Forum Post: Education, Activism, Community, Critical Thinking, Philosophy, Media Distractions, Too Much TV, Too Much Sports

Our US Future is not only bleak, but there is an overhang of systemic risks like a pile of snakes!

We all are concerned as US Stakeholders or Global Citizens about Multinational Corporations or ‘big’ business influence over our lives.

Wanted to write something from the point of view of a man struggling to focus and understand how to live. The times call for activism and action, but some of us have a different personality type. Some of us have a problem with focus and maybe more inclined to cautious activity. Perhaps some of us are creative, intuitive types.

So WHAT is the Plan?

Everyone is trying to get educated, get focused, and do something positive to influence OUR Future.

*The best philosophy the world has is the Scientific Method (but I am not a scientist and haven’t proven myself strong in science).

*Criticism and correcting the mistakes of students and kids seems to be the fasts way to teach, but some allowance needs to make for sensitive learners (I’m thinking this is behaviorism with a touch of humanism).

*Goal Setting, Review of Goals and Plans, and Adapting new Decisions is the best way to get from “Here” to “There” (Strategic Planning?)

*The Internet is my most powerful tool, biggest resource, and also biggest distraction.

*Modern Life is so Full of Distraction, we have to schedule activities to reduce time watching TV, playing Games, surfing.

*Today Kids have to be smart, and We All have to be willing to Discipline our Lives to Learn more Each new year.

*There Are NO more Pensions that you can count on. There are NO jobs for life any more. We all have to act as “Subcontractors” – we have to save as much as possible, maybe live with other families to lower our payments (for the rest of our lives).

How will we treat strangers in the Future? Many people are locked out of Jobs, Apartments, and Housing for whatever reason: Social, Racial, Economic, Criminal.

BACKLASH from the Economic Crisis and Wealthy Lobbying has some POSITIVE ASPECTS:

A. Surge in Education in Finance, Economics, Politics, Political Ideology, Free and Creative Thinking, Philosophy, Community, Activism, Protesting
B. Surge in Community Networking and Social Ties.
C. Surge in Palpable and Global “People Power”.
D. Surge in Awareness of US and Global “LAWS” related to the Relationships between Business and Government.
E. Surge in Interest and Bonding to Civil Rights & Individual Rights.
F. Surge in Desire to Form and Try New Governments somewhere and somehow.
G. Surge in Desire for Industrial, mercantile, Economic Policy.
H. Surge in Desire for Respect and the Chance for Respect.
I. Americans Pride themselves in Discipline and what you to know.

-------------------Background Possible Chances--------------------------------

There are 10 big Chances at this time in Our History:
1) To Change the Acceptance of War, What the cost of war is to other countries and ourselves.
2) To Change the Acceptance of the CIA, and its unwanted history.
3) To ask why the US has the largest percentage population of prisoners in the world.
4) To Look at the Effect of the US War on Drugs, Who profits from the war, Who makes a living off the war, Where the money goes from the war and from the Drug sales, What is the Effect on Young Men imprisoned for drug possession, Do drug charges lead to a lifetime of dependence on welfare, living on the fringes, and a life of crime.
5) To Change the Direction of Public Education, Quality of Text Books, Encourage Critical Thinking, One on One Counseling, and discourse about Job Training, Job Planning, Job Strategies.
6) To Reshape Banking, Remove Incentives to focus only on high risk money making, Demand All Financial Transactions become Transparent, To Establish a Mandate against cannibalistic transactions that allow bankers to attack municipalities, states, and other bond or stock issuers.
7) To Reshape and Renew US Conflict of Interest Laws.
8) To Reshape and Renew US Anti-Trust (monopoly) Laws.
9) To Create Transparency of IRS Income Tax Rules, Tax Abatement Deals, Tax Abatement Negotiations, Tax Abatement Participants (players)
10) To Reshape US Executive Compensation and How Public Corporations are “Rated” by ratings and accountings firms in the interest of Transparency for all possible investors.
-------------------Background Risks-------------------------------------------

1. US Systemic Risks, Economic Risk, Banking and Financial Risks, Risks of Central Control, Risks of Non-local Food Sources, Risks of Globalism, Risks of US Stomping around the Globe and trying to influence governments, secure resources, and set economic and financial policies
2. Risks of Global Politics, Little Local Influence, No Lobby for Poor and Middle Class, No Write Off of Middle Class or Local Government Debt, Political Class seems not to be educated that Austerity Causes Recession and Depression.
3. Educational Risks that ordinary people can't get enough information to vote before congressional or presidential elections
4. Risks that Reality Shaped by US Politicians and Media is an ‘Evasion of Truth, history, and the way the system works, Risks that US Politics by it's Nature is a Cover Up, Deceit, A Business, and it succeeds based on FEAR and SMEAR, the End Result is Not National Security.

Education, Activism, Community, Critical Thinking, Philosophy, Media Distractions, Too Much TV, Too Much Sports Obsession, National Security