There is a quote from Stokely Carmichael that’s been on my mind lately.

 “Our major preoccupation is not destroying capitalism. Our major preoccupation is creating the type of system that will be diametrically opposed to capitalism.”

And what I take from that quote is the recognition that capitalism does not work for us. Yes it works for some, even in some instances it works for many, but it leaves so many more without. It’s very nature, its essence, are written in the stone foundations of its name, Capital. Not labour, not effort, not support, not community, capital. Capital. Those who have managed to accumulate the financial wealth in the system and to help that grow. Yes, there will be some with some smaller amounts of capital that can grow that into some more, but owning a house is nothing compared to owning the roads, the food, the schools, the hospitals, everything the community needs to survive. They own what we need and through that essentially own us. Is that very different from how it began?

Back in our ancient times the tribal leader, being able to tell us what to do, who to fight, giving permission who to marry, who can do this who can do that. The tribes expanding, defeating other tribes, becoming kingdoms, becoming nations, becoming empires. And in all that time, who did the fighting, the dying, the working, the suffering so that those leaders, those kings and queens, those with all the capital could keep it? Do I have to tell you? Is it that much different to today? The Billionaire CEO, who looking at the company books, and despite making a decent profit, needs something to make it just a bit more to earn his multi-million bonus for the year, so he fires 5,000 people. And who has to work out how to pay their bills? Has to work out how to feed, how to clothe, how to house the kids? Not the CEO. Not the one with all the capital. That’s the system, that’s not what works for us.

But what about a system for us, the people, working together to make something better. Where the people who truly contribute are valued, where those who have been discarded are taken care of, where each and every child has an equal chance of becoming who they want to be? How could we afford it? In a world with several thousand Billionaires who control fortunes in the Trillions you cannot tell me there isn’t enough resources in this world for a system like that. But how do we build a system like that? Can we build a system like that? I don’t know, but I’m sure Stokely would like to see us try.

-Marissa Klotzbucher, Thoughts and comments for public consumption