Surviving Capitalism (Not) : 67% of Political Class Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction, 84% of Mainstream Disagrees

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

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

67% of Political Class Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction, 84% of Mainstream Disagrees

from Rasmussen Reports.

The article reports on polling results which make US society look divided into haves and have-nots, the 1% and the rest of us, the ruling class and working class.

And in his new book, In Search of Self-Governance, Scott Rasmussen makes a point that I have frequently made before:

In the clique that revolves around Washington, DC, and Wall Street, our treasured heritage has been diminished almost beyond recognition. In that world, some see self-governance as little more than allowing voters to choose which of two politicians will rule over them.