A sea change is coming. Many of us are surprised that it took so long. The gross injustices have piled high while we struggled with what to do.
In the mean time, what we did was what we'd always done...and we persisted long after it quit working for all but the 1%. We became inflexible. We could not bring ourselves to change because a few of us had it so good. No leader offered us a vision of a future other than the one we were plummeting toward. Because our 'leaders' were all in the pockets of the insanely rich, and if there's one thing you can say about the insanely rich it's that they're insane. That's the way greed works: the more you have the more you must have. Fuck the world, the biosphere and humanity. Greed eats sanity and sweet reason for breakfast.
Greed blinded us...but not all of us. Enough though. Millionaires and billionaires spent heavily on propaganda to persuade people that science was wrong, our visionaries were wrong, our social and political activists were wrong – all so they could avoid paying the price that responsibility demands.
Everything, and most especially our political system, became all about money and so the rich gained all the power, and then used it against us. They bought up the media and turned them into propaganda monkeys. They shoved the rotting corpse of free market capitalism down our throats even as they stole everything we could ever hope for: our retirement, our jobs, our homes, our healthcare, everything. And told us to like it or lump it. Instead of providing free education as many enlightened countries do, we piled burdensome debt on young students just getting started in life. Our so-called leaders made wage and debt slaves of us all.
The conservatives, the 1% and their minions, have been edging toward total domination and unfettered exploitation of the 99% since at least the onset of the tragic Reagan Revolution. Rich people whining about their taxes became a meme that would not stop for anything. Never mind that this country is what made these bozos rich, never mind that they enjoy every benefit of other peoples' taxes. It does not follow in their greedy brains that they owe more than the less fortunate. They're too selfish to acknowledge their debt to the rest of us or to society at large. Their only concept of a social contract is, 'I got mine. Fuck you very much!'
It's amazing how much they got away with. But no more. There comes a time.
Even with all the big money against us, even with the horrendous propaganda 24/7, even with our entire political system corrupted to the bone and owned lock, stock and barrel by the 1% who have shown no restraint, a critical point has been reached. We have achieved (I do believe) critical mass.
Enough of us are now outraged, and done with it, that there will be no backing up. The tipping point has been reached. There will be change or there will be hell to pay. Probably some of both. They have already shown how brutal they are capable of being.
Still...there comes a time.
We are not going back to corporate slavery. The American people, the 99% are better than mere marks for Wall Street, fodder for the Military Industrial Complex, ATMs for the corporate political parties or fresh meat for the Prison Industrial Complex.
It's time for a new deal. And while no one has asked me, if they did I would say that this deal must include:
Money out of politics – Publicly financed campaigns only (and only at very modest levels by today's standards) and no corporate lobbyists. No graft or corruption at any level and steep penalties for same including disqualification from holding office.
Honest government. No more lying to the American people and steep penalties for same including disqualification from holding office.
No more gaming the political system, no voter suppression, dirty tricks, etc and steep penalties for same including disqualification from holding office.
No more corporate ownership of our government. And no more corporate interference with same.
Science trumps politics – We must address global warming and all other pressing matters with everything we've got so that we might have some chance, slim though it may be, of saving our biosphere. Science should be a primary input to our every decision wherever it is remotely applicable.
And it's time the American people got their bailout: their jobs back, their retirement, their homes, financial security, a bank and a government they can trust and all the rest. We all deserve a fair chance to be okay. And those who need help deserve to get it.
If we can get this far, the American people can at least begin to form honest consensus on matters of importance like whether or not we want to continue to waste our national treasure on unnecessary wars or use it to solve real problems like global warming, etc. Real democracy should put us miles ahead of the game – at least compared to where we are presently. Can you imagine actually having government of, by and for the people? We should insist on this as a bare minimum and never give an inch.
There comes a time to draw the line.
This is what they have feared, a real grassroots uprising. This is why they started the Tea Party, to mock and trivialize the real movement they sensed was coming, to try and take the wind out of its sails, to make rebellion look ridiculous and resistance futile. All they succeeded in doing is torpedoing their own favorite party. Shot themselves right in the foot, yes sir. Too damned funny.
This movement is the spontaneous uprising of the American people. It had to happen sooner or later.
The time is now.
Please find ways to support this movement. Let's demand a better future and be prepared to go down fighting for it if need be. Only then will we win.
Siri's diary lists some great resources.