In 2000, I co-convened the "Shadow Conventions," which ran concurrently with both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and shined the spotlight on three issues that neither party was seriously addressing: the corrupting influence of money on our politics, the persistence of poverty in America and the disastrous war on drugs. Twelve years later, these three problems have gotten worse. So we are bringing the Shadow Conventions back -- but this time we are using HuffPost Live and the Huffington Post platform to put these neglected issues center stage and make it possible for you to be part of a real discussion about them. In fact, HuffPost Live has already created "green room" pages where you can learn more about these issues, leave a comment and sign up to join an on-air Shadow Convention conversation. Click here for the drug war green room, here for poverty and here for money in politics. The Shadow Conventions are your conventions -- let your voice be heard.
Add your voice to the conversation on Twitter: twitter.com/ariannahuff
Shadow Conventions 2012: HuffPost Live Previews Alternative Convention ...
Few families had money in the 1950's. Decisions were based on what was good for the family and community in terms of fairness to all. The underlying value was the common good of all families. Money was never mentioned at home in the majority of families because no one had any.
Money-or really greed-overtook the US as credit became more available and advertising started to appear everywhere. The advent could be marked with the release of "The Graduate", starring Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman, which was a comment on the emptiness of big business, emblemized by Elaine's father saying the future was "plastics". This was 1967.
Today we find ourselves in a plastic world, with plastic leaders and plastic values. No one on the scene is more plastic or most void of apparent values than Mitt Romney. But the stage includes other characters too. Obama has played into the game for almost four years. Did he walk away from his values in the eyes of the public? Can he "screw his courage to a sticking place", as Shakespeare once said? Can he put himself in his own hands and live his values? I hope so, for, as the best candidate, he only has two and one half months left.
It's not fun to support the basics for those who are not able to support themselves.
It's not fun to go through boring day without some depression enhancement party-favor.
But we must find alternate methods to achieve these needed ends. We will not go on long otherwise...that wasn't at all fun saying.
According to a new report from the Office of Research at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the developed world. Of the 35 wealthy countries studied by UNICEF, only Romania has a child poverty rate higher than the 23 percent rate in the U.S.
Our defense budget is in the billions and yet we criticize North Korea for the poverty they have in their country. How are we any different? We should be OUT of Afghanistan and use that money to cure poverty, the lack of health care and real estate woes in the U.S. The American Dream is crumbling and the next generation is scared to death.
What's contributing to this need? For one, the fact that, for every 2 private sector jobs created, we are currently losing over 1 job in the private sector. My analysis is that there actually is a "trickle down" effect, such that people at the local, city and state levels have felt the economic meltdown of 2008 last, but are hit the hardest. We are losing middle class jobs for people like teachers and those employed in basic city and town services.
I suppose one "ploy" is to defund public services that we take for granted--libraries, schools, city services, etc.--so that private enterprises can move in on those public and common good functions. Privatize everything. Well, we've seen how well that works with predatory private online universities and so on.
It's important to speak to the big budget issues, like Defense, but most people live at this local level, and that's where Americans are hurting now. I think that pain is not being addressed.
a $10 million ceo pay or bonus
would put 200 people to work at $50,000 ea
for a year
Currently, more than 40-million Americans receive food stamps as we attempt to insure that starvation does not rear its ugly head in this land of plenty.
The talk is about maintaining the 'middle class'. And we always see income of about $250,000 as spoken about as the 'middle class'. What garbage. Middle class income is in the $50-60,000 income range, and that may include two incomes in arriving at total family income for three or four family members.
This is the middle-class about which that empty-shirt, Mitt Romney, says students should borrow from their parents to go to college - or shop around.
And still infrastructure crumbles, schools crumble, state governments contract, corporations send U.S. profits to foreign countries to avoid U.S. taxes, the rich pay taxes at half the rate of wage earners.
And the transfer of income and wealth continues unabated from the poor and middle class to the richest among us.
The richest 400 families in the U.S. own assets valued more than the assets of the bottom 150,000,000 Americans.
THIS SITUATION CANNOT GO ON MUCH LONGER.
"This situation cannot go on much longer."
That's an understatement. In fact, feeling the American people's pulse of anger + rage + frustration (unfortunately there're no media polls or public index of anger + rage + frustration), one could reasonably surmise Americans (99%) are getting close to insurrection and genuine revolution, just waiting for the proverbial spark that ignites a prairie fire.
How else can Americans rationally explain the occurrence week after week of incomprehensible random "over the top" shootouts and mass murders in many US cities, unfocussed + misdirected against total strangers that never caused any harms to the murderers? That's uncomprehending pathological antisocial behavior, but not unexpected in times of great pervasive social injustice + economic pressures + extreme financial imbalance + emotional psychic stress.
Wait till some dumb prominent public personality in the Washington leadership establishment utters an American version of "Let them eat cakes !", and let's see how the stressed out 99% Americans can rise to the occasion, and truly comprehend the issues + identify the true public enemies of the American people, ... not talibans, or muslims, or poor immigrants, or gays, or blacks, or chinese, russians, iranians, nameless terrists 10,000 miles away, nor anybody else, ... and come to accurately identify who are lying to them, betraying their trust and hopes for better future, defrauding + exploiting their financial dependence + livelihoods, and oppressing their individual rights and dignities.
Ann Romney epitimized it for me when she complained about the public wanting to know more about them. If one wishes for a private life, then lead a private life. If you are seeking public election, pulic addulation, or public acclaim, you open yourself to all manner of inquisitive people. We want to know if we can trust them. Do they have the skills, experience, and knowledge to fulfill the dream they claim? How did they achieve the acclaim they broadcast? Was it polite, considerate, et al?Were they honest competitors? Were they good sports? Or did they compete to "Win at All Costs?"
Or as many would ask, "Do I want them living next door to me?"
Quote :
"How else can Americans rationally explain the occurrence week after week of incomprehensible random "over the top" shootouts and mass murders in many US cities, unfocussed + misdirected against total strangers that never caused any harms to the murderers?"
Well the lawyers' cliche "The devil is in the details" may apply here. (I prefer my own double entendre idiom :"The Devil lies in the details")
"Differential diagnosis" applies as well. There may well be a simple explanation for "random "over the top" shootouts and mass murders" :
Demographics. There are simply more crazy people out there, and more frenzied news saturation about those crazy people. And they're not all random, at lease not with the first couple of bullets. The New York crazy person last week, who was clearly broiling over with homicidal ideation long before he acquired a gun, was aiming for his co-worker.
A psychotic ultimately does not discriminate when there's an easily accessible gun in his hand, even in New York, where gun laws are very much restrictive. In the heat of action, crazy people don't have a political or social agenda in their back pocket.
Incomprehensible ? Incomprehensible to whom ?
J.B.
a romantic national renaissance. Victories whatever the size, over a period of
time will bend the arc. No discipline, no patience, no hope.
The sell out trade deals are what made things worse.
How many "wars" have been declared?
"war on drugs",
"war on poverty",
"war on terr0r",
The only thing now missing is "war on wars".
From now until elections, I'm calling people, organizing car-pooling schedules for election day, hosting pot-lucks where we bring food and first-hand facts (not facts boiled-up by some third-party, unverifiable source).
So much of the fear rallied in this campaign is a bunch of hot air based on a perceived lack. True, many are in need. Those who have - it's well past time to help out - regardless of what voice is at the helm.
Comments here on what you are ACTUALLY - doing to 'support the cause' - (for which ever candidate you're favoring) - most welcome!
...Uh...
Right.
I suspect Arianna could match your expectations.
Meanwhile.
Quote :
"True, many are in need."
...any other gratuitous observations welcome...
J.B.