<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Tom Atlee</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:cii@igc.org">cii@igc.org</a>></span><br>Date: Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 12:05 AM<br>
Subject: Inequality like you wouldn't believe! (and more...)<br>To: undisclosed list <<a href="mailto:cii@igc.org">cii@igc.org</a>><br><br><br>Dear friends (especially in the U.S., but elsewhere as well),<br>
<br>
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."<br>
<br>
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...)<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QPKKQnijnsM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QPKKQnijnsM</a><br>
<br>
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:<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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?<br>
<br>
What, indeed!<br>
<br>
Coheartedly,<br>
Tom<br>
<br>
<br>
________________________________<br>
<br>
Tom Atlee, The Co-Intelligence Institute, POB 493, Eugene, OR 97440<br>
site: <a href="http://www.co-intelligence.org" target="_blank">http://www.co-intelligence.org</a> �/ �blog: <a href="http://tom-atlee.posterous.com" target="_blank">http://tom-atlee.posterous.com</a><br>
Read EMPOWERING PUBLIC WISDOM - <a href="http://empoweringpublicwisdom.us" target="_blank">http://empoweringpublicwisdom.us</a><br>
THE TAO OF DEMOCRACY - �<a href="http://www.taoofdemocracy.com" target="_blank">http://www.taoofdemocracy.com</a> and<br>
REFLECTIONS ON EVOLUTIONARY ACTIVISM - <a href="http://evolutionaryactivism.com" target="_blank">http://evolutionaryactivism.com</a><br>
Please support our work. �Your donations are fully tax-deductible.<br>
<a href="http://co-intelligence.org/donations.html" target="_blank">http://co-intelligence.org/donations.html</a><br>
________________________________<br>
</div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>P2P Foundation: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a>� - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br>
<br><a href="http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation" target="_blank"></a>Updates: <a href="http://twitter.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens</a><br>
<br>#82 on the (En)Rich list: <a href="http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/" target="_blank">http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/</a> <br>