The Unemplyment Office

I've really had it with my country and have nothing to lose if I leave here. I started working recently and it's a 75% job, which means I still have rights to get 25% unemployment benefits. They mistakenly took me out of their computer system and I have to go do the paper work all over again. This is basically the same shit I had to deal with last fall and it was horrible. It took them 2 months to get my registration right and I finally got money on December 23rd. All of my bills went into a big minus then.

The energy and time that this takes isn't worth it. The system here is so screwed and they truly don't care about their people. It's really sad to watch my country turn into a heartless fascist like republic. There are kids here that can't afford to go to school this fall because their parents can't afford school supplies or lunch meals. In the mean time the men that got us into this mess are exporting all their money and property to the Cayman Islands. The government is doing nothing, they don't care?

I think this is the first time since the bank crash that I have truly lost all hope for what I've been protesting. I don't think the average Icelander is going to fight this corruption. In a way I feel like this isn't my country anymore; if it ever was?

Update on what's been going on in Iceland

A few of my American friends have been wondering about the situation here in Iceland. Things haven't gotten better, most of what the new ruling party promised hasn't been happening. Instead they are going against what they promised. At the moment they are deciding if they're going to take on the Icesave bank and the majority wants to. If we take on the Icesave bank we're basically accepting the terrorist laws the British put on us. They don't want to charge the British for putting us on the terrorist list, instead they want to kiss their ass and make us pay for the Icesave bank dept. Here is a link to the freezing order on the British HT Treasury website: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/fin_sanctions_landsbanki.htm
(We were taken off the terrorist list but are still on their website. Note: this bank was privately owned before the collapse).

In the mean time the criminals that created all these companies and banks are running around and hiding their money on the Cayman Islands or putting their properties on a relative's name. Not one of them has been charged and non of their accounts have been frozen??? The word on the street is that these men have paid our politicians in the past and these politicians are all corrupt with their money.

We got Eva Joly to investigate what happened before the banks collapsed. They're giving her a hard time and making her job very difficult.
About Eva Joly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Joly

In the mean time people are losing their homes and some are even leaving Iceland for good. I know a single mother that doesn't get any money because she was a student this winter and can't get daycare for her kids. So my wonderful government told her she isn't eligible for welfare or unemployment. Nice, they're putting their own people out on the street with no assistance. Why do we even pay 37% in taxes here?

Anyway, I protest as much as I can. A few of us took over an empty house on Monday owned by one of the criminals here and the police were called.

Some people have asked me why I keep protesting. I'm always remind of this saying which I ran across while I was writing an essay in High school about the Holocaust in WW II:

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
- Martin Niemöller

Life is what you make it

A few of my friends and relatives in the States have been really worried about my son and me since the economy and government collapse in my country. I have been numb in a way and haven't really had a longing to write much about it.

I've been running my own freelance business since December 2006. According to my financial adviser and the entrepreneur corporation in Iceland I was doing good. I loved what I was doing and woke up everyday with excitement and challenges in my day. I had something to look forward to each day and I have a great son that is doing good in life. I never lived a life which was extravagant and have a home which is creative and strange; not in style. I'm so far from being the wanna be rich looking person which were were popping up all over Iceland. I paid my taxes honestly and received unemployment when there was no work to find in my field this fall.

My father (which raised me from the time I was 18 months old) always told me that if you want something you have to dig in the dirt. If you don't find it you have to dig harder. He could have spoiled us and given us many material things. He chose not to. Instead he taught us that if you want something you have to work for it. I passed this on to my son and feel so grateful. At times I felt like a selfish evil mom when all the other kids in the neighborhood got the newest PlayStation just because they asked for it. My son started saving his money when he was 11 and ended up buying the PlayStation when he was 12. I think that my dad gave me something I could never have bought or learned in school. It's the real experience and reward of digging in the dirt and seeing the rewards when you're done.

Don't worry about us, we're just as happy even though the cost of living is ridiculous. I still lay around like a cat reading too many books. My son is still living his teenage life and just bought his first car. I found some ladies recently that take old clothes and modify them. So maybe I don't have to buy new clothes, I'll learn how to modify or make my own?

Life is what you make it my friend ;-)

My thoughts on the revolution and more

I've been writing my thoughts down since I was 14. After the collapse of the banks in Iceland last October I've been kind of numb and haven't felt a need to write much. Writing has always done me good; kind of like my own psychologist. I was going over this winter in my mind and realize that I've been in shock and very angry. My country has been robbed by careless people and we have to pay for it? I'm especially angry at the fact that the people that were supposed to prevent this don't seem to care what happens to us. They wouldn't even resign; kind of psychopathic and self-centered.

I saw a lady on the news last night that is going to lose her home in 2 weeks. The bank is going to send the sheriff to carry her out? The government here has been brainwashing us with slogans that say: "Protect the homes", We're going to do everything to save the families". The news stated that it was different because a bank that was taking her home. I thought the Government owned most of our banks now?
I've always been interested in nations that lost their integrity and followed leaders that got them into a system which was too good to be true. Usually there is a lot of propaganda that takes place before people lose touch with their sense of right and wrong. While drinking my cup of coffee this morning I realized that we here in Iceland are constantly being bombarded with slogans which are supposed to pacify us or make us feel guilty for feeling angry in this mess we're in. That lady is going to lose her home and many others are losing their homes? Yeah, but "stay positive and stick together. Take care of your family and be nice to each other." The last time I checked, most people in my life were nice to each other.

I think that the protests are just beginning. People aren't going to sense what's really going on until the end of this month. So many more people are going on unemployment now and the cost of food here is ridiculous. I also think David Oddsson is going to let the shit hit the fan when he has to leave his bank. He's going to take many people down with him.

I still sit here, look out my window and finish my cup of coffee. I always do this when I'm working and will always do this. Things haven't really changed for me. My son just got home from school and we're talking about the usual stuff. What has changed though is my trust and respect for the country I was taught to love and feel proud of. I really hope the good will win and my people will get back what we stood for.

Let the protests continue, I'm game :-)

The International Monetary Fund wrote me back

I wrote them a letter in November and asked them not to give Iceland the loan. The people in power right now in Iceland are not trusted with this money and will waste it on something useless. Also, I've looked into some countries that have gotten in so much more dept after receiving this loan.

Anyway, this is their answer:

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your email asking about the IMF’s support for Iceland’s economic recovery program. We can ensure you that your message was taken very seriously. The IMF's Executive Board approved a two-year Stand-By Arrangement for Iceland on November 19, valued at US$2.1 billion.

The financial resources from the IMF will back Iceland's ambitious economic program, which aims to restore confidence to the banking system, stabilize the krona, and strengthen the budget over the medium term. In a recent video interview, Poul Thomsen, the IMF’s mission chief for Iceland, expressed confidence that Iceland’s flexible economy will help the country recover from this crisis of historic proportions, but that next year will be tough.

The IMF recognizes that Iceland is facing a difficult period ahead. So the Fund, for its part, is committed to helping Iceland to the best of our ability.

Best regards,

Public Affairs Division
External Relations Department
International Monetary Fund
http://www.imf.org
E-Mail: publicaffairs@imf.org

The Protests in Iceland

...worked for us, our Government collapsed on Monday. Here are some cool videos I found on Youtube.