The government and their economists say that buying and spending is the elixir of the economy, which must keep growing to create more jobs and more disposable income, which in turn is supposed to improve our lives. The media conglomerates wildly promote consumerism as a way of life through their lucrative advertisments. But is there no point where it has grown enough? Does any economy need to keep growing ad infinum, until there are no resources or segments of humanity left to exploit?

I'm part of the problem. I look around my house. I have way too many “things”. The amount of time I spend tending my “things” - acquiring, operating, cleaning, repairing, protecting - is alot. I spend a large amount every month feeding my things (ie the electric company, petrol, telecommunications). If I compare periods of my life where I had little beyond a small apartment and food to periods where I had substantially more, there is no real correlation to happiness - only convenience.

3000 commercial ads are force fed to the average American in any given day. A
large chunk of the media viewed globally is controlled and censored by a handful of US media conglomerates, who make hugh profits from advertising and promoting consumerism on a global scale. The media today is so all-pervasive that it has the power to shape cultures.

Some of the rule changes the FCC is presently trying to push through would allow even more consolidation of media ownership. Doesn’t the public own the airwaves and lease out their use? The life blood of democracy is information — which is being systematically commercialized, homogenized and politicized. Free speech has become commercial speech.

Hopefully people will voice opposition to any legislation which allows more media consolidation and push for much less than now exists. Control of the news and media airways by a small number of corporate gaints and their advertisers is probably more of a threat to this country's founding principles than any terrorist could ever be.

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