Waking up from Eight Years of Illusion
By Donella Meadows
–January 19, 1989–
“If you let me write $200 billion a year in hot checks, I’ll give you an illusion of prosperity too,” said Lloyd Bentsen in last fall’s campaign. The question is what the nation will discover, when the illusion has passed and the real economic situation is reckoned. The time for that reckoning seems to be now.
Though [...]
The Disintegration of the Insurance System
By Donella Meadows
–January 12, 1989–
“Dear Member Insured:” said the letter from my health insurance company, “A year ago we wrote that rising medical costs and Plan usage meant serious rate increases. Unfortunately, the picture has not changed.”
“Yet you, along with the majority of our insureds, have kept your health care expenses to a minimum. Therefore, we have been able to [...]
Two Letters Across a Gulf
By Donella Meadows
–January 5, 1988–
“Dear Mrs. Meadows,
“Are you one of the people who really believe what you write, or are you one of those who are trying to dupe the public?
“Fortunately, it is no secret that the media IS biased and IS (to use the word) LIBERAL. Fortunately also, “grassroots” America hasn’t bought the bill of goods that you all [...]
The Future of the Army: Military institutions could be on the front lines in a very different kind of battle
By Donella Meadows
–Winter 1989–
The borders between differing groups do not always fall on national frontiers. Donella (Dana) Meadows, author of the classic Limits to Growthand a weekly newspaper column called “The Global Citizen,” ventured over one of these borders to meet a group of military planners charting the future for the U.S. Army. The result of this novel collaboration was a [...]
A Development Worth Watching
Costa Rica sets good example with its “Strategy for Sustainable Development”
By Donella Meadows
–Winter 1989–
After two years of research, Costa Rica has produced a remarkable national “Strategy for Sustainable Development.” Costa Rica already has a lot going for it – it is a fiercely democratic country, maintains no army, and spends the money that would go to the military on education and [...]
