Free & Fair, Part IV – Counter Economics
Alternatives to Political Systems, Consumerism, Economics, Ethical Investment, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Steve Herrick October 22, 2010
This is Part IV of a four part series. Read Part I, Part II and Part III.
"Which government is the best? That which teaches us to govern ourselves." – Goethe
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any." – Alice Walker
"The government of an exclusive company of merchants is, perhaps, the worst of all governments for any country whatsoever." – Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations
Ages ago, when I was in college, it dawned on me that having a counter-culture was not enough. There was a thriving counter-culture in the Sixties, but over time, it became commodified and largely trivialized. The underlying structures of the economy can not only resist the strongest attacks, it can turn them to its advantage. The way to change the world is not to drop out, but to actively build a working alternative. To really make a difference, we need a counter-economy.
Comments (7)Free & Fair, Part III – the Labor Theory of Values
Alternatives to Political Systems, Economics, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Steve Herrick October 20, 2010
Part III of a series. Click to read Part I and Part II.
“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Possession is 9/10 of the problem.” – John Lennon
I think we should stop referring to the socio-economic system we live under as “capitalism.” This implies a rule by capital, which buys in (as it were) to the idea that the structure is impersonal, impartial and inevitable. I think we’d have a much clearer picture of reality if we started calling it “capitalist-ism.”
Comments (7)Free & Fair, Part II
Alternatives to Political Systems, Eco-Villages, Economics, Ethical Investment, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Steve Herrick October 15, 2010
This is Part II of a series. Read Part I here.
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” - Winston Churchill
“The rich get richer / The poor get the picture” - Midnight Oil
If you give me a fish, you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish, then you have fed me until the river is contaminated or the shore line seized for development. But if you teach me to organize, then whatever the challenge I can join together with my peers and we will fashion our own solution. – Ricardo Levins Morales
In the big picture, there are only two kinds of economies: market and command. In a market economy, you buy and sell what you want and can afford. In a command economy, you sell what you’re told to, and buy whatever you can. The command economy has traditionally been equated with the left, and the market with the right. But increasingly, I’ve come to believe that’s not accurate.
Comments (15)Free & Fair – Part I
Alternatives to Political Systems, Consumerism, Eco-Villages, Economics, Ethical Investment, People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Steve Herrick
"The bosses’ right to live is mine to die." – Rage Against the Machine
"The purpose of freedom is to free others." – Toni Morrison
Here’s a fun experiment anyone can do. Find someone who espouses neoliberalism (they’ll call it "free-market economics"). Ask them why coffee farmers are poor. See if their answer doesn’t contain the phrase "in a free market…" If it does, it raises two issues.
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