“Debating” All The Way From L To P
by Donella Meadows
— October 5, 2000 —
I wish everyone would stop calling them “debates.”
Even back when the League of Women Voters first televised confrontations between presidential candidates, they weren’t debates. At best they were stiff, unnatural political discussions. Now that the two major political parties run them, they are carefully controlled soundbite gotcha matches. Like most everything about our campaign [...]
Getting Beyond the Choice Between Tweedledum and Tweedledee
by Donella Meadows
— August 3, 2000 —
The complaints continue to pour in:
“Why are you writing columns supporting Ralph Nader? How can you actively aid and abet the election of that dolt Bush? You can think better than that.”
And so does the applause:
“I believe that you will never regret voting on the basis of your conscience, and neither will I.”
On the [...]
Rhetoric About Taxes, Facts About Taxes
by Donella Meadows
— April 27, 2000 —
I’m not sure how or when our political arena became so infested with dubious “facts.” However it happened, we ordinary citizens don’t have time to separate the truth from the barrage of falsehoods. So I am grateful for public-interest research groups that watch the numbers for us.
One of the best is Citizens for Tax [...]
Deeply Saddened by the State of the Union
By Donella Meadows
–January 29, 1998–
Like many Americans, I snapped this week. Snapped off the TV. And the radio, even venerable NPR. “Shut up!” I yelled. “I don’t want to hear this!”
I stomped around delivering my own gloomy state of the union address to myself. Then I realized that I was not the one who needed to hear it. This is [...]
Welfare for Politicians Could Help the Welfare of the Rest of Us
By Donella Meadows
–May 20, 1997–
My dear fellow Americans,
A recent New York Times/CBS poll says that 89 percent of us think our political campaign system should be fundamentally changed. Just eight percent of us think it needs only minor tinkering. (The option “no change, our campaigns work splendidly” was not even offered as a choice.)
We’re not dummies.
According to the poll 68 [...]
