Evolution of Consciousness

Author/journalist Chris Hedges has written a good book called Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (July 2009). The work is divided into five sections, each one examining illusions in different fields: literacy, love, wisdom, happiness, and America.

My reading experience was rather peculiar, in that the interest level ramped up rather slowly. It started out wobbly, picked up steam as it went, and really soared at the end.

In the crisply written closing chapter, “The Illusion of America,” Hedges delivers an excellent overview and critique of the current State of the Nation. If you find yourself bogging down in the earlier sections, skip ahead — but do not miss the final chapter.

Sobering, because it sees without illusion, this sort of clarity of vision represents the best antidote to what ails us. Without a clear understanding of our situation, we can’t fix it. Books like this are, therefore, very important. Read it, and pass the word.

History is important, as are the stories we tell ourselves. Lately, we’ve been failing on both fronts: remiss in understanding our own recent history, while swinish ideologues narrowly frame our stories in false and misleading ways. These are depressing times.

But I believe/hope/pray the darkest days of this cycle have passed, and it is now imperative that we educate ourselves, so that facts might inform our stories, about where we’ve been and where we’re going. Toward that end, I’d like to recommend some reading…

Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture
by Thom Hartmann, July 2009

I’m listing this book first for a couple reasons: it’s the most recent, and it does a fine job pulling together the many and disparate threads of this subject in a concise and accessible manner. It’s not a perfect work, but if you read only one book on this list, there is a good argument for this being the one.

Moyers on Democracy
by Bill Moyers, May 2008

Soaring and inspired collection of speeches given over the past 30 years, all around the topic of American democracy. Drawing upon his considerable experience in both politics and journalism, Moyers has much to offer.

The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Krugman, October 2007

A well-written history on the rise and fall of that great American phenomenon of the twentieth century, the middle class. Roughly spans FDR to GWB, thus providing a good grounding in the recent history of our collective economic fortunes (or lack thereof).

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by Naomi Klein, September 2007

A detailed look at how economic hegemony has been practiced by American financiers over the past few decades. At times long and ponderous, this work remains important for illuminating how economic concerns have trumped human concerns.

Politics: Observations and Arguments, 1966-2004
by Hendrik Hertzberg, July 2004

This collection of essays, from a brilliant and accomplished writer, is as much a pleasure to read as it is instructive. Hertzberg is often at his best explaining nuances of wonkery, such as how we could improve the American electoral process.

Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes
by Chuck Collins and William H. Gates Sr., January 2003

Excellent treatise from a couple of wealthy guys on why they — and their brethern — should be taxed, fairly and responsibly, for the benefit of all. Written in response to the selfish and greedy attack on the estate tax by those rich kids in the Bush/Cheney Administration.

So, there’s six of my favorite (fairly recent) books on politics. If you have any recommendations, I’d like to hear them.

A couple little victories in Washington last week…

On July 21, the Senate voted 58-40 to amend the $680 billion ($680,000,000,000) military bill to remove $1.75 billion ($1,750,000,000) for seven more F-22 fighter jets (the Pentagon already has 187 of these Cold War relics, isn’t using them, and didn’t want any more — Congress initially ignored this advice and insisted on paying for and making more).

Credit for this glimmer of sanity goes to Defense Secretary Gates, who urged the repeal, and Obama, who threatened veto (goes to show what good leadership can do). Jeers go to local senators Boxer and Feinstein, who porkishly voted against the cut (in fact, the amendment would not have passed without the support of 15 Republican senators).

This is, hopefully, a first baby step away from the unbridled military spending that we’ve undertaken in this country for far too long. We’ve got more weaponry than is good for us, or any other living thing on this planet. It’s time to tack left.

On July 17, the House Education and Labor Committee voted 27-19 to approve a Kucinich amendment allowing states to create their own single-payer healthcare plans (again, without 13 Republican ayes, this amendment would have perished).

If our federal government isn’t going to muster the integrity and courage to do what is sensible and right on healthcare this time around, this amendment will make it easier for states to lead the way to single-payer in this country.

The California legislature has twice passed a single-payer bill (SB 840) the past few years, only to watch the Governeggar veto it down both times (goes to show what bad leadership can do). Meanwhile, other states — Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington among them — have active single-payer efforts before their legislatures.

Single-payer began in Canada at the provincial level. Saskatchewan is where it started. Other provinces saw how successful it was and joined in. By 1971, Canada decided to make it federal. Contrary to all the blatant disinformation streaming from FOX News, Canadians (and all the other single-payer nation citizens) like their National Healthcare. Why shouldn’t they? They pay less for superior results (Americans pay the most, by far, yet rank near the bottom).

Remember, folks, Rupert Murdoch is not your friend, he’s just another tax-dodging zillionaire, taking advantage of what America has become (a shooting range for avaricious free-marketeers). Don’t believe everything he and his minions tell you. Read, investigate, circulate, and draw your own conclusions. Until a majority of Americans learn to think for themselves, we will remain, collectively, fish in a barrel.

This brings to mind the letter in last week’s AVA urging Ukiahans to relax and let the “big boys” (in this case, the developers DDR) do whatever they want, so that we might save pennies on our next widget purchase. That is exactly the sort of narrow, short-term, non-thinking that leads straight to the long-term disaster we’re presently caught in (and it is exactly what Rupert and friends want you to think, which is why they purchased most of the media in this country). We’ve got to think a little deeper than that, people, we need to be more aware of the bigger picture. There is a lot of cause-and-effect going on out there. It’s called connecting the dots. Those “pennies off” come at a huge social cost, and many of us don’t want to pay that price.

Survey the landscape before you nibble the cheese.

Congressman Mike Thompson attended a business luncheon in Fort Bragg a week ago Friday. About twenty healthcare activists stood outside with placards, encouraging drivers to honk for Single Payer. Christina Aanestad, from KZYX radio, covered the event. I happened to catch her report the following Tuesday.

Mike Thompson’s basic response to the question of why he refuses to support Single Payer was that there are just too many Americans out there who love their health insurance and are terrified of change. Huh? Who are these people? Where are they? (Dick Cheney’s man-sized safe comes to mind.) The truth is they don’t exist, at least not in the vast numbers that Mike is suggesting. This inane excuse is nothing more than a sound bite cooked up by the insurance industry.

Another talking point the spinmeisters came up with was the phrase “quality, affordable health care.” It doesn’t really mean anything, but they found, through focus groups, that some voters salivate when they hear these words. So any time you hear a politician or pundit use the phrase “quality, affordable health care” you know they are on the industry payroll.

They have also co-opted the term “universal healthcare.” It used to mean everyone is covered, but the industry (and their shills) now use it to mean that government will force everyone to buy health insurance from the for-profit outfits that have wrought this crisis.

Note to Mike: when people use the term “crisis,” that means something is wrong. Polls in the real world, where many of us live, indicate a solid majority (more than 60%) of Americans support Single Payer, with a similar percentage of physicians and nurses concurring.

Congressman Mike, on the other hand, dismissed the twenty folks that appeared in the middle of a workday to stand along Highway One promoting healthcare for all. He said something like, “Look, there’s only twenty people out there, and the numbers go way down from there.” (Sweet Jesus, give me the strength….)

Petra was right, Mike Thompson is an embarrassment. As Mike rambled on, he started doin’ that pseudo folksy shtick that Republicans “flat out” perfected during the Bush era, where they start droppin’ their g’s (providin’, payin’). Apparently, this makes voters want to have a beer with you. It is all so stupid it makes you want to cry. 

With Democrats like this who needs Republicans?

It’s time to give Mike an ultimatum: either co-sponsor HR 676 (Single Payer) or lose our vote. That’s all the leverage we have with this guy. He’s coming up for re-election next year, and the medical industrial complex is already busy featherin’ his nest (see opensecrets.org). Twelve years of non-representation is enough.

Nancy Pelosi says, “Over and over again, we hear single payer, single payer, single payer. Well, it’s not going to be a single payer.”

How do you like that? Nancy’s tired of hearing what the people want.

It sounds to me like Nancy’s getting a little too complacent. As Republicans drift further into irrelevance, Democrats, spinelessly filling the void, are beginning to feel invincible. What we’re left with is Republican Lite: Compassionate Corruption.

Max Baucus, the Democratic senator given charge of healthcare reform, pounds his gavel and calls for the police to arrest citizens asking why single payer remains absent from the discussion. It’s a good question: Why is the best answer to the healthcare crisis being completely ignored? Most politicians won’t tell you the real answer, which is money. They are bought, and they do as their masters tell them. Master says, “keep single payer off the table,” and they do it. Max, like our very own Representative Mike Thompson, has been well greased by the health/insurance industry.

The parable of the financial meltdown is illuminating. Wall Street implodes in unregulated greed. Government bails out Wall Street with taxpayer money. Wall Street uses that money for retreats and bonuses (“rewarding excellence”), and hands some of it back to government. Government takes the bribe and continues legislating on Wall Street’s behalf.

Somebody’s getting screwed (see mirror).

We need to remove money from politics. Let’s outlaw all political contributions, period. Public servants earn a salary and that’s it, no more bribery. While we’re at it, let’s scale back some of their perks (remember, we’re supposed to be the boss here). For instance, I propose that public servants receive the exact same healthcare package that any newborn gets in this country (currently, bubkes). If this were the case, healthcare would get reformed in a hurry.

Now the reason politicians feel compelled to raise endless amounts of money (besides greed and corruption) is to finance their campaign commercials. The 30-second ad has become the essential campaign tool for the television age. The more money you have, the more ads you can run, the better your chances of winning. These short ads are marketing pieces (commercials), usually negative, whose primary purpose is to manipulate, not inform. We need to outlaw all these campaign commercials, which only serve to elevate the candidate with the most money and the least scruples.

Instead, media outlets should be required to donate a certain amount of airtime during campaign season to intelligent political debate, where all candidates can openly discuss the issues. This way, any competent citizen could run for office, regardless of wealth, and have an equal chance at winning. Money should not be the mitigating factor in politics.

If we let greed continue to run things in this country, I don’t think we are long for this world. Greed is selfish in nature. Money has no conscience. The “invisible hand of the market” does not consider consequences beyond profit.

We can do better. We need to do better.