Once a rising star in the industrialized world, Ireland now has the highest per capita national debt in the world – a debt to be paid by the people, not the 1% behind the crash.

Read more at Al Jazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/01/2012119847466...

In the grand scheme of things, capitalism is a blip. A flicker on the historical radar and a rather dangerous planetary-scale experiment whose results are easy to guess and hard to ignore. When you have a giant machine pushing for infinite and perpetual growth in a world with finite resources, you know it's not going to end well. Yet right now, for the average citizen of the West, a world without the hallmarks of capitalism – without Wall Street, the rat race, shopping malls, economic growth, debt and competitive consumerism – is almost impossible to imagine.

Well, it seems now that besides the obvious challenges it takes to live off-the-grid, some government agencies are not having any of it. The Mason family, who chose to live self-sustainably on a neglected UK orchard, recently lost an appeal against the Mid Devon District Council's denial of their right to live on and work the land.

Why are republicans and corporate America giving tax cuts and refunds to America's wealthiest corporations, whilst welfare families, low-income and middle class communities, teachers, children and the elderly are being asked to sacrifice basic rights and access to resources like education and medicaid? Bernie Sanders in this video calls us to action by addressing the broken economic system that is American corporate politics.