I have been doing some brainstorming. Not the kind where you just think of whatever off of the top of your head. I'm talking more about one of those eerie storms where you sense it coming for hours, the sky and the wind give no sign of when it will hit, and then BAM! Thunder and lightning. Very exciting.
I came up with a couple of lists.
List number one: Topics every adult person should be aware of and educated about in order to be an effective participant in the political process.
- How power is divided among the branches and levels of government
- The two political parties and the electoral system.
- Law enforcement, arbitration, and the justice system
- Taxes, budgets, and government spending
- Civil liberties, political expression, and the media
- Foreign policy and the military
- Economic policy, currency, and banking
- US History
- Public services, public spaces
- Marriage, children, families, and elderly care
- Immigration
- Licensing, regulations, and audits
- Natural resources
- Labor
Sounds pretty comprehensive, right? I've been kicking around ideas for how to deliver this curriculum to high school graduates who are not college ready while also bringing up math, reading, and writing skills to "college and career ready" levels. It would kill two birds with one stone. High school students do not get the education they need and deserve. So it's no wonder apathy is so high, among those for whom these issues should be the most important. When it comes to civic engagement and democratic participation, our society is bankrupt. I'd like to do something about that.
List number two: Things I would like to know about corporations and other businesses.
- Do they exploit foreign economies and promote imbalanced trade agreements?
- Do they have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect on global economies and societies?
- Do they outsource jobs?
- Do they discourage organized labor?
- Do they provide their employees with living wages and benefits?
- Do they significantly displace smaller local businesses?
- Do they have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect on local economies?
- Do they uphold democratic ideals and allow for a democratic society?
- Do they preserve the environment and conserve natural resources?
- Do they have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect on public institutions?
- Do they do business fairly and respect consumer rights?
- Do they spend lavishly on unnecessary luxuries and executive compensation?
- Do they discriminate in their hiring or business practices?
I've also been kicking around the idea of a watchdog journalism project aimed at identifying the 'bad guys' and gathering the ammunition to take them down. I think it's obvious from the list of questions who the 'bad guys' are. I'm not entirely clear on what it means to declare war on a company, but I think that's the right idea. The people obviously can't expect our government to regulate corporations and keep them in line, vis a vis the above list. Our government is bought and paid for. But a critical mass of angry, informed citizens just might be able to tear them down.
I'm thinking that appeasement isn't good enough. Letting up at the first sign of concession wouldn't really significantly change the status quo. No, I think war means war. It's only over when one side or the other is annihilated. I kinda like that we're talking about an economic war, instead of a traditionally violent war (guns, etc.) Economic war is the wave of the future, after all. So it turns out I am comfortable supporting and encouraging a radical social movement rising up to shake off the yoke of our oppressors. In order to do that, we don't really have to shoot anyone. In fact violence would probably be counterproductive. We just have to put our enemies out of business.
Okay, that's enough for now. Rest assured that, though I may not be posting frequently, I'm still scheming up ways to fight the good fight.
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