We have won the first round for reform. A New Way Forward was the first nationally-coordinated grassroots protests (see videos) and platform to demand breaking up the banks. We made the call to people all over the country to protest the way the government favored enlarging big banks instead of saving our jobs and 60 protests and 20 educational forums were organized, all in one-month's time. We started the call for fixing the banking system in a fundamentally structural way through blog posts and outreach - we're getting somewhere and might possibly even get what we want. Our call to break up the banks and our petition to reform the Fed before giving them new powers are both being introduced in different bills. But the real success is in our ability to help educate and inspire minds.

Just a few months ago, most people in DC were too afraid to talk about fixing the fundamental problem between the banks and DC. Today, we are seeing a concensus forming and new bills around the concensus as the first fruits of our group labor. Hundreds of thousands of emails have been sent around the subject, hundreds of thousands of conversations, hundreds of protests have happened almost spontaneously, many tens of educational town halls have educated our communities, hundreds of groups and public leaders have helped in one way or another, hundreds of blog posts and campaigns, and thousands of letters, petitions were sent to Congress because we as a group have made a call to each other to do something about the largest banks. Our original demand - failing banks need to be resolved, reorganized, decentralized is being echoed in many great halls, see what is happening now:

Change is expected to come - the cry "Break Up the Big Banks" is the new hit among Fed Chiefs, Michael Moore, head of the FDIC, Sheila Bair and many more; Obama plans to curb pay for the too-big-to-fail banks; A bill in Congress to let even the most powerful, large banks reap the failures they sowed (but until now are profiting off of) through a resolution authority given to the FDIC. See more in the New York Times..

BUT the big news: a late breaking news tip through Donny Shaw points to an amazing first point of success to our "No New Powers for the Fed" petition - it seems to have helped to change Obama's intentions to have the Fed have most of the regulatory powers over the banks, powers they have not earned, and instead to give the powers based on a sound new idea of a council of regulators -- grr, PERFECT. the main reform bill introduced by the House will give system-wide oversight authority to a council of regulators and some to the FDIC and not the Federal Reserve. This is a strong, strong position for us to act. In addition, a recently converted Republican Senator Shelby has suggested he will call for a reorganization of the Fed so as to root out conflicts of interest with the banks -- we put this kind of reorganization on the list of ways to reform the Fed.

Let's continue to hammer in this sad story of greed and bring it to an end. Please use our tell-a-friend link to tell your friends about how fundamental change is coming to those who have committed crimes against and taken opportunities away from American families.

But even more, what do we do to make the break up the banks message stick? WE have a few campaigns coming up. Let me be the first to tell you that we can transfer out of a big bank into a small bank (even better put it in a credit union), pay off all your credit card debt now, then when you are ready to, cut up your credit cards.

I am looking for the footage of Jimmy Carter asking Americans to do the same in 1980 -- is anyone a part of a library system and has some special privileges or know of where I can get it?

And today, activists are united with us on breaking up the banks -- thousands protest the banks in Chicago crying for breaking up the banks. The most important message we can convey is that the banks must be broken up and conflicts of interests reorganized, including at the Federal Reserve. This is ACTUALLY A SCARY MESSAGE TO THEM and see it as what it really is -- the American public fighting for their own interest. We expect ANWF members and our allies to be there with "Break up the banks!" on your sign. You can see the latest videos here.

And of course, we can protest at home too, print out "Break up the Banks" signs and flyers for friends here.

There's room for artists too -- this artist is encasing Detroit homes in ice as a way to bring attention to the issue.

For more information on breaking up the banks visit our policy page and this blog for easy to understand analysis and the much needed layout for reform.

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