As Washington Stalls,New Economy Is Growing Under Radar of Corporate Media Join It & Celebrate It!

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http://www.alternet.org/activism/new-economy-growing-under-radar-corporate-media-join-it-and-celebrate-it



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New alternatives are being developed on many of the critical issues we face. More work is needed but there is a lot of positive progress. People are finding that local energy policies can boost the economy and as a result mayors are involved in putting in place green policies. New innovations are being developed like this vertical food farm that brings locally grown, organic food to the urban market. Of course, there is pushback from utility companies and other existing profiteers against change. Conflict is part of the process. Utility companies are fighting back against rooftop solar. They see distributed energy produced on roofs of homes, businesses and public buildings as a threat to the model that sends energy wealth to the 1%.

The environment and economy are closely linked. There is deep corruption in each and it infects US politics. One example that has disgusted us for some time is the destruction of the US Postal Service, one of the most loved institutions in the United States. It is particularly grotesque when a US senator profits from the sale of prime real estate land where post offices are currently located. These sales should not even be taking place, but when the husband of Senator Diane Feinstein is the sole real estate agent for the sales – sales that will make her family hundreds of millions of dollars – it is a conflict of interest of immense proportions. We appreciate Ralph Nader sharpening the focus by urging Senator Feinstein to introduce legislation to stop the rape of the post office from which she is profiting. In a real democracy she would be thrown out of office, but we know in our rigged democracy that is unlikely. The destruction of the Post Office is part of the craze for privatization which, despite its failures, continues to be pushed by bought off politicians doing favors for their donors.

The center of corruption is the big finance based economy based on Wall Street. The corruption of the big banks is described well by Matt Taibbi and Sam Seder in this, definitely-worth-the-view, video play-by-play commentary about JPMorgan’s Jaime Dimon where they conclude anyone could do his job better than he has. People have seen how Iceland resurrected itself from financial collapse by refusing to work with big bank investors and the IMF. And, with banking expert Ellen Brown warning of the Homeland Security preparing for the next Wall Street collapse, Americans are looking for alternatives. More Americans are learning about public banks and how they will benefit cities and states that put them in place because they keep dollars at home, rather than sending them to Wall Street. Some activists are not waiting for legislation but are creating their own bank, like this cooperative credit union started in Puget Sound. And, in previous weeks we’ve reported on the Occupy Money Cooperative which is developing the Occupy Money Card as its first project.

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1. Great article. Thank you.

[BelgianMadCow]

2. Over here, there are several examples of towns & cities taking the lead as well

especially Ghent, which has "transitioning" up there on the political agenda. It has a socialist-green-liberal coalition and there's a boatload of interesting stuff happening.

Local politics is the only level I haven't lost faith in, to be frank. Mayors live & work among the people they represent.

That's also what I fear the most about the TPP - that it explcitly bans favouring local products and services.

Good news K & R, thanks for posting!