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We have just completed 100 years of experimentation with the initiative in California. It was intended to empower the people to initiate the agenda for elections in which all the voters cast ballots. But the signature gathering process has itself become a barrier to the people’s agenda. Successful proposals are usually sponsored by special interests, often quite narrow ones, that seek their own advantage in winning a public vote or in placing a competing measure on the ballot to confuse the public.
I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values.
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1967
1. Human rights must be taken absolutely seriously. Every single person is entitled to dignity and human rights. No application needed. No exclusions at all. This is our highest priority.
Capitalism is not dead. But it is severely ill and its chronic contagion is spreading through the economic and social fibres of the world. However, it can be saved and resurrected, but only at the cost of a massive transfusion of blood, sweat, suffering and destruction. Such is the nature of a system based on competition and where material profit is the over-riding priority.
Nine out of ten times the first objection that people make to direct democracy is the possibility of ending up with demagogues whipping their fellow citizens up to all kinds of ridiculous things. "Look at Hitler," they say, which is interesting, because while Hitler never came in remote contact with direct democracy, he'd be something of a poster boy for how electoral systems can work in favour of demagogues.
Maybe the best person to take on issue number one -- the economy -- should be an economist?
At least, that's the thought of Laurence Kotlikoff, an economics professor at Boston University. He's planning on throwing his hat in the ring next week, announcing he's running for president as a third-party candidate.
Even though some are predicting the end of the world in 2012, there is a possibility it could turn out better than 2011 (a low bar). Many people who are not part of the political class continue to advance civilization and make things better for us — like the late Steve Jobs.
What has Occupy Wall Street accomplished? Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ted Deutch introduced a constitutional amendment to revoke corporate personhood. What's corporate personhood? Unbelievably, our federal court system decided that corporations have the same rights as people. They can own property, make TV commercials, and spend vast amounts of money buying politicians and elections. Despite the fact that corporations are people who do not eat, sleep, die, pay a fair share of taxes or get drafted in time of war. Revoke corporate personhood.
After a tumultuous 2011 in which many of the trends we had forecast became headline news around the world, we are now forewarning of an even more tumultuous year to come.
While it would give us great pleasure to forecast a 2012 of joy and prosperity – all brought about by the wisdom and benevolence of our fearless leaders – since we are not running for office or looking to profit by gulling the people, we tell it as we see it in our 12 Top Trends 2012.
I recently attended the daily general assembly meeting of Occupy Albany. These meetings, led by a team of skilled facilitators, occur at 5:30 p.m. There was noisy, rush hour traffic. It was cold, dark and raining.
And yet, despite an environment less than conducive to a productive meeting, what I experienced in the next hour was both inspiring and fun. It got me reflecting on how we might all benefit from the broader use of some of the consensus building and direct democracy techniques employed in the Occupy movement across the country.
In light of recent political events such as the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements, it is more than clear that both sides of the political spectrum are just a teensy bit annoyed with our government officials.
That's a pretty big understatement.
The moment is right for some serious conversations about whether or not we should make drastic changes to our political system.
I am glad to see the effort of Occupy Greenville toward having a leaderless organization. If this occupation is to be successful, it must remain in the spirit of direct democracy. Movements like this are a struggle, and the focus should not be on what politician to elect or making demands this early, but to build the movement utilizing direct democracy and to hold educational meetings of which we all contribute.
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California is celebrating a milestone: the 100th birthday of the initiative and referenda process. The Humane Society of the United States actively works to defend this process of direct democracy born in the Progressive Era, given that it has been used to drive vital social reforms, including those protecting animals.
