in the time remaining, to help us understand how the man-made system of capitalism will lead to the extinction of our human species, and so many others.
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
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
What We Could Do with a Postal Savings Bank: Infrastructure that Doesn’t Cost Taxpayers a Dime
While I thoroughly agree with this proposal as a theoretical step in the right direction, I disagree with its proponents that it is a realistic step in itself. Private banking institutions, and that especially includes central banks that are disguised as quasi-public institutions, are at the very center of global capitalism. Public banking operations do exist in various places, but they play a very limited role in their national economies. Banksters are the very heart and soul of capitalism, and therefore they will never allow a public bank to play a major role in the economy, and it is extremely unlikely that the aggressive US capitalists will allow such a proposal to make any headway through their government.
Realistically, pursuing this project could be beneficial if it is seen as a tactic in an overall strategy to generate anti-capitalist propaganda and thereby to undermine the legitimacy of the system. Thus, pursuing the establishment of such a bank and/or in any way undermining the power of the Federal Reserve could be effective if sufficient numbers of people recognize the need for an alternative to private control of our money supply. While this battle is raging, people might become aware of the benefits of putting our entire economy under public control. On the other hand, it might only serve as another distraction using up energy needed to attack the system more directly.
It's past time for progressives to grow up!