READ THIS AND TELL ME WE AREN'T BEING S*REWED!

Petty thieves get prison. Wall Street thieves get mega yachts and homes in the Hamptons.

Remember the bailout of the financial institutions?

I hope you do because it was not only a disgrace, but it encapsulated what's wrong with our economic system.

Well, read this article about how banks actually profited from the whole mess (and YOUR TAXES), and tell me that it isn't even worse than we thought.

I also recommend the DVD documentary narrated by Matt Damon called "Inside Job."

Then, protest loud and long to your government. Choose carefully where you invest, save and spend your money. Look for grassroots and local alternatives. They're out there.

Our faux capitalism is piracy. Pure capitalism won't work for us either. We need a different socio-economic system.

So get informed, get angry, reach out, team up, and make your voice heard.

All will follow if we have the commitment to do these things and persist.

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING, you might like to take a look at TAXES: MICHAEL MOORE TELLING IT HOW IT IS.

AMERICA IS IN DECAY

A sign of the times

There have been books written about the decline of the America "empire."

Let's keep this closer to home and just focus on the internal decay that our faux capitalism, insane consumption, elitist political system, and widespread sense of hopelessness has got us into.

The Huffington Post website ran an important article today entitled "RENT OR FOOD." In short, the article looks at the fact that millions of American households have such meager budgets that they are forced to choose between the essentials of life: food and shelter.

Bear in mind that this kind of thing has been an issue for the poor for as long as anyone cares to remember.

So the Third World within America -- propagandized as luckiest/greatest country in the world -- is getting big. That should be no shock since the rich are getting richer (it's not hard when you dodge taxes and your best buddies are on Capitol Hill) and the poor, and everyone else, are getting poorer.

Yes, many of us do need to budget our spending better: We are a nation of consumption fools, after all. And most of the stuff we buy today is in the back of the closet or on a junk pile in a year or two, right? Compare that to people who have scarcely enough food and clothes. Who many not be able to afford heat in winter. Who never get to see a doctor. That's the reality of our country. Not the "luckiest/greatest" BS that the politicians sell to us as an opiate. Besides, our goal should be "kindest."

But our spending is just a few drops in the bucket. The real issue is the horrendously unfair distribution of wealth in this country (and around the world!). It seems to me that sooner or later things will get bad enough that people will be in the streets in their millions and there will be radical change. That's the belief I cling to -- and it is a genuine belief.

In the meantime:

1/ Protest stupid/unfair taxes as well as the tax breaks and exemptions enjoyed by the rich and by corporations.
2/ Vote at the checkout: Buy things you need, not what you merely want. Buy organic. Companies note what sells and tend to stock that, naturally enough. And any money you save can be used to bolster your household budget or, if you are able, be given in part or whole to those less fortunate.
3/ Recycle everything: Clothes, cars, oil, metals, housing materials... check the Web and see just how much can be reused.
4/ Keep the pressure on the politicians and corporations. Let them know what you think and what you won't tolerate.
5/ Push for cheaper, safer, cleaner power sources.
6/ Volunteer and donate.
7/ Get active. Join groups that push economic issues. There is strength -- and change -- in numbers! You can participate a little or a lot. Again, just check the Web for these groups.
8/ Sign up to get online petitions, then pass them on.
9/ We need to repair our own attitudes as well as help others.
10/ Spread the word and stir up action any way you can!

There are other things, of course. But that's a good start. We need to change the structure of our society: and that is underway with the massive growth of the socio-politically aware "class." Change is fermenting. In the meantime, do whatever you can, whenever you can. Even that sandwich to a person living on the streets (a person!) fills a stomach and sends a message. Viral networking.

We have to win a better world or there will be no world soon enough. And to win it, we must fight to get it back from the robber barons who hold the whip.

We can and we will!

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like THE ECONOMY -- NOT SO HARD TO FIX, FDR's SECOND BILL OF RIGHTS, or TAXES: MICHAEL MOORE TELLING IT HOW IT IS.

WE ARE ALL WISCONSIN

 FDR signing the
National Labor Relations Act, 1935

We work too hard.

Those of us who enjoy the right to work at all, that is. This notion was addressed in Juliet B. Schor's landmark 1993 book on the subject "The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline Of Leisure."


MORE SIMPLE TRUTHS

Those who read my last blog post, "THE SIMPLE TRUTH," will know what I mean when I say you don't even need to read a book on the subject to know it's been going on for a long time. It seems in so many jobs we're asked to work longer and longer hours, while "benefits" (such as they are in this country) are constantly eroding, salaries are shrinking, the minimum wage is a human rights abuse, and it's an employer's market. So if you dare "do an Oliver" and ask for a little more, it's straight off to the unemployment line for you.

Which is why we should be equally concerned about labor representation -- or the lack thereof -- in America. And recent events in Wisconsin show us that the worker doesn't have the whip hand, thanks to the incestuous relationship between capital/corporations and the body politic. Now, I've had my fair share of experiences with unions and I know they aren't perfect. But they at least give the working person a leg to stand on.

Of course, unionization is anathema to our faux capitalism and the money grubbers who make all the profits. To such an extent that corporations like Wal-Mart (a notorious example) will videotape and badger and fire their beloved "associates" if they even look like they're talking about forming a union. (Check out the DVD "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" for more on this and other delightful W-M practices.)


WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

Until we remove our faux capitalism and install a fairer, more meaningful, system of production and distribution, we should all care about labor representation. I'll give you just a few basic reasons from my personal experience and observations:

1/ Overwork affects your physical, mental and emotional health.
2/ There are social costs: less time with family and friends, for example. Less time to engage in chosen endeavors. Less time to do worthwhile work in your community.
3/ And less time to agitate politically! This is no accident. The people who own the system want to keep you busy so that you don't have time to cause them problems and take away any of their power. They also want to keep you scared. And who isn't scared of losing their job?
4/ We're losing basic rights, like the 40-hour week and safer working conditions, that came as a result of a great deal of struggle by a lot of brave people. (Which proved it can be done!)
5/ You're working your life away.


SUCKED IN

The many ladder-climbers I've seen who are absorbed by their careers, seem to have bought into the whole game and lost their way. They want to be promoted, they want to buy sexy things like BMWs and big houses, they want to have "prestige."

But to what end? Are these things even real? Really important? And what "progress," what greater good, is their energy poured into: Making more useless stuff for us to waste money on? Or, in the case of a company I worked for, Harrah's Entertainment (now Caesars Entertainment), to get as many people as possible to gamble away as much money as possible. And all the good little MBA-owning execs would slit your throat (metaphorically) to top the sales charts and get promoted.

My "greater good" argument does not generally apply to nurses and doctors and others who provide essential services, and aren't just involved in selling crap, fantasies, or Wall Street's "funny money." Although they have their problems too. Furthermore, any privatization of essential services like health, education, the judicial or prison systems, or public safety is just plain wrong (as is privatization in general).These things are meant to serve society, not be profited from. It's a plain conflict of interest.

Pro-labor protesters rallying at the Wisconsin Capitol.

CONCLUSION

This is not an easy road. It can be a risky, painful one. I know this from experience. But corporations -- and other types of bully employers -- are just like any other bullies: If you let them shove you once, they'll shove you again and again. The light at the end of the tunnel is, as with anything, over time, things can change. Maybe for us, or maybe for our kids.

Think about where you stand and what you can do. (Go here to lend your support to the workers of Wisconsin on April 4.)

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at THE HYPOCRITES ON THE HILL -- LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

"WHAT CAN I DO?"

One of the followers of House On Fire made the following comment and I was eager to answer it. I have done so at some length. Please forgive me that: It is hard to address such a topic without being somewhat expansive. And, of course, the answer/s will continue to evolve.

This was the comment:

tacymarie said...
As I was growing up from the early 60's to the late 70's we were taught by our educators, each American had the privilege of living in the land of the free and the righteous, many opportunities, and so forth.... After high school we began to do in-depth research and analysis. Basically within the Government as a whole, what was then is just as worse now. Endless promises made yesteryear has been the same outcome in today's generation. Broken promises. Who is at fault here? We as voters elected these officials into their respective posts. We believe their lies and when we become dishearten, what do we do? Yes, we do have our freedom of speech but when said more than we should, our right to exist is taken from us.

Besides writing to our Congress representative; Is there another avenue that takes action on our behalf? We put Mr. President into the Oval Office with ease, why not take him out the same way...

This is my answer:
I really appreciate this comment, Tacymarie, and the questions it contains. It raises the issue that so many activists raise: What can I do?

Let me work through your questions one at a time.

“Who’s at fault here?”: Well, let’s switch things around a fraction and remember that significant progress has been made over the decades: women’s rights; civil rights; etc. That said, I tend to feel that asking who is to blame within the current electoral system may not be as useful to us as asking: Why do we still have the systems we have? (i.e. Why is our socio-economic system not a more egalitarian model? And, at a less advanced level, why is our electoral system not more democratic?)

The answer, I believe, is because powerful entities have the resources to maintain a status quo that benefits them. On the flipside, one could also say because we, the people, have not become fed up enough to demand change en masse in a systematic way. I’m certain we have the numbers but, apparently, we haven’t reached a critical mass that the average person sees as critical enough to really want to do something.

Even though we have the numbers, we are up against a sophisticated status quo that works very well at self preservation.

And, I mean, some folks buy into the same thimble and pea trick again and again. Republican or Democrat? Well, it probably only matters marginally. As we say back home in Australia, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, you still get a politician. That CAN be changed, but not under the current “democratic” system, and not while there’s so much money in elections.

Electoral reform is a step in the right direction under the current system. We should all fight for that. Getting big money out of elections (campaign finance reform). For that matter we could push for the removal of the electoral college fiasco in presidential politics and have every vote holding equal value. The playing field should be leveled so that ANYONE can run for office: white or black, rich or poor. As independents or third party candidates if they like. As things stand, the average person is priced of running for higher offices unless they sell their souls to a major party.

These are worthwhile things to fight for.

“…when we say more than we should, our right to exist is taken from us”: I think you’re saying our right to free speech can be suspended or compromised and we can be locked up if we use our First Amendment rights to the serious detriment of the powers that be. Well, I would say yes and no. In the U.S. and Australia and other Western countries, we enjoy quite a lot of freedom. Much more than in patently totalitarian states, for example. We can speak up, rally, march, organize, petition and on and on. But yes, you do have a point: If you put enough pressure on a center of power, you will get a response. Those responses can vary. They might mean tear gassing in Seattle or being locked up for a sit-in. There are many examples of excessive or oppressive measures taken to damp down populist protests. And in some cases persecution can take place. The military and the police both have valid roles in society. But they can also be used as instruments of suppression/repression and there are many many examples of this. The most extreme might be things like Kent State University, the murder of Black Panther figures, civil rights oppression in the South in the 60s, and things like the Seattle protests and DemocracyNow.org’s Amy Goodman’s arrest in more recent times.

I feel there is plenty of latitude for protest of various forms. In addition, I know for a fact that things like emailing or calling your Senator or Rep on a given issue CAN sometimes sway them on that issue. Remember that while politicians are often bought with lobby money and other swill from the trough, they have to pay attention to their constituents if they want to get reelected. So don’t feel that your voice doesn’t count within the constraints of the current, inadequate system. It does.

Obviously I’m just talking about the U.S. here as that’s the country your comments are based on.

“Besides writing to our Congress representative; Is there another avenue that takes action on our behalf? We put Mr. President into the Oval Office with ease, why not take him out the same way...”: Yes, yes and yes. It just depends on how much time and effort you want to put in. We live in a society where so much is monitored and recorded. It’s a bit creepy; and sometimes it’s an invasion of our privacy. But it can be used to your advantage. For example, every time an item you purchase at the supermarket is scanned, you are essentially voting for the kind of food you want. E.g. organic. Enough demand will create change. If enough people buy organic, it will be noted, supply will go up and prices come down and a message will be sent to the mega corporations who operate those disgusting industrial farms. The same theory applies to all of our actions and if we combine our efforts, we can initiate change.

Getting a president removed from office is not a likely outcome of protest or agitation. And they’re pretty interchangeable. You get one corporate lapdog out and he’ll be replaced by another. Until we develop alternatives to the current institutions – political, economic, media – we should pressure those in power to do OUR bidding and call them out whenever they break the rules. It’s all about persistence, collaboration, communication and strategizing.

In this blog I often mention activist and intellectual Noam Chomsky. His wife Carol has said the question people ask her husband the most is “What can I do?” A very smart and active lady herself, she answers the question this way: “Lead an activist’s life.” Everything you do, every decision you make, feeds into the larger problems or solutions. Whether you occasionally walk, bike or use public transportation instead of driving. Whether you turn off lights and appliances when not in use. Whether you eat healthy foods that support farmers rather than corrupt corporations that are slowly poisoning us and the environment. Whether you recycle everything you possibly can. Whether you minimize your use of water. These are everyday things that anyone can do and they won’t cost you time and energy. But they all count!

Don’t create a demand for bad systems and institutions! Ween off them as much as possible. Look to alternatives (e.g. farmers markets; solar power) and let the current corporate behemoths start to atrophy.

This leads me to the “bigger things” I can tell you are alluding to. I’ll answer as best I can. Jim Morrison of The Doors once sang: “They’ve got the guns but we’ve got the numbers.” That’s actually a truism. The money, the infrastructure, the media and, yes, the guns are primarily in the hands of the elites: the powerful cluster of people who basically run the planet (though not as a regimented unit, mind you). But we do have the numbers! We often feel helpless and isolated. That’s because the other side is very smart (give them credit for that). They understand the strategy of “divide and conquer.” And they have the mass media to send out divisive and discouraging messages – or just selective information that leaves out vital things we should know. But we are the majority! And gradually more and more of us are learning this. And the elites know it too! We have to rally together and increase our power. So you should join “leftist” groups and become active within them. Many are “single issue” groups (e.g. gay rights; Net neutrality; the nuclear issue). Some organizations, like Corporate Accountability International, cast a slightly wider net by “attacking” major corporations – which, since corporations are a major institutional pillar of the status quo – has profound ramifications for us all.

My personal goal is to channel my efforts – over the course of time – into a restructuring of society. In helping a new, more altruistic and egalitarian socio-economic structures to evolve. So I am very interested in working to, in some cases, rid our world of the current institutions (corporations, PR industry) or radically alter them (the media, government). This will take a good deal of time as leftists of all stripes will have to come together and, by sheer weight of numbers, develop their own alternatives to these things, and/or remove their dependence on them, and make them obsolete. We don’t have to burn down Wall Street, we just have to make it redundant. But this will be an evolutionary thing that can only be achieved when the left – and finally, the “average person” – is coordinated enough to “rebuild” rather than be splintered by concentrating on single issues.

Some theorists even believe that capitalism is already on a self-destructive course. I can see that. Greed tends to turn on itself; lies and vast inequalities cannot last.

That is how I currently see the “big change.” But I’m always reading and learning so I may refine my view. You should read too. There are many smarter radicals out there than I.

But remember: Real change takes time. One of the reason that folks get discouraged is because they can’t see change taking place before their eyes. Unfortunately, revolutions aside, big change doesn’t happen that way. And yet, we have HISTORICAL PROOF that real change can and does happen. Think of the civil rights movement. The women’s movement. Workers’ rights. How different these things were just a century ago! But real change did happen because enough people put in enough time to make them happen. The popular protests to the Vietnam War was a groundbreaking time in Western history! That truly is power.

And people will still rally when awakened: The Million Man March, The Million Mom March, the NAFTA Seattle protests, and the massive street marches that preceded the first invasion of Iraq – a truly historic event! And there are constantly victories taking place that we just don’t hear about in the mass media: victories of tenants rights or rezoning or preventing the building of another Wal-Mart.

But yes, there is a price to pay. People do get arrested or beaten. Many make other sacrifices. All who would act to make the world a better place have to give up time or be inconvenienced – a small price to pay for true life and liberty.

Some would-be activists think that change only comes through exciting protests. The “hot” moments. They join a mass march then go home and wait for things to change. The reality is that, like any endeavor in life, there are the mundane and difficult and tedious and repetitive things that have to be done to create and sustain an effective movement for change. That’s why it’s called “organizing.” Every non-profit organization does mass mailings, funding drives, and news clipping collections. I’ve licked many envelopes, made many funding calls, and pasted clippings into files: and every little bit helped towards the cause. Real organizing is a lot of work but the payoff is huge for so many people. And these days, we’re talking about a fight for the very existence of the planet (global warming; the nuclear threat).

What can we do? Anything and everything! Learn, discuss, join, recruit, badger, march… these are the atoms of change.

Make up your own lists of daily things you can do: Don’t buy clothes or sneakers made in sweatshops; Don’t over consume, whether it’s food, clothing, toys, cars, oversized houses – keep your ecological footprint as small as you can and buy what you need rather than what you want and put the capitalist greed machine in its place. Starve out the elites and their machinery! And keep the pressure on the politicians every day.

If you want to really rebel – like the young men who burned their draft cards during the Vietnam War – withhold your taxes, since billions and billions are given to corporations as tax breaks and bailouts, to heinous outfits like Halliburton and Blackwater in the form of government contracts, and other wasteful and cynical things. Of course, this will eventually get you into trouble. If you are willing to bite off some trouble, I have some advice: Make sure you can make some noise with it. Try and tee it up as a media story before you take the action. Otherwise you’ll possibly do some jail time, pay a fine, and nobody but your friends will ever know.

Radically different – and kinder – social structures ARE possible. The peaceful anarchist society of the Basque region of Spain is an excellent example. Nearer to home, things like college faculties and 12-step groups like AA are quite democratic/socialist/anarchist in the way they operate and so far they haven’t lead to the end of the world!

And remember this: A President is not a god. Once you start thinking that way, they move beyond rigid accountability. Politicians and police are PUBLIC SERVANTS paid with YOUR TAXES. That’s right: They work for you!

I hope this is goes some way towards answering your question, Tacymarie. I can feel your frustration. I’ve been there too. But the worm is turning and things will get better. It’s people like yourself that guarantee that.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at KNOWLEDGE AND EFFORT: THE WORLD'S TWO BEST FRIENDS -- PART 1.

LET'S TALK ABOUT STRESS, BAY-BEE

I didn't go to work today.

I didn't go to work because I am so stressed out by the place and the continuing soap opera that plays out there that I just ran the white flag up the pole. The details pertaining to my particular situation aren't all that relevant. At the end of the day, I'm just one more person in the pandemic of work-related stress.

I don't consider myself to be a weak person. I started out in blue collar jobs at a relatively young age and got my hands dirty for many years before seeing the inside of a college. I know the value of a dollar and the meaning of hard work. I pride myself on my resilience.

But have you noticed how the working life has gotten harder and harder, as a general trend, over the past years and decades?

Why is that?

I think there are many interwoven reasons and one overarching one: The beast that is corporate-driven capitalism. I will lay my cards on the table and say up front that I am not a fan of capitalism. But even if I were -- or if you are -- anyone who has studied any economics at all knows that we do not have pure capitalism anywhere on the planet.

Is our capitalism driven by fair and open competition? No way. In the United States, the corporations with the most lobbyists in Washington DC win at will. Just think of it as another form of insider trading.

And all this guff about welfare to the poor being a waste of taxes and harmful to the economy and blah blah blah. Guess who are, BY FAR, the greatest recipients of taxes-funded welfare in the United States. Yep, corporations. The recent bailout of banks and various other crooks was only one of the more transparent examples of this. It's been going on a long time and the guys at the top know how to take care of each other. So if you're wondering where your hard-earned tax dollars go, better to look up than down.

The point about capitalism goes on and on but I promised myself I'd keep these blogs somewhat bite sized. So we'll come back to that another time.

So, "stress." If you work in the private sector, capitalism and the corporate culture have a lot to say about your stress level. (And even if you aren't in the private sector, you're still going to be heavily impacted.) This culture will determine your pay level, how much time you get off, your sick days, what you do for eight or 10 or more hours for five or more days per week. It will impact your self image, your self esteem, your family, your friends, your sleep, your entire private life. That's pretty significant, right?

No wonder we're stressed to hell. And hey, most of you reading this aren't living in the Third World: a chorus of countries that gets kicked in the groin by capitalism whether they like it or not.

If we are to feel fulfilled and happier and healthier, this all has to change. Simple logic. We need to talk to colleagues about how we feel (you'll find most of them feel the same way). We need to voice our complaints where and when we can: factoring in the risk of being fired, of course. We need to join unions if they are available to us. We need to read and educate ourselves on work, on our economy, on stress, on the institutions that dictate the shape of our lives (corporations, the body politic, the public relations industry and the media). We need to voice our concerns to these institutions and join public action/social change groups (even if only via the Internet). We need to take every opportunity we can to reach out and reach up.

This is not impossible stuff. Big things are changed by many voices and united actions. And if you share any of the concerns here you are NOT in a minority. You are the majority! It's just that the fat cats own most of the media so you aren't going to get any smoke signals about your partners-in-change from them. They like things just the way they are. And keeping the masses divided is the age old way to subdue them.

I have to end this here and promise to keep circling back to, and elaborating on, the various issues I've raised.

For now, here are three resources (of the many available) that might help you get started on joining the fight for a better world and feeling more optimistic:

1/ www.democracynow.org -- if you want the real news, you will get it here.

2/ "The Overworked American" by Juliet B. Shor -- a landmark book on, well, how we're overworked in the U.S.

3/ www.care2.com -- you can sign up here to get email bulletins about online petitions on important issues. So for 60 seconds of your time each day, you could add your voice to thousands of others on a critical issue and, yes, politicians do pay attention to these things. They love lobbyists but they also have to heed their constituents. Don't give up this power!

4/ Just about any book by (or DVD featuring) Noam Chomsky (pictured). Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest minds on the planet, his books are quite easy to read and devastatingly revealing. And many of them are quite short and in Q&A interview form.

I'll share more such sources with you in coming weeks. Perhaps you'd like to share some too by writing a comment with your thoughts on how to fight the good fight.

To end on a light note, the great radical comedian Bill Hicks once said: "Bosses. They're like gnats on a fishing trip." Doesn't go to the heart of the whole problem, perhaps, but it's a fun thought to roll around in your head on those days when work is getting you down and levering your stress up. (More on Hicks another time.)

Thanks for reading and I will try to pick up the thread started in my first post when I return here tomorrow.

Take care and onward!
Adrian Zupp