That sweet languid lethargy of sadness
Society is the combined interinfluences of a population.
We used to know what a "person" is. Now, it seems up for interpretation from corporation to conception
We have categories of persons who do not exercise appropriate social responsibility. There are children, who are under the authority of the adults; there are criminals who are pursued and jailed; there are the insane ...
We act like drugs can solve psychological problems, but condemn those who try to self-medicate as "addicts".
Capitalism might be a nice system if we ever tried it; likewise Communism. In practice we tend to pervert the ideal into whatever shape suits those who need to be in charge. Economics is basically a branch of philosophy, not a hard science at all. The reality is political. The kind of unrestricted "capitalism" that is promoted is a zero sum game in which the logical method of advance is to destroy the competition, thus rendering the market a mere illusion
If we are assuming that we can with a wave of a bill delete the current federal tax systems and start anew, there are plenty of exciting possibilities.
Since the money is created backed by the promise of the federal government, why not forget taxation, grant newly minted funds directly to agreed upon government projects, and let it trickle down from those workers and vendors?
People talk about the costs, who is going to pay? In an information-based economy costs are basically labor. Labor costs are basically what is needed to keep the labor force reasonably healthy and happy. Robotic technology takes over physical labor. Food and other biological goods can be provided with very little labor cost. Cheap, renewable energy sources are being explored. If we think of cost as usage of available resources rather than as monetary, we might have very different ideas about what is affordable.
The frame of class warfare promotes an either/or mentality which is not about real issues or solution development, but about partisan politics.
What the 99% need is to take back the narrative. The Occupy movement is a big "Wake Up! We let the moneyed interests call the tune and grudgingly danced. Now it's time to create our own music." Because they are, a new hit pop song is in the air. Even after the combined efforts of winter and authorities make the street occupation less, we can incorporate that song into our everyday. There is a large art component to the protests, and the artists are expanding outward with the creativity long held back due to the mad embrace of cash as king which had us not remembering that creativity, and labor to manifest those ideas, is the essence of true wealth.
The hope was always in the People, not a candidate. The hope now is poignantly held in hearts and minds of people not only out on the streets, but so many more watching. The myth is the hateful, greedy, immobile American. The myth is the rule of the sad monarchs or oligarchs. The power, should we accept it, is in the people who go out and do what needs to be done, because it needs to be done. Such people have always existed, though not often honored. The Occupy Movement does honor the values of courage, community, gathering to communicate and claim the rights that only live when used.
It is a slow evolutionary process toward less violent predilection as we slowly become more enlightened in our self-interest.
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