[P2P-F] Fwd: Inequality like you wouldn't believe! (and more...)

[Michel Bauwens]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tom Atlee <cii at igc.org>
Date: Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 12:05 AM
Subject: Inequality like you wouldn't believe! (and more...)
To: undisclosed list <cii at igc.org>


Dear friends (especially in the U.S., but elsewhere as well),

We constantly hear that there is not enough money for all sorts of
government and nonprofit programs and projects that would make our lives
better (or even bearable).  Too many of us know that there is not enough
money in our family budgets to make ends meet.  And we're told there is not
enough money to pay down the national debt (itself a controversial fiscal
strategy) unless we cut things back even further.  Pundits and politicians
say "We're sorry, but our nation is collectively broke."

But that's a lie. The United States, as a nation, is not running out of
cash.  There is PLENTY of money.  Check out this remarkable video that
makes it crystal clear where that money is.  (Dan Drasin, who sent it to
me, had only three letters in his message:  OMG...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QPKKQnijnsM

Aside from its message of profound income inequality - which inspires a
response of "This is unfair!" - there are two other very important points
to realize about this situation:

1.  That much money buys influence -- LOTS of it.  Imagine how many people
you can hire at minimum wage to do street-level political work for you.
 Imagine the amount of advertising space you can buy in magazines,
newspapers, TV and online - not just to shape the public's views with your
ads, but to make the news media dependent on you for revenue.  Imagine how
many favors you can do for politicians, how many lobbyists and professional
consultants and PR people you can hire.  We're not talking yachts and
mansions here.  We're talking about controlling what happens in a
democratic republic (that doesn't happen to be as sovereign as it thinks it
is).  We're talking about buying policies that will give the
policy-purchaser even more money and power.

2.  Notice how much more powerful this chart-based video story is than a
list of numbers.  Notice how superbly it communicates what it is trying to
say.  Think of how hard it is for our minds to comprehend billions and
nanometers and -- heaven help us -- parts per million (ppm).  Notice what
it takes for us to become "informed voters" and how easy it is to
manipulate us until we are.  Think about how the excess wealth in (1) above
makes it easy for the super-rich side of every political argument to do the
market research that reveals what will shape how our 10,000 year old
bodyminds react to different presentations and messages -- and then to make
just the right chart or just the right video to spin millions of us voters
in their direction.

What would it take to change that?  What would it take for us to support
the chart-makers and video-makers and researchers and visionaries and
organizers that are working to reclaim democracy for ordinary people?  What
will our world look like if we don't support them?  What will it look like
if we do, and if we succeed, and if we use our reclaimed political and
governmental and economic systems to create a fabulous world for our
grandchildren?

What, indeed!

Coheartedly,
Tom


________________________________

Tom Atlee, The Co-Intelligence Institute, POB 493, Eugene, OR 97440
site: http://www.co-intelligence.org  /  blog:
http://tom-atlee.posterous.com
Read EMPOWERING PUBLIC WISDOM - http://empoweringpublicwisdom.us
THE TAO OF DEMOCRACY -  http://www.taoofdemocracy.com and
REFLECTIONS ON EVOLUTIONARY ACTIVISM - http://evolutionaryactivism.com
Please support our work.  Your donations are fully tax-deductible.
http://co-intelligence.org/donations.html
________________________________



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