From the title I contrive two meanings, one Spain is approximately nine hours ahead of my “fair” city of Phoenix, and two what is happening currently in Spain could very well be our own future here in the free States. Midnight Thursday morning Spain started a 24 hour general strike. Barricades were put in place by 12 am and by 1:30 am the police and protesters started to clash. Spain being in an economic funk much like that of Greece (soon to be worse perhaps) with a general unemployment rate of 25% (people under 35 years of age is about 50%) making a total of approximately 5 million unemployed citizens has decided in many ways to protest the system if you will.

What can we expect when the average income is 500 euros a month (almost 700 US dollars) when rent is a=on average 800 euros? Mix in the 20% consumption tax on all products, $2.66 for public transportation, 40% luxury tax on assigned “luxury” items, and and massive unemployment rate. One might think where are all these tax dollars going. The answer is into the pockets of the bankers who the government refuses to let go into bankruptcy. The government officials are too afraid to let their nation go belly up because they will lose everything. So they see it fit better for them to lower wages and raise taxes. The citizens of Spain however have had enough and are undergoing different acts of civil disobedience.

The term civil disobedience may have a bad ring to it but I am proud to say the Spanish give it a positive ring. For example there’s a movement call Yo No Pago (I don’t pay), which is a civil disobedient movement which encourages people to not pay for public transportation (which the prices of seem to continue to rise). This movement has grown in success and is soon to be quite affective. Currently the Yo No Pago Facebook page has 14,816 likes and is growing daily. (more…)