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 19, 2010

After Training, Still Scrambling for Employment

from the NY Times

Read the horror stories of unemployed workers going back to school for retraining, taking on huge educational loans, and then facing more unemployment. Contrast these stories with government reports that retraining is working just fine. 

Having been employed for about five years in two state agencies, I have seen first hand how government agencies lie about statistics when it is in their interest to do so. 

Governments lies are always about protecting the interests of their managers and overseers--the ruling capitalist elites.