Meanwhile, back in the states
by digby
Jon Stewart surveyed the methlabs of democracy:
Speaking of which, this interview with T-Bone Burnett (regarding the series True Detective) was brought to my attention and I thought his description of certain parts of the heartland was quite interesting:
In places that had once had purpose, all that's left is a pawnshop, next to a gun shop, next door to a motel, next door to a gas station, with a Walmart right outside of town. There are people working three jobs just to get by and having to take methamphetamines to do it. That's the middle of the country, and that's a plague that's spreading outwards. We're not seeing it, and these are things that you see in the show..."
I guess I had never thought about the fact that people might need to use meth because they have to work so much. But damn if it doesn't make some sense. I've had to work more than one job at a time in my life and it's not easy. I can't imagine what it's like if you have kids.
But hey, whatever you do, don't give any of those people who are working night and day a raise. It'll just make 'em lazier that they already are. (We know they're lazy because hard workers always become millionaires. Obviously.)
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