"Saving Capitalism from Itself"
BY PHILIP KOTLER and CHRISTIAN SARKAR Trump’s dismantling of America’s public institutions is not just about governance. It is about who we are as a people. Do we believe in a shared inheritance—our parks, our schools, our justice system, our history—or do we surrender them to power, profit, privatization, and propaganda? Trump’s second term is … Continue reading Trump’s Institutional Destruction: Ending Democracy in the USA
BY THEO VELDSMAN, University of Johannesburg There is a growing incidence of toxic leadership in organisations across the world. This is clear from anecdotal evidence as well as research which suggests that one out of every five leaders is toxic. My own research shows that closer to three out of every ten leaders are toxic. This … Continue reading How toxic leaders destroy people as well as organisations
BY Rebekkah Markey-Towler, The University of Melbourne On his first day back in office as United States president, Donald Trump gave formal notice of his nation’s exit from the Paris Agreement – a vital global treaty seeking to rein in climate change. Before signing the order, Trump declared his reasons to an arena of cheering supporters, … Continue reading Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement. Here’s why that’s not such a bad thing
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR Is your business degenerative? Is it following the well-thumbed playbook of corporate crapitalism? Here’s an undeniable truth: most businesses are degenerative. They exploit, extract, and destroy – decimating the Common Good. Let’s confront the ugly reality of how most companies operate: 1. You Can’t Kill Your Customer and Call It Value Creation … Continue reading Crapitalism and the Degenerative Enterprise
BY AMY COOTER President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed that once he takes office he plans to declare a national emergency and use the military on American streets to accomplish his promises to round up and deport millions of undocumented migrants. Many experts’ concerns about this program have included the facts that immigrants contribute enormous value … Continue reading As Trump touts plans for immigrant roundup, militias are standing back, but standing by
BY PHILIP KOTLER and CHRISTIAN SARKAR Predicting the winner of a U.S. Presidential election is especially hard in this election year. The candidates are running close to 50-50 and voters are highly polarized. The two candidates have extremely different views of what is the Common Good. So we choose not to make a prediction. However, we … Continue reading Who Will Win the U.S. Presidency in 2024?
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR Has capitalism taken us over the cliff? And why can’t we stop? Marjorie Kelly‘s most recent book, Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises is one of the most important explanations of how wealth and power have created an unlivable world and sacrificed the future for … Continue reading Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises [Book Review]
BY RICHARD ESKOW The real goal of billionaire-funded Social Security rhetoric is to prevent the public from drawing a connection between Social Security’s finances, the working-class retirement crisis, and the ludicrous amounts of wealth held by America’s billionaires. Consider the billionaire. I’m not talking about people who were born into wealth; they have their own issues. … Continue reading Why Billionaires Hate Social Security
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR, PHILIP KOTLER, ENRICO FOGLIA In our book – REGENERATION: The Future of Community in a Permacrisis World, we point out that in the US today, we see that our politicians can’t even stand up to the NRA, let alone address climate collapse. Instead, they distract us with culture wars and fake controversy – banning books, … Continue reading Does Your Government Care? A Citizen’s Checklist for Regenerative Government
BY – STANLEY F. STASCH From the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, ordinary people in the United States enjoyed a tremendous increase in their prosperity. It was the highest level of prosperity the world had ever experienced, and it resulted in the creation of the great American middle class. That period was immediately followed by the … Continue reading The U.S. Government’s Program Of Welfare For The Wealthy
BY JULIA CONLEY Releasing a new study showing that world governments spend at least $1.8 trillion annually to subsidize activities which worsen the climate crisis, global subsidies experts on Thursday said leaders must eliminate or redirect the financial supports as part of an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework at an upcoming summit in China. The B Team … Continue reading Humanity Subsidizing ‘Our Own Extinction,’ Warns Study
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR and PHILIP KOTLER As the dust settles from COP 26, the world is left with a sense of deep dread. The numbers don’t add up. And our billionaires are busy either rigging democracy or planning to run off to Mars. But what if there was something constructive the four horsemen – Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, … Continue reading “Make the Sahara Green Again” – Elon, Jeff, Bill, and Zuck?
BY Betsy Weatherhead, University of Colorado Boulder With the United Nations’ climate conference in Scotland turning a spotlight on climate change policies and the impact of global warming, it’s useful to understand what the science shows. I’m an atmospheric scientist who has worked on global climate science and assessments for most of my career. Here are … Continue reading The science everyone needs to know about climate change, in 6 charts
BY Matthew Shillito, University of Liverpool Many of the world’s richest and most powerful people are in the spotlight for the wrong reasons – again. The Pandora papers is the third and largest leak of documents in which the secret financial practices of the wealthy are exposed in the media. They highlight mass tax avoidance and … Continue reading Pandora papers: media rage at billionaire tax cheats ignores Boris Johnson’s failure to reform tax havens
BY PHILIP KOTLER & CHRISTIAN SARKAR The cover of the May 20, 2020 issue of Forbes magazine carries a picture of Larry Ellison, billionaire founder of Oracle Corporation. On page 114, there’s a Billionaires Index that runs six more pages in very small print. The following becomes clear: Almost every country has billionaires. Even Venezuela and … Continue reading Why Can’t Billionaires Advance the Common Good?
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR and PHILIP KOTLER In our work on cultural narratives, we’ve proposed that cultural narratives create meaning for our place in the world, and provide a map for the journey ahead. The structure of a cultural narrative can be diagrammed as follows: In politics, the structure of a cultural narrative becomes an ideological framework for living … Continue reading Biden vs. Trump: A Tale of Two Narratives
BY JESSICA CORBETT In a new video from The Intercept, author and activist Naomi Klein explains how the Trump administration and other governments across the globe are “exploiting” the coronavirus outbreak “to push for no-strings-attached corporate bailouts and regulatory rollbacks,” and urges working people worldwide to resist such efforts and demand real support from political … Continue reading ‘We Know This Script': Naomi Klein Warns of ‘Coronavirus Capitalism’ in New Video Detailing Battle Before Us
Musician David Hinds is the founder and front-man for Steel Pulse, the world’s leading reggae band. For over forty years, Hinds and the band has brought conscious music and a message of equality to fans all around the world. Now, with the timely release of Mass Manipulation, their first album in over fifteen years, Hinds is back with a message of … Continue reading “Justice through Music” – An Interview with David Hinds from Steel Pulse
BY BRENDAN BARRETT, Osaka University Walking down the high street of a place described as one of the UK’s most ethical towns, the first thing you notice is the absence of national chain stores and fast food outlets. Instead, you find a diverse mix of independent shops selling organic food, clothes, art, antiques and furniture, as … Continue reading Demise of Totnes pound won’t stop this English town pushing back against austerity
By PHILIP KOTLER – Donald Trump drew many followers based on believing that the next President should be a business leader, not another run-of-the-mill politician. Business leaders understand the real world, work well with people, know how to manage payroll, are decisive, and get things done. Now we have enough information about Trump’s past business … Continue reading Is Trump a Fake Business Leader?
by PHILIP KOTLER – Revolutions occur when the income and wealth gap between the rich, the middle class and the poor reaches a boiling point. We may be near the boiling point. This gap launched the Russian Revolution of 1917. Social injustice led to Castro’s takeover of Cuba and Mao Tse Tung’s takeover of China. The picture … Continue reading What To Do About The Growing U.S. Income Gap Between The Rich And Everyone Else
by PHILIP KOTLER and CHRISTIAN SARKAR – For some time now we’ve been saying that the wheels have fallen off our democracy. Things aren’t looking good around the world. The Guardian reports the world’s 26 richest billionaires own as many assets as half the planet. 26 plutocrats own as much wealth as 3.8 billion people. Welcome to serfdom. And … Continue reading The Flywheel of Corruption: Why Our Democracy Isn’t Working
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR – Renowned U.S. Artist Ron English has started a protest wall project down at the border with Mexico. In response to Trump’s push for a border barrier, he’s decided to build his own wall – a “Welcome Wall.” The Mexican American “Welcome Wall” will be a 2000 ft long physical wall along the US/Mexico … Continue reading Will You Help Artist Ron English Build a “Welcome Wall”?
BY PHILIP KOTLER – No democracy is perfect. Some democracies work better than others. Swiss democracy works well. Canada’s democracy works pretty well. American democracy has fallen on hard times. In 2016, I published Democracy in Decline in which I cite many problems and solutions. We have voter suppression and low voter turnout. We let politicians choose their … Continue reading “Let Us Fix American Democracy”
BY JON QUEALLY – “I mean we can talk for a very long time about all these stupid philanthropy schemes… But we’ve got to be talking about taxes. That’s it. Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion.” While the private jets have mostly left the airport outside of Davos, Switzerland following the … Continue reading Historian’s Advice to Davos Elite Worried About Pitchforks: ‘Stop Talking About Philanthropy’ and Start Paying Higher Taxes
BY PHILIP KOTLER – The low-income working class is one of the largest groups in America. You can spot its members working at Wal-Mart or McDonalds, in large or small factories, in clerical jobs, and toiling in agricultural areas. This group includes single individuals, unmarried co-habitors, married childless couples, and families. The common denominator is that they … Continue reading The Suffering Working Class – What Can Be Done?
BY MARK BLESSINGTON – The US has high income inequality compared to other large economies. While income inequality in the US is close to China, it is rising in the US while declining in China. Many studies use the Gini statistic to measure income inequality. A Gini of 100% represents maximum income disparity, and a Gini … Continue reading What Drives US Income Disparity?
BY PHILIP KOTLER – Donald Trump was elected U.S. President one year ago. He gave his first State of the Union address on January 31, 2018, lauding all the positives of his record. But what has he actually accomplished? What damage has he done? What role has been played by his personality quirks? Trump attracts both lovers … Continue reading Trump’s One-Year Scorecard
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR Alba’s Dream (2017) The public has not forgotten Puerto Rico, and neither has Patrick McGrath Muñiz. After experiencing Harvey in Houston, and witnessing Hurricane Maria passing over Puerto Rico and Irma in Florida, where most of his family and friends live, the issue of climate change has become even more personal for the … Continue reading Lamentations: Disaster-Capitalism, Puerto Rico, and the Art of Patrick McGrath Muñiz
BY PHILIP KOTLER – We all grew up in a world of work. To live, we had to work. And there was much work to do. We trusted that there will always be jobs requiring workers. Today a new disruption has taken place in our job picture. The robots are coming! Most of us were not well … Continue reading Life, Death, and Taxes in a Jobless World
BY PHILIP KOTLER – The answer to the question depends on who you ask. CHRISTIAN SARKAR Capitalism Works For Me! True/False, 2011 (aluminum and electrical) by Steve Lambert How well is American Capitalism working? The answer to the question depends on who you ask. If you ask America’s corporate executives, their answer is that American … Continue reading How Well is American Capitalism Working?
BY PHILIP KOTLER – This country badly needs serious and comprehensive tax reform but it is not likely to get it. The Republicans couldn’t get health reform or immigration reform and they are not likely to get tax reform. Their bills are always flawed by insisting on proposals without Democratic participation. Although the Republicans have … Continue reading The Nightmare of Tax Reform
BY CHRISTIAN SARKAR – Even as Houston slowly recovers from Hurricane Harvey, there’s a buzz at the Art Car Museum on Heights Boulevard. Trump THIS! is a thought-provoking exhibition to say the least. It’s the 12th Annual Open Call exhibition… READ all about it in the Huffington Post >>
PHILIP KOTLER – Here is a brief manifesto for our priorities, if we mean to save Democracy in the USA. Free-market capitalism has subverted our democracy. The growth of income inequality has undermined the American Dream. Increasing polarization has destroyed our unity as a nation. The plutocracy must end. We need to produce wealth for … Continue reading A Manifesto for Just Capitalism
BY DIMITAR SABEV – From its very beginning marketing enhanced economic growth by provoking and channelling consumption, and in many cases this has been socially beneficial. There is growing evidence that the social and economic system based on the premise of constant and rapid growth has breached its limits. Consumption has to decouple from economic growth … Continue reading Consumption, Economic Growth And The Future Of Marketing
BY PHILIP KOTLER – Among the millions of products and services produced each year, there is a group loosely called ‘sin’ products. Think of “alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana” as major sin products. Think of “prostitution services” as a ‘sin’ service type. Think of recent efforts to discourage the consumption of soft drinks, candy, and packaged … Continue reading Should Government Put a Tax on ‘Sin’ Products and Services?
By PHILIP KOTLER – Why is it that in a rich country like the U.S., poverty continues to affect 50 million citizens, about 15 percent of our citizens? At the other end, the top 0.1% of our citizens receive 40% of all income and own 40% of all our wealth. Numerous studies show that our … Continue reading Is Universal Basic Income Inevitable?
BY PHILIP KOTLER and CHRISTIAN SARKAR – For many years, Americans held a clear idea of the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. The Republicans were a party on the right, the Democrats a party on the left. But now the distinctions aren’t so clear. What went wrong? Neither party today is answering or … Continue reading Brand Confusion: What Do Our Political Parties Stand For?
By PHILIP KOTLER – We have had “Obamacare” and now the Republicans have fallen short in replacing it with “Ryancare” (a.k.a. “Trumpcare”). Both plans have their unforgiving and deep critics and enemies. I think that it is time to adopt the healthcare system that Canada and most other nations have: a single-payer healthcare system. A single-payer … Continue reading It’s Time For A Single-Payer Healthcare System
[Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Global Imperial Plutocratic/Kleptocratic Brave New Fantasyworld of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump] BY SCOTT DEWEY – As long as humans worship the trappings and display of power and wealth—as with celebrity, political power, military power, economic power—and they obviously do—there can be no democracy; democracy cannot … Continue reading Why We Worship False Idols, Always Have, And Always Will
BY PHILIP KOTLER The US has been downgraded in The Economist’s Democracy Index. It is now in the “flawed democracy” category. Donald Trump got elected as U.S. President on a platform that included a lot of changes that appealed to many people. Trump promised to “Make America Great Again” by bringing back the high paying jobs that had moved overseas … Continue reading The ‘Terrorist’ in the White House
BY PHILIP KOTLER & CHRISTIAN SARKAR – As President-Elect Trump and his “Corporate Cabinet” take over Washington – the American public will witness radical changes taking place in our institutions, policies, and regulations. These changes might undermine America’s position as the world’s leader over the past century. The billionaires and generals who make up Trump’s cabinet bring … Continue reading Are We Kissing Democracy Goodbye?
BY PHILIP KOTLER – America’s greatness was recently challenged by Donald Trump who asserted that the U.S. had lost its greatness. His campaign slogan was “Make America Great Again.” He claimed that only he and his party could restore the country’s greatness. This raises the question: How can we define where a country ranks in its “greatness?” I have long … Continue reading What would Make America Great Again? The Battle Between Two Definitions of Greatness
BY RALPH NADER – Even for a failed gambling czar, Donald Trump has been surprisingly quick to show his hand as he sets the course of his forthcoming presidency. With a reactionary fervor, he is bursting backwards into the future. He has accomplished this feat through the first wave of nominations to his Cabinet and … Continue reading Trump Trumpets His Real Plans
By ROBERT WEISSMAN “Trump has converted the GOP into a populist working-class party,” Trump advisor and far-right economist Stephen Moore told Republican members of Congress at a caucus meeting. Well, advisor Moore, meet the Trump transition team. The leader of the would-be populist working-class party has invited rogues’ gallery of insiders—corporate lawyers, investment fund managers, … Continue reading What Populism? Trump’s America Is Party Time for the Corporate Elite
Philip Kotler’s upcoming book – Democracy in Decline: Rebuilding its Future describes 14 symptoms of a sick democracy: #1. Voter Literacy & Turnout #2. Quality of Political Leadership #3. Exceptionalism #4. Public Trust #5. Gridlock #6. Money in Politics #7. Gerrymandering #8. Extremist Primaries #9. The President vs. Congress #10. Federal vs. State Governments #11. Supreme Court vs. … Continue reading Democracy in Decline: An Interview with Phil Kotler
Where did the wheels come off our Democracy? by Christian Sarkar John Ehrenreich is an American author, academic, and clinical psychologist who has published books on health policy, US social policy, and US history. He is the author of Third Wave Capitalism: How Money, Power, and the Pursuit of Self-Interest have Imperiled the American Dream … Continue reading Third Wave Capitalism – An Interview with John Ehrenreich
BY MARK BLESSINGTON I long for a reemergence of an FDR-like era. FDR was a no compromise Democrat. He was even willing to take on the Supreme Court. It happened before, and it can happen again, if we push hard enough. I’m not ready to give up on the USA yet. For me, Hillary Clinton represents giving up … Continue reading No-Compromise: Why We (The People) Can’t Take It Anymore
An interview with Stuart L. Hart – “the pioneer of sustainable business.” Hart is one of the world’s top authorities on the implications of sustainable development and environment for business strategy. He is currently the Grossman Chair of Sustainable Business at the University of Vermont. Previously, Hart founded sustainable MBA programs at Cornell, UNC, and … Continue reading Capitalism at the Crossroads: An Interview with Stuart Hart
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