I hear the rhetoric about the creation of an "ownership society" and couldn't agree more. However, I think my definition would differ substantially from what the Bush administration definition of an ownership society might be.
I'm sure according to the Republicans, creating an ownership society means slashing taxes further and allowing people to take ownership over providing for their needs such as health care, education, saving for retirement and other social programs currently managed by the government. In addition, I'm sure that tort reform will be a big part of this as well, forcing people to take ownership of problems, rather than suing other parties to try and solve them. However, I have in mind a different type of ownership society.
In my ownership society, frivolous lawsuits would be severely limited. The difference is that the lawsuits that I consider most frivolous are lawsuits designed to silence whistleblowers and activists, so-called SLAPP lawsuits. Wealthy individuals and huge corporations make a mockery of the court system by using huge legal teams to overwhelm individuals who cannot pay for a costly and lengthy court battle.
In my ownership society, health care providers and private businesses would take responsibility for their actions and compensate victims of their negligence which causes injury. Often the reason that people take cases to the courts is because of a reluctance by companies to fairly compensate victims of accidents. In a real ownership society, companies would be forced to provide fair compensation in a timely manner or face tough penalties.
In my ownership society, polluters would take ownership of the damage they cause to the environment instead of government footing the bill. Currently, most companies are not even fined for polluting and if they are fined, the fines are a mere slap on the wrist. Forcing companies to take responsibility for their pollution would mean billing them for every cent that cleaning up their mess would cost. It would also mean charging companies for any increased health care costs caused by toxic pollution.
In my ownership society, companies will be cut off from government welfare and be forced to take ownership of the true costs of doing business. If a corporation like Wal-Mart pays so little their workers qualify for food stamps and other social programs, those costs should be passed on to that company. If a company can only stay in business by ignoring labor and environmental regulations, they don't deserve to still be in business.
In my ownership society, corporations and their shareholders and stakeholders would be responsible for the actions they take. Limited liability promotes irresponsible actions. If a corporation like Enron goes belly-up, the paper trail should be followed and this money should be recovered. If you are found in possession of stolen goods, you must return them even if you bought the items in good faith and didn't know they were stolen. If a corporation makes crooked decisions that ultimately benefit shareholders, the money should be able to be reclaimed like any other stolen good.
In my ownership society, citizens will pay the true cost of their own consumption. Every major product would have a recycling deposit built into it that would be returned when the item is returned to be disassembled and recycled. Disposable products would include a levy to help cover the cost of dealing with the waste it produces.
Finally, in my ownership society, people would finally be given ownership of their own bodies. I personally never have used drugs, but if people want to use them, they should have the right to do it. If you want to commit suicide (such as with assisted suicide) then nobody should stop you. If you decide to have an abortion, then that is your right.
Currently, the rhetoric of the ownership society has focused on downloading more and more responsibility to individuals. In my opinion, ownership and accountability need to be forced upon the corporations and governments that cause many of the problems our society faces. Responsibility can be easily legislated by enforcing many of the laws that are already on the books and backing them with real punishments.
I'm curious, what do you think about this type of ownership society? What else should people and corporations be forced to take ownership of?