A wish list for the future

Talking big picture here. An alternative to revolution, civil war and the pervading unrest

Let’s cut through all the lies and distortions and get to the point. What is all the ongoing sturm-und-drang and political turmoil about? Where’s it headed? What’s the goal?

What kind of world do you want?

I know what kind of world I want. And I know how to get there. Let’s start with the basics and move on from there.

First, it’s gonna take government. Sorry, libertarians, it ain’t “socialism” and “communism” that’s the problem. It’s capitalism, neoliberalism, globalism and the corporate control of government. Fascism, in a word, that’s got to end so government can go back to representing average people.

Second, the reason for atrocities like fake pandemics, murderous “vaccination” campaigns, endless wars, crumbling infrastructure, homelessness, poverty, pointless “elections” that offer no choice, and on and on is this: propaganda.

The powers-that-be couldn’t get away with this evil manipulation of the public without first buying up/merging all the major media outlets (now owned by five mega corporations who don’t give a shit about you). The consolidation accelerated in the ‘90s under Clinton (the Telecommunications Act of 1996) and, for all intent and purposes, it’s done now. That is, we’re done now. Between the power of endless, stunningly effective propaganda, and pervading hopelessness and fear that grips a huge chunk of the population, people were literally (and remain) hypnotized (thank you, psychologist Mattias Desmet, for explaining how that process of “mass formation” works).

Side note: We were warned. Academics and media critics like Mark Crispin Miller, Ben Bagdikian and many others foretold 25 years ago what would happen if media concentration continued unchecked. They were right. Because nothing, absolutely nothing, like the horrors of the past couple years could’ve happened without all the major TV, internet, newspaper and publishing monopolies relentlessly pushing their propaganda. And, of course, failing in its duty to keep everyone informed.

Here’s what to do get our government back:

1. Break up the media monopolies (Time Warner, Disney, Comcast, News Corp., Viacom, Sony, etc.) by enforcing antitrust laws. Two things will follow: The news will get a lot more entertaining as the number of perp walks zooms (always fun to see the rich and famous handcuffed; Jeff Bezos—libertarian, major government contractor and Washington Post owner—would be a ratings bonanza). And the writing will get better as real reporters, not careerists and hacks, get back into the business of digging for news. (For a refreshing take on how bad the writing is now at the New York Times, check out Jon Rappoport.)

2. Address the voting problem. Didn’t know there was a voting problem? See number one. You’ve been lied to by omission. It’s a story mainstream media won’t touch, in spite of at least two presidential elections “compromised” (stolen) by hacked computerized voting machines. “Computerized” and “voting” do not go together. The proven safe and secure way to vote is by paper ballots. And why we’re at it, move election day to the weekend and require exit polling (a sure-fire way to guarantee votes aren’t stolen). And no mail-in ballots.

With the return of a free, vibrant media back and a trustworthy voting system, we can work at achieving:

• No poverty. Everybody gets adequate food and clothing, savings, regular vacations, a nice car, decent furniture and all the other things that make life worth living. Why not? What do you think will happen to the crime stats when people aren’t struggling to survive in third-world poverty (like in Baltimore, where I lived and reported for nearly 40 years)? Not to mention increased life spans (poverty kills).

JFK giving his “Strategy for Peace” speech at American University, June 10, 1963

• No wars. Let’s have cooperation between nations, as advocated by Lincoln, Bismarck, Franklin, FDR, and, most recently, JFK, instead of ceaseless conflict. No more military industrial complex. Move the employees to other industries that make life better, not worse. Then help other countries build the infrastructures that will lift their populations out of poverty (and stop the flood of immigrants from Latin America).

Karl-Marx-Hof, a community owned apartment building in Vienna, Austria

• Safe, affordable, comfortable housing for everyone. Sound like a fantasy? Guess what—it’s the law under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed by the U.S. in 1948. Think it can’t be done? Look at that picture. About 60 percent of the residents of Vienna (not just low-income) live in public housing they’re proud of. Bonus: The homelessness crisis will be solved. Why subsidize foreign governments (Israel and Ukraine come to mind) when you can subsidize U.S. citizens?

• Free medical care. The whole enchilada, birth to death. Medicare for all, if you like, only better (no minimums, no copays). Wanna ditch conventional medicine and go to chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists and shamans? It’s your body. Go for it. You’re covered.

• Guaranteed retirement and nursing home support. Live out your life in dignity and comfort, without the worry of impoverishment if (when) you become infirm and have to move to a nursing home. (In case you didn’t know it, to qualify for government support for nursing homes you must first spend down your savings).

• Free college tuition and income support while in school. There’s a catch: You’ve got to pass the exams. Then it’s a free ride. Get a PhD, whatever. No college loans to pay off for the rest of your life, natch.

• No private elementary and high schools. Convert the existing prep and religious schools to public, fund them and see what happens when wealthy and upper middle class people have to send their kids to public schools. No more teachers buying school supplies for their students. Why not have schools everyone can be proud of?

Milau Viaduct (France) with cars travelling along it

• A massive infrastructure rebuild, using the money formerly going to the MIM (once touted as the “peace dividend”—remember?). Good paying jobs for everyone who wants to work (and that’s most people). Let’s build highways, bridges, reservoirs, dams, housing and apartments, high-speed railroads (like China and France), and on and on. And on a bigger scale: Why not a bridge or tunnel connecting Alaska and Russia? How about a massive water storage project in the upper Midwest to solve the draughts in West?

That’s the short list. Is it a fantasy? Sure. Is it achievable?

Why not?

To be continued.