Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 8/10

The Dow tanks again, riots in London, wilding in Philadelphia, Wisconsin and Chicago - with the world in such peril most things seem trivial, including writing fiction or selling books on the street. I don't recall if I was this concerned in the late '60's and through the '70's when many spoke of America's decline, which was wiped away by the Reagan revolution, which continued even through the Clinton years. I was young and strong then. Congress has created an entitlement mentality in at least half its citizens, weakening them. And woe to anyone who tries to amend it, let alone abolish it. People demand platinum benefits, as long as someone else pays for them. 50% of workers pay no federal taxes. Illegal aliens receive government services. I see the handicap riding wheelchairs in the street alongside traffic, scaring the bejesus out of drivers, despite the city having gone to the expense of making sidewalks accessible at every corner. Oh, well, if you're already or close to eligible for retirement, there is an exclusive community in Mexico where many Americans have gone to spend their golden years. With the cost of living spiraling, only idiots like me will remain here. I hope for free market solutions to our problems, but fear we will get only more government ones. Stay tuned.
And now on to the insignificant. I caught up with the Black Swan (2010) last night, courtesy of Netflix. I was not as enthusiastic about it as most critics were, although it was well crafted and beautifully acted by Natalie Portman, who won an Oscar. I found it relentlessly bleak. I've like other films that were bleak, but there is something about Darren Aronofsky's work that leaves me unsatisfied. I feel bad saying this because he is a Brooklyn boy. Then again, who am I to say? He is a tremendous success while I sell my books on the street. I found The Wrestler (2008), Pi (1998) and The Fountain (2006) all lacking. In the case of the latter two, it may be because Aronofsky is a lot smarter than me. On a scale of five, I rate Black Swan three-and-a-half.
I got an unusual donation from a woman today - about two dozen books on crocheting and knitting, and sold several of them at a big discount. Included in the batch was John Grogan's Marley and Me, about the world's worst dog, which a woman walking her own, Sunshine, bought. I also sold The I Ching and Mankind to Jack, a math freak, who goes off on tangents whenever he visits. Today he broached Einstein, rare pictures of Coney Island he may turn into a book, and handball. The cartilage in his palms is rock-like from years of pounding that little black ball.
Thanks, folks.
Read Vic's stories, free:
http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/