John Perkins, Author, Hoodwinked & Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Former economic hit man John Perkins has experienced today’s economic collapse before. The banking industry and sub-prime mortgage fiascos, the rising tide of unemployment, and the shuttering of businesses are all too familiar in the Third World countries where he worked. He was both an observer and a perpetrator of events that have now sent the US – in fact the entire planet – spiraling toward disaster. The real cause of our global financial meltdown is what Perkins calls predatory capitalism – the mutant form of an economic system that encourages widespread exploitation of the few to benefit a small number of already very wealthy people. A new geo-politics has emerged; today the CEOs of big corporations, rather than governments, control human and natural resources around the globe, as well as politicians and the media. Their arrogance, gluttony, and mismanagement have brought us to the perilous edge. The solutions will not be “return to normal ones”. Join John Perkins and I tomorrow on Voices from the Edge to discuss his latest book Hoodwinked: An Economic Hit Man Reveals Why the World Financial Markets Imploded–and What We Need to Do to Remake Them. Activist, Ex-Economic Hit Man and New York Times Bestselling Author Winner of the John Lennon/Yoko Ono Peace Prize John Perkins’s latest book, Hoodwinked, is a blueprint for a new form of global economics. The solutions are not “return to normal” ones. Instead, John challenges us to soar to new heights, away from predatory capitalism and into an era more transformative than the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Hoodwinked details specific steps each of us can take to create a sustainable, just, and peaceful world. John's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which spent nearly a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller lists and has been published in more than 30 languages and has sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide, is a startling exposé of international corruption. His The Secret History of the American Empire, also a New York Times bestseller, details the clandestine operations that created the world's first truly global empire. John is founder and board member of Dream Change and The Pachamama Alliance, nonprofit organizations devoted to establishing a world our children will want to inherit, has lectured at universities on four continents, and is the author of books on indigenous cultures and transformation, including Shapeshifting, The World Is As You Dream It, Psychonavigation, Spirit of the Shuar, and The Stress-Free Habit. John's courage in writing these books and speaking out against his former bosses exemplifies the courage shown by our Founding Fathers and Mothers when they stood up to the British Empire. Like them, John defied threats and bribes and took action. His courage serves as an example for all of us. As he proclaims at the end of Secret History, "Now is the time for us to change the world." Awards: Lennon Ono Grant for Peace, 2012 Rainforest Action Network Challenging Business As Usual Award, 2006 For more information about John and his work, please check out: www.johnperkins.org www.dreamchange.org Twitter: economic_hitman Thursday also marks the first day of our spring membership drive. If you haven’t taken the time yet to become a member you may do so online at kboo.fm.com and clicking the tip jar. You may also call 877-500-5266 and talk to a great volunteer who will walk you through the process.