Re: [Futurework] Local living economies

[Darryl and Natalia]

Ah. Ed, now I understand.   I remove the term masses. I must presume it stems from, "The masses are asses." Which, from my recent encounter with those of the lower trades and undereducated, crudely, but justly, describes their being. NO, I have nothing against them other than I do not understand why they prefer to be ignorant of that which is controlling their lives i.e. government and big business. They do not wish to educate themselves in any way beyond what they currently have.   They do not wish to think at all. And they are equally as determined to "bust welfare" as are the wealthy who want bigger tax cuts; completely disregarding the fact that it costs more to place these people in jail after they get in trouble with the law while trying to feed themselves or their families (if the family is still together) than it does to care for them on welfare and to REALLY give them a hand up through decent education.   They see paring government and other public institutions to the bone as good because their "crumb" of a tax break may be bigger yet. They do not see the cost to the community through poorer services for all or the eventual higher cost of the "privatized" service if you want quality.   Many of these people were very keen on the idea of joining the armed forces to go and help the Bushniks do their dirty deed if Canada had only signed on to the crusade. Whether they would have joined or not; who knows? They do not seek information other than the newspap that is dispensed by the P.R. corps. of the presidential palisade. If they are informed of grandpaw Prescott Bush's brush with a senate inquiry on supplying money to the Nazi party in pre-WWII and the steel and expertise to build munitions factories, they close off because "You is agin us".   P.R. and mass control is difficult to see through when it hits you from every turn, every billboard, radio and t.v. station and every newspaper. And when the chance for quality education for the "masses" is dropped (I mean being taught how to find the answers, how to best search for the truth; not being made into an automaton for the business gurus), then they are willing to accept anything that is presented to them so long as they do not have to think. This means that the conglomeration of media and news services can now forward the beginnings of a New Dark Age at the whim of those in charge.   As McLuen said: "The media IS the message." And that message is control.   So, Ed, If you have another term that I could use for the Masses that are now being used in the same way as the masses of the past, please let me know, because from the way you talk, from your concern for community and life, I cannot count you as one of the masses. You are something greater, or, if that is too much to handle, something apart.   Darryl   P.S. Canada, in the good old days, I used to place between 10 and 15 years after the U.S. (as far as innovating good ideas). However, with what has occurred in Ontario and now in Alberta and B.C., I place us about 3 to 5 years behind and in some instances we may be the guinea pigs and most of the ideas are not good.     ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Weick To: Darryl and Natalia Cc: futurework Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2003 9:08 AM Subject: Re: [Futurework] Local living economies Darryl, we may not be too far apart.  The following excerpts from an email I sent to a friend this morning might reveal something of my point of view: I too mourn the passing of the left.  People like J.S. Woodsworth, M.J. Caldwell, Douglas, Stanley Knowles and the Lewises played a huge role in shaping the universal public services that Canada has been noted for.  With the demise of the left and the ascent of the neo-cons, these services are deteriorating, lending credence to the neo-con argument that they should be privatized.  Minimizing government intervention and staying out of the way of business has become more important than ensuring that all Canadians, rich or poor, have an approximately equal chance to be healthy, to be educated, to be properly housed and to have enough food for their kids.  Many of the things that people like Douglas insisted were the duties of a modern state to its citizens are being left to NGOs and the churches, which, despite noble efforts, simply can't afford to do very much.   I don't know if you've been following the situation in the US, but it's far worse and more blatant than here.  Bush's tax cuts have favoured the rich and will do virtually nothing to stimulate the economy.  They will lead to huge budget deficits, probably meaning huge cuts to services like Medicare and Social Security on which many millions of Americans depend.  Transfers to states will be cut as well, meaning that state governments will not be able to afford good schools and many of the other services they operate.  What we may see in the next decade or so is a huge increase in the American underclass, people who are not very healthy, undereducated, underemployed and, of course, because the American myth is that everyone can make it to the top if they but try, vilified for it. I must say, however, that I don't like the term "masses".  I thought that kind of went out with the death of Stalin and Mao.  It suggests that everybody should jump up, flag or banner in hand, and march off in the same direction.  But to what?  Pol Pot's killing fields?  Stalin's gulag?   Best regards, Ed