I am working with Occupy Greensboro (NC) which is just getting started and organized. We even managed to make the
news last night</a> (I'm the guy in the red shirt). As usual, the press starts out comparing us to the Tea Party, and commenting that we are mad at someone but don't know who or why.
So, I need your help to counter this meme.
I am hoping to steal a great idea from the protesters of the 60s and stage some teach ins. The idea is to help people understand HOW they are being screwed, by whom, and counter-arguments that can be used when Zombie Lies(tm), Fox/Rove/Norquist talking points and mindless bumper-sticker truthiness, conservative myths are spouted in their presence.
Areas I hope to cover are: Basic economics/high finance (I have asked 30 people at random if the understand how short selling works and so far only one person did), our political system, basic civics, basic tax policy, progressive taxation, "at will" employment, what the Bill of Rights does and doesn't cover, the
Citizen's United decision, critical thinking, etc.
The idea is to have people who can understand the problems, and articulate cogent solutions.
Yeah, big job, I know.
What I ask from my fellow DUers is all the various conservative BS you have heard, spurious arguments, faulty logic, deceptive framing, dishonest math, lies of omission, etc, along with any rebuttals you have made or heard.
For example:
Deceptive Framing: Half of all Americans don't pay taxes.
Truth: While many Americans do not pay income tax, they still pay payroll taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes, excise taxes, property taxes (directly or indirectly).
Zombie Lie: Tort reform would reduce insurance rates, by cutting down on frivolous lawsuits and outrageous damage award.
Truth: Tort reform has been tried in Florida and had negligible effect on insurance rates. Worse, some doctors dropped their malpractice insurance since they believed few people would sue them, and if the were sued, they could declare bankruptcy and avoid paying judgments.
Lie of Omission: Health insurance companies pay 85 cents out of every dollar on medical care.
Omitted Truth: Medicare pays 92 cents out of every dollar on medical care.
I hope to develop some "mini-curriculums" which could then be passed along to other groups for similar use. Perhaps complex topics broken down into bite-sized chunks.
In order to fight ignorance, we must be able to recognize it. While the truth may set you free, being able to recognize a lie for what it is will keep you out of bondage in the first place.
If I might shamelessly plead for recs, I would like to get as much response to this request as possible. I think it could produce some useful tools.
<Silly Dragnet riff that will go over the heads of anyone under 40>This is the city: Washington, D.C. There are thousands of lies out there. When the lies undermine our democracy, we step in. We carry the truth.
</Silly Dragnet riff that will go over the heads of anyone under 40>Thanks!