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

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Sugar Daddies of the Tea Party

Click here to access article by Phillip Doe from CounterPunch. 

I formerly had a habit on Saturdays to post an article about the one percent. Most of these articles were written by Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. He has made two excellent films about the one percent whom he knows intimately. I always accessed his articles on the Vanity Fair website; however they are no longer to be found there, for whatever reason. In place of such an article, I am running this one about the infamous right-wing Koch brothers who are attempting to swap some of their land for public land that is bisecting their property. That story is not as interesting as the other tidbits offered by the author regarding the Koch brothers lifestyle and influence. 

Also, see this piece which illustrates what is typical of the one percent--they sponsor both political parties. That way they control the whole electoral system which pretends to be a function of "democracy".