by Dylan Ratigan
October 11, 2013

from HuffingtonPost Website

Spanish version

 

 

 

We do not have a debt crisis.

 

We have a crisis in our dependence on two corrupted political parties, each paid to perpetuate a mass extraction on behalf of those that finance them in unique and sordid ways.

 

America has a crisis in the way that our government has institutionalized extractive banking, trade, tax, energy, education, and health systems from coast-to-coast. It is so apparent that it was the underlying premise for my book Greedy Bastards.

 

The political parties, their methods and those who finance them are the root of the problem. And our government perpetuates these systems because our political "leaders" are directly dependent on the few economic beneficiaries of these grossly misaligned systems.

 

What is commonly referred to as debt is, in reality, what we must pay for the extraction in health or banking or the tax code. This is merely a symptom of the extraction.

 

As I described in Greedy Bastards, we are surrounded by unprecedented new methods all made unique by an ability to provide abundance of health or learning or other core resources for relative pennies. Look no further than people like Sal Kahn in education, or Jeffrey Brenner in health care, or Colin Archipley and his hydroponic farming methods.

 

The consolidated resources of political parties was likely necessary in 1890, when broad communication was nearly impossible for any given candidate.

 

But today,

• What is to stop five or ten political aspirants from running in open primaries using transparent financing, absent any political party whatsoever?

• What indeed, other than blatant stonewalling and subterfuge by the men and women of our two dominant parties who have established a ruling class in a nation that certainly doesn't want one and absolutely doesn't need one?

Until reforms like transparent financing and open primaries are implemented, however, we are left with two choices.

 

One is to wallow in the tragedy of the dysfunction, which too many of us are selecting. Two, we can choose to embrace the amazing methods blossoming around us outside of the mainstream system.

 

These methods hold the promise of converting buildings to become energy positive batteries in a distributed power grid. Or to supply abundant food with the absolute minimum amount of water. Or widespread education for pennies.

 

I have always believed that the size of the problem equals the size of the opportunity. And considering the obvious size of the problem presented by opaque election financing and extractive core systems, massive opportunities for reform surely surround us.

 

For me, finding those opportunities begins with deciding what I can do each day to move the ball forward. Setting my intent to shape what is directly in front of me creates the ability to reject political parties altogether.

 

And until I hear discussion of open primaries and transparent election finance, I will remain deaf to the siren's call of political party-bound screeds luring our nation toward dangerous straits.

 

 

 

P.S.

Look at what's making the rounds again.

 

It's sad to think this rant is as relevant in 2013 as it was in 2011.