Author Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

The Lowdown is on the move

Word of the Day: Change. Whether used as a verb or a noun, it's one of the most powerful and versatile words in our language, capable of stirring a wide range of emotions, from dread ... to hope. You don't want to hear your corporate boss tell you: "We're going to make a change." On the other hand, you can move forward joyously in the implicit promise of Mavis Staples' uplifting anthem "Change": "Say it loud, say it clear/We gotta change around here." Read more...

When local papers die, the ghouls rush in

Sure enough, opportunists have rushed into America's local news void, sowing thousands of poisonous "imposter" news sites that churn out lies and partisan hackery in the guise of legitimate reporting. Read more...

A few choice words for the Democrats

It’s not the people who’ve “gone conservative,” it’s the Democratic establishment. Too many progressive organizations, especially larger Washington-based groups, have been too willing for too long to follow what in essence is the party’s business-as-usual corporate hierarchy. Read more...

Abbott, DeSantis & the Extremely Extreme GOP

Most intolerable is the steady drip-drip-drip of power it drains from America's democratic ideals and commitment to the Common Good. I can't say that Abbott and DeSantis are the worst that the GOP will try to put in the White House in 2024, but either one is a signpost of an increasingly assertive American fascism. Read more...

How the right wing captured the Supreme Court

Today’s six-member GOP majority has surrendered all claim to being an impartial force for justice. Instead, the GOP’s network of corporate and right-wing operatives has fabricated and weaponized the court to increase their power over the rest of us. Read more...

Give nature a seat at the governing table

The demand that nature have a seat at society's governing table sparks panic in corporate boardrooms. But this concept is centuries old and widely practiced among some of the most experienced environmental stewards in our country: Indigenous Americans. Read more...

It’s time for dinner democracy!

Should the future of America's ag economy be controlled by industrializers and monopolizers who view food strictly as a profit center to be manipulated by and for the few? Or, should the future be modeled on the principles of grassroots producers, artisans, chefs, and consumers who understand that food is an essential element of life, community, and culture to be shared for the Common Good? Read more...

Let’s tackle monopoly power

Rather than a game of chance dependent on a roll of the dice, today's corporate monopolies are products of carefully plotted and executed power plays. Theirs is a game for the biggest, richest, most avaricious plunderers. Just to be a player now requires investing millions of dollars in campaign donations, lobbying firms, lawyer fees, etc. Why? Because Americans hate--hate, hate, HATE--monopolies. Read more...

We’re humans, not corporate cogs

When looking for a sign of the times, sometimes it might literally be on a sign. That was true in Lincoln, NE, on July 9, when the tall billboard in front of a Burger King boldly informed customers: "We all quit. Sorry for the inconvenience." The impetus for the workers' mass public resignation was the "We're not gonna take it anymore" rebellion that is sweeping across workaday America and fueling a rejuvenation of unionization. Read more...

The Lowdown has moved!

We’ve started a Substack newsletter for all of our content. You’ll still find our older, archived materials here at hightowerlowdown.org, but the latest (and greatest?) observations from Jim Hightower are only now available at our new Substack website: jimhightower.substack.com.

Check out jimhightower.substack.com »