07pm  I just came to the dental clinic. Earlier Jimmy had given me his sneak-a-toke that had like a bowl of weed in it. I asked him if he'd smoke me out for a dollar and he said yeah and handed me his pipe. He took off and told me to give him the dollar later. I wasn't going to stand there and wait for him. I had to go to the dentist. Now I'm all stoned, hehe. Calling the shots. Earlier I told myself I was going to go to Travis Park and get smoked out for my wait at the dentist.

                   Oh yeah, right when I got to Travis Park around 12:30, I went to the daycenter and they had a little food left. They also had a TV news camera in there. Hopefully I got on TV. Good publicity. Wow, just look how I got pulled downtown today. I had gone out to the bus stop and my sister drove by. She had to get my mom's car so she could go to Houston. She gave me a ride all the way downtown to Travis Park. Perfect.

     1:25pm  I am leaving the Christian Dental Clinic. Man, this sucks. They told me I had to go through all this bullshit and get qualified. Even though I've been coming to this place for over a year. They told me that last time I went there I had gone in as an emergency tooth extraction, but now I had to get qualified. I think it's a load of shit. This bitch kept thinking I was homeless. She was all telling me, "You need a notarized form from wherever you're staying, be it the SAMM's Shelter or something." I told her, "I am not homeless, I crash at my mom's."

     1:30pm  I was leaving the dental clinic and I ran into James. He's having some bad times as usual.

                   James: "I'm homeless. This sucks."

                   He doesn't see how good he's got it. The less you have the less you have to worry about.

                   Cool, he volunteered me a cigarette. Thanks, James.

     1:37pm  James begged me to walk somewhere with him. He said he was all depressed. We walked all the way over to CAM's, It's a place where homeless people can get hygiene stuff. I told James, "Umm, I don't have any business here." He told me, "Come on, man. Keep me company. I'm depressed." I told him, "Sorry, I have work to do." I've got 4 CD's in my bag and I have to be out there telling my story and planting my seed. Actually, I have three. I gave one to John Champagne.

     1:45pm  This guy Patrick was crossing the street reading a book. What was your email again? utsastudent03@yahoo.com

     1:49pm  That was an awesome presentation. Across the street from the First Presbyterian Church, just walking down the street. I saw some guy reading a book and when he walked next to me I said, "Can I tell you a really interesting story? I'm not asking for anything. I just want you to listen. It's more interesting than what you're reading. I promise." He stopped and closed his book. He listened to my stuff. He didn't have time for the odyssey, but I gave him a CD!

     1:55pm  I ran into Elva! My backup mom(5-30-03, 3:05pm, 8:49pm) at 3rd and E. I showed her my traveling list and her coworker David just hooked me up with four cigarettes! He works at Centro too. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   Elva's phone number, what is it? 831-6843

                   Shweet! Elva gave me two dollars! My face lit up and I told her, "Marijuana!" She laughed.

     2:26pm  Oh man, I've had a good day today. I went to the park, got smoked out. I got a couple bucks from Elva and got weed. Right now I thought I had lost my water bottle. Me, Lindsey(the girl who used to be with Apok) and Jimmy came to this alley to smoke weed and I had left my bottle on the ground. I was able to backtrack and retrieve it. I'm going to smoke a cigarette now.

     2:30pm  Haha, ignorant tourist kids. I spotted these kids and I started stalking them for like two blocks. I finally caught up to them and asked, "Hey, can I tell you a really interesting story?" This dude said, "Well, we're going to keep walking." After I told him marijuana was the key, this dumbass dude said, "That's a stupid key. You're going to drug everybody." They just kept walking and I yelled, "Have you always been this ignorant? Thanks for proving me right." I had thought they would listen to me because this girl had pretty dreads.

     2:32pm  Haha, this one guy walking down the street right next to the park. I hit him up for my story and he quickly said, "I gotta go!"

     2:51pm  I walked over to the SAMM's Shelter where I can always score a two dollar pinner. Hey, it's marijuana. I have three dollars. Elva gave me two and I got a dollar from this girl I talked to in Travis Park. I tried to tell them my story, but they wouldn't listen to me either.

     3:30pm  I walked by the hotel close to St. Mary's and Greg hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   gcooper89@hotmail.com

     3:50pm  E.J. Luna hooked me up with a courtesy ride to the hospital on the 92.

     4:29pm  I just got off at Sage Crossing. I'm going to go see if Tanya is home so I can go put my webpage on her computer. It got cold.

     4:33pm  Mike hooked me up with a cigarette. This police officer at Sage Crossing. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     5:00pm  Oh yeah, I came to Sage Crossing and Tanya was home. She was just coming out the door when I got there. She said it was a bad time. Her fourteen year old son was all going crazy with this karate sword he's got. It's a cool sword with a cobra head on it. I'm going to walk to the hospital, I think. Oh yeah, and right outside her building, I found on the grass, this badass marijuana necklace. It's part of my uniform now. I'm going to wear it everywhere.

                   I forgot to tell you. Right when I had walked there earlier, I met a cop. In his uniform. Badge and gun and everything. I told him my intro and mission objectives. He didn't have time to listen. I asked him to do me the two favors and he told me, "You're doing a good thing. I don't doubt you and I don't think you're crazy. You're doing a good thing." I gave him a CD.

     5:10pm  I got off at the first stop at the hospital. I'm going to go check the tennis courts. There's some people playing. I'm going to go see if they have any dead balls they can donate.

     5:22pm  There was this one girl playing by herself against a wall. There was a ball on the other side of the fence and I asked her, "Hey, is that your ball?" She goes, "Yeah, thanks." I ask her, "Can I have it for my walking stick? Or do you have any dead ones." She told me, "I'll get you an old one." She did. I got me one ball. That's all I need.

     5:46pm  I'm on the bus, 610 going home. I saw this computer-geek lookin' guy sitting there and he had a CompuServe bag. He had a gold watch and he was all dressed nicely. He had a big overcoat. I hit him up for my story and I asked him if he'd listen. He said, "No, I'm not interested." I tell him, "Alright, just wait to hear about it when the rest of the world does." When he got off the bus I told him, "Ignorance is bliss." Now that I think back I should have asked him if he had always been that ignorant. Just to make his dorky ass think. I should have also told him, "I was just testing you. You failed."

     6:17pm  I just got home to my mom's house. I'm going to call it quits for today. It's cold today, so I decided to come back home. What a magical adventure I had today. Just behold the synchronicity of my sister pulling me downtown. She took me right exactly where I wanted to go. The dentist's. She was on her way to Houston and she had to come by my mom's house to switch out cars. She saw me at the bus stop, told me she was going to my mom's to get that car and that she would be right back. She had her cute little wiener dog. Max, I think his name is. She ended up taking me straight to Travis Park, a block away from the Christian Dental Clinic I wanted to go to today. They told me some bullshit there. I think they're full of shit. They said I have to get qualified, even though I've been there like two or three times already. After that I scored some weed from Jimmy in the park. Remember, he let me hold onto his loaded sneak-a-toke. I smoked some people out in front of the statue in the park. And I got weed. I had gone to the SAMM's Shelter and yelled, "Marijuana!" real loud. I got a two dollar joint in no time. And I paid for my bus fare when it came to Fredericksburg and Oaklawn, by Sage Crossing. I went to Sage Crossing. I talked to that cop. It was so cool. He had told me, "I'm not your regular cop." He said he pursued animal abuse and neglect cases. He's a cool cop. I'm back home now. There's nothing to eat here. I'll manifest something.

     11:02pm  I'm going to sleep. Goodnight.

Next day..