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, November 7, 2012

Obama Re-elected - The Fightback Begins

Click here to access article by Billy Wharton from CounterCurrents

The election results did make a difference for some of those who have close ties to any Fortune 500 corporation. I say "some" because most of the largest corporations contribute money to both parties to insure access and favors. But, in general, their huge, record-setting contributions will shape who can feed at the public revenue trough the most, whose influence will be taken most seriously when it comes to awarding contracts and writing legislation that favors certain well-positioned companies over others. 

But, for you and I, the 18 month long election circus has thankfully ended, and it means that we will no longer have to contend with its distractions from real issues that concern our lives. This author fills in the details on the necessity of continuing the fight back against the next wave of austerity policies. 
Not surprisingly, the challenge faced by regular people all over the country will be the same with a second Obama administration as it would be with a new Romney regime. We must build the capacity to fiercely resist the austerity policies that are sure to be imposed on us. No fiscal cliff, grand compromise or economic common sense should be allowed to be used as a justification for these cuts. Resist, resist, resist should be the clarion call of the next four years.