Tikkun Rabbi Michael Lerner: War on Poverty Round Two — Theater, But Worth Noting… + Poverty RECAP

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Great news!

Congessman Keith Ellison, who represents Minneapolis/St Paul in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced a resolution in effect endorsing the NSP version of a Global Marshall Plan into the House of Representatives as H Res 439. It was referred to the Republican controlled Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. Please read the resolution below and send thanks to his legislative aide Vic Edgerton (contact information at end of post).

Many people have been talking about what a huge difference it would make in national discourse if Congressman Ellison were to run for the Democratic nomination for President in place of the tired and boring centrists like Sec. of State Kerry, former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, and vice President what's-his-name?

We don't take stands on elections, but we do know that this country badly needs a change in public discourse, and Keith Ellison as chair of the Progressive Caucus of the House of Representatives has shown himself to be a very powerful articulator of an alternative way of thinking to that presented by the apologists for the 1% of richest and most politically powerful people. And Congressman Ellison is one of the very few spiritual progressives to have name recognition nationally! And in the historical moment when Pope Francis is denoucning global capitalism and over a dozen states have passed laws legalizing gay marriage, don't be so sure that you (or the pundits) really know what is “realistic” and what is not!! Remember: YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS POSSIBLE TILL YOU SPEND YOUR TIME AND MONEY FIGHTING FOR WHAT IS DESIRABLE. Just saying….

Below is the Resolution:

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 11, 2013

Mr. Ellison submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION H Res 439

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a Global
Marshall Plan holds the potential to demonstrate the commitment of the
United States to peace and prosperity through poverty reduction in the
United States and abroad.

Whereas after World War II, the United States established a program to provide for the reconstruction of Europe, named after General George C. Marshall and commonly referred to as the “Marshall Plan”;

Whereas by providing assistance to Europe through the Marshall Plan, the United States recognized the direct link between economic growth and political stability;

Whereas in 1948, United States financial support of the Marshall Plan
represented a generous 13 percent of the Federal budget;

Whereas the Marshall Plan made possible new measures of international
cooperation by promoting European economic integration which has
enhanced the security, freedom, and prosperity of the United States and
the world;

Whereas the United States established foreign assistance programs, as prescribed by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, with a goal of the
“encouragement and sustained support of the people of developing
countries in their efforts to acquire the knowledge and resources
essential to development and to build the economic, political, and
social institutions which will improve the quality of their lives”;

Whereas in announcing the Millennium Challenge Account on March 15, 2002, President George W. Bush stated “The advance of development is a
central commitment of American foreign policy. As a nation founded on
the dignity and value of every life, America's heart breaks because of
the suffering and senseless death we see in our world. We work for
prosperity and opportunity because they're right. It's the right thing
to do.”;

Whereas the World Bank reports that 2,400,000,000 people worldwide live on less than $2 per day;

Whereas the United States has one of the highest levels of poverty among
industrialized countries;

Whereas the United States should also work toward improving the life of its own poorest population, as 15 percent live below the Federal poverty level;

Whereas 1,650,000 households in the United States are in extreme poverty, as defined by each person living on less than $2 per day;

Whereas there are more than 47,000,000 persons living on incomes less than the Federal Poverty Level, including nearly 11,000,000 African-American persons, nearly 2,000,000 Asian persons, and more than 13,000,000 Hispanic persons;

Whereas at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the United States joined more than 180 countries in committing to work toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to improve life for the world's poorest people by 2015;

Whereas more than halfway to the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals, major advances in the fight against poverty and
hunger have begun to slow or even reverse as a result of the global
economic and food crises, a progress report by the United Nations has
found;

Whereas empowering people in the United States and abroad to support themselves will provide a solid foundation for global economic recovery;

Whereas the economic gap between the rich and the poor is even greater today than it was following World War II, when the United States Congress
deemed the Marshall Plan essential to the security of the United States;
Whereas reducing poverty may assist in warding off harsh conditions that
extremists may exploit to rally support for political violence;

Whereas United States citizens and nongovernmental organizations have proposed a new Global Marshall Plan, including–

(1) providing increased funding to eliminate poverty, homelessness,
hunger, inadequate education, and health care domestically and globally in
addition to restoring the global environment;

(2) revising existing trade and other agreements in which the United
States is currently involved so that such agreements favor improving the
lives of the poor around the world, and approaching future agreements with like intent; and

(3) providing training to children and adults worldwide in techniques
of nonviolent communication, diversity, environmental sustainability,
family and parental support, stress reduction, emergency health techniques, diet and exercise, and caring for others who are in need of help; and

Whereas a Global Marshall Plan, embracing a strategy of generosity, would
reaffirm the United States commitment to ending global and United States
poverty: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that–

(1) the elimination of poverty and hunger should remain key foreign and domestic policy goals for the United States;

(2) a Global Marshall Plan holds the potential to transform development assistance in a manner that would significantly reduce poverty; and

(3) the President should implement a Global Marshall Plan to increase United States assistance towards the elimination of poverty.

[You can download the full version of the Global Marshall Plan at www.tikkun.org/GMP. ]

Sponsor Contact Information:

vic.edgerton@mail.house.gov or by calling Congressman Keith Ellison's office in Minnesota at

612-522-1212
Office hours:
M-F 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Central Tim
or call his Washington Office:
202-225-4755
Office hours:
M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central Time

Tweet Keith Keith actively uses Twitter and frequently interacts with constituents who send him questions or comments at @KeithEllison.

Phi Beta Iota: This is a well-intentioned meaningless resolution that will never be passed. In its present form the US Government is a money-laundering machine focused on transferring wealth from the 99% to the 1%, with the two-party tyranny as the primary corruption enabler. Over $2.5 trillion has been “laundered” in the “War on Poverty” to date, with similar amounts lost to the public in the “War on Drugs” and other endeavors.

International organizations, non-profits, and US charities are equally corrupt, with less than 20% of donated funds actually reaching a needy person, and more often than not, less than 5%. The United Nations and the Red Cross are particularly horrifying examples of large bureaucracies that are in the business of raising money, not the business of doing good.

This particular resolution is an excellent illustration of what happens when good people get trapped in a bad system. They flounder, and end up proposing new ways of doing the same old thing.

There is one and only one signal initiative that can save the USA from its present corrupt leadership: the Electoral Reform Act of 2014. If this is passed in 2014 and sets the stage for electing an honest open president leading a coalition team and foresaking the corruption that has gripped the Republic since the assassination of JFK, then America the Beautiful can get back on track.

We pray for such a happy occurence.

See Also:

ic.edgerton@mail.house.gov or by calling Congressman Keith Ellison's office in Minnesota at

612-522-1212
Office hours:
M-F 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Central Tim
or call his Washington Office:
202-225-4755
Office hours:
M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central Time

Tweet Keith Keith actively uses Twitter and frequently interacts with constituents who send him questions or comments at @KeithEllison.

Phi Beta Iota: This is typical Congressional theater and will go nowhere. Ellison is a good person trapped in a bad system. If and only if he connects with holistic analytics and understand that there is one and only one initiative that can rescue the Republic (the Electoral Reform Act of 2014), will he make a difference. The “War on Poverty” like other wars, is a means of transferring wealth from the 99% to the 1% via a very corrupt goverment in which the two-party tyranny is the central enabler of corruption.

It merits separate comment that all charities and non-profits focused on poverty, including the United Nations and the Red Cross, range from inept to dishonest. Most are in the business of raising money, not the business of doing good. 20% of donated funds reach the needy in the best cases, as little at 1% (Bono) to 5% (most others). We are just now getting to the point where humanitarian transparent open source technologies such as CrisisMappers and the EIN's concept of a Global Range of Gifts Table can come into play, eliminating the corrupt intermediaries in poverty aid.

What must be addressed beyond remediation is prevention. That requires an end to the corrupt two-party tyranny in the USA (and the corrupt two party political monopolies everywhere else) and a restoration of public charters and commissions for corporations as a mandate for honesty, not a license to steal.

See Especially:

Jon Rappoport: What Happened to $2.5 Trillion Allegedly Spent Against Poverty? Is Government a Giant Money-Laundering Scheme?

We the People Reform Coalition

4th Media: 80 Percent of U.S. Adults Face Near-Poverty, Unemployment

Anthony Judge: Is There Never Enough? Religious Doublespeak on Population and Poverty

Anthony Judge: Part II – Enabling Suffering through Doublespeak and Doublethink Indifference to poverty and retributive justice as case studies

Eagle: Economic Darwinism, the Next Financial Crisis, and the True Cost of Poverty

Eagle: Working Cannot Stop Poverty (Really)

Gordon Duff: Poverty in America – BBC versus Reality

Jean Lievens: Open Tech Challenges Proprietary, Relocalizes Manufacturing, Addresses Poverty

Josh Kilborne: 80% of US Adults Near Poverty, Relying on Welfare, or Are Unemployed?

Koko: 22% US Children in Poverty… + Poverty RECAP