Are you sick and tired of government corruption, and of corporations cheating, stealing, and committing all manner of crimes with total impunity? There is a solution! The corruption is fueled by the concentration of power and wealth into a few hands; those of the wealthy politicians in government, and their corporatist paymasters. There is no protest, no political campaign, and certainly no armed revolution that can take on this entrenched system. The only way to bring it down is to de-fund it.
You have the power to do that! I'm totally committed to spreading the word about this, and about finding ways to connect with other business people and social justice activists to promote the concept of "Sustainable Economics" and collectives.
The most important thing to know about all this is that there is nothing radical about this concept, other than the fact that if people were to embrace it, the average citizen would be better off in multiple ways, including income, health, happiness, and productivity. It would also help the environment, and hence would secure a much better future.
The path we're on right now is a path towards disaster; we need to change course.
Here are some resources:
- The National Center for Employee Ownership: The NCEO is a nonprofit organization, established in 1981, whose mission is to provide the most objective and reliable information possible on employee ownership at the most affordable price possible. Our members include companies, professional practitioners, government officials, academics, and others. Although we are a membership-based organization, our outreach is not limited to members. Many people buy our publications and attend our events without becoming NCEO members—they simply pay higher prices.
- The Employee Ownership 100: America's Largest Majority Employee-Owned Companies
- Green Bay Packers: The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Green Bay is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, having been organized and playing in 1919. The Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States.
- Institute for New Economic Thinking: The Institute for New Economic Thinking’s mission is to nurture a global community of next-generation economic leaders, to provoke new economic thinking, and to inspire the economics profession to engage the challenges of the 21st century.
- The Permaculture Institure: [Thanks to OPOL for sharing this information] Permaculture is an ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of human endeavor. It teaches us how build natural homes, grow our own food, restore diminished landscapes and ecosystems, catch rainwater, build communities and much more.
These concepts, coupled with the great work many progressives organizations are doing around the country (and internationally), as well as political activism, protests, and other peaceful tactics, can all be used in conjunction to replace the corrupt Corporatocracy entrenched in the U.S. today. I've shared some additional ideas in my recent diaries...
I encourage people to also read about workers cooperatives, Rochdale Principles, and Co-operatives UK.
Update: 5:00pm
Thanks to Frank in WA for the information about Evergreen Cooperatives.