Taking Action

All of these ideas are nothing but words if people don't take action to implement new policies. Most of us have spent our entire lives wanting things to be different while at the same time believing there is nothing we can do to change things. After all, what can one person without money and power do to fight against those who have it? Pretty much nothing.

But that situation has changed now. People around the world are rising up and demanding an end to social and economic injustice. Many thousands have already died for this cause. They died for our right to live in a fair and just society, for your rights, and the longer it takes to transform the world the higher the body count will be.

I'm not asking you to die for the cause. In fact, I encourage people to avoid situations where that is a real possibility. Demonstrations can send a powerful message, both to those in power and to those who discover that others share their same desire for change. But there are many other ways we can affect change without risking our lives or physical wellbeing. These include strikes, boycotts, sick-outs, letter writing and simply spreading the word. Wearing a button, displaying bumper stickers or signs placed in car windows, etc., can all help to remind people that the time for change has come.

I will leave organizing demonstrations up to people who choose to do that, but I am about to outline very specific things you can do which do not require demonstrations, yet will definitely change the world if enough people agree to do the same things. Here's the short list. Details follow.

      1) Take your money out of big national and international banks.
      2) Boycott Exxon-Mobil fuel till gasoline prices fall below $2 per gallon.
      3) Go on strike the first Friday of every month till all the policy changes outlined in the Dreamers Political Platform have been implemented.
      4) Support Ima Dreamer (a fictional character) for Vice-President.
      5) Wear something light blue at rallies, and make or buy Dreamers buttons, T-shirts, bumper stickers, signs, etc.
      6) Give free electronic copies of this publication to everyone you think might be interested.

Other than setting up a new bank or credit union account, all the actions listed above require practically no effort at all. If you want to change the world you have to do something to change it. If you would prefer to do other things, then do those things, but do something.

What I am suggesting here can change the world, with very little effort on your part. If you believe that, and can convince others to believe it too, we'll win. The world will become a much better place. If you do nothing, your lack of action will contribute to continued injustice. There is no escaping your own responsibility because what we do or don't do as individuals creates the world we live in. The future of the world truly is in your hands.

Political Action #1

Take Your Money Out of Big Banks.

The big banks helped create the financial collapse by gambling big in the derivatives market. They would have sent the world into total economic disaster if government hadn't bailed them out. Yet once they received the bail out money the management shelled out billions of dollars in bonuses, then turned around and foreclosed on millions of homes.

We can show them how much we appreciate their behavior by taking our money out of the big national and international banks and putting it instead in small local banks and credit unions, which generally have lower fees as well. If enough of us do that, the big banks won't be so big anymore. That will help prevent our ever needing to bail them out again, and it just plain feels good to know you are no longer supporting the people who caused the economy to collapse.

Political Action #2

Boycott Exxon-Mobil Fuel
till gas prices hit $2.00.

It is of critical importance to understand that the financial collapse of 2008 was proceeded by record high fuel prices. As individuals were forced to pay a larger amount of their discretionary income to buy fuel they were forced to reduce spending on non-essential products. This resulted in fewer sales for many businesses which in turn caused layoffs and people becoming unable to make their mortgage payments, which triggered the collapse of the housing market. With fuel prices again approaching record levels a similar pattern may be repeated and our fragile economic recovery is likely to fail. Things could end up even worse than before.

The big oil companies are making obscene profits in the billions of dollars while average consumers are struggling to make ends meet as a result of high gas prices. This is in spite of a surplus of available fuel and government subsidies of the oil industry. Part of the problem is caused by oil speculation in the financial markets. Investors predict that oil prices will be higher in the future, so they buy oil never intending to take possession of it. Instead they sell the oil again at a later date when they hope the price will be higher than what they paid for it. This practice is called speculation, and it drives up prices by as much as 20%. The same practice also occurs with other commodities and is responsible for much of the huge increase in food prices, which is devastating the lives of over a billion people worldwide.

This artificial inflation in prices could be prevented by forcing those buying oil and other commodities to take delivery of the product. That would mean if you buy a commodity, it has to be unloaded at a site where it can be processed before it can be sold again. This change in regulation is included in the Dreamers Platform for 2012.

But until such regulation is passed we can drive down oil prices by refusing to buy fuel from the largest oil company in the world, Exxon-Mobil, which made over $30 billion in profits in 2010.

If people stop buying gasoline from one oil company, that company will be forced to lower their price to encourage people to break the boycott. This will in turn force other oil companies to lower their prices in order to compete. The boycott will end once prices fall below $2 per gallon. If the price goes back up before the year 2015, the boycott starts up again.

Note that this boycott would only apply to fuel. Most convenience stores are small mom and pop operations who depend on sales inside the store for most of their income, and these people deserve our continued support.

Exxon-Mobil sells fuel through numerous retail outlets including Exxon, Mobil, Esso, some On The Run stations and many others. You may need to ask employees at convenience stores in your area which company supplies their fuel.

Lower fuel prices should not delude anyone into thinking we are not headed for a devastating decline in oil production, but short of manipulation by the oil industry, the supply should last long enough to keep fuel prices low for several more years. In the meantime we should move quickly toward developing more sources of renewable, non-polluting energy, particularly innovations such as creating hydrogen from water.

NOTE: The proposed Keystone pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico will simply make it possible for oil companies to ship North American oil to other countries overseas. If the project were actually intended to help Americans we would build a refinery near South Dakota instead. It should also be noted that the production of gasoline from oil sands creates massive amounts of pollution.

Political Action #3

Support Ima Dreamer for Vice-President of the United States
(or similar office in other countries).

Voting ballots in the U.S. list candidates for President and Vice-President together as a single choice. But you can vote for who you want as President, and someone else as Vice-President, if you MAKE BOTH SELECTIONS AS WRITE-INS.

We all know that only a Democrat or Republican can be elected President because the media deliberately ignores everyone else running for office. We don't want to waste our vote, so we have to choose the lesser of two evils. But, if we use the write-in space on the ballot we can not only vote for someone who can win as President, but also vote for an entirely different Vice-President.

Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce the next Vice-President of the United States, Ima Dreamer!

Ima Dreamer is a fictional character who doesn't exist, but he or she represents the political ideas expressed in The Dreamers Platform. A vote for Ima Dreamer is a vote for these ideas, and the number of people voting for these ideas will be made clear at the next national election. If a friend, reporter or pollster happens to ask who you intend to vote for, be sure to tell them Ima Dreamer for Vice-President, even if they don't ask that particular question.

Short of direct interference from the powerful elite, if millions of people vote for Ima Dreamer the media will be unable to ignore such results. The whole world will become aware of how popular these ideas are. If similar elections are held in other parts of the world, where people can still vote for who they want in important political office but have a chance to vote for Ima Dreamer elsewhere, that would make a statement across the globe.

So please tell your friends to write-in Ima Dreamer for Vice-President of the United States during the next election. Just remember BOTH President and Vice President must be indicated by write-in votes - otherwise both votes may be discarded if you simply check off a listed pair of candidates and also make a write-in selection.

Political Action #4

Strike In Support of The Dreamers Platform

The Dreamers Political Platform for 2012 consists of a number of Constitutional Amendments and a list of less dramatic policy changes. You are encouraged, and we hope you will encourage others, to participate in a once monthly strike until every policy in the platform which you agree with has been implemented into law.

Participation in the strike means you don't go to work on the first Friday of every month, and it means you also strive not to spend any money on that day. If all of these policies have not been implemented by the end of 2012, during 2013 the strike will extend to include both the first and second Friday of each month. In 2014 it will include the third Friday, etc. If a strike day falls on a holiday, the day before will become a strike day.

If you are the only person you know participating in the strike and it isn't being covered in the news, you may feel like it is pointless to even participate. But talk to your friends to see if they will join you in scheduling a particular Friday off in order to enjoy a three day weekend. If enough people convince their friends to get their friends to party on the same day, and they simply don't show up for work and stop spending money for a day, everyone can have a great time and the world will take notice.

The first Friday of each month is also a good time to schedule protests.

Next Section
The Dreamers Platform for 2012
(as of April, 2012)

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