The Elections Are Over, But Take Heart…
Grassroots Democracy Is Alive & Well!

OK, the election is history. Whoever won, it’s NOT We the People. ‘We’ certainly did not bring us global warming, nuclear power, pre-emptive warfare, unaffordable health care, debt crisis, toxic chemicals and mountains of non- biodegradable trash. The winners, as usual, are the politicians and their big-time funders and beneficiaries, the corporations. They brought us such goodies.

Not to worry, though: the People–you, me, millions of us–are rising like the tide, but on other fronts. This issue brings Good News of Democracy’s resurgence in Nicaragua and Brazil, of worker co-ops organizing on the West coast, of the national Federation at work, and more. (And of course every issue of GEO to come will have yet more of this good news!)

Meanwhile, although computerization has led to huge productivity gains, these have brought neither more free time, as promised, nor living incomes, but only greater wealth for the bosses. The real options are unemployment or–for those lucky enough to have a job–overwork that is underpaid. ‘We’ did not elect to plague families with job insecurity, retirement insecurity, and education insecurity.

But that is not the end of the tale. Instead of lamenting over the elections, you will see in this issue how, in order to establish security where now there is insecurity, ‘We’ the people are taking over our workplaces, neighborhoods, and towns through workplace democracy, solidarity economics, and local currencies: through Grassroots Economic Organizing.

So, outside, underneath, and beyond the polarizing sound bites and dogma, the grassroots are alive and well. They are definitely greener than ever, and they’re growing. Check it out!

This issue was coordinated by Betsy Bowman of the GEO collective, co-founder of the Center for Global Justice, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. www.globaljusticecenter.org.