As I am writing this edition of our Tipping Point Game for Changing Our Frame of Mind, we are currently witnessing, via "death panels", the perfect example of how the Status Quo is borrowing old tricks and pulling rabbits out of the hat when it comes to health care reform.
By appealing to the baser instincts of their constituents, the Old Guard seems to have successfully bullied and intimidated those leaders who claimed they were dedicated to changing the way our government works.
If this is all it takes to cave their determination, what will happen when matters of greater consequence are debated?
Remember how George W. Bush used to distract us with his confusing double-talk and poor grammar? While everyone got all upset and emotional about the gibberish that was being said, Dick Cheney and his cronies were busily working behind the scenes, organizing outrageous schemes under the table. By the time everyone figured out what was going on, it was too late. The damage had already been done and a course was set that led us to the place where we are now.
They were following the Sacred Cow that has supported innumerable acts of war, poor planning and bad decisions:
"Use distraction and fear to get what you want."
What would have happened back then if we had stayed focused on what was important and let cooler heads prevail? Would we have spent trillions of dollars fighting a war that should never have happened in the first place?
Now, years later, we seem to be letting the same thing happen again. Will we actually allow hysterics to distract us from a moral responsibility that has been left in the ditch for too long?
Think of your own life. How often do you get distracted from the real issue by cheap theatrics and emotional outbursts from certain people who have their own agenda? Can you stay focused on what's in your long term, best interests in spite of their behavior? What are they doing that is distracting you?
You don't have to give away your power to decide just because someone is behaving irrationally.
You can decide that going for solutions that benefit us all in the long run is preferable to succumbing to screaming and going for the short term solution that isn't really a solution at all.
You can support an underlying change in consciousness by looking at the Soul Contract Circle below and affirming these statements:
"I release my agreement to be distracted from what is important."
"I release any agreement I have to refuse to learn from the past."
"I release my agreement to make important decisions based on emotional reactions."
"I stop feeding the screamers with my attention and take affirmative action for the benefit of myself and my fellow human beings."
You can replace those old Sacred Cows with this:
"I now make a commitment to make sane and balanced decisions that are in my long term, best interests."
To understand how deeply these Sacred Cows have affected you, play the complete Tipping Game and help yourself shift into a whole new way of thinking.
Rheanni Lightwater © 2009
We are getting closer and closer to releasing our economic agreements with the Status Quo. However, before we're finished this particular series of Cow Tipping Games, we really must handle this major Sacred Cow accompanied by her siblings, because they would just love to keep us stuck in the mire of doubt, fear and cynicism:
This “big one” sets the playing field up so that the others can spread their misinformation and thinly veiled threats throughout the pasture, keeping people like us corralled into a scenario of doom and gloom. This manure creates thoughts in our heads, like these:
~ “You don’t know what you’re doing.” ~ “You obviously don’t understand.” ~ “You’re lost.” ~ “What if you make a mistake?”
Reclaim Your Faith in Yourself
The kind of thoughts that he is advocating have never led us in a positive direction, they take us right back to avoidance of our own power and being willing to settle for less. He would love us to believe:
“Things will never change, we might as well give up.”
“It’s too hard. We don’t have a chance – we’re screwed.”
“Let’s face it, there’s no way out.”
“I’m too scared to make a decision, make it for me.”
“I’m stuck, we’re stuck, the whole world is stuck.
We aren’t stuck; the Status Quo is stuck and we need to stop following the Status Quo. It feels really sticky and unpleasant, that’s true. However, the very fact that we’re feeling it so strongly means that we’re breaking away from it. Not only that, in the past, Mr. Cheney would have one of his minions do all this for him. He can't stay hidden in the shadows, because no one with any credability is left to shield him. This is not the time to give up!
Look at the Sacred Contract Circle to your right and let go of your personal, familial and cultural agreement to be lead around by fearmongering of the Status Quo. Tip the cow and make a new commitment to a change in direction. Not just any change, a real change that has freedom, peace and prosperity at its core.
Rheanni Lightwater Ccpyright 2009
Play all sixteen games!
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Creating a Tipping Point for Sustainable Economic Prosperity
The Status Quo is at it again - trying to blow the smoke of denial in our eyes. They would like us to rescue the Old Economy and bring back the old ways of manipulating commerce and unsustainable business practices.
What is actually required is to move forward and build the infrastructure for a New Economy based on sustainability, access and accountability. Yet the Sacred Cow that says, "Keep looking backwards" is front and center, stubbornly digging it's heels in to sabotage any real change.
Most people know in their heart of hearts that the old economy is dying. The Old Guard would love to feed the sense of hopelessness and fear with their carefully calculated doomsday predictions and the Media will gladly oblige.
What we can do to pull the plug on this kind of thinking is to turn our focus towards businesses and solutions that are being built now, rather than spending our precious resources on keeping the Titanic afloat.
We need to get the congressfolks names and start calling and emailing them -day and night if we have to- and then they will change their tunes. I don't know what is going on with some of our so-called democrats leaders, I mean it's like they think that they won the Presidency themselves, and they have even convinced themselves that the American People wants the the same ole Washington tactics and tricks.
Are they delusional or something?.
Long, long ago, the Status Quo established a particularly opportunist Sacred Cow to use whenever cornered by their own abuse of power. This collective agreement was bred and perpetuated into the people through the use of force and trauma to avoid responsibility, and it's being used now with the economy:
"Blame the Victim."
The way it often works is for the perpetrator to insist that they had no choice – they had to do whatever it was they did because of the victim. They don't want the economic recovery plan to help the people that need it the most. They think they are able to depend on compliance because the victims are so used to being abused, falling into the role almost automatically. A victim readily accepts blame because that is what they have been trained to do through repeated traumatic events.
The majority of these unconscious agreements are held in place by trauma.
By far, the biggest cause of trauma is war and the members of the old guard that perpetuate it. That’s why today’s Sacred Cows are:
"Treat people like commodities; use them up and then throw them away."
And
"Only weak people experience post-traumatic stress."
Filled with subdued humility, I see now that everything and anything is possible if you are willing to work for it.
Even those who lose worked hard to get to the point of losing.
The humbling part stems from the fact that substance is sill missing in a mass majority of our American Citizens. For instance, the grimeness of our economy is universal but most of us voted for the possilibilty of the continuation on the path we are on today. That alone significantly demonstrates the true nature of the society we live in. This observation all by itself is interwoven into the fabrics of what we know as America today. Hidden or openly displayed in the past, the last twenty months does give a clear picture of what is actually going on in the real America of today. I am glad however that I have without doubt today learned what I need to know about my surroundings and how to better relate to it. I hope the rest of you out there had a chance to see what the American Resume looks like these few months.
Congratulation to all who made it possible for America to be uplifted again and bring new hope to the global community.
MENATLLY FREED AT LASTMENTALLY FREED AT LAST THANK GOD ALMIGHT ..... DR MLK
YES WE CANYES WE DID
IT 'S NOW TIME TO WORK
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US TODAY
YES WE CAN DO IT TOOO
YES WE CAN
YES WE ALWAYS CAN DO.
The Country is Going Down HillThe Economy is BadGOP has more than a bad reputation
Why is McCain still a contenderWhy is Obama's Gap on McCain not widening astronomicallyWhy does McCain think he could pull it off as an “Under Dog” as he christians his campaign.
The answer is simpleRACISM is still alive and we have witnessed the shark feeding frenzy...... henity/limbaugh spicies
I'm still waiting to see the REAL America by tomorrow evening.
The African- American is “Elitist”The African-American is “Out of Touch” in AmericaThe African-American is “NOT a Real American”The African-American can “Raise Lots of Money”The African-American can “Out Spend” their counterparts 4 to 1The African-American is a “Terrorist” by proxyThe African-American is “Very Eloquent”The African-American is a “Socialist”The African-American is a “Wealth Distributionist”The African-American is “Ideologist”.....Alas by dusk.. The African-American is also the "Leader of the Free World"
Wow!!!Never knew the African-American was ALL These.
With all these extraordinary qualities, I'm sure the African-America can bring new insight to American and the world. NEXT TIME PAY ATTENTION TO HOW YOU PRAISE THE AFRICAN -AMERICAN BECAUSE RESILIENCE IS PART OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN 'S GENEOLOGY. Sometime's some good comes out of longtime endurance.
Very Humbling but Very Sweet Too!!
I'm glad I lived to see this day
"THANK GOD ALMIGHTY" .... Dr MLK
Several weeks ago I wrote a piece in opposition to the original Paulson bailout proposal. The plan, as the Bush Administration proposed it, was seriously flawed as its singular focus was to rescue the greedy investors that caused the mortgage meltdown in the first place.
I have the good fortune to be close friends with an economist who served in two presidential administrations. (Barack: call me. You should hire her. Seriously.)
She has a centrist economic philosophy with a heart that cares deeply about social justice. When she uses the word "immoral" below she means it because of the serious damage that bad policy does to vulnerable every day people. Here is part of an email that she sent to me:
Buying securities at their market value does nobody any good, because the banks could sell to anyone at their market value. The only way buying securities helps the banks is if the government overpays. And that’s exactly the same as writing Wall Street a check saying, “You made a bad investment? Here. I’ll give you the money to make it up to you.” Immoral, bad policy, and a colossal waste of government money to give away free money to the very last people on the planet – shareholders & management of Wall Street firms?! – who should be getting a subsidy. Paulson’s plan is absolutely to overpay for these securities and prevent housing prices from going down. He will overpay – he’s lying about that, deliberately – and he won’t be able to prevent housing prices from coming down because they WILL come down until real people can legitimately – with real mortgages – afford those houses again.His plan is going to be colossally expensive and ineffective. He’s spitting into the ocean and wasting trillions of our dollars to do it.Plus, it just prolongs the agony. This is one of those situations where the pain cannot be avoided. It can only be gotten over quickly or prolonged into ongoing agony. That’s the choice.Paulson is choosing ongoing agony for the economy and a handout to his pals on Wall Street. Worst of all possible outcomes. That’s what he’s doing.
Paulson’s plan is absolutely to overpay for these securities and prevent housing prices from going down. He will overpay – he’s lying about that, deliberately – and he won’t be able to prevent housing prices from coming down because they WILL come down until real people can legitimately – with real mortgages – afford those houses again.
His plan is going to be colossally expensive and ineffective. He’s spitting into the ocean and wasting trillions of our dollars to do it.
Plus, it just prolongs the agony. This is one of those situations where the pain cannot be avoided. It can only be gotten over quickly or prolonged into ongoing agony. That’s the choice.
Paulson is choosing ongoing agony for the economy and a handout to his pals on Wall Street. Worst of all possible outcomes. That’s what he’s doing.
I was thrilled to see Obama pivot on this to suggest a simpler, saner, more appropriate plan to unfreeze the credit markets, re-invigorate inter-bank lending, and get our economy moving again:
This suggestion has been tried before with much success.
Read more about Barack Obama's economic plan: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
As I wrote before, nothing about what we should be doing to helped distressed families and the overall economy has changed:
Tom Riendeau, Guilderland NY
On Huffington Post by Carl Bernstein:
Ayers and the McCain-G. Gordon Liddy Symbiosis
AMERICA 2000+
I was hoping for this day to arrive and it sure did.
My curiosity was driven by the question “What's the America we now live in like?”
Obviously we now know that the Jim Crow days are still here with America 2000
“Fight”
“Go get him!”.... A Senior Citizen at McCain's Town Meeting
“Take it to him..... I'm begging you!” ... Mike (an African American) WTMJ Milwaukee
“We are angry!”
“”Why do you think it is called the “White House”!”.... n... please a bumper sticker says
These are all that is coming from today Americans.
Zimbabwe is a third world
Mugabe syndrome as I see in America today is universal.
That day is come and now I am resolved and understand the America I now live in and the America I would ever live in.
Senator Obama
Please remind McCain that
(a) Ayers
( b) Wright
( c) Retsko
are not running in this election.
Would seem he has forgotten ....... not surprising at all.
Please focus him and America on the global financial collapse that is starring us in the face today.
All these other digressions are not what the next president would be facing.
Please help McCain put his priorities in place - ie America first ... “American Economy” is the work ahead. Ayers is not the work ahead. Ask him this simple question: Should Ayers or Wright be the first priority of the next American president. This should surely get him hurrying to shove the gloves where he brought them from.
Senator Biden
Sera is a dog with a different set of fleece.
She happens to be a woman, but this is politics and it is a hot kitchen.Your respect for her womanhood she has misinterpreted.
She's is smearing your nominee and you must check her now.
Here're a few tools
Sera uses her office for vendettas .... ( Alaska Troopergate)
Sera is what America gets if McCain does not wake up in the morning
Talking about inexperience from her, the simple thought of Sera becoming the president for a heart bit leaves America wide open for anything.
It's a scary thought.
You have the obligation Sir to remind America that Sera as president is a possibility.Is America ready for some governor that understands foreign policy as “They are our neighbors”.
They urge McCain to take the gloves off and go get Obama
McCain has no real answers to the economic debacle his party has perpetuated.
He would try to stir the debate to a “barber-shop” character spook show.
Stay cool as usual but bring him back to the center.... To what matters today.. The Financial fix up.
The debate is all yours because Wall Street DJIA has fallen to the 1930 levels.
That's how far backwards the republican party has set the clock for us.
... and they say “take the gloves off”.
Yes ask McCain to take the gloves off so that we can fight and control the financial melt down.
Let's see how he stews up on that.
That is the center.
This is his last chance to turn things around .
Tie him up with the Bush and the economy and he would be headed for the nursing home after the debate.
James ..... @ WTMJ Milwaukee
Mother nature blessed you with the wrong skin tone
I feel for you.
One thing you should consider is finding a quick way of leaving the planet so that you can work on negotiating for a different pigmentation.
What you have is undeserving of you and you need to do something about it.
It's very frustrating I can feel but you can take yourself out of the misery now for real.
I know with all the tools we have here on planet earth, it should be hard to accomplish.
Just pick your poison as the cliché goes.
You are a sorry excuse for WTMJ and I hope all people of the African descent should avoid your contamination by not tunning into your show.
Just don't understand what it means to be trapped under the wrong skin.
I feel for you James.
Kinda curious... James, how come you wear “earrings” on both ears. Anything we should know about going on in Milwaukee behind closed doors?..... Just a curious observation.
Information
Die Hard (Jim Crow ) Group make up 12% of voting population.
They vote at 72% ( ie Only 8.7% voting power in that block)
They are reliably effective at producing approximately 9% of the overall head count.
This effect though significant, can also be neutralized by the a substantial increase in the turnout of the 18-24 year block which currently performs poorly in coming out to vote on election day.
The challenge is to top the 12% from the Jim Croe group with 18-24 active participation.
We have our work cut out and that is what we need to do.
Please forward to all your friends. We have only a few days to get this work done.
Voting starts earlier before November 4th. Get your vote in before the end of October and help others get to vote.
Let's pile the numbers and show them that the people still can speak.
An important point that Barack needs to be making is that the top 5% of earners are getting the lions share of income. That is why he can significantly raise federal income tax revenue be only raising taxes on that top 5%.
Despite how many times Barack has stated that he will only raise taxes on that top 5%, many folks don't believe his intentions on taxes because they don't know the numbers. They think he will have to raise taxes on people of lesser income to get enough additional tax revenue.
Here are the numbers:
In 2006, the top 1% of wage earners earned 22.06% of all money earned (based on Adjusted Gross Income, AGI). The top 5% earned 36.66%. Note that this percentage has been going way up over time. Back in 1980, the top 5% "only" earned 21.01% of all income. In other words, they went from a bit over 4 times their "share" to over 7 times their "share".
The bottom 50% of all wage earners earned only 17.68% of all income earned in 1980. By 2006, this share was DOWN to only 12.51%. In other words, the bottom half went from 1/3rd of their share down to 1/4th.
One other interesting statistic. In 1980 the top 1% of taxpayers paid federal income tax at an average tax rate of 34.47%. In 2006, this rate had dropped to 22.79%
source
