This rocky decade is coming to an end. It’s time for people to turn the page in 2011 and start writing a new chapter for our lives, our city and our country.
When I say “people,” I’m talking about the majority of us who have a deep sense of fairness and humanity. I’m talking about the majority of us who have tried to do all the right things that society said was mandatory to be productive or successful citizens.
Our lives have been turned upside down, and we must do something differently. Before this corporatized government takes us all off the cliff, we must re-articulate the kind of world we want to live in and hold everyone accountable for making sure something positive happens.
What kind of world do I think most of us want to live in? One that values each person and respects their basic human and civil rights. The right to decent and affordable health care and housing; the right to relevant education; the right to a job with livable wages and safe working conditions; the right to a safe and secure environment; the right to a society that is free of discrimination because of race, gender, economic status, religion and sexual orientation.
If we are to chart a new path, it starts with making some changes in our personal lives. First, cut down the hours you spend watching commercial television, especially what it deems as news. Use that freed up time to check out alternative sources of news and information on the internet and to attend events where speakers offer their expertise on how to transform the situation and strategies on how to impact our government.
Now you also have time to attend a meeting or two by a governmental agency to see what’s going on and how it functions, like the school board, board of alderpeople/city council or police department. These are entities that your tax dollars support, and you have a vested interest in how they operate. We must demand transparency and accountability, ensuring that they serve the public good and not the corporate greed.
It’s critical that we do this in vast numbers so that elected and appointed officials understand the gravity of our words and actions. Elections are just one small part of making changes in our democracy, but it all counts. Make sure you are an informed and active voter.
Pick an area of interest that you want to get involved in or increase your involvement. There’s no shortage of issues: schools and education, health care, the environment, community development, prison reform and the list goes on. There’s already motion going on, so it’s not like you have to start something from scratch. You just need to find a place that you’re interested in and comfortable with the other players.
Lastly, we must take command of public spaces that have been hijacked by a few angry, misguided voices that are amplified by the Powers-That-Be so that it keeps up confusion and wastes valuable time and energy. Our views must be uplifted and legitimized, not drowned out by stupidity and intentional misinformation. (This is how the Right has a quarter of the US population believing that President Obama is a Muslim.) The public spaces are the radio talk shows, public hearings and meetings, but it also includes church sanctuaries, grocery stores, night clubs and classrooms.
Let’s raise the level of sophisticated discussion that inform our actions.
Each of us must step up and let others know what we plan to do this upcoming year to stop the forces of reaction, greed and exploitation. That way, we hold one another accountable. The U.S. is looking more and more like an oligarchy where the power of the society rests with a small segment, whether it is the military or the wealthy elite. It’s time to turn the page and write a new chapter of US life and democracy that will change the current course of history. Our children and children’s children deserve it.