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Name:

Leonard Isenberg

Expertise:

 .Before becoming a high school teacher I was a line producer in the motion picture industry. In addition, I had a great deal of experience in film exhibition and distribution. Besides a degree in European History and Screenwriting from UCLA, I also have a law degree that I used as a professor of comparative law in France, where I was part of a more literate society founded on truly universal and accountable public education. I also have significant experience in real estate as a broker and have always thought that people sell property might be willing to share a small portion of their agency fees with entities like KPFK in recognition of the benefit that their families have received while living in their communities. From the time I was 16 years of age to my present 63 years I have been a mechanic, plumber, electrician and builder- I like to fix broken things, which hopefully will come in handy at KPFK (more detail) .

Endorsements:
  • Committee to Strengthen KPFK

  • Statement:

    I have chosen to run for the KPFK Local Station Board because I think KPFK’s very existence is threatened by a two-fold crisis:

    1. The first crisis is the long term financial health of KPFK, which has precipitated the need for incessant fundraising campaigns that are alienating our listener base. I believe that a well-organized KPFK that does not compromise its unique voice in constantly searching for the money to keep it on the air will ironically attract the money of successful progressives who have up until now not been more forthcoming with support, because KPFK has not had its act together.

    KPFK’s long term financial security can be assured by a one-time endowment funded by these moderately and sometimes very successful progressives and subsequently maintained by endowment investment return from progressive businesses like alternative energy, transportation, and education where KPFK is sustained by implementing our alternative view of a progressive reality. No more constant fund drives.

    For too long there has been a tacit belief in progressive organizations that financial stability is something negative that we associate with the Right in this country and can only be achieved by the ill-gotten gains of unsustainable endeavors like big oil, banking, or Wall Street. An endowment capitalized by the reasonable contribution of Progressives who in reality represent the silenced majority in this country would be easily funded given the relatively small financial contribution it would take from so many individuals to finally bring our alternative view of society to fruition.

    There remains a serious psychological question as to whether Progressive actually know how to win by promulgating sane social programs for the future or are they so mired in responding to the issues generated by the Right and its clearly failed vision of an American future that is unsustainable.

    2. For me the key to finally getting Progressives to step up to the plate to propose, financially sustain, and implement social policy instead of just continuing to react to the Right is to address the anachronistic and top-down model of public education run by an oligarchy whose clear purpose is to maintain the power status quo in this country by teaching us our place under their clearly failed 19th century Social-Darwinist social order.

    In order for public education to adequately prepare the future citizens of this country to assume their constitutional responsibility as the arbiters of power in this putative democracy and knowledgeable listeners of KPFK, the organization and implementation of public education must reflect the democratic values it is supposed to teach. This can only be done if there are real consequences for all concerned instead of the “too big to fail” status that present public education leadership reflects.

    While financial security has been an ongoing problem at KPFK, a far greater threat to the continuing existence of this station is the continuing erosion of an sufficiently educated listener base capable of being interested in and understanding the issues the station presents.

    The long term financial health of KPFK can be assured by a one-time endowment funded by successful progressives and maintained by investment in progressive businesses like alternative energy, where KPFK is sustained by implementing our alternative view of a sustainable future reality- a trust need not be funded by oil money. No more constant fund drives.

    For too long progressives have felt that financial success belongs to the Right. Reality is that the Right is in the numerical minority in this putative democracy and only continues to hold sway over this country by keeping the Left responding to the distorted policies of the Right and unaware of its power to promulgate an alternative.

    The key strategy for finally accomplishing majority rules is control of the media and public education. Clearly, KPFK has the potential to speak truth to power and contend for the hearts and minds of people in this country, but it can only do so if we address the conscious dumbing down of America through the conscious and premeditated destruction of public education- the foundational prerequisite for understanding the complex issues that KPFK presents.

    While the financial crisis that KPFK faces is real, by far the greater crisis is the attrition of an intelligent and well-educated listener base that has the requisite education to understand the very real issues that presently threaten the continuance of this country as a putative democracy.

    Like the banks, Wall Street, health insurance providers, and British Petroleum, the Los Angeles Unified School District and other predominantly minority dominated public school districts in this country have been deemed “too big to fail” no matter how unsuccessful they are in educating the future citizens of this country in whom the U.S. Constitution vest power.

    The conscious failing of public education is the self-inflicted disease that is at the root of virtually every problem this country faces and the willful decimation of this system is doing more harm to this country’s ability to continue functioning as a democracy than Al Qaeda could have ever hoped to do.

    To get a better idea of what I believe to be the symbiotic relationship between KPFK as honest media and public education as the tool to effectively access it, please read my blog at www.perdaily.com where I have posted more than 135 articles about public education reform- what is wrong and how to fix it.

     

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