Immediately after the winter ice and snow storm in Texas began in mid-February, it became clear that millions were without power, heat or water. The disaster was caused by devotion to maximum corporate profit by powerful industries and their political pawns. They did almost nothing to help people in dire need.
The response instead came from local people who saw the need and met it. Organizations joined forces to organize a wide-ranging response. Dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals sprang into action to help neighbors. Austin labor organizer Jacob Aronowitz’s group worked with other local organizations to distribute bulk water. “Our mission is pretty simple: Give water to people who need it, for free,”
While the response has been truly impressive, think of what it could have been if the people had the full resources of the government at our disposal, instead of trying to solve a massive problem on a shoestring. The economic and political system we have is not working for us, but it is doing what it was designed to do – ensure corporate profits by all means. We need a system designed to do what we need it to do – ensure the well-being of the people, a cooperative system, not an exploitative one. Let’s start imagining what that might look like.
