Capitalism is not “delivering the goods.” It is piling on the bads.
(“Reality Check:” Richard D. Wolf)
We need to return to the ethic of the postwar era: that labor and capital will progress together.
(“Keynesian Stimulus Isn't Enough:” Judith Stein)
The asylum reopens
The U.S. Congress returns from vacation in another week or so, not a particular cause for rejoicing. The Republican cult will be trying to destroy the economy as fast as possible, the Democrats will be deciding what they stand for and President Obama … well, we'll just have to wait and see what he has learned over the past month. And we haven't even gotten to the seven or eight Republican presidential candidates, who already sound like Saturday Night Live sketches.
Packing the suitcases
Richard D. Wolff has written an interesting piece on the historical “sensitivities” of our capitalist class and why our traditional responses to both debt and deficits may have finally reached the proverbial brick wall. See Reality Check: A Closer Look at U.S. Debt and Deficits.
For a reality check on the way America is at the present time and not what the politicians might want us to believe or what many of us fervently try to believe, read American Prospect: Decline and Rebirth.
Maybe we are hopelessly trapped in irrelevant thinking because it's familiar and, after all, everything worked “just fine,” once upon a time. A decaying elite and an uninformed electorate are authentic reasons why it is so difficult to move in a new direction. An article by Judith Stein entitled, Keynesian Stimulus Isn't Enough: The Great Recession and the Trade Deficit, believes we should have been focusing on public investment and not “boosting consumption.” She offers three ideas to consider if we Americans decide to reinvent ourselves before it's too late.
Resiliency goes forward
The good news is that new thinking and maybe some good old-fashion ideas are gathering momentum in many parts of America and across the globe for that matter. Rob Hopkins, one of the founders of Transition Town will be hosting a conference call on 12 September. If you're interested go to Transition United States to register.
For anyone in the Kansas City area there is a conference on sustainable housing September 27-28. For more information go to Sustainable Housing Conference.
Some additional reading:
Resiliency
The bright future of solar powered factories
Pedal powered farms and factories: the forgotten future of the stationary bicycle
Agricultural Building and Equipment Plan List (Univ. of Tennessee)
Other
The Founding Fathers Believed in Redistributing Wealth
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