To Spend?
Is the only solution to spend?
The other day I heard a discussion on NPR with some notable analysts talking about the economic mess the world’s in. One of them said something like, “One thing is clear, the ONLY way out of this situation is to spend our way out of it.”
Does anyone out there share a deep feeling of this being just about completely insane? Can’t we find a solution that’s not based in the production / consumption rat race? It’s a tall tall tall order to try to get people to think so completely far out of this box because it’s been the mantra of most of man kind for some 5000 years now, but is it not time to change this, for our own survival? Are there any people out there in leadership positions working on presenting viable scanario’s for world stability that don’t require increased production and consumption? Or is the only option to buy ourselves to death?
I welcome any response to this including examples of people making a difference, of books, websites, organizations that are acting from this place of real sustainability.
Here’s what I’ve found so far:
1) Frances Moore Lappé’s book(s): “Getting a Grip” and “Getting a Grip 2”
2) David Korten’s book: “The Great Turning“. Also his book “When Corporations Rule the World.”
3) Yes Magazine
Nice article found your site searching in yahoo I think you could have taken a more neutral view.
Wow, the information was quiet refreshing. Who is the author here?
Every day I’m more convinced this country is going down the tubes… At least knowledge from sites like this will help some learn and prepare. Thanks.
This is right on Matt. We have a series of systems converging at the same time while ignorant leaders play politics. I think politicians enter into the “Greed is good” area of occupations. It’s not to serve a higher purpose it’s to get rich and get power. Oil is the fuel that has enabled us to grow as a world population to unsustainable levels. It may be or probably is at Peak production so less is integral now. This is a finite fuel which gives us; food, heat, electronics, plastics… an economy ..and it is running out world wide. We consume 80 million barrels a day I believe. We have transformed from a local food system to a shipped in from California system which pollutes all the way. Doctors want more respect and money thus no new Medical Schools, while the population grows exponentially. Pharmaceutical companies can deliver more value to stock holders by avoiding cure but creating symptom relief, an old pharmaceutical company expression. “Cure Kills Profits.”
I much prefer informative articles like this to that high brow lietrtraue.