Purchasing power
September 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Archived Posts
Dear Friends
I often urge you to vote every time you shop, to purchase only from companies dedicated to creating a sustainable, just, and peaceful world.
I want now to remind you of the importance of your vote in the upcoming presidential elections. We in the U.S. have a recent history of apathy. Only about half of eligible voters exercise this precious right – even during presidential election years. The 2000 election was determined by a mere 500 contested votes in Florida!
This election is extremely important. In fact, it is the most important one in my life-time. Our country is weighed down by crises that appear to threaten our very existence. Our economy is failing. We are embroiled in a senseless war. The atmosphere, water, and land suffer from terrible pollution. Global poverty is rampant. Desperation and its shadow, terrorism, have reached epidemic proportions around the world.
We must change.
We and our progeny deserve better. It is up to us to go to the polls and vote for change. We must demand leaders who will help us soar to new heights of understanding, reason, and compassion, leaders who recognize that our children and grandchildren can not inherit a sustainable, peaceful, and just world unless every child born in Watts, Calcutta, Nairobi, and La Paz also inherits such a world.
So, I ask you to take this election seriously. I ask you to vote and also to do more than that. I urge you to make a commitment to spreading the word, to making sure that at least 5 people you know who might not vote do so.
More urgent – get in touch and encourage 5 people in the Swing States to vote for the Values we believe so important – in New Hampshire, Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Indiana.
Feel the wave of hope that is swelling up across this nation and ride that wave. Send emails to everyone in your address book. Insist that they take responsibility for the world they live in; urge them to vote. Offer to drive people to the polls, buy them lunch – do whatever it takes to get them to vote.
No apathy this year.
No excuses. No complaints. This is not a time to whine about the way your candidate voted on some issue last year or the year before.
This is such an important election. And you are faced essentially with voting for one of two choices. Each one is a human being.
Human beings are not perfect; you will find flaws in your candidate and in the system. But it is up to you to vote for the candidate you believe will devote himself to changing the system.
It is up to you to get excited.
Choose the candidate who most inspires you and make sure he will be the president who has the opportunity to inspire a nation and a world.
And one more thing. Once the election is over and your candidate has won, continue to work. Keep supporting him. And pushing him to do the right thing.
Yes. Vote every time you shop. Refuse to buy from companies that use sweat shops or degrade the environment – and let them know why. Buy from companies that are committed to producing and distributing in socially and environmentally responsible ways – and let them know why.
And go to the polls on November 4, 2008!
Vote for real change.
Your life may depend on it.
My best wishes,
John
Jan, a rethorical question: what’s the problem in being a communist?
It’s just a word. Actually, if people call you “communist”, they only put in evidence their ignorance. Communism doesn’t exist…it can’t exist nowadays. The geopolitical context is too much complex compared to the one in which that ideology developed.
So, next time they call you communist, simply reply them that communism doesn’t exist, that it’s an instrument of propaganda, just like the word terrorism.
That while they are occupied to find stereotypes and to focus their lives on the differences that exist between us, on the hightest spheres of power there’s no difference between Bush and Putin, Hu Jintao and Berlusconi, Álvaro Uribe Vélez and Yukio Hatoyama, there is no color, no ideology, no flag, because the only important things are the power itself and, of course, money.
Dear John,
I’ve found your perspective very interesting. I saw your interview in Zeitgeist Addendum and I’ll buy your book very soon. Just one question: how much are you “inconvenient” for the groups of power, today? How can you manage to survive to all the “power network”?
Jan
Be strong, we can and will all change the world for the better. I’m very hopeful of the opportunity we all have to make the world different for future generations.
John
I’ve been learning so much since I began to watch LINK TV…I saw John Perkins and Greg Palest and was stunned by what they have revealed to me.I cried (seriously) when I realized what has been going on and the suffering that has resulted. I feel powerless to stop this and when I try to talk to people about it, they call me a communist. Is there any hope?!
Thank you for writing Lisa. I appreciate your comment and also hope you continue to be empowered through the writing.
Mr. Perkins,
Was beyond enthralled, with your book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. I will read more of your books. Some of the things you did, remind me of myself had my path been different. I understand who you accomplished the things you did. You, have a natural curiosity, a huge drive for knowledge. Then when you get interested in something you obsess about it until you have the answers. People trust you. Should they? Yes and no. You know how to use someone, then make it right, too. I get it.
However, what I also get is. Democrats, Republicans, bla bla bla. I have heard a lot of these Democrats talk about being Progressives. Especially when Hillary Clinton tout that she was a “Modern Progressive from the 1920’s” Not all Americans have been asleep! I heard it a bit too repetitiously. I finally got curious. Went to the library, and online. Wow. I think we got jipped! Chump change. I like what the guy said about Obama, is Bush on Steroids. LOL.
I think you have helped Americans out a lot, but I think you were wrong when you favored a party. Especially after this Wall Street bailout/Bank bail out!
PS. One of the things that really stood out (there was so much) about you seeing a vision of Jesus, and he’d come back different for the world has changed. I knew this, but to read it makes a person think of so many possibilities.
I agree 100% with melaniejaneb. A sustainability report card of corporations is essential, we need to know who is more environmentally-socially conscious and who is not with if we are to vote every time we shop. Please help us figure this out!!
it would be helpful to have a list of corporations trying to do better – or a link to possible lists…
maybe you can create something and send it to your subscribers
Dear John,please read “End The Fed” by Ron Paul,the fed is our enemy along with the IRS.At a time when we need smart investment in physical and infrastructure more than ever our government has decided to spend the nations rebounding abundance on a cockeyed concept of fairness,trying to make everyone even,regardless of merit,rather than letting the smart and ambitious use their funds to create jobs and wealth!Big government breeds big corruption,it is not a democratic or republican problem it is a big government problem.I have met the enemy and it is us.
If you’re reading this, President Obama, don’t worry Mary and freeman and jaye. They are confused. Millions like me are 100% behind you, Mr. President. You can count on us.
Sorry that I missed John Perkins on Ian’s show. Sounds like it was a good one, and worth paying streamlink for. I’ll be buying his book, for sure.
We need a wage equalization tariff. A wage tariff on goods and services levied to 50% of are minimum wage and once a country reached that goal the tariff could be removed.
US wages have been flat for 25 years versus housing prices. It created a huge divergence. It was obvious wgaes could not support the inflated housing prices and a massive correction was overdue.
Greenspan was either a liar or an idiot. It was not the former.
CEO of Walmart was interviewed and asked about wage increasaes since they had $13 billion profit. Paraphrasing, he said it would ruin their businesss model.Amricans want cheap goods.(Of course, since their wages are so low)
I noticed his suit did not look like it was bought at Walmart.
Hmmm $600 billion 2010 defense budget, $130 billion for Iraq and Afganistan?
Better wages for Americans Nooooooooo! I wonder why.
Sounds to me like the person doing the “hoodwinking” is YOU, Mr. Perkins. Your hate for capitalizim and the american way, and being in denial of the war of terroism. How fast people like you forget the 3000 plus people killed by that evil. Sounds like you are preaching communisum, MR.PERKINS. Shame on coast to coast am for letting you sound off.
Since Obama is far to liberal for me, I didn’t vote for him. I give him a F+ so far and it seems like all we as citizens do now is battle with our federal government as we go from one trumped up crises to another. I am now trying to guess what is next so I can be prepared to contact my congressman. Why was he ever elected? At least Bush didn’t owe the unions favors for getting himself elected. We owe the extremely meddling media the debt for giving him free passes and not delving deep into his history. Thanks, media!!!
Hi John,
Will Hoodwinked come out in Spanish anytime soon?
Thanks,
Brian
John, what is your take on Obama and his change?? Personally I think he is Bush on steroids when it comes to taking care of wall street, banks, and corporations. His cabinet is filled with Clinton retreds and Goldman Sachs executives, it’s like he is laughing in our face, I cant believe I supported this guy.. Change my a$$!!! wish I would have wasted a vote on Ron Paul, seems like only honest guy in DC