Every now and again I'm moved by feelings to speak out. To seek out, or dream about solutions to what seem like unresolvable problems. For a short while it seemed like progress was beginning to be made. Like the roots of democracy were not dead, but instead sprouting. Then it all flat-lined.

Now the House tells us of "progress" in the great budget compromise of 2013. But they are not fixing anything. No funding for long term unemployment. No tax reform to end our $900B corporate welfare. No help to rein in health care costs. Just more of the same.

How many of us see the injustice in government for hire that only the ultra rich can afford to hire? How many of us know our leaders have turned a blind eye to the free-falling middle class. Thanks citizens united!

I enjoy studying history. I know that as a country we have been in similar situations to this in the past, and things got better eventually. But as our population grows here as well as all around the world, the scope changes. The slope gets steeper and the trouble deeper.

They tell us that we are better off today. We are now energy independent. We now produce more oil than we import for the first time in 40 years. Great right? Unless you consider how we are getting all this oil. If you know the answer, and ask anyone who is on the side of making money off it, fracking is not, and can't hurting the environment. And bp just asked for a permit to drill in the Gulf into a new field (down 22K feet) at much greater pressure and depths than ever. Nothing can go wrong there, right?

The point is we should have found a way to stop burning fossil fuels long ago. But the true owners and drivers of our government are not about to give up without a major fight.

Where are the fighters for my side? I was a bit too young to march against the war or the draft, or in support of equal civil rights in the 60's. But my heart and my mind was in the proper place. I looked up to the heroes who led us to challenge those in power to create change. There were so many of them back then. They led and people followed.

In my study of history, I learned that UC (California) started out as a tuition free educational system. Today, how many young people are saddled with a student loan bill greater than $100K? To make matters worse, the job environment being what it is today, these kids get jobs that make paying of these loans and interest take a huge portion of what they make.

Education has become a for profit entity. The same can be said for "serving" in government. Will it ever be time to correct this imbalance?

I guess I'm starting to think that education, and maybe even healthcare need a major change in how they function for our society. Oops, we need to include prisons in this category too. Seems like a conflict of interest to let them be for profit too. Oh wait, what about energy? Another industry that can't do the right thing, so we better rein them in too. Education, prison, healthcare and energy are national security issues! Tell me what other issue is more important to the future of our country?

To all you "don't tread on me" types, who will say we need less government and less regulation, I reply you had your way for the last 30 years, and don't you feel like you've been, well, tread on enough? I do...

Well articulated Doug. I feel as if your words could have been written by me. I share your historical (our-storical?), societal, and philosophical foundations. What's going to light a fire under this, or the next generation to feel like they can change the world for the better like a previous generation 50 years ago felt motivated to do...........felt a duty.......obliged........? It's up for grabs. But your question, Doug, I believe is what can WE do? Now. NOW Kid!!! Our own little peace, I guess. That was one of Woody's last wisdoms for us to think about. I think he found it........right here. Woody Sez: "My Peace, my peace, is all I've got, that I can give to you........" But who really knows what's gonna be blowin' in the wind? An old Irish Catholic priest once told me, "If you want to make god laugh, tell him what you're going to do tomorrow."

Peace.

Ha, nice quote Kevin. Zapboom! Hey, where did that lighting bolt come from? We are indeed brothers in many ways. I hope this winter finds you well.

Yes you are correct, I want to know what I can do? Who will lead me or us on changing things for the better?

As far as doing anything about it, I have no answers. But I wonder why there is little to no ground swell considering all we have gone through. The occupy movement rose a bit and then poof, it vanished. The election in'08 gave us reasonable hope, but only a little real change. I see this potential budget deal as a step backwards and a call to say enough, lets fix things, now!

What made young people protest in the 60's? Did those protests stall too? What drove FDR to reign in corporations in the 30's? Or TR to curb the power of the robber barons of the early 1900's?

My wife's advice to me is to try to find a way to make some progress in the right direction. One of my bike riding bud's says you just got to let it go.

To me, the wisdom of someone like Chavez or Dolores Huerta, that we need to focus on this like its the only thing that matters, until it comes to fruition makes sense. ”I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice.”

It was nice to see Dolores Huerta still involved in creating change these days. She went to visit the people hunger striking in support of immigration reform a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile I'll keep reading, studying and looking...

What are you looking for DRR? You write like a leader ("Leaders lead") I hope that more folks on this site respond to you but perhaps the conversation is just for the few? Just for the USA? Just for mere intelligentsia?
What you wrote is encouraging. Thank you DRR.

^ Thanks for the kind words. I'm looking for answers to modern life's persistent questions.

You already have and know the answers DRR but the "I Am" is too persistent to let go.

Peace and love to you.

YES!

One major way forward for restoring the middle class would be worker owned companies modeled after the Mondragon Cooperative of the Basque in Spain. It owns its own bank which reinvests itself, and has a Collage which trains its workers. Its Ceos earn mainly 5 times what the rank and file earn, who all have a vote on how the company is run. 45% of the profits go to the workers who cash it in when they retire, with 10% going to the needs of the community, and the rest goes back into the business. We could fund them public State banks such as North Dakota has had since 1919, which uses revenues to loan to community banks.

Letting farmers grow hemp has much potential for the paper, plastics, textiles and among many other things we could produce from it, bio-fuel. Imagine all of the businesses being coops that could grow out of that.

I have no idea how much longer we can keep spending on defense almost as much as the rest of the world combined.

A wonderful card to read but what a marvellous present to open!
Merrry Christmas "Santa" - Happy New Years Ieoburg.
It dont matter where reality bites - Watch out Titanic!
And better a wonderful wife than toy bridges and trains.
"Ho, Ho, Ho." Mammies and Daddies and "Woopie" all the kids!
Peace with LOVE

Hey Leo,

I like the idea. How can it start up? What are the steps?

Well, the USW has a collaboration with Mondragon to start Union styled Coops in the States and Canada, modeled after Mondragon, though it has gotten very far yet. The funding has been the tough part, which Union pensions could provide much of. There are some starting up in Cleveland, Richmond and other places around the country. Think it will take a few politicians to start offering them as an alternative to what we have now, so that then the media also starts talking about them. Been planting seeds about Mondragon since first hearing about it. They elite probably will not go down without a fight.

Have you got those kind of politicians and if so how to you reach/move them? Can you give more info/seeds re Mondragon that other folks can pass on? Is it possible to reach the 'Middle Class' in order to movitate and untie them or are they as divided and brainwashed as we are here by the'elite' powers that be.

Here is an OEN.org Article I got published a few years ago, with some links and videos.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Worker ... 3-668.html

I was posting to a Mondragon thread here on arlonuts, with lots of other news about it. Believe the thread is still here, but have not posted anything in it for quite a while.

Sanders looks like our most likely politician to ever bring it up on the news, where it should have already been a whole lot now.

Where are you from Woodstock?

Many of what is left to the middle class are blinded by the so called evil socialism Mondragon implies to them. But others are receptive to it.

I'm from and living in a banjaxed Ireland. Thanks for the link and info. Will check them out when I get time. There's nothing the middle class need to fear re 'socialism'. It wasn't socialism that brought low the middle class of the USA, Ireland etc. It was the greed of banks and their puppet carpet-bagging politicians and those who actually wag the dogs tail who not only robbed our countries, people and kids future - they got away with it! (In Ireland). If middle class America can unite for the better good, which is a biggie, it will filter across to us.
On an other note. Its good to have Richard Haas and company back here in Ireland helping to sort out the stupid, flags, parades and past issues as our gallant politicians cannot get their silly wee act together in the best interests of all on this bloody wee island.

Peace leoberg!!