Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Stimulus vs. Austerity

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, July 12, 2010

Stimulus vs. Austerity

from The Economic Populist. What the author of this fairly long article is describing is class war in full bloom. Working people must take control of their economies if there is any hope for real change.

Austerity measures aren't designed to help the general economy or the public. Austerity measures are designed to help the banks and multinational financial interests only.

This is a good thing to keep in mind if a politician or talking head on TV tries to tell you that things will be worse if we don't sacrifice. They are either ignorant, or are lying. The politicians want the working class to compensate the bankers for their losses in order to "save the financial system".

The austerity measures, which are always targeted at labor and the poor, never at the wealthy and the people who caused the crisis, are not in your interests. If you trace the crisis, bailouts, and austerity measures, there is a common thread - the rich are taken care of at the expense of the working class at every single step.

And it is obvious that we can't look to corporate controlled governments for our salvation. We've must do it ourselves.