Economics
Manifesto for Change

The Costs of Capitalism's Crisis: Who Will Pay? ... Talk at All Souls Church by Richard Wolff

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

The Costs of Capitalism's Crisis: Who Will Pay?

Economics Professor Richard Wolff details the problems of capitalism and urges our recognizing its obsolescence and replacing it with institutions that truly serve the people. Talk at Church of All Souls in New York City, January 24, 2012.

Camera, audio: Joe Friendly

And now, a little surprise, my Plan for Peaceful Revolution.

Here's a New York City citizen's effort to put in clear and simple terms a next step for Occupy, a plan to achieve the fundamental changes we need to create a rational, moral order,

The People need to begin considering a peaceful revolution along these lines: Whereas the US Government has become terminally corrupt with bribery ruling Washington, and in the service of the rich has turned against its people and in violation of treaties it has signed and in violation of international law has made war against and invaded so many countries, has shamed us before the world by engaging in torture, has taken steps like NDAA toward fascism, and our economic system is failing,

Therefore, the American people will ceremoniously withdraw their consent from the current government in Washington and instead give a new group of leaders their consent to conduct government after this group has launched national and local thinking sessions, on the internet, live-streaming from the job site and the neighborhood, what's wrong and how to make it right, to save the planet and promote planetary prosperity so humanity thrives, how to create a fair, just, wise, sustainable economic system that cherishes human dignity, fosters both community and individuality.

We recognize that commercialism/capitalism is a mentality so lacking in morality that it should no longer be the basis of our economic order. We give new meaning to money in our lives. We come to realize the need to rescue our culture from commercialism, that it is an irresponsible, pathological, degenerative force, that has degraded us, urged a preoccupation with appearances, a status system based on wealth and looks, not inner workings of mind and heart, failed to encourage and bring out the good in human nature, caring about people.

We face squarely the complicity of our commercial media in the corruption, how they have fooled us with lies and tricks, hid the truth from us, chosen stories to produce and present that fail to nurture the good in human nature. As a whole people we begin to wake up to a destructive US foreign policy, hearing from victims the sad and shameful truth about US wrongdoing country by country. The US has been a monster unto the world, not a force for freedom and democracy as it has claimed.

We the people must alas wake up and be a positive force in the world and restore good will! Joe Friendly's currently Proposed Candidates for Government-in-waiting to conduct a national discussion about what's wrong and what The People can wisely choose as an alternative:

Mumia Abu-Jamal Michael Albert Michelle Alexander Gar Alperowitz Stanley Aronowitz Ed Asner Bob Avakian Joan Baez Ben Barber Brian Becker Harry Belefonte Medea Benjamin Phyllis Bennis Danniel Berrigan Frida Berrigan William Blum Heidi Boghosian Robert Borosage Roy Bourgeois Robert Bowman Barbara Boxer Ellen H. Brown John Burroughs Jackie Cabasso Noam Chomsky Ward Churchill Ramsey Clark John Conyers Angela Davis Lamis Deek Phil Donohue Barbara Ehrenreich Daniel Ellsberg Charles Ferguson Herman Ferguson Johanna Fernandez Sara Flounders Laura Flanders Margaret Flowers Jane Franklin Joe Friendly Bruce Gagnon James K. Galbraith Joseph Gerson Danny Glover Fred Goldstein Amy Goodman Juan Gonzalez David Graeber Mike Gravel Glen Greenwald Robert Greenwald Michael Greger David Ray Griffin Deirdre Griswold Teresa Gutierez James Hansen Thom Hartman William Hartung Tom Hayden Chris Hedges Doug Henwood Sander Hicks Jim Hightower Larry Holmes Connie Hogarth Barbara Marx Hubbard Max Keiser Kathy Kelly Robert Knight Peter Kornbluh Paul Krugman Dennis Kucinich Lyndon LaRouche Barbara Lee Brian Lehrer Michael Lerner Laurence Lessig Leonard Lopate Jeff Mackler Ray McGovern Bill McKibben Mark Crispin Miller Michael Moore Monica Moorehead Bill Moyers Susan Metz Ethan Nadelman Jerrold Nadler Rosie O'Donnell Keith Olberman Ed Ott Michael Parenti Christian Parenti Robert Parry Leonard Peltier Sean Penn Dan Perkins John Perkins Peter Phillips William Rivers Pitt Miles Rapoport Michael Ratner Robert Reich Jeremy Rifkin David Rovics Bernie Sanders Lydia Sargeant Jeremy Scahill Danny Schechter Jonathan Schell Pete Seeger Assata Shakur Charlie Sheen Robert Scheer Norman Siegel Alice Slater George Soros Gus Speth Joseph Stiglitz Brenda Stokely Lisa Sullivan David Swanson Sunsara Taylor Garry Trudeau Katrina vanden Heuvel Jesse Ventura Dahlia Wasfi Harvey Wasserman Maxine Waters Cora Weiss Peter Weiss Cornel West Tim Wise Sherry Wolf Richard Wolff Ann Wright (I have not contacted these folks as of Feb 7, 2012) Category News & Politics