I came up with the Peace Dividend strategy over two years ago. At the time, recognizing that the plan was — to say the least — very radical, completely unprecedented, totally outside-the-box, I thought that if it had even the slimmest chance of getting any traction, it was going to be a long and winding road to successfully “sell” and implement it.
To get the plan underway requires that we package peace in an entirely different way, that instead of only appealing to pity and conscience, we focus on personal self-interest.
This is not meant to be cynical. It’s not that people don’t care about suffering. It’s that most individuals care first about the suffering of those immediately around them, not those in far flung nations they can barely find on a map.
The Peace Dividend strategy is a bottoms-up, grass-roots approach especially targeting folks on the bottom of our economy — the 160+ million who are hovering around or are below the poverty line — because they are most devastated by the economic impact of America’s military aggression and full-throttle pursuit of world empire.
The Peace Dividend strategy is about letting citizens know what’s really going on with the military waste and the endless wars, and making them very angry! Angry enough to do something about it, certainly for their country, but most of all for themselves and their families — those whose suffering they see every single day in the struggle for survival.
Such a citizen’s “uprising” would be premised on generating a widespread, critical mass understanding that in terms of America’s prosecution of wars, aggressive foreign policy, promoting militarism both overseas and here at home, we as citizens are “being lied to”, we are victims of a huge scam, that the “system is rigged”, that a bunch of “Washington insiders” are running the show, despots who couldn’t care less what the general public regards as important, what we as regular citizens want done.
Do “being lied to”, “system is rigged”, “Washington insiders” sound familiar?
They should.
Trump’s election as president, leaves little doubt that a large segment of the population — viewing our government establishment as a whole — do indeed see things that way. It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that everyday citizens are being taken advantage of, that we have been and continue to be had by a ruling elite, that they will suck every last drop of blood out of the American economy and us individually if we let them. And with each mounting disaster, every day even more people are waking up to the tyranny being imposed on us. There has never been before a period in my lifetime when I’ve seen so much frustration and outrage with the nation’s failing, cold-blooded leadership.
Therefore, I’m now convinced that if we as peace advocates make the case for the Peace Dividend with boldness and clarity, success is inevitable. Yes! It could really happen.
As rigorously documented in The Peace Dividend: The Most Controversial Proposal in the History of the World, the military-industrial-security complex allied with a deranged inner circle inside our foreign policy institutions, have perpetrated over the past two-and-a-half decades the most odious fraud in history. This conservatively amounts to stealing $5.97 trillion of taxpayer money. We have every right to, thus should demand not only that the deception and theft immediately stop, but that as victims of this swindle, we as citizens be compensated. We deserve and demand full reimbursement: The Peace Dividend Refund.
The beauty of my approach to voicing our outrage, and asserting our rights as citizens, is that it is entirely legal, based completely on the official facts published by our government, assiduously aligned with the Constitution — therefore not able to be labeled insurrectionist or traitorous — wholly consistent with a democracy based on government of the people, by the people, for the people.
I’m not going to condense a mercifully short but still 86-page-long book for this article. What I will do is give you the “big picture” so that you don’t casually dismiss the idea.
RECOGNIZE: No current elected official will go along with the Peace Dividend proposal. They and their ruling class puppeteers will oppose it with every dirty trick in the book.
CONSIDER: When everyday people understand that they’ve been ripped off, defrauded, bilked out of at least $5.97 trillion, there might be a bit of anger out there — in fact a lot.
ACKNOWLEDGE: When everyday people realize they have the power to demand this fraudulently collected tax payer money back in the form of a $18,276 refund to each and every living citizen, they might just get a little excited. In fact, if the word gets around, I predict they will immediately, forcefully, uncompromisingly demand their money back — every last dollar!
Let’s put this together. The VOTING public demands their Peace Dividend Refund. The incumbents cannot, will not even fake interest in giving in to such an outrageous demand. They will dodge and lie and rail against it. The VOTING public sees this as more evidence that the “system is rigged”, that “they are getting shafted”, that they are again being had by the establishment blowhards who never do anything for everyday citizens. Here we have the seeds, the tinder for a MASSIVE VOTER REVOLT. We unite these angry, frustrated voters into a VOTING BLOC, rejecting business as usual — fraud as usual! — behind the demand of justice and fair compensation in the form of the Peace Dividend Refund. As a result, the vast majority of corporate lapdog incumbents are defeated and replaced by OUTSIDERS who agree to go to Washington DC and put into law . . .
The Peace Dividend Refund Act of 2019!
Sound at all familiar? Sort of the way an OUTSIDER got elected to president, via a voter revolt that basically said: “Fuck you! We’re sick of it. The hell with politics as usual.”
Is this mere fantasy? In these outlandish, ridiculous times? Where truth is stranger than fiction? Really?
I think it’s all pretty clear. And it will be even clearer after Trump and the current pack of bloodthirsty, Wall Street/ruling class puppets in Congress totally muck everything up.
People are going to be ripe for revenge! Heads are going to roll.
They’ll want their damn money back, I guarantee you!
By the way, please take a few minutes and look at the way the Peace Dividend is funded. You will note that it drives a lot of the very items on any sensible progressive reform wish list. Meaning, the Peace Dividend is a watershed for revamping the way our government does business. I would think that alone would make it worth the time to carefully study, with an open and alert mind, and some thoughtful engagement.
I know that marching in the streets, getting clubbed, pepper-sprayed, manhandled and arrested, are good times and all. But a lot of people are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and can’t join in on the fun. All the Peace Dividend strategy requires is that people look at it, then stand strong and united — stick up for themselves and other good decent American citizens who have been getting the shaft — then go into the voting booth and only vote for candidates who give us a legally-binding guarantee that they will go to Washington DC and do what needs to be done. (More on that binding guarantee in the next blog.)
I look at it this way: Even if a lot of folks have extremely demanding schedules — thus are too busy to fly to Washington DC to attend a peace rally — I’m confident most will find the time to deposit $18,276 in their bank account.
How about you?
Warren Buffett or Jimmy Buffett?
Here’s an URGENT APPEAL I received the other day on Facebook:
This is an idea that should be passed around. The BUFFETT Rule! Let’s see if these idiots understand what people pressure is all about.
Congressional Reform Act of 2017
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman / woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they’re out of office.
2. Congress (past, present, & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 3/1/17.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and go back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, then it will only take three days for most people in the U.S. to receive the message.
It’s time! THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS! If you agree, pass it on.
There’s a lot of confusion about this initiative.
Moreover, he is not in any way responsible for the “Congressional Reform Act of 2017,” which is just the latest version of the dubious and rather flawed “Congressional Reform Act of 2011”.
Regardless, it absolutely astounds me that no one seems to see the ONE MAJOR DEFECT in this noble attempt to reform Congress. This fatal error happens to apply to most of the ideas I’ve recently encountered, intended to fix America and get our country back on track.
This proposed act has to be passed by Congress.
Which begs the obvious question . . .
Why would they pass it?
What are these folks thinking? Do they actually think that the current crop of corporate pay-for-play lapdogs who sit in their comfy jobs in Washington DC are going to do anything to jeopardize their free ride with the rich and powerful of this country?
I just love it, for example, when people propose progressive constitutional amendments. According to the Article V: “The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.” Apparently, these wild-eyed dreamers haven’t read the newspaper lately. The Republicans own the White House, both chambers of Congress, most governorships, and the majority of state legislatures. Even more shocking, we often see Democrats siding with the extreme right-wing legislative ideologues on a host of key issues — increasing defense spending, perpetuating war, advocating more tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy.
Consider this . . .
It’s impossible to get GMO labeling on food product legislated, something supported by 93% of all Americans, regardless of party affiliation. Do progressive strategists actually believe they can get anything through Congress which genuinely serves the majority of Americans, with the current cutthroat mercenary puppets installed in the seats of power? Here we have something 93% of Americans want and it gets killed by corporate greed and legislators who couldn’t spell ‘representation’ if a gun was pointed at their heads.
I’ve said this over and over. But it bears repeating until folks get it.
There is ONLY ONE SOLUTION!
We have to have a CLEAN SWEEP OF CONGRESS. Regime change in Washington DC!
Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
The people now in positions of power will not do anything for everyday U.S. citizens. NOTHING! They will do the bidding of their deep-pocketed financiers, their mega-rich and powerful masters . . . and that’s it. End of story. So let’s start doing some real work! Let’s begin the daunting but absolutely necessary task of swapping out 33 senators and at least 400 of the traitors who are currently in the House of Representatives in 2018.
I have a method for accomplishing this. It’s summarized in two of my books — Candidate Contracts: Taking Back our Democracy and Fighting For The Democracy We Deserve — and dozens of articles published here and all over the web.
In each congressional district, good decent citizens must choose four or five issues which are critical to them, things which are totally non-negotiable, things they are absolute and unswerving about. For example:
1. Make no changes in Social Security and Medicare.
2. Raise the federal minimum wage to $12.50 per hour.
3. Eliminate corporate welfare and increase taxes on the rich.
4. Reverse by law the Citizens United decision.
5. Cut back on military spending.
The good news is that nationally there is already enormous support for these.
75% of Americans want a federal minimum wage of $12.50 per hour.
76% of voters want a cut back on military spending.
79% of voters want no reductions in Social Security, 70% support expanding it.
79% of voters want no reductions in Medicare.
80% of voters oppose the “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision.
68% of voters think taxes on the wealthy should be increased.
Next step is to draw up a contract or set of contracts on those issues. Such a contract will look and read like this, one I drew up for raising the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour.
Then we simply put it to the candidates. It’s up to them. Will they sign the contract(s) and guarantee that they will go to Washington DC and hit the ground running, doing exactly what we want them to do? Or not?
If they sign, we vote for them.
If they don’t, we vote for someone who will.
It’s that simple! And it’s that clear. Either they will decisively and unequivocally, with no excuses or double-talk, do the job we vote them in office to do . . .
Or we don’t vote for them!
In the event there is no major party candidate willing to sign the contract — and recognize that is a very distinct possibility — then we turn to a minor party candidate, or put one on the ballot ourselves.
THAT’S how you take back our democracy!
THAT’S how we take the guesswork out of voting!
THAT’S how you make sure the voice of the voice of the people is heard!
THAT’S how you put “people” back in the equation . . . government of the people, by the people, for the people.
It’s either that . . . or drink a lot of tequila and watch our country steadily descend into the sewer of economic medievalism and kleptocratic tyranny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3HBcgxOWAQ
I like a good time as much as the next guy.
But maybe we should wait until we have good reason to celebrate.