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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Angelika Despite the persistent propaganda from the Bush administration that America is experiencing an economic upturn, layoffs are still occurring, and there are hardly any new hirings in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The latest trend is that companies are not only outsourcing their production to low-cost countries but also their development departments, as firms in India pay programmers a fraction of the salary that would have to be paid here. Also, many companies, including large and financially strong ones, are cutting back on their health insurance programs.
But even the medium-sized businesses are suffering. As we walk up 24th Street, the main shopping street in our neighborhood, we encounter signs at every turn in the shop windows announcing clearance sales and business closures. Although we have been living here for over seven years now, I cannot understand why there is no revolution in America. There are people who have two or three jobs just to make ends meet and still cannot afford health insurance. At the same time, Bush is cutting taxes for the super-rich. The national debt is growing daily, and then last week, the top financial guru Greenspan announced that in the long term, cuts to pensions ("social security benefits") are to be expected to fill the budget gap, which of course hits low-income earners the hardest. The American dream of "rags to riches" simply does not die in people's minds. The optimism (including Michael's) remains unbroken. At the end of last year, I personally felt the impact of the economic downturn. The "University of California Berkeley Extension" decided to close its building complex on Laguna Street due to financial difficulties. Renovations were needed to make the large but aging building complex earthquake-proof and accessible for the disabled. The money was not in the budget because UC Berkeley Extension had expanded diligently during the boom years and miscalculated.
Furthermore, course enrollments declined because many could no longer afford the expensive course fees. The extension program, which can roughly be defined as adult education, is indeed affiliated with the renowned University of Berkeley, but it must independently generate a profit.
Attentive newsletter reader know that the building on Laguna Street was like my second home, because not only did I attend countless photography courses there, but it also housed "my" darkroom. Eliminated! Although courses are still offered in another building in our city and in Berkeley, the photography program and art offerings in general have shrunk at an alarminging rate, and there is no replacement for the darkroom. "Unprofitable arts," the dean declared. We protested, collected signatures, wrote letters, and discussed with the dean. It was all to no avail. Now the building stands sad and abandoned, waiting for demolition. Rumor has it that investors want to build new apartments on the highly coveted lot.
In February, I set out to find a new darkroom location. The "Harvey Milk Photo Center" came to the rescue. It is a large group darkroom operated by the city of San Francisco. You pay a small fee to use it. I was already familiar with the center because members of the photography collective I'm a member of regularly meets in their other facilities. Now I just hope that the Harvey Milk Center remains open, as San Francisco's budget is also lacking in many areas.
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