Power of the People
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
They are not the rich and superrich, nor the politically powerful running the two-party plutocracy, nor the greedy heads of banking and finance companies, and certainly not the media moguls and bloviating pundits.
The most powerful people are US, American consumers that account for over 70 percent of the economy. It is exactly now, when the economy is in the toilet, that consumers hold the maximum power. So why are we the people still deluding ourselves that the path to a better future rests on electing a new president?
We are suckers, conditioned by decades of clever marketing and advertising to believe the lies of politicians, and worst of all to believe that elections and our votes provide us with power. Wrong. Our real power can only be manifest through our spending dollars.
The overwhelming majority of Americans have been severely damaged by economic oppression by government policies that have produced historic economic inequality. Yet, despite revolting conditions, Americans seem unwilling to revolt by using their remaining economic power. They have let themselves become economic slaves.
What is amazing and depressing is that there are no national leaders from the worlds of politics, religion, education, media or public interest that are attempting to harness consumer power at this critical time. No one is capturing the public’s attention by making it crystal clear that consumers could obtain any political or economic reform in the public interest by joining together to withhold their discretionary spending.
Where are the anti-Iraq war leaders? Why are they not shouting about forcing an immediate commitment to ending the Iraq war by using the power of a massive consumer boycott that clearly could destroy the whole economy? Tell President Bush that consumers will greatly curb their spending for a month to give him time to implement a plan for withdrawal from Iraq. Make it clear that the coming federal rebates will not be used for spending. Make it clear that Bush inaction will result in continuation of the boycott.
Where is Ralph Nader, the ultimate consumer advocate? Why is he not proclaiming the brilliance of a consumer boycott as the winning tactic to force effective government assistance to the millions of Americans screwed by the sub-prime mortgage fiasco and about the lose their homes?
Where is Barack Obama, who supposedly wants to produce change? Rather than putting all his energy into satisfying his egoistic hunt for the presidency, why is he not talking about harnessing consumer power right now to get political reforms, like .ending trade agreements that are destroying the middle class? Why does he not send a clear message to his million-plus contributors to join a national consumer boycott to obtain immediate concessions from the Bush administration?
Where are the professors who have published books making the case for a second constitutional convention as the way to restore American democracy? Not one has the courage to say that the way to get Congress to obey Article V of the Constitution and convene that the first Article V convention is by American consumers threatening to plunge a dagger into the heart of American business.
Now is the time for all the millions of Americans that make up the 81 percent who see the nation on the wrong track to take action, to think like patriotic revolutionaries and take the power that now only exists with their spending. Sounds simple. All this strategy needs is leadership. Rather than spending so much time and energy on the media-hyped presidential campaign, we the people should demand that someone step forward to inform and mobilize consumers to become powerful citizens by using their spending as the ultimate populist political weapon.
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Joel S. Hirschhorn can be reached through www.delusionaldemocracy.com. He is a co-founder of Friends of the Article V Convention at www.foavc.org.
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my final point
You have to put suggestions out there in order to back up your statements. My backup is how is it possible. Give me something man. tell me how and if it's possible I'm with you.
Change?
I see what you're saying, but I only have a few issues? How can you boycott anything in this day and age? We are so dependent on our economy that an outright boycott seems impossible. For us to speak on the internet we are paying the machine. For us to get to work we are paying the machine. for us to eat we are paying the machine(not everyone has the land, or resources to grow thier own food). What could we possible boycott that wouldn't cause more harm than good? The boston tea party worked because it was tea. That was the corperate giant at the time, not the internet, not youtube.com, or sony, or microsoft. how do you boycott the largest industries when our everyday life depends on thier products?
We could boycott fuel, but that's not possible for everyone. The truck drivers depend on that fuel to earn thier living so they can feed thier families. I admit, I could go a day or even a week without perchasing fuel, and I have. In fact, it's been almost a month since I've put gas in my tank, but I work less than a mile away from where I live. People can't risk starving thier families to make a point. I couldn't watch my children starve in hopes of creating a better country. Though, if things keep going the way they are, who knows what will happen, I don't even want to think about it. So by you saying we have become economicly dependent, your right! When you have programs like EIC, and Welfare, and workmans comp, and unemployment. It encourages people to take back what they put in. I had a person working for me that had 5 children and was pregnant with another all of them with different fathers and she was never married. She was working the system. Her rent was 3 dollars a month. She got more money back on her taxes than she put in. She made more money than I did and I was in a managment position. Yes, understandably she had more dependants than I did, but why all the children. Why did she keep popping them out with not even attempting to find out who the father was. It's becuase it's easier to make money by having illigitamate children in this country than it is to do it the right way. Her day care was paid for, her food was paid for, her utilities were paid for, she paid 3 dollars a month in rent. In a house that was ten times larger than my one room studio. She could have gone to college for free, while I was scraping by trying to make money any way I could to make my next payment. That was 5 years ago and Im still paying for school. And, I still dont have my degree. I can't afford it. I can't afford another loan, another bill.
I'm with you. Economic change is well over due, but where do we start, and how do we do it without cuasing more harm than good?
There are good programs and bad ones. So, what exactly do you want to boycott? What could possible strike goliath in the face? Cuz, I can't imagine who would be hurt more in a boycott in this day and age. The ecomomy or the poeple?
Consumer politics
Bottom line is that we still have to maintain a day to day life as American citizens. Even though a boycott would be the most effective way for the American public to take control of their country, I think Ill stick with running water for a little longer.
Stepping Forward
Dear Joel, FSTV Community Members & Visitors alike ~
We humbly step forward and offer ourselves in service to inform, educate, mobilize & harness the power of the American consumers in order to reign in & shift/reclaim the power rightfully belonging to "we the people" over their nation & it's governing. We agree that the only real means of empowerment for the people of this country will be found in their deliberate intentioned actions as consumers. Where, when & how we spend our $usd$ is key in shifting power back into the hands of "we the people".
Over the winter we have developed an educational series we call "The Rest of The Story (and you don't know the half of it). In the tradition of Paul Harvey, we present the information that can be found in many alternative media resources, but not found within the msm, including but not limited to documentaries such as: Sweet Misery, Beyond Treason, American: Freedom to Fascism, The World According To Monsanto, The Drugging of Our Children, Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices, Made In China and more,(we are currently working on a Realities of Nascar ~ seminar/workshop that will reveal the connections between Nascar sponsorship & consumer $'s).
The Seminar/Workshop series consists of viewing the documentary pertaining to the topic of interest followed by a q&a session & discussion workshop, where people can learn more about how their own consumer spending directly related to the current reality our country & it's people are experiencing. Here in rural Vermont, there are many, many individuals who have not been exposed to such information & understanding. They do not perceive the real connection between the $usd$ they spend at Wal Mart and the loss of American jobs. They do not understand the connections between the $usd$ they spend and the economic & social struggles/suffering they, their parents & their children have & will continue to experience. They do not understand the very real implications of a "police state" and martial law. Most have never seen fstv, many do not have access to satellite/cable tv programming or internet, but if they do, they are not aware that there is alternative media, and even if they have seen it, they lack the education & understanding to apply it to their own existence.
In this series of seminars & workshops we educate individuals about these realities, how they impact their everyday existence and show them practical & painless ways they can use their $usd$/deliberately intentioned consumerism to impact these realities in positive ways. We encourage each individual that we encounter to bring at least one, but hopefully more people with them to the seminar/workshop and once they have participated in one, we invite them to come back for the others & bring more people with them. As much as we would like to inform, educate & mobilize hundreds or even thousands of individuals at a time, what we realize is that what people really respond most strongly to is personal interactions, something they do not currently get from their government representation. When they believe that leadership really understands & cares about them, they will give all they have in support of that leadership and it's goals and because we are just like them...struggling & suffering ourselves, yet in spite of it, we continue on to bring this critical information to them, so that they too may reveal their own empowerment through the deliberately intentioned spending of their $usd$. Many of them tell us that they always believed they were only one person & so they had no power to change things...we once believed that too and alone it is indeed difficult to effect any real & long term change.....but together......united in our deliberate intentions, common causes, and shared suffering, united in our deliberately intntioned consumerism....we can do just that...we can effect change. We encourage people to boycott elections, where they get to vote just once a year or once every 4 years, in favor of voting with their $$$ everyday.
We have only been able to offer this seminar/workshop series locally, as we are self declared independent sovereigns and as such have limited access to the $usd$ we would need to bring our series to more people outside our locale. If you are serious about wanting someone to step up & lead, then we humbly offer ourselves to the cause. We just need the assistance of you, Joel & other free speech community members to contribute to our willingness to lead the charge and provide us with exposure. What better way to spend your tax refund/economic stimulus check than to further the spread of truth to those who do not have access to it. In the very truest sense of charity, which as we know begin at home, this is the gift that will definitely keep on giving, long into the future.
We are currently in the process of selling many of our own possessions tag sale style in hopes we can cover our summer expenses, as sovereigns we don't "qualify" nor would we want to, for any tax refunds/economic stimulus checks. The links below will lead to our online listings of those items. If you wish to make a donation to our efforts to educate individuals locally then please consider making an offer on an item/service listed. If we can raise $5000-$6000 dollars we can cover our expenses for the next 4 months, which include growing all our own food resources,(we were recently given a food dehydrator & canning supplies/equipment) and continue to educate people locally.
If however, you are inclined to assist us in spreading the information & education of our seminar/workshop series beyond our local community here in Vermont, then please consider donating some or even all of your tax refund/economic stimulus check to us so we can make that happen. We have outlined a preliminary plan for a summer cross country tour with an rv that would enable us to do so while making the very most of every $$$ donated to the cause. Just ask & we will gladly share this information with you. We value transparency and hide nothing from those that donate to efforts to inform & educate others. Individuals who wish to donate are encouraged to help organize seminars/workshops in their local communities where we could go and present this vital information and begin the leg work necessary to mobilize & harness the power of this consumerism to bring about the positive change that will result from such an economic revolution. We would willingly & gladly abandon our existence of poverty here in rural Vermont, for an existence of poverty on the road if it meant that we could spread empowerment to the masses by educating them about how to directly impact positive change through deliberate & intentioned consumerism.
Anyone who wishes to chat with us regarding this proposal to step up and lead this charge are invited & welcomed to contact us on yahoo instant messenger, our ID: homeworker9992. If we are away from our computer please leave us a message so we can get back in touch.
By the Way.....the reasons why none of the so called "leaders", and I use this term loosely, are not calling for such an economic boycott, is because such action would severely, negatively impact their own bottom line since many of them hold stock in/have connections to the very companies that would experience a negative backlash from consumers withholding their spending $usd$'s. We have no such connections to these corrupt corporations, nor will we ever......our investmentd lay in the heart, minds & hands of the American people, those left behind, enslaved, abandoned, ignored, abused & neglected, brainwashed, drugged & labeled by government representatives that claim to only have their best interests in mind while simultaneously acting in the best interest of themselves & the corporate elite. Encouraging American consumers to participate in an economic boycott would surely result in individuals like these anti-war leaders you mention, exactly who I do not know, Ralph Nadar and Barack Obama to experience the realities of poverty & suffering that they have assisted in creating for the least of us...a sacrifice none of them is willing to make on behalf of the people they claim to want to represent, protect & serve.
We wish to lead the charge to inform & educate the people, to enlighten them to empowerment, and we wish to to act as true public servants, not privileged leadership!
Insanity is repeating the past expecting the future to be different. ~ Albert Einstein
"When one comes to think of it, there are no such things as divine, immutable, or inalienable rights. Rights are things we get when we are strong enough to make good our claim on them." ~ Helen Keller
Think it over fstv community members....Joel is right, with the economy tanking big time, this is the most opportune time to unite. If we are not willing to accept responsibility for informing & educating others, if we are not willing to make the necessary sacrifices, take the necessary risks and take the step necessary to bring about such change...then what right/hope/expectations do we have in demanding it of anyone else.
We offer you a devoted commitment to spread the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth in order to empower "we the people" to revolutionary action and shift/reclaim the power the founding fathers intended we the people, all the people, to have to govern themselves and control & maintain their great nation and it's systems of governing/public servants.
In support of individual sovereignty & a united nation that is once again known & respected around the world as the land of the free & the home of the brave. Not fears & loathed as the land of greed & home of the depraved.
Yours in humble service of universal peace, freedom & equality.
Dar
Awaken Me!
Co-creator/co-owner/manager/moderator
RamDar Sovereign Endeavors/Support Individuals Not Corporations
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