Moving Toward Solutions
From the creators of "Story of Stuff," here is a lesson on The Story of Broke. What's the story? We are not broke, we are spending tax dollars on the dinosaur economy rather than on an economy that will support a sustainable future.

Lawrance Lessig of Harvard Law School insists that the liberal occupiers and the conservative tea partiers need to join forces around campaign finance reform in order to get corporate money out of politics. Scroll down to the video titled Lessig's Keynote.

Juliet Schor proposes a solution called a Plenitude Economy in this clever animated clip that challenges the environmental hubris of insisting on endless growth. Schor is a professor of sociology at Boston College and formerly was a professor of economics at Harvard.


Contract for the American Dream

We, the American people, promise to defend and advance a simple ideal: liberty and justice. . . for all. Americans who are willing to work hard and play by the rules should be able to find a decent job, get a good home in a strong community, retire with dignity, and give their kids a better life. Every one of us – rich, poor, or in-between, regardless of skin color or birthplace, no matter their sexual orientation or gender – has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is our covenant, our compact, our contract with one another. It is a promise we can fulfill – but only by working together.


Today, the American Dream is under threat. Our veterans are coming home to few jobs and little hope on the home front. Our young people are graduating off a cliff, burdened by heavy debt, into the worst job market in half a century. The big banks that American taxpayers bailed out won’t cut homeowners a break. Our firefighters, nurses, cops, and teachers – America’s everyday heroes – are being thrown out onto the street. 


To produce this Contract for the American Dream, 131,203 Americans came together online and in their communities. We wrote and rated 25,904 ideas. Together, we identified the 10 most critical steps to get our economy back on track and restore the American Dream:

  1. Invest in American's infrastructure.
  2. Create 21st century energy jobs.
  3. Invest in public education.
  4. Offer medicare for all.
  5. Make work pay.
  6. Secure social security.
  7. Return to fairer tax rates.
  8. End the wars and invest at home.
  9. Tax Wall Street speculation.
  10. Strengthen democracy.

Read about the specific details at Contract for the American Dream.