Reward Qwest!

When an elected official does something right, we reward them. If that official is a candidate, one way that we reward them is by sending donations their way.

Corporations are not the enemy by default. Abuse of power is the problem that progressives are fighting against. So, when a corporation does something right, they deserve a reward.

Qwest has consistently refused to turn over phone records to the NSA. Good on them! I think they need a reward, and the best reward they can get is for us to buy their stock. (NYSE:Q). Right now, the price is $6.42, and it's been depressed since 2001. Maybe this was a stock price based attack by the rest of the market, I don't know.

If you buy stock on a regular basis, consider sending a message to Qwest that we appreciate their resistance against the Bush administration.

--
Chad Lupkes
Democracy for Wall Street

Economists must learn to subtract

Thoughts on changing institutions

Fundamentally, there are two ways to change an institution. You can choose to either make changes from the inside, or mandate changes from the outside. Situations determine which of these is more effective. For corporations, because they are chartered and under the control of the states, changes in the law to force changes from the outside may be more long term. Changing them from the inside usually requires maintaining our value system while moving up the ranks giving the illusions of their value system. It's something I considered, and decided against. The only other option for changing from the inside is becoming a majority shareholder and putting individuals on the Board of Directors that will put human needs first. But the Republican Congress have changed the federal laws managed by the SEC to deny shareholder resolutions and board candidates from even getting on the ballot.

Unlike a lot of people in my circles, I don't fundamentally object to the concept of wealth and power. What I object to is the abuse of that position of wealth and the abuse of power. Both of these should be scrutinized and perpetrators prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I don't care how much money someone makes, because money is a man-made illusion. I have no objection to capitalism, but it doesn't work for everyone. Any distribution system for goods and services should have as a mandate that everyone receive their basic needs. Like I said yesterday, when everyone has "enough" to survive, all of us will have more than we can possibly imagine. That's not Socialism in my opinion. Everything would still cost money, but we would recognize money for the illusion that it is. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That should be the goal. Right now we are on a quest for survival, security and the struggle for basic needs. How much better could we be doing if we really focused on our goals instead of our distractions?