Text of the article, by Dave Young, follows:

"A follower of perennial Democratic Party Presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche told an audience of about a dozen last Friday that the U.S. and world economy are on the verge of collapse and bold, strong action is imperative.

"Mike Zaeske spoke at a special extra edition of the First Friday and said a new "Super Tennessee Valley Authority" is needed to get the economy out of its doldrums and perhaps avoid a world-wide Great Depression, like the one experienced in the 1930's.  The banking and Federal Reserve system is inherently bankrupt, not the economy, Zaeske said.  But like Franklin Delano Roosevelt (70 years ago), we can rebuild the economy."

"‘The government-supported TVA was instituted by Roosevelt in the 1930's to provide electricity to some of the poorest rural areas in America.  It went into competition with private enterprise...and it turned it into a  prosperous economic area.'

"Zaeske said FDR saved the country back then by taking positive actions such as declaring a bank holiday, creating credits for work on infrastructure to get money circulating within the economy.  Zaeske noted that it's important to distinguish between a physical and political economy.  A physical economy is based on productivity of goods and services on a per-capita basis. He said that when this country was set up (by the founding fathers in the late 19th century), it was a physical economy, tied to real goods and service and real data.  A solid example of hurting a real economy is tearing up 50 miles of railroad, making it so that railroad can't be used for that purpose anymore.

"‘A political economy can be a fantasy,' Zaeske contended. ‘The British-led oligarchy want you to think in terms of a political economy.  These days it's easy to manipulate the system.  They're telling you about something you don't really understand ... we're so close to economic collapse right now and they (those in power and so-called experts) understand what's going on, but they don't know what to do about it.  Some believe they'll go to war to get peoples' minds off the economy.  It's not like it's going to happen tomorrow, but it might happen next year.  This is not just a down time, this is the end times of an economic system.'  He pointed to alarming recent developments such as the bankruptcy of United Airlines and Amtrak, the massive problems of a health care system which promotes the general welfare, and the fiscal troubles of a giant retailer like K-Mart. Then he pointed to state government takeovers of failing school systems like Detroit, and cities such as Flint, and Benton Harbor.  He said things are in such bad shape that we have the technology, but we don't have the infrastructure today to put a man on the moon (which proved to be doable in 1969).  The economy's in dire straits right now, and worldwide the system is in collapse, he said.

"On a more personal level he blamed greed. The (current system) is predicated on getting your hands on something and controlling the revenue stream.  About creating a new Super-TVA, he said, ‘To pull it off we'll have to fight some of the most powerful people on earth, Wall street, and the British oligarchy.' ‘We need something like a Super-TVA to save our American way of life, something we know works,' Zaeske said.

"Zaeske sought the Republican nomination as a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's Seventh Congressional District in 1978 and secured 44% of the primary vote in a first time effort for public office. He ran again for Congress in 1982 and then sought the Republican nomination for State Senate in Michigan in 1994.  He endorsed Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., for President of the United States in the year 2000 and soon after became a political activist for the LaRouche organization.  He switched parties in 2000 and became a registered Democrat.  The guest speaker said he is aware that many dismiss LaRouche as an extremist kook, but he said the man's ideas are gaining some acceptance from people who are waking up to what's happening around them.  The elitist financier oligarchy is getting real nervous, he said.  Zaeske added that people soon will have to decide whether you're going to be a bunch of lemmings, follow the guy in front of you and go over the cliff. When you're in a free call, you might ask yourself, ‘Remember that guy LaRouche.'

"Michael Zaeske preached the gospel of LaRouche to about a dozen curious listeners at the First Friday forum December 13th.  Forum coordinator Bob Dwyer said he didn't necessarily agree with the speaker's views, but ‘we have a long history of open forums'."

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