James Hightower

3038 Jim Hightower's Lowdown on Challenging Corporate Economic Dominance

Speaker: Jim Hightower

Prepared for UUA.org by: Mike McNaughton, Reporter; Jone Johnson Lewis, Editor

There was standing room only as 800 people gathered enthusiastically to hear one of Texas' greatest treasures, Jim Hightower , the populist radio commentator and best selling author of "Thieves in High Places" and "Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush". In a fast-moving hour, he entertained and informed us with anecdotes of grassroots activism, spiced with fiery humor and earthy one-liners.

The program was sponsored by the UUs for a Just Economic Community , who urged us to join their organization.

"This is a big time," Jim told us. "Fundamental changes are taking place that undermine the notion of egalitarianism." In urging us to action, he reminded us that agitators like Sam Adams built America. "An agitator, you know, is the center part of a washing machine that gets the dirt out," he added.

He talked of the vengeful attempt in Congress to "save marriage," not from serial divorce, as you might expect, but from people who want to be married. As Lily Tomlin said, "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up!"

In rapid-fire succession, he listed the many proscriptions in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, including the prohibition against touching pigskin, and followed this with a fast-paced review of what Jesus said about economic justice. Surely, he reminded us, the ethic that unites America is the ethic of the common good. Or in Texan terms: "Everyone does better when everyone does better."

In contrast, today "Never have so few done so much for so few."

The issue is not the quantity of jobs, it's the quality. Slaves had jobs. Ask a waitress if she knows George W. Bush created 600,000 new jobs. She'll say: "I know, I've got 3 of them!"

Jim claims to have been every place in Texas that has a zip code and he sees little prairie fires of rebellion beginning to spring up everywhere. This nation is not marching in lock step with the powers that be. People are on the move and are ready for the politics of justice. People want good public schools and universal health care.

"The opposite of courage is conformity," he told us. "Even a dead fish can go with the flow." As the moving company said: "If we can get it loose, we can move it!"

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100