WHY DOESN'T ANYONE EVER SAY THAT?

Back a decade or two ago when we weren't paying much attention, the advertising
industry took over American politics, reducing debates to soundbites, using
polls to tell politicians what to say, polishing image while banishing ideas.

Worst of all advertisers taught government leaders their central trick.  Say
any fool thing over and over and over, and it will start sounding 
plausible, or at least comfortably familiar.  Repetition eats into 
peoples' brains.

"You deserve a break today.  No new taxes.  Progress is our most important
product.  We stand for family values. Because you care enough to send the 
very best.  We're cutting Medicare in order to save Medicare."

It's bad enough to drum false claims into the heads of consumers.  We may think
for awhile that we're getting beauty, health, love, youth, progress, when 
we're really only buying stuff, but most of us wise up.  The cost is only 
some unpaid credit cards and permanent disillusionment.

But when people to whom we hand the power of leadership solemnly parrot 
idiotic
statements, by the time we catch on, we're trillions of dollars in debt, we
can't afford medical care, our schools, roads, and communities have eroded, 
and our nation has wasted vast resources on fantastic ideologies.

The only defense I know against often-repeated lies is often-repeated truth. 
No one has unique access to truth, but one can usually find a good bit of it by
looking in the opposite direction from where advertisers or politicians are
pointing.

For example (and I would welcome readers' additions to this list), turn 
around popular political rhetoric and you discover that:

- There is nothing wrong with taxes if they pay for important public 
services, competently administered.

- United States citizens pay less in taxes than the citizens of any other
industrialized nation.

- Cutting taxes doesn't necessarily release money for productive 
investment. It also releases money for conspicuous consumption and 
financial speculation.

- There are three ways to balance the government budget: raise taxes, cut
military spending, cut public services.  There is no rational reason to 
ignore the first two.

- The United States spends as much on weapons as do all other nations in the
world put together, not because we need those weapons, but because weapons
makers and politicians make corrupt deals.  Much of our military spending 
does not strengthen our nation, it parasitizes our nation.

- A public job is no less worthy than a private job.  A teacher, a policeman, 
a postmaster is at least as valuable as a sales clerk, a factory worker, an
investment banker.

- Paying less than a decent wage for a full day's work hurts the whole economy.
 
Underpaid workers can't be customers.  Henry Ford knew he had to pay his
workers enough to buy his Fords.

- Every industrialized nation except ours guarantees health care to all its
citizens, pays less for health care than we do, and has lower infant mortality
and higher life expectancy than we do.  Those results are achieved with 
public, not private, health systems.

- The gap between the rich and the poor is higher in the U.S. than in any 
other
developed nation.  That's not because our poor people are especially
irresponsible; it's because every market economy serves the rich more than 
the poor, and our government, instead of balancing that tendency as other
governments do, also serves the rich more than the poor.

- A nation of haves and have-nots cannot be prosperous or safe or happy.  It
squanders more money dealing with the consequences of poverty than it would
cost to end poverty.

- A good law administered in a stupid way (as are many of our environmental
laws) is not fixed by eliminating the law.  It is fixed by intelligent
administration.

- Economic activity that destroys the environment (overfishing, 
overcutting of forests, dumping toxins) will ultimately destroy itself.

- Growth -- of the economy, of the town or city, of the corporation -- is a
stupid goal, unless we say exactly what should grow, why, for how long, 
at what cost, paid by whom.

Our leaders don't say these things and don't want us to think these things. 
They would rather fill us with self-serving, short-sighted, 
microphone-enhanced
falsehoods.  So we have to say our own truths, over and over and over.  

Say the truth you know.  Say it to politicians and fellow citizens.  Say it
again, not louder, but with calm conviction.  "It is error alone which needs
the support of government," said Thomas Jefferson.  "Truth can stand by
itself."

(Donella H. Meadows is an adjunct professor of environmental studies at
Dartmouth College.)

"The EYFA Waste Trade Seminar"
 
        The role of international environmental networking in stopping
                           trade of hazardous waste

 
The Schoenberg Working Group is pleased to announce a seminar
about waste trade from April 15-21, 1996
in the European Youth Center, Budapest, Hungary.
 
Environmental groups from Eastern as well as Western Europe
can participate. So, if you are a young male or female
activist, send us your application, including a short
description of your group. This description will be part of
the seminar materials. Every group is asked to propose 
one female and one male participant.

Some highlights from the program:
        The East-West trade.
        The public right of access to environmental information.
        New incinerators in Europe.
        Practical skills for effective networking.

The working language will be English.
Travel reimbursement is possible.

For more information:
        Schoenberg Working Group  
        Milieukontakt Oost-Europa
        P.O. Box 18185
        1001 ZB Amsterdam
        The Netherlands
        fax: +31-20-6391379
        E-mail: 

The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe is an
international organization dealing with environmental issues in Central and
Eastern Europe. It is now opening a position for

Earmarked Grants Officer

The position is located in the Center's Budapest Headquarters on a long
term basis.

The position:
 . Participates in strategy development;
 . Coordinates grants management process;
 . Manages special projects.

The requirements:
 . University level education in environmental sciences;
 . Excellent English language skills;
 . Developed interpersonal skills;
 . Project management skills;
 . Experience working with environmental non-governmental organizations; 
 . Work experience in Central and Eastern Europe.

If you are interested in working in a multicultural and dynamic
environment, please send your resume including cover letter and references
to Mr. Mozes Kiss, Personnel Officer, Hungary, 1035 Budapest, Miklos ter 1,
Fax: (36-1) 250-3403, e-mail: 

Deadline for applications: January 31, 1996

Kedves Vita'zok !

 A KORNYESZ eddig passziv olvaso'ja voltam, az uto'bbi 154-155 
sza'mokban O'falut illeto" mega'llapi'ta'sok Csucs e's Ga'cs Iva'n 
re'sze'ro"l kisse' e'rze'kenyen e'rintettek, ezekre szeretne'k 
reaga'lni. 

 Akkoriban ('87 - '89) re'sztvettem az O'falu ko~rnye'kiek
ve'dekeze'se'ben, ami sajnos nem ment a't ta'mada'sba, eze'rt 
emle'keznek sokan akade'miai e's tudoma'nyos ko~ro~kbo"l u'gy, hogy
az a helyiek ellena'lla'sa'n bukott meg, nem pedig SZAKMAI okokbo'l.

 Terme'szetesen nem akarom most az ege'sz to~rte'netet elmondani, de
a le'nyeget igen, azaz a ko~rnye'kbeli falvak egy 
Fu~ggetlen Szake'rto"i Bizottsa'got 
ke'rtek fel az alkalmassa'g vizsga'lat'ara,  akik '88
ma'rciusa'ban ALKALMATLANNAK tala'lta'k a teru~letet kis- e's ko~zepes
aktivita'su' radioakti'v hullade'kok elhelyeze'se're. 
Ezt az a'lla'spontjukat - egy Pakson rendezett - az atomero"mu" 
szake'rto"ivel folytatott vita'n is MEGVE'DTE'K.
Ezuta'n Paks megpro'ba'lta ele'rni, hogy az MTA adjon ve'leme'nyt.
Ez '89 ma'jusa'ban megto~rte'nt : Tigyi Jo'zsef akade'mikus, az MTA
alelno~ke a ra'dio'nak nyilatkozva TE'VESNEK ite'lte a Fu~ggetlen 
Szake'rto"i Bizottsa'g ve'leme'nye't saja't Akade'miai Bizottsa'gukra 
hivatkozva.
Ez uto'bbi " elfogulatlansa'ga't " az jellemzi legjobban, hogy csak
a fu~ggetlenek a'lli'ta'sait pro'ba'lta ca'folni, teha't a paksi  
szake'rto"k a'lli'ta'sait nem ke'rdo"jelezte meg. Az Akade'miai 
Bizottsa'g SOHA nem ve'dte meg a'lla'spontja't. Ezt a ve'leme'nyt
az MTA elno~kse'ge HATA'ROZATban ro~gzi'tette. Azo'ta Paks u'gy
pro'ba'l hivatkozni ra', mint a MAGYAR TUDOMA'NY ve'gso" 
a'lla'spontja'ra.

  Saja't ve'leme'nyemet az ALKALMATLANSA'Gro'l fizikuske'nt is
fenntartom, ezt kifejeztem az MTA elno~ke'hez i'rt nyi'lt levelemben.
'89 o'ta az Akade'mia'n nem to~rte'nt  " tisztula's ", mindenki
megtarthatta tagsa'ga't. Tigyi Jo'zsef " csupa'n " munkahelye'n
a Pe'csi Orvostudoma'nyi Egyetemen bukott meg, az Egyetemi Tana'cs
leva'ltotta a Biofizikai Inte'zet e'le'ro"l, persze nem O'falu miatt.
Akade'mikuske'nt tova'bbra is " virulhat " , o" fogadta a Pe'csre
la'togato' Teller Ede't, akit terme'szetesen a paksi vezeto"k is 
elkise'rtek, hogy la'ssa'k : 
Pe'cs e'rtelmise'ge meghajol a " Tudoma'ny Pa'pa'ja " elo"tt, ez
uto'bbi kifejeze'st haszna'lta Tigyi egy ho'nappal a '91-es 
pa'pala'togata's uta'n.
                                     
                                          Frey Istva'n
                                            Pe'cs

Volt 1 vitatok a Termeszetvedelem/Fejlodes kerdesben.
Rovid hozzafuznivalom:
A Fejlodes Szukseges. Az Ember Ranyomja Mindenre Belyeget.
Rezervatumok Kellenek.
Szoval: az ember a Termeszetben valo eletre van berendezkedve.
A Fejlett Technikai Es Ipari Kornyezet artalmas szamara.
Amig nem tudja megvaltoztatni teste szerkezetet nem alkalmas a benne valo
eletre.
Gazmaszkban ul otthoni panelkockajaban, es neha kepeket nez a kupolaval
boritott rezervatumokrol. Mert penze nincs odamenni, mivel nagy a fenntartasi
koltseg.

Well, kellemes Karacsonyt a szep, uj (fejlett) vilagban|