We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

White Collars Are Feeling the Blue-Collar Woes

from Truthout. 
This time, it's not just factory workers getting laid off or suffering the health consequences. Americans who never imagined themselves vulnerable -- including the journalists who didn't cover those hurting factory workers -- are losing their jobs at unprecedented rates. Often, laid-off professionals are losing their health care, too.