Jim Hightower

The most moronic oxymoron I've ever heard is the one being cheerfully bandied about by economists as they tell us that the Great Recession of 2008-2009 is over, exulting that we're presently experiencing a "jobless recovery."

I don't see how their minds can put those two words together without having their heads explode! Excuse me, Einsteins, but there's no such thing. You can spin your data 'til the cows come home, but an economy that has nearly 20 percent of the workforce either unemployed or underemployed, that has no plan for replacing the 8 million jobs we lost in the last two years, that is now proceeding with mass layoffs of such essential workers as teachers and firefighters, and that is willing to accept poverty pay as the new American normal is not by any stretch of the imagination a recovery.

Au contraire, buckaroos, the reality we face is the darkening shadow of what economist Paul Krugman is frankly calling a "Long Depression." As happened in a similar decline in the 1870s, those at the top will prosper and take an even larger share of the wealth we all produce, while the majority see declining income and rising poverty.

There is, of course, a way to avert this. It's called leadership. The way out is to enlist our grassroots people in an all-out "Rebuild America" campaign. Stop talking about a green economy and put Americans to work building it. Also, let's lead the world in putting high-speed internet in every home and school. And our crucial national infrastructure, from bridges to parks, is in a sorry state – let's go to work to repair and improve these public resources.

Destiny calls, but our leaders are either self-absorbed, clueless, or cowardly. So, we must lead. One place to start is Blue Green Alliance: www.bluegreenalliance.org.