Occupy your mind

Occupy your mind with a new idea about how to solve the really big problems in Washington, DC and around the world. Money is moving in the wrong direction. Big piles of money are now a person with civil rights and a vote. That’s because it’s easier to print money than it is to rally voters. The voters are busy watching the flat screen and snacking while the money works to replace them with — guess what? — more money. As a result, we have a government of the money, by the money, for the money. If money is an expression of our values, we are cannibalizing ourselves.

Yes, you are eating your children while you wait for government to plan a better menu. But the problem with government is you. Money, business, and government are abstract ideas that manifest the power of you. Restore the balance between money and people in your personal life, and the ripple effect will change government.

Government is a reflection of  how you spend your money. If you want government to put you first, you have to put people first. Witness yourself. Will you pay more for something made in America? Will you pay more for something made in your state or by your neighbor? Will you consider buying less and paying more for things to show your care for people and the environment? Because if your answer is no, if your answer is that you will buy the cheapest stuff, no matter where it comes from or how it was made — you are the problem with America.

When we buy the cheapest stuff, no matter where or how it was made, we are exporting our jobs to places where poor people do the work. If the middle class is going to rise, we have to buy stuff made by middle class people. If you want to keep jobs in your community, you should buy everything you can that’s made there. It will probably cost more, but I’ll bet the cost of living in your community is higher than the cost of living in China.

When you choose what to buy, you are choosing to support something with your money. When we choose China’s economy instead of the American economy, we become China. Is that really what we want?

Your purchases are not anonymous. If your Main Street is dying and your big box stores are thriving, it’s because your community is ignorant. When you add the lost jobs and higher taxes to your Wal-Mart purchase, it isn’t that cheap. But unless somebody makes a hit TV show about it, America won’t get the message. We are anesthetized by the noise.

Your government is putting money first because you  put money first. Your standard of living is falling because you are voting for the cheapest goods made by the cheapest labor with the least environmental protection. You can’t blame that on China or Wal-Mart. You are the ultimate power in a consumer economy. Every purchase is an expression of your values. Choose your economy. Choose your environment. Choose your people. Occupy your mind with changing your behavior.

Tags: Public Policy, Sustainability

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 20th, 2011 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Public Policy, Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.