I was listening to Thom Hartmann yesterday at work -- one of the things I do to maintain my sanity, between "software emergencies". And I happened to catch part of Thom's interview with author David Korten. Mr. Korten was speaking so plainly about the current Economic Crisis, that I had to make a note to follow up on it.
To give you a sense of it, here is a snippet of it, from an interview Dr. Korten recently gave to Democracy Now! about his latest book:
David Korten: "Agenda for a New Economy:
From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth"
JUAN GONZALEZ: Your book’s subtitle, From a Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth -- what is phantom wealth?
DAVID KORTEN: Yeah. This is part of understanding the current Wall Street system, which is built around an illusion, the illusion that money is wealth, which then translates into the idea that people who are creating--or who are making money are in fact creating wealth. And what Wall Street has become extremely expert at is creating money out of nothing through financial bubbles, through pyramiding lending to create fictitious assets that become collateral for more bank lending, and then combining that with the predatory aspects of usurious lending and deceptive lending and the use of credit cards as a substitute for a living wage--all the games that Wall Street is playing.
And it’s actually based on a philosophy that says we don’t need to produce anything as a country, if we can—you know, if we can do all this financial innovation that allows us to create financial assets without producing anything of real value. I mean, it’s absolutely insane. And yet, it is the--it’s been the foundation of our economic policy in this country for decades now.
(emphasis added)
Democracy Now! Transcript and Video
It get's better:
DAVID KORTEN: I mean, basically, we need to realize we’ve been told that there are only two economic models. One is the capitalist model, and the other is the communist or socialist model. One, the capitalists own everything, and the other, the government runs everything. The real alternative is, in fact, a real market economy that looks a whole lot more like what Adam Smith had in mind, which is--which looks more like a farmers’ market. And I think--you know, we talk about Wall Street and Main Street, and really the solution is to rebuild a new economy based on Main Street, which means local businesses and people who are rooted in their community and working within a framework of community values and a set of public rules that enforce basic conditions of market efficiency.
...
JUAN GONZALEZ: --aspects of the financial system, and then the rise in recent years of all of these private equity firms. At least in the classic corporation, there are shareholders, and there are boards of directors, and you have filings with the SEC, and you have some sort of transparency. But now, with these private equity firms dominating so much of investment and with all of these off-the-books financial systems, you really have a system that no one even knows how deep the problem is.
DAVID KORTEN: That’s absolutely right. And, you know, the values have morphed further and further away from any kind of connection to or commitment to a larger public interest. And, of course, underlying this is also this immoral philosophy that says if we each simply pursue our individual financial benefit, that this maximizes the benefit for the society. Now that is about as corrupt a theory as one could imagine. We are seeing the consequences of it.
(emphasis added)
David Korten also wrote these books:
When Corporations Rule the World
and
The Great Turning
From Empire to Earth Community
Here is a shorter Interview by Jan Roberts, president, Earth Charter US, discussing his book: The Great Turning, and the importance of declaring the "The Earth Charter" (which is kind of a "Declaration of Independence from Global Corporate Rule", by the Peoples of the World).
http://www.youtube.com/...
David Korten:
"The Earth Charter starts out with essentially the Call that, as a Species, we must Choose our Future."
Korten has some great insights into Political Framing, too
BUILDING A POLITICAL MAJORITY (pdf)
By David C. Korten
[Excerpted from David C. Korten, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community]
There is near universal agreement among adult Americans (83 percent) that as a society the United States focuses on the wrong priorities. Specifically, polling data affirm that the substantial majority of Americans share a desire for strong families and communities, a healthy environment, and high-quality health care and education for all.
They are likewise concerned about the unaccountable power of corporations and government, and they prefer to live in a world that puts people ahead of profits, spiritual values ahead of financial values, and international cooperation ahead of international domination.
These are the values of the true political center most everywhere in the world. That center is composed of people who, irrespective of party affiliation, want a politics based on principle, seek real solutions to real problems, and believe government should be accountable and serve the common good.
...
Cultural Politics
While the New Right focused on a relatively unified effort to win the allegiance of swing voters who play by the rules and values defined by the prevailing cultural stories, progressives fragmented into countless interest groups promoting particular policy agendas based on appeals to logic and conscience. As control of the defining cultural stories gave the New Right a growing political edge, progressives found themselves increasingly on the defensive, limited to efforts to stall or moderate the New Right’s agenda.
If Earth Community is to prevail, progressives must learn to win in the arena of cultural politics. Win that struggle, and electoral and legislative victories will follow naturally.
...
Assault on Family Viability
The New Right’s propagandists would have us believe that family stress and breakdown are the fault of gay marriage, abortion, feminists, immigrants, and the liberals who support them. They are prepared to blame most anyone or anything except their own economic and social policies. In the pursuit of their personal power and profits, New Right leaders work tirelessly to:
* roll back health and safety standards for the environment, consumers, and workers, including workplace safety standards, a meaningful minimum wage, and the right to form unions to bargain collectively for improved wages and working conditions;
* drive down wages and benefits for working people through international job outsourcing;
* shift the tax burden from the investor class to the working class;
* eliminate public services and safety nets, including public education and Social Security;
* generate military contracts for crony corporations.
* secure intellectual property to facilitate monopoly control and pricing of access to information and technology, including essential seeds and medicines; and
* increase tax breaks and subsidies for large corporations to give them a competitive advantage over local businesses.
Each of these policies transfers wealth and power from ordinary people to the ruling elite and leaves families and communities without the means to provide their children with the essentials for healthful physical and mental development.
(emphasis added)
http://www.davidkorten.org/...
Funny story -- or nice moment of synchronicity -- as I was writing this, Howard Dean was appearing for the first time, as a guest on Keith Olbermann, and Mr. Dean had a great insight "about the 50-State" (which is quite relevant to "Values Framing" too):
Howard Dean:
"The biggest mistake Democrats make, is to Talk about Issues -- and NOT Values.
When Democrats talk about Our Values -- We Win!"
David Korten is an active member of the The Earth Charter, an organization dedicated to bringing local community values, back to the economic communities around the globe ...
The Earth Charter, 9/11, and a Way Forward
by Dave Aftandilian
"We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations."
(emphasis added)
— from the Preamble of the Earth Charter
The Earth Charter
What is the Earth Charter? First and foremost, it is a declaration of interdependence — an acknowledgment that the fates of humans from all cultures are tied not just to each other, but also to the larger environment of which we are all a part. Therefore, to preserve the environment, we must protect human rights, and vice versa.
...
The heart of the Earth Charter is a set of four fundamental principles of respect and care for the entire community of life.
Principles
The first four principles are:
(1) Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
(2) Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
(3) Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
(4) Secure Earth’s bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
(emphasis added)
Web Site: The Earth Charter Initiative --
Values and Principles for a Sustainable Future
One of the Partners to the Earth Charter (in the USA)
is Earth Project.
They have a very Cool Map page, to show you what they're up to ...
Maybe there is some glimmer hope for the Planet, and its hapless inhabitants, afterall!
(I always thought there was "intelligent life" somewhere on this Planet ... maybe I was right?)