reposted by annieli

It can be very disheartening to contemplate the state of the world, these days. Climate change, growing wealth inequality, civil rights erosion, violence, violence and more violence. As a practitioner of bearing witness, it all gets overwhelming and can lead to despair, unless I find beacons of light. One of the beacons I've found is Evo Morales of Bolivia. If you're not aware of him, he is the first indigenous president of Bolivia. That would be notable, in and of itself, but he has represented so much more than a demographic token. He's now a leading voice in a worldwide coalition for a sustainable future. Something he calls "Vivir Bien."

The concept of vivir bien (live well) defines the current climate change movement in Bolivia. The concept is usually contrasted with the capitalist entreaty to vivir mejor (live better). Proponents argue that living well means having all basic needs met while existing in harmony with the natural world; living better seeks to constantly amass materials goods at the expense of the environment.
This isn't just a vague "feel good" philosophy. It is a set of principles to live by and guide public policy. Let's take a look at what those principles are, how they've been applied in Bolivia and how they are being adopted beyond Bolivia, along with some of President Morales' personal background.

Peace be with the survivors of all those who were murdered on 9/11 and with all others who still suffer or will suffer due to terrorism, including those who, may we not forget, live under inhumane, overcrowded, and unjust conditions that can give rise to the terrorism of the desperate in a wasteful, burning world kept safe for capitalism and dependent on for-profit production and distribution of fossil fuels by the largest, most expensive, and most deadly terrorist group in world history,

Anti-Capitalist Meetup: 3 suggestions for the great labor of love, articulating a viable socialism

By Galtisalie
Sunday Sep 04, 2016 · 6:01 PM EDT

Years before the nearly successful Bernie Sanders run for the presidency, one did not need too keen eyesight to see the need and opportunity. There was nothing new about the need and opportunity. The need and opportunity existed a century ago every bit as much as it exists today.

What Sanders did that could be called innovative was made possible because he consciously tried to learn from the political failures of his hero, Eugene V. Debs. If you haven’t already watched Sanders’ Debs film, please do so at some point during this election cycle. I think that having done so assumptions by some on the left about Sanders’ political naivete or cravenness may lessen.

IIRC one of the more stable and autonomous entities during the awfulness of the Chinese Cultural Revolution was the relative stability of the banking sector and the military, specifically there were reports about how the science/technology sector was exempt from the chaos in the streets.

While this has been the case as well for many industrial nations throughout their histories, the relative stability of banking institutions and their analysis in times not associated with capitalist panics  bears reflection given the redirection of neoliberal economies and in anticipation of major capital projects.

After the expected defeat of at least one nationalist political party soon, the future question emerges on how neoliberalism can be defeated and socialized structures given greater sway / suasion, given “new angles” as Stigliz has opined. Are financial institutions a social institution that must better reflect human needs rather than the parasitism of their relative autonomy.

I’ve heard talk that a political realignment in this country may be in the offing, result of the breakdown of the alliance between social conservatives, right-populists, and the part of big business that doesn’t much pretend to care about looking human. For a long time, that part of the business elite had little trouble wrangling the other two elements into line by hiring politicians who mixed a palatable cocktail of religion, nationalism, and economic “freedom”.

“Trump’s suicide mission is ultimately about something much larger than his own presidential campaign, and also much larger than demographic clichés about the declining white majority.”

Donald Trump Loves Gold, as a Matter of Home Decor and Monetary Policy 

So what does he do with all his dough? Known for opulent and garish taste, candidate Trump has embraced conspicuous consumption. And boy, does he like gold. Indeed, he has shown enthusiasm for returning to the gold standard. “There is something very nice,” he said, “about the concept” of having a “solid” country filled with money backed by bullion.

Shock Doctrines in 2016 are at work in the current historical context and its appeals for “law and order” are more about shock and awe in their discourse, however constructed. Emergencies caused by natural or cultural events and whether as states or of states can over-determine the use of remediation force and justice often takes a subordinate place when political expediency reigns.