People make the "Economy"

Dear friends,

To hear it from large corporations, "pundits" of all stripes, and the mass communications media, the "Economy", as it were, is some kind of force or other phenomenon that drops out of the sky...

That notion makes everyday people, who are the only ones who really do work, think that we are all helpless, unless "Fate", some kind of divine intervention of "market forces", or even a set of prayers to win favor from the aforementioned "Economy" will make it (said Economy) return to us strong and generous.

Does that sound like a fairy tale? Well, it is not. Rather, this is the type of nonsense that those who are directing the wealth that ordinary people create continue to perpetuate through our schools, media, ad other cultural/social institutions. Represented by the earlier mentioned pundits and others (all of whom may, very well, just not know any better), many, if not most, people are constantly left in a state of anxiety about our futures.

People make economies, not vice versa. However, those in power are unwilling to lessen their current earnings by sharing with anyone, especially those who exist outside of their group. That means that, through clever schemes made by the government officials that they (big businesses) install, everyday citizens are expected to sacrifice for the common good (which is that which serves the interests of large corporations and the privileged few who own them - that is, those who have "Entitlement").

If people began to work together and begin to establish businesses like worker's cooperatives, for example, then issues like unemployment would be taken in a completely different context. I have a dear friend who is an automobile mechanic. He and a handful of other such automotive engineers own a shop that thrives quite well. Moreover, they share in both the work, the profits, as well as the losses. If this type of activity became more common, we would see all kinds of small businesses open up where people in the community could shun the larger companies and restrict much of their earnings to supporting institutions in their own communities.

To be sure, we would then see other institutions (for example, supermarkets, and banks) take new forms within communities, including local governments. Moreover, the necessary respect and trust that would develop inside of any community that chose such a direction would increase the standard of living of that body of people, as well. Imagine how it would affect schools, local health centers and hospitals, the relationships with police, firefighters, EMTs, librarians, and others who help provide the high standard of living that results from community sharing. Yet, if we, as individuals, simply copy the greed that is exercised by the ruling class and seek only that which is beneficial to ourselves, then the current circumstances will merely be passed on to our descendants.

Let us consider the great Tip O'neil's assertion that he canonized shortly before his passing. It goes: All politics is local. Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus