How refreshing to have a governor ride to power on relief from the politics of blame, of finger pointing, of win-lose politics and economics.

In the words of an anonymous writer, “the economy of a society is it’s de facto religion, its moral code, the only true measure of its humanity.”

An aside from the hype, smoke and mirrors, politics is about leading humans into a future made better or worse by the way leader creates their vision, a better way to manage things. It’s like herding cats to provide room for the expression of millions of creative minds even if many of them are sitting still or going in circles.

In the USA by any measure most citizens have been losing ground over the last 5 decades. In the US a good life is supposed to come from the opportunity to find a meaningful role in a fair economic system but in the US the economic “pie” has been shrinking. And politicians chasing money have moved away from sound policies and results to the empty calories of emotional manipulations and finger pointing. After all, it works, sort of, for a while. Then someone comes along who pretends to care and like the Pied Piper, people seeking easy answers run off with them, for a while…..

Governor Spanberger offers a refreshing theme. Honestly dealing with actual needs of citizens of Virginia; not fear of CRT but real plans to move government to serve citizens.

The new Governor Spanberger is not the first governor who had to repair a broken system. As she said in her inaugural address:

(quotes taken from https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/january-releases/name-1111196-en.html)

“…This year marks the 250th anniversary of two milestones in American democracy: the first is the signing of our Declaration of Independence — drafted by Thomas Jefferson — Virginia’s second Governor and the man who designed the very building behind us today. And the second milestone we remember this year is the inauguration of Patrick Henry as Virginia’s first Governor. 
 
Governor Henry is best known for his call against tyranny at St. John’s Church, just up the road — words that helped launch the American Revolution. But in his final public speech, delivered in Virginia years later in 1799, he made an appeal to his fellow citizens, warning against the divisions that were threatening our young country.
 
His appeal remains timeless. He said:
 
“United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”
 
I’ll say that again. “Let us not split into factions…” which would “destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” 
 
That was the challenge Governor Henry put to Virginia at the close of the 18th Century. And it is the charge we must answer again today. I know that the work of perfecting our democracy has never been finished. 
 
But I am heartened by the fact that so much of that work has been done right here, on these very steps and across this city — where Virginia’s history, and America’s history, has so often been written.
 
This square has been the scene of remarkable dramas of equality and justice. It has been the site of great struggles and hard-won triumphs, whose consequences have been heard across America.
 
On these steps, Virginia’s suffragists brought their cause to the General Assembly session after session, decade after decade. And though these brave women were voted down, time and time again, they refused to give up. 
 
And while the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920, it would not be until 1952 that Virginia finally ratified it. And yet for so many women, the right to vote was not truly secured until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 
 
And in 1960, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a crowd of more than 2,500 here in Richmond. He implored the then-Governor to comply with the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. 
 
Building upon a message he had issued one year prior when he wrote: “Today is a day for great men, great ideas, great movements…” and in his urgent appeals for progress, he wrote, “As Virginia goes, so goes the South, perhaps America, and the world.”
 
In 1960, following his impassioned words at the Pilgrimage of Prayer, they marched here to these steps.
 
In the generations since Governor Henry’s plea, as rights have been won and progress has been made, our Commonwealth and our country have faced hurdles, hardships, divisions, and bitterness.
 
And yet, along the way, what has been necessary is leaders who clearly see and willingly confront challenges. And even more importantly, what has always been essential is for people, everyday people — we Virginians — to do the same.

And so it was in 1970, as our Commonwealth once again faced deep divisions, that Virginia’s 61st Governor didn’t shy away from the challenges before him. Governor Linwood Holton stared them down. 
 
On these steps, he proclaimed — and I’m quoting again: 
 
“No longer can we be divided into opposing camps of political philosophy.”
 
He said, “The time for partisan politics is over. It is time now for leadership, for action, for progress through unity.”
 
He went on to issue a challenge: “I turn today to all Virginians, whatever their political persuasion, and say: Let us act together.”
 
And just 20 years later, on these steps, Virginia inaugurated our 66th Governor and our nation’s first elected African American Governor.
 
Governor L. Douglas Wilder changed what so many of our fellow citizens believed was even possible. And today, on your 95th Birthday, I thank you Governor, for being here to celebrate this Virginia tradition as we continue to write our Commonwealth’s story.
 
It was by design that we are a Commonwealth. In Virginia’s first constitution, written 250 years ago, they designated us as such. Virginia — no longer a colony, and not simply a state in our fledgling nation, but a Commonwealth.
 
What’s the difference? Kids, pay attention, because eventually someone may ask you! 
 
There’s no difference in how we operate or function as a state. The difference lies in the intention of our forefathers and the choice to indicate that here our government should serve the common good — that the voices of everyday Virginians — not kings or aristocrats or oligarchs — should drive us forward, and that our prosperity depends upon that union. 
 
That our leaders and our fellow Virginians should join in common cause, find common ground, and pursue common purpose — this is the concept at the heart of what it means to be a Commonwealth. 
 
This is what it means to be united for Virginia’s future.
 
And while I have spoken at length about our history, today must be about our future and the story we will write together. 
 
I know many of you are worried about the recklessness coming out of Washington. You are worried about policies that are hurting our communities — cutting healthcare access, imperiling rural hospitals, and driving up costs. You are worried about Washington policies that are closing off markets, hurting innovation and private industry, and attacking those who have devoted their lives to public service. 
 
You are worried about an administration that is gilding buildings while schools crumble, breaking the social safety net, and sowing fear across our communities — betraying the values of who we are as Americans, the very values we celebrate here on these steps.
 
And across the Commonwealth, everything keeps getting more expensive — groceries, medicine, daycare, the electricity bill, rent, and the mortgage. Families are strained, kids are stressed, and so much just seems to be getting harder and harder.
 
Growing up, my parents always taught me that when faced with something unacceptable, you must speak up. You must take action, right what you believe is wrong, and fix what isn’t working” …..

—-

“Today, I stand before you on these steps not only as Virginia’s 75th Governor, but as someone who believes it is our duty to write the next chapter of our Commonwealth’s story. It is our duty to demonstrate for the generations to come that when faced with hardships, challenges, divisions, and even bitterness, we too forged a path forward and pursued progress.
 
And as we write this next chapter, we will work relentlessly to make life more affordable for our fellow Virginians.
 
We will tackle the high cost of housing — whether you’re renting, buying, or trying to stay in your home. We’ll work to cut red tape, increase housing supply, and help communities keep housing affordable.
 
We will work to lower energy costs by producing more energy and by ensuring that high energy users pay their fair share. 
 
And we will contend with an impending healthcare crisis by protecting healthcare access, cracking down on the middlemen who are driving up drug prices, and making sure Virginians aren’t going into spiraling medical debt because of a single emergency.
 
And as we write this next chapter, we will make Virginia’s public schools the best in the nation. 
 
We will work to ensure every child in the Commonwealth receives a world-class education at every level — providing them a solid foundation in reading and math, and preparing our kids for a prosperous future. 
 
And we will invest in the schools and educators that are essential to this goal.
 
And as we write this next chapter, we will grow Virginia’s economy in every corner of the Commonwealth.
 
We will invest in the apprenticeships and job training of the future. We will bring capital investment into every region of our Commonwealth. We will stand up for Virginia’s workers — including our federal workforce. And we will expand opportunities for Virginia agriculture — our farmers, producers, agribusinesses, and farm families. 
 
And as we write this next chapter, we will focus on the security and safety of all of our neighbors. 
 
And we will take action to prevent gun violence, to support Virginians struggling with addiction, and to address the mental health crisis impacting our kids and neighbors. And in Virginia, our hardworking, law-abiding immigrant neighbors will know that when we say — we’ll focus on the security and safety of all of our neighbors, we mean them too. 
 
We will write this next chapter together, because throughout our history, no leader has ever made progress alone. 
 
To my friends in the General Assembly — on both sides of the aisle — I look forward to working with you. I know what it means to represent your constituents, to work hard for your district, and to pursue policies you believe in.
 
We will not agree on everything, but I speak from personal experience when I say that we do not have to see eye-to-eye on every issue in order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on others. 
 
Because Virginia has always been a place where we confront challenges, where we build coalitions, and where we prove that democracy still works.
 
To Lieutenant Governor Hashmi and Attorney General Jones, I look forward to working together with you both as we serve our fellow Virginians over the next four years.
 
And most importantly, to the people of Virginia: we are beginning a new chapter in our Commonwealth’s story. We need you to help us write it. 
 
As we mark 250 years since the dawn of American freedom: What will our children, grandchildren, and their descendants write about this time in our Commonwealth’s history — this chapter — 50, 100, and 250 years from now?
 
Will they say that we let divisions fester or challenges overwhelm us? Or will they say that we stood up for what is right, fixed what is broken, and served the common good here in Virginia?
 
Today, we’re hearing the call to connect more deeply to our American Experiment — to understand our shared history, not as a single point in time, but as a lesson for how we create our more prosperous future. And so I ask — what will you do to help us author this next chapter? 
 
As your Governor, I pledge to you that I will work tirelessly for you and for our Commonwealth.
 
Today, I find myself thinking about Dr. King’s Pilgrimage of Prayer… Such a powerful phrase. 
And it gives me cause to reflect on what our path forward must be… not a Pilgrimage of Politics, certainly not a Pilgrimage of Partisanship… but rather a Pilgrimage of Promise, Progress, and Prosperity. 

My fellow Virginians, as we set an example for the country, the world, and most importantly, our children, let us:

Choose to stand united. Choose to serve one another. Choose to act together.”

I could not say it any better.

Let’s all try to be useful.

Ron

The Work FM

A Special Thanks goes out to The Thrifty Quaker Thrift Store this month.

The Thrifty Quaker has been an ally of the better angels of humanity for centuries.

And they are engaged in the Most Effective system of recycling: Reuse.

So bring them your gently used items and they will get them to a new home.

They are located at 13567 Midlothian Turnpike/Highway 60) on the corner of 60 and Coalfield Road in the Midlothian Station shopping center, or,

Visit them at their new website (https://thethriftyquaker.weebly.com/about.html) to see what they are up to.

Their reputation speaks for itself.

The Friends/Quakers are distinct among most faiths in that they emphasize serving God rather than pretending to be or act as God.

And for atheists, unless you find life meaningless, you can take the meaning of life as a godlike placeholder.

We come, we go and leave nothing behind but our acts. The Quakers have a rich history in those terms.

You can search the internet for the Thrifty Quaker Thrift Store to see the trail of good acts they have sewn over the years.

For a more formal definition here is the wikipedia intro for Quakers:

Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, originally known as simply the Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after John 15:14 in the Bible. Originally, others referred to them as Quakers because the founder of the movement, George Fox, told a judge to “quake before the authority of God”. The Friends are generally united by a belief in each human’s ability to be guided by the inward light to “make the witness of God” known to everyone

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. A democratic republic is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” anon

That metaphor works well with the first lamb as the vulnerable elements of society, the wolves the harsh social elements of the world and the conniving ones, while the well armed lamb is our democratic republic using the constitution, bill of rights and the laws of the USA to make space for our super power, cooperation, which makes human progress possible.

Our Founders had a problem in 1776. They knew that they needed to escape from English dominance, the king and arbitrary but costly laws and they wanted to break with the past ideas that had not allowed thoughtful well intentioned people to rule themselves. That was difficult by itself but they also needed the southern states to join them and their economy was based on domination rather than free enterprise, though slavery was everywhere in the colonies.

And our founders knew the risks, as John Adams said in 1807:

“Democracy, will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes, and no man’s life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure and every one of these will soon mold itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues, and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit, and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and the execrable cruelty of one or a very few.”

All the leaders knew in their time that the new government was dependent on vital elements not degenerating, hence the complicated government they left us.

Fast forward 150 years to the time we were most secure economically and militarily and the chief justice of the supreme court said:

A republic is not an easy form of government to live under, and when the responsibility of citizenship is evaded, democracy decays and authoritarianism takes over. — 
Earl Warren

and from Elanor Roosevelt, this:

“In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are.”

In our time thousands of people make their living attacking not just the participants but the system itself and the media, our mirror of reality caters to advertiser dollars, not social value, not quality of information.

It is likely then that our work is never done. Oligarchs and would-be-kings, are constantly mounting attacks on whatever order there is.

Keeping a Democratic Republic working is a full time thing, otherwise it may not be there when we need it.

That means voting, staying informed, going to community meetings, visiting local and DC power centers to understand how government works. If you do you will never think of trusting someone else to take care of it.

So here are some resources to start with.

Make it fun, go with friends, but participate.

https://weeklyactionrva.org/

https://www.rvaengage.org/events

https://www.actsrva.org/

https://indivisible.org/

https://www.riscrichmond.org/how_risc_works

https://www.rvacommunityfridges.com/

https://vacommunityvoice.org/

Or do your own search using a search like “rva community

Take it away!

Few words capture the kind of human progress that got us to 2025 like the Fword.

The middle finger comes close but is just one nuance of the irresistible human passions that got us to this moment .

Love, promise, string along and betray. That’s politics in a decaying nation. But we cannot break the cycle by F*ing those who got us here. We have to Break their Spell with a Bigger Spell. Maybe the one that got Humans to believe in the 250 year old experiment in human self management: the USA. Was it fear of the French Revolution, the pomposity of King George or pursing something better and still possible, something at least we had the words for. Something aspirational.

We are in the last chapter of the American experiment where democracy was dangled before us but always kept out of reach by ever clever distractions. Now power brokers hope to use social media and AI to stuff us all into their designer cult woven out of popular myths. Not unlike the Romans did by building temples to all the gods of the captured populations. After all it has been working.

But in the end Mother nature will have its way and discipline us all. The only question is how many innocent people and other life forms will pay for the lies of grifters who keep the dead end system going?

Some people, reflecting on the countless hours spent on their care choose to pay it ahead.

Some choose to remain children, denying their agency and their cost to the world. Pity to die unaware of ones meaning.

In RVA, Let’s look for the possible, the Something More that distinguishes us from chimpanzees with language and clothes.

Let’s un-F* the world, one aware person at a time and restore the cooperative system that made all these neat things we have possible, and this time lets leave space for the other people and life forms that were here when we arrived.

Cooperation is our super power. Let’s joyfully push back on all the dehumanizing crap at every level.

Be angry if it helps but don’t get lost it. That’s their game.

Life should be full of joy, but we have to create it.

Let’s!

Ever get a surprise cold shower? No fun but a real wake up.

November 5th made clear that, high-jinks and voter suppression aside, 31.2% of the eligible voters in the USA, the oldest democratic republic in the world, voted to burn it all down.

How did this happen in a liberal democracy? This country has survived slavery, civil war, public corruption of all sorts, domination by monopolies, regular market manipulation, Savings and Loan corruption, and 14 years ago a banking scandal so severe it threatened to take down the world economy.

Bailing out the banks was probably the last straw for many citizens and not just the millions who lost their homes but the hundreds of millions who watched it all go down under the Hope and Change president. It hurt to watch. By this time Politicians apparently believed the BS they fed to potential voters, Even after a 2014 study(1) found that “lobbyist’s issues” created more laws than citizen needs did.

Meanwhile the powerful business interests were implementing the Powell Memorandum (2), their manifesto to take power back from consumers. It was written by Supreme Court justice Louis Powell shortly before Nixon was ousted and his resignation probably energized the project .

Nixon’s advisors, including Dick Cheney, Roger Ailes, Donald Rumsfeld, and Roger Stone all went on to provide cover and excuses for boondoggles and politicians . In the last 50 years, guided by the Powell Memorandum, businesses across the US economy have shifted over 50 billion dollars(3) from the middle class to the now bloated top 10%. It is a shame these folks aren’t on team USA.

Nixon may have been a crook but he was also a leader with vision (China, the EPA, etc, 4) who cared about the USA. He knew the golden rule of crooks that is lost on common thugs: Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Watching this house-of-cards of captured agencies, stock trading officials, science deniers and oath breakers, Donald realized that he’d be a good fit and he was for four years.

And though democracy got a break, 50 years of a shrinking middle class, pointless wars and most critically, violated trust by both parties, could not be reversed in 4 years and Donald came back to finish the job.

Let’s not be naïve, Trump doesn’t want to run the USA: he wants to own it.

And apparently our justice system is not interested in dealing with his crimes; insurrection, retained documents, or violated oaths. The real question is: Who is running the USA and What Is Their game plan?

Now that the “dog” did catch the “car”, what can it do? while a democratic republic runs smoothly on laws and public trust, Politicians traded those off years ago to win elections and feather their nests. That leaves us, the citizens, to reactivate the system. And we will not do it with more BS. We will need to build genuine community and trust based on results.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. We all have to get informed, learn the ropes, understand the strategies and tactics of the opposition, and take time to exercise citizenship.

Just as “True the vote” organized racists to suppress and eliminate tens of thousands of voters across the country, we will have to empower those Same voters and More, turning them into staunch and informed citizens. We have plenty of work ahead of us. We have been sleep-walking: now we are awake.

And it is not enough to vote in elections. Every act we do should create the world we want. Don’t waste any energy on the endless nonsense from “social media.” It is just there to distract you.

Citizens need current, in-depth information about issues and politicians. At The Work FM we will provide you with informative content that puts the news of human failings in context so we can stop doing and allowing stupid stuff.

WRWK tells you about the world where society and the USA work. We know that a livable society is possible. We promise to keep you updated, and along with the issues, we will review solutions.

You can be part of it. Let’s be resilient and strong, leaving ‘fragile” behind. Fixing the world is not for dilettantes. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

We value your input. Listen in, tell us your concerns, and send your ideas to:

how at theworkfm dot org

Ron Skinner

Theworkfm WRWK FM 93.9

Stream our audio from here

Notes

1. https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/the-influence-of-elites-interest-groups-and-average-voters-on-american-politics/
2. https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/powellmemo/
3. https://time.com/5888024/50-trillion-income-inequality-america/
4. https://guides.hoover.org/nixon-administration-watergate-50

debate?  It was a charade.  Cnn pretended to have a debate, two journalists pretended to moderate, Trump pretended to debate while ignoring most questions and repeating his most popular fabrications, while the President, apparently amazed at the betrayal by CNN attempted to answer the debate questions.

We know Trump’s record, we know what the President has actually done. What surprised me was how profit seeking has reduced cnn to pandering.  There is little left of their credibility.

The following quotes describe our path to this point.

    “When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits—despotic in his ordinary demeanour—known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may “ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”  (Alexander Hamilton)

      “We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end.It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood. . . .

It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless.” [The passage appears in a letter from Lincoln to (Col.) William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864.]

  “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

 “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

 “If there is anything that links the human to the divine, it is the courage to stand by a principle when everybody else rejects it.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

“If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world.” ~Noam Chomsky

On our collective birthday in 2024 we find our government under a cloud of dark money, creating confusion among participants and apathy among bystanders. Its no wonder the crazies seem to reign, they feed on mayhen while rational people avoid it.

My birthday wish is that we arrest the popular criminals, label media according to Accuracy only make voting easier, ban or label any dark money and require that the oath of office be at the end of a civics course that explains that government is in the business of growing an educated and involved middle class, repelling attempts by business to dominate and keeping all citizens engaged in making the USA live up to its original Declaration of Independence, made into a world where None of it was true at the time, and now some of it is.

That’s our job.

Happy Birthday United States of America!

or Actions speak louder than words.

In February 2024, We look back on several years when illusions ruled. I suggest that we look to the leader who guided us through our last great challenge, the Civil War (oxymoron intended).
Hopefully it will not be as unpleasant as it was in his time.

We at TheWorkFM will be working to Raise the Bar, to Return to a better normal, maybe getting closer to greatness.

Very Few People really liked the orange guy, but many joined his call to trash the government that unlimited money has created.

And since Capital is our de-facto bottom line and the economy where we all meet, maybe we could take an idea from the New Testament and Drive the money-changers from our money temple.

That means dealing with the Money in the Supreme Court, and every other compromised government entity from the Post Office to the FDA .

If capital is our bottom line and the government is the ref, let’s make it a fair game.

Capitalism may be a lousy religion, moral code and ethics system but it has rules and we are not holding the Captains of Capital to the rules of their own game.

One major example is Externalized cost:

. Externalized costs are how companies make profit. They minimize their spending by cost externalizing, which is basically a fancy term for the company offloading “indirect costs” on the public or the environment. We pay for the clean-up or for the social progams needed by underpaid employees.

How we chose and evaluate politicians is also lacking.

Elected leaders should promise to improve the lives of their constituents not their donors – or resign. Period.

And taking an oath to a historical document doesn’t help elected officials get better results. We should add some measure of competency.

Politicians can be separated into two camps. Those who see a problem and look for solutions until it is solved, and those who see in every problem a chance for profit, or can be sold on someone else’s scheme to profit.

In fact there are so many flaws in our government in 2024 that it overwhelms the average citizen and either paralyzes them or makes them cynical. People who like the game of politics as played are probably in it for the wrong reasons.

So at WRWK we will be working to find and bring you the stories of average heroes who could live among you. People who decided to be a part of the solution.

If you already follow us you know that our content is full of genuine problem solvers. This spring we will also work to bring you more of the playbook side.

The Bottom line is still that in our 50 to 100 years here, we can either help improve things or do nothing, or get in the way.

At WRWK we choose to be useful.

My motto is to “vote early and often”.

We can also vote for the world we want with every dollar we spend and everything we do. At least the world around us will get a little better.

Ron

TheWorkFM

https://geography101.blogs.bucknell.edu/2018/12/09/externalized-costs-a-capitalism-crisis

Following the lead of Jack Schuler, we could all take the Lincoln Pledge:

THE LINCOLN PLEDGE​

With malice toward none

With an open mind and an open heart

I pledge to follow the better angel of my nature

In order to secure a lasting American future

To deeply listen to the other side

To do all that I can to bridge

The current political divide

I seek not to persuade

I seek only to share

How much I care

you will find the Lincoln Pledge here

https://www.jackschuler.com/about-1-1

Or

Let’s make the Holidays Great again by not passing the debt on to our kids.

The holidays we think of at this time of year , were actually celebrated thousands of years before any religions claimed them. Even to primitive life forms, sunlight means warmth and food. And just as surely, early humans noticed the sun’s motion and prepared for days with less sun, and looked forward to longer days when life re-emerged.

Civilization has made astounding progress in the last few hundred years, by capturing and using millions of years of stored sunlight. It has made us materially powerful but not any wiser.

In fact we are headed back into the climate that millions of years of capturing carbon took us out of. While many of us understand what is happening, the habits of extravagant energy consumption run deep in our lives, and in our built environment. Those habits even affect our responses to the changes we know are needed. This makes all of us passive bystanders as our civilization collides with the “climate tax”, climate refugees and the usual crisis carpet baggers.

As we face the changes ahead, we recall the stages of Grief (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-stages-of-grief):

Denial.

Anger.

Bargaining.

Depression.

Acceptance.

Whatever stage you find yourself on at any moment, realize that everyone else was on that energy binge and will be in one of those stages too. We were all victims and perpetrators, and we need to reach deep into our holiday spirit to help each other make it through the post-binge slump.

No wonder MAGA resonated with so many people: the era of “Great” came out of our children’s inheritance. This also explains the popularity of Jewish, Moslem and Christian Death Cults in these “Last Days” of our energy binge.

It will get easier as the deniers lose credibility but distractors and carpet-baggers are always there to turn social losses into personal profit.

Be generous but avoid the “Great Again” myth. We all had a good time, now we can clean up our mess, move on, and make way for the solutions of 2024 . The solutions must include care for the generations that will inherit what we leave behind.

It’s a great time to practice the holiday spirit that helps us all get through the lean times.

Happy Holidays!

(from https://terikanefield.com/can-democracy-work-in-america-part-1-there-are-no-yankees-here/

“The Misinformation-Outrage Cycle, Part 1: “There are no Yankees here!”

Plato argued that democracy was inferior to other forms of government, including monarchy, aristocracy, and oligarchy because democracy—by its very nature—undermines the expertise necessary for good governance. This is summary of Plato’s thoughts is from the Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy:

Most people do not have the kinds of intellectual talents that enable them to think well about the difficult issues that politics involves. But in order to win office or get a piece of legislation passed, politicians must appeal to these people’s sense of what is right or not right. Hence, the state will be guided by very poorly worked out ideas that experts in manipulation and mass appeal use to help themselves win office.

Democracy requires an educated population able to analyze the implications of government policies. It requires voters to look beyond their own interests and consider the interests of society as a whole. It requires people who are aware of the appeal of a demagogue and can withstand that appeal.

This cannot happen if people do not have accurate information.

The British philosopher A.N. Whitehead famously commented that the history of Western thought “consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.”

This brings us to the question: Will America prove Plato wrong? Or will America’s experiment in self-governance prove to be another footnote to Plato?”

Link to Teri’s site, the rest of this article and all her work:

I intend to make the most aspirational idea in Human History Work.

That’s why I am at TheWorkFM.

Ron

2023 is the year for change, not that anyone wants change but that we need to change or we’ll destroy the place and each other.

The second world war demonstrated how much damage a few anti-social types in powerful positions can create.

At that time there were reasons for chosing powerful uncaring people. As my dad used to say Hitler was a german solution to run-away inflation. Desparate people do desparate things, and once you get used to collateral damage, genocide is just around the corner.

Humans are social animals, we work well in groups covering for each other in more and more complex ways, one the next thing you know we have created computers, airplanes, medicine, art, websites about almost anything.

Our Mirror Neurons make civilization possible just as our reptilian hindbrain keep us a few bad days away from the next conflict.

No two ways about it, War is out of style, no longer useful. Like the gold rush and the rush to bitcoin, converting or killing for your man-in-the-sky.

Life is about life, we are either helping or we are not. That is how humans need to keep score.

In 20, 30, 40,90 years we will all yield back our physical forms and leave behind only what we have worked for.

Let’s try to be useful.

Ron

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