Finished Jim Hightower's Book - Thieves In High Places this morning. It's a good read. Very hopeful. Lot's of interesting facts and stories, some of them it's hard to believe (not that I think he would not tell the truth). Like Walmart taking out death insurance on employees and collecting it when they kick the bucket, but not giving it to the employees survivors heirs, but rather to the heirs of Sam, and the fatcats at Wallyworld.
Unbelievable.
No health insurance until you've worked there two years. Most employees of course don't work there two years since it's sub-living, non-union wages were talking about. Even if they do the health coverage is so inadequate that we (taxpayers) end up subsidizing Walmart when those poor blighters (Walmart calls them Associates) show up at community hospital emergency rooms. Can't blame them of course.
The good thing is a lot of communities, people and groups are getting wise to the de-construction of our Democracy by Corporations and beginning to organize at a grass roots level.
Walmart is even lowering the working conditions and wages in China for God's sake. They aren't the only Corporation of course, but they set the pace, since they are so huge. They are impacting wages/conditions of other unionized workers in our area (Safeway, Krogers) by their low ball tactics. My wife tells me a friend of her's at Safeway told her they are being told they (the cashiers) have to sweep the floors when they aren't busy...which would be like never. That way Safeway Inc. can keep a couple of shekels in it's tight little fists by not having to pay a janitor.
Jerks.
Corporations exist to make money. Period. They have no allegiance to people, countries, what is right or what is fair. They have to follow the law...which they create, since the courts ruled that money was a form of speech in the late 70's. How much talkin can an average wage earner do? Compared to the extra loud voices of the Fortune 500?
Small changes will make huge differences. Average Joe's won't take that long to see what freedoms are being (have been) lost, and we'll have a swing back to a more sane world. It's almost unbelievable to read about what Ashcroft, Bush, Cheney and Co. have been up to while people were distracted by the tragedy of September 11, 2001 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I'm not too optimistic you will find out about the de-construction from MSNBCDisneyTimeWarnerAOL since they are all cut from the same Big Co. Inc. cloth. I think you could start getting the story with the links Jim Hightower has on his Chat and Do page.
Bumping up the Federal standard for vehicles miles per gallon would eliminate our dependence on the Persian Gulf Oil. Using Star Wars funding to research useful technology for generating power would be smart. Hiring unemployed or underemployed workers to weatherize people's houses would be a win win. Jim's got some great ideas. It won't be long before the people in this country turn the corner.
I'm not waiting for the new president although I think getting rid of the Bushites will be a start. This kind of change in the social contract won't come from above. The movement has started locally around kitchen tables, in stores, schools, bars, cafes and will eventually grow to a national level when we see candidates that reflect, understand and act according to the needs, desires and dreams of regular Americans. Too many people have given too much to safeguard our democracy, to let the Corporate interests take our freedom.
I don't want to go shopping. I want people to have living wage jobs and a prosperous large middle class and a country that takes care of those that can't take care of themselves. I don't want to hear about individualism or privatization. I want roads, schools, hospitals, parks, medicines, museums, and public spaces that are provided by a civil society for a civil society. Same as it always has been...no matter what Small Bush or his Corporate cronies would like us to think.
