The United States isn’t broke; we’re the richest country on the planet and a country in which the richest among us are doing exceptionally well. But the truth is, our economy is broken, producing more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other country. In these and so many other ways, it just isn’t working. But rather than invest in something better, we continue to keep this ‘dinosaur economy’ on life support with hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money. The Story of Broke calls for a shift in government spending toward investments in clean, green solutions—renewable energy, safer chemicals and materials, zero waste and more—that can deliver jobs AND a healthier environment. It’s time to rebuild the American Dream; but this time, let’s build it better.
The story of broke
By Annie Leonard, originally published by the story of stuff project
November 10, 2011
Annie Leonard
Annie Leonard is the creator of the Story of Stuff (2007), and other animated films including The Story of Broke, The Story of Change, and The Story of Solutions. In 2014, she became the Executive Director of Greenpeace USA.
Tags: Building Community, Culture & Behavior, Media & Communications
Related Articles
A ‘Transcender Manifesto’ for a world beyond capitalism. A seed.
We seek not to destroy capitalism, nor to reform it, but to transcend it – to consciously and rapidly evolve past it.
April 18, 2024
Republicans Have Plans for Working People
By Rebecca Gordon, Tom Dispatch
This fall, as we face the most consequential elections of my lifetime (all 71 years of it), rights that working people once upon a time fought and died for — the eight-hour day, a legal minimum wage, protections against child labor — are, in effect, back on the ballot.
April 17, 2024
Tax Day
By Eliza Daley, By my solitary hearth
I believe we are careening toward a biophysical and cultural crisis that will very likely destroy money — along with a great many other things. But I also believe that we are falling toward abundance again.
April 16, 2024