One measure for promoting both stability and fairness across financial market segments is a small sales tax on all financial transactions.

There are a lot of things that can be done within the framework of existing institutions which would be very valuable for people.

The elections are run by the same guys who sell toothpaste. They show you an image of a sports hero, or a sexy model, or a car going up a sheer cliff or something, which has nothing to do with the commodity, but it's intended to delude you into picking this one rather than another one.

The educational system is pretty much geared to passing the next exam. You're educated to pass tests and not to understand.

On intervention under the UN framework, I think that sometimes that's legitimate, in fact even helpful.

The rich and powerful countries are trying to wreck as much as possible. You know, go off the cliff as soon as you can. Extract every drop of hydrocarbons off the ground and destroy the environment. At the opposite extreme are countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, indigenous people around the world, and first nations in Canada and tribal people in India, campesinos in Colombia... They're trying to save the commons.

It's true that many say that [they] object to the idea of "human nature," but it's not clear what that is supposed to mean. Are we different from ants?