Derived from the teachings of George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, I submit to you all the following:
"God" is love. "God" is the intention and actions to do good. Fox said that there is good and bad in everyone and it is incumbent upon us to cultivate the good within ourselves and help others to do the same.
The Buddhists' Four Noble Truths can be summed up as:
- all life is suffering
- it is incumbent upon us all to do what we can to relieve that suffering.
The nine-fold path (I've added one) of Buddhism is:
-right intentions
-right understanding
-right thought
-right speech
-right action
-right livelihood
-right effort
-right mindfulness
-right concentration.
When I write "right" (above), I am using it in the connotation of correct.
In US politics some of us say, Left ("wing") is right (correct) and Right ('wing") is might (take it by economic dominance and aggression and/or force). Of course, "Right" in this connotation is wrong.
I'm a Work kin for peace and cooperation.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Relocalization
Relocalization is an important part of a strategy towards equitable/sustainable quality of life communities. It will take a long time to realize such especially with respect to production. The one area that people seem to be focusing on is food production.
In an area like the Eugene-Springfiled, OR/Willamette River Valley such a strategy of "towards self-sufficiency" in food production is more feasible than let's say New York City, in which they would have to define their region/hinterlands much more extensively. (the imperialistic fingers of NYC stretch much more widely than the do fo a place like, let's say Des Moines, IA.
Every region has what Economists call a "Comparative" Advantage. The Central Valley in California is the best agricultural land on the planet. Saudi Arabia and the surrounds has oil. New York City has the knowledge and structural base to dominate the financial system., etc. The Comparative Region plays into how resources are used and/or exploited in an area. I can not an envision an economy where this completely goes away. What we have to do when planning inter-community development is recognize the comparative advantage (or disadvantage) of our neighborhood, and the comparative advantage of our larger bio-region (carving up the world into bio-regions will be problematic, but it makes more sense than the totally arbitrary State). We also have to recognize the comparative advantage of other regions, particularly those closest to us and come up with mutually trading schemes that will optimize both the comparative advantage and relocalization paradigms in an equitable and sustainabe manner . It will need to be a slow, methodical, planned transition. It will take much understanding, much communication, a committment to fair trade, and a committment to cooperation.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for such beneficial change lies in what Economists call "Competitive" Advantage. Simply put, it's "I own the resources and you don't!" There are international, regional, and local financial elites, large business holders and investors, lnadlords, etc. The Plan of an Equity Union is to pull all ownership equity into one large resource and re-allocate it to communities based on needs of sustainable living, equity concerns (especialy for the poor) and to transition to a quality of life paradigm as opposed to one that emphasizes "standard of living" (he with the most and most expensive toys, wins).
Inter-community and inter-regional equity is a major goal.
In an area like the Eugene-Springfiled, OR/Willamette River Valley such a strategy of "towards self-sufficiency" in food production is more feasible than let's say New York City, in which they would have to define their region/hinterlands much more extensively. (the imperialistic fingers of NYC stretch much more widely than the do fo a place like, let's say Des Moines, IA.
Every region has what Economists call a "Comparative" Advantage. The Central Valley in California is the best agricultural land on the planet. Saudi Arabia and the surrounds has oil. New York City has the knowledge and structural base to dominate the financial system., etc. The Comparative Region plays into how resources are used and/or exploited in an area. I can not an envision an economy where this completely goes away. What we have to do when planning inter-community development is recognize the comparative advantage (or disadvantage) of our neighborhood, and the comparative advantage of our larger bio-region (carving up the world into bio-regions will be problematic, but it makes more sense than the totally arbitrary State). We also have to recognize the comparative advantage of other regions, particularly those closest to us and come up with mutually trading schemes that will optimize both the comparative advantage and relocalization paradigms in an equitable and sustainabe manner . It will need to be a slow, methodical, planned transition. It will take much understanding, much communication, a committment to fair trade, and a committment to cooperation.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for such beneficial change lies in what Economists call "Competitive" Advantage. Simply put, it's "I own the resources and you don't!" There are international, regional, and local financial elites, large business holders and investors, lnadlords, etc. The Plan of an Equity Union is to pull all ownership equity into one large resource and re-allocate it to communities based on needs of sustainable living, equity concerns (especialy for the poor) and to transition to a quality of life paradigm as opposed to one that emphasizes "standard of living" (he with the most and most expensive toys, wins).
Inter-community and inter-regional equity is a major goal.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Everywhere Men
(adapted from John Lennon’s “Nowhere Man”)
We are real everywhere men
Workin’ in our everywhere lands
Making all our everywhere plans for everybuddy
We all have our point of view
But people where are we going to
Everywhere men ain’t we a bit like me and you
Everywhere men don’t worry
Give your love don’t scurry
Everywhere men the world needs your helping hands
We are real everywhere men
Working in our everywhere lands
Making all our everywhere plans for everybuddy
We all have our point of view
But children where are we going to
Everywhere men ain’t they a bit like me and you
Everywhere men don’t worry
Work real hard don’t hurry
Give it all
‘til sumbuddy else lends you a hand
We are real everywhere men
Workin’ in our everywhere lands
Making all our everywhere plans
For everybuddy
Making all our everywhere plans for everybuddy…
(adapted from John Lennon’s “Nowhere Man”)
We are real everywhere men
Workin’ in our everywhere lands
Making all our everywhere plans for everybuddy
We all have our point of view
But people where are we going to
Everywhere men ain’t we a bit like me and you
Everywhere men don’t worry
Give your love don’t scurry
Everywhere men the world needs your helping hands
We are real everywhere men
Working in our everywhere lands
Making all our everywhere plans for everybuddy
We all have our point of view
But children where are we going to
Everywhere men ain’t they a bit like me and you
Everywhere men don’t worry
Work real hard don’t hurry
Give it all
‘til sumbuddy else lends you a hand
We are real everywhere men
Workin’ in our everywhere lands
Making all our everywhere plans
For everybuddy
Making all our everywhere plans for everybuddy…
Imagine (Slightly Updated)
Imagine (slightly updated)
Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try
Only potential hell on earth
around us only sky
Imagine all the people
living for the children, ah-ha
Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do
Imagine nothing to kill or die for
understand religion too
Imagine all the people, living life in peace, you-u
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions, I wonder if they can
No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world, You-u
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world will live as one
Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try
Only potential hell on earth
around us only sky
Imagine all the people
living for the children, ah-ha
Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do
Imagine nothing to kill or die for
understand religion too
Imagine all the people, living life in peace, you-u
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions, I wonder if they can
No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world, You-u
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world will live as one
Education
Basic education and learning skills are fundamental to human progress.
I think as many as possible should be encouraged to be bi-lingual or multi-lingual from an early age.
The educational system should function under the aegis of a neighborhood/community/inter-community/inter-regional/worldwide Ecological Economic Plan based on the principles of peace, humanity, equity, and sustainability.
All Schools, including higher education, should be funded by an Equity Union and governments, the latter which would be phased down and rearranged to reflect a more meaningful collaboration with the new economic order that such a Plan would aspire to and eventually achieve. The individual path taken should be one that is needed by the larger community, and of interest to the individual, and needs to be the subject of careful ongoing deliberations among student, family, community, and educators.
The insidious nature of corporate dominance in the classroom and research must be eliminated.
George Fox wrote in the 1600's that the best education was not obtained at the Universities. Although I am very thankful for the formal education that I got through the Master's level, I concur. After a life-long student reaches a certain amount of formal education and training, they become the best judge, working with elders and peers in their commuities, and combined with their experiential learning, of what is the best path for further individual and community academic and vocational pursuits.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
I think as many as possible should be encouraged to be bi-lingual or multi-lingual from an early age.
The educational system should function under the aegis of a neighborhood/community/inter-community/inter-regional/worldwide Ecological Economic Plan based on the principles of peace, humanity, equity, and sustainability.
All Schools, including higher education, should be funded by an Equity Union and governments, the latter which would be phased down and rearranged to reflect a more meaningful collaboration with the new economic order that such a Plan would aspire to and eventually achieve. The individual path taken should be one that is needed by the larger community, and of interest to the individual, and needs to be the subject of careful ongoing deliberations among student, family, community, and educators.
The insidious nature of corporate dominance in the classroom and research must be eliminated.
George Fox wrote in the 1600's that the best education was not obtained at the Universities. Although I am very thankful for the formal education that I got through the Master's level, I concur. After a life-long student reaches a certain amount of formal education and training, they become the best judge, working with elders and peers in their commuities, and combined with their experiential learning, of what is the best path for further individual and community academic and vocational pursuits.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Communications
With respect to the very large issue of the communications industry, again, the issue is the control of economic resources.
We need to start in all neighborhoods/local communities and build, or acquire and renovate, community centers that would serve to facilitate public meetings, intra and inter-community communications (internet-access, inter and intra-community radio and tele-conferencing, community television (associated with educational programming to be discussed later) and distribution space to facilitate the distribution of essential goods and services to walkable neighborhoods (whenever possible - meaning that rural communities would be very difficult to impossible to make "walkable" - although clustering of farmsteads would consitute a walkable neighborhood) as a very important focus of all our plans and further economic activity.
As the master of understatement, I assert that there is almost unlimited growth potential for the improvement in educational, and secondarily entertainment, media. A Communications Committee, working in concert with other economic sectors within the context of a highly principled ecological economic plan could request and receive non or not-for-profit "investments" from the Peoples' Equity Union. Neighborhood/Community allocations would be controlled by associated "branches", metropolitan and regional decisions controlled by appropriate administrative units, and matters of world-wide scope be decided by an appropriate Committee.
By the way, that is how I would propose all Peoples' Equity Union funds be allocated to all sectors of the economy. The decision-making process has to be primarily from the bottom to top. By that I mean, control of resources within a community and to a community begins with the community. Of course there will be transition issues as the current competitive advantage in the Capitalist economy is held by an inter-regional elite. All decisions of fund allocations will be subject to adherance to the mission, principles, strategies, and tactics of the Plan.
Classroom education needs to be reformed accordingly, as well. I'd like to discuss this in more detail at a later time or date.
I most certainly welcome and look forward to discussion on these and all related matters.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
(541) 343-3808
We need to start in all neighborhoods/local communities and build, or acquire and renovate, community centers that would serve to facilitate public meetings, intra and inter-community communications (internet-access, inter and intra-community radio and tele-conferencing, community television (associated with educational programming to be discussed later) and distribution space to facilitate the distribution of essential goods and services to walkable neighborhoods (whenever possible - meaning that rural communities would be very difficult to impossible to make "walkable" - although clustering of farmsteads would consitute a walkable neighborhood) as a very important focus of all our plans and further economic activity.
As the master of understatement, I assert that there is almost unlimited growth potential for the improvement in educational, and secondarily entertainment, media. A Communications Committee, working in concert with other economic sectors within the context of a highly principled ecological economic plan could request and receive non or not-for-profit "investments" from the Peoples' Equity Union. Neighborhood/Community allocations would be controlled by associated "branches", metropolitan and regional decisions controlled by appropriate administrative units, and matters of world-wide scope be decided by an appropriate Committee.
By the way, that is how I would propose all Peoples' Equity Union funds be allocated to all sectors of the economy. The decision-making process has to be primarily from the bottom to top. By that I mean, control of resources within a community and to a community begins with the community. Of course there will be transition issues as the current competitive advantage in the Capitalist economy is held by an inter-regional elite. All decisions of fund allocations will be subject to adherance to the mission, principles, strategies, and tactics of the Plan.
Classroom education needs to be reformed accordingly, as well. I'd like to discuss this in more detail at a later time or date.
I most certainly welcome and look forward to discussion on these and all related matters.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
(541) 343-3808
Friday, December 26, 2008
A “Double Payer” Economy and Health Care System
A single payer health care system paid for by tax revenues?
Single payer should be double payer with the “private” financial sector uniting into an Equity Union to cooperate with governments to fund all sectors of the (ecological) economy.
Who the hell pays taxes anyway?
People on payroll and their employers, that's probably about all. Those people, to a great extent should be relieved of that unfair burden.
Large companies use creative accounting schemes and there are just too many businesses, diversified corporations with diversified investment portfolios, equity investors, stock traders, medium and small contractors and businesses, etc. for the IRS to keep up with it all.
I don't think that much of the taxes that the government(s) would expect are actually being collected.
Why not pay, a well-managed capitated health care system directly out of the treasury and funds allocated by the Equity Union, supplemented by voluntary contributions from the wealthy and relatively wealthy?
An Equity Union (the pooling of ownership assets worldwide) could promote the active participation in a health fund. The Equity Union and the Treasur(ies) could make allocations on behalf of individuals in communities. The sum of payments to the community funds would be the budgeted amounts from which the capitated Regional HMOs would make their delivery decisions, consistent with a larger plan and well deliberated medical policies, which include a long-term plan for eliminating the plethora of unnecessary care, as well as taking all profits out of the delivery systems.
The equity fund and the treasury could allocate funds based on need, or the treasury could allocate to those in poor communities with little to no or negative equity (based on property values, and the amount of equity personally held in all property (real, capital, and personal)). People in wealthy communities, over their head in debt should be encouraged to move to poorer communities with some, if not all debt, forgiven.
In the new economy, there would be no debt and all would make equity payments instead of rent and mortgage interest payments.
Debt forgiveness should be part of the transition plan as should the writing down of real property values and the value of capital assets.
A double payer health care program would be part of a larger effort to invest in human and community improvement in poor areas and the transition of wealthy neighborhoods from standard of living wealth zones, to quality of life wealth zones (in all communities).
Don't tell me that it is too complicated. Have you ever seen the internal workings of Accounting, Information, Finance, and Marketing systems within large capitalist conglomerates, banks, governments, insurance companies, etc.? Like reducing the redundancy in health payment systems, a Peoples' Equity Union would save great amounts of money by eliminating profits (certain sectors such as health would be non-profit and sectors such as community improvement would be not-for profit), eliminating Marketing costs (save logistics), and greatly reducing redundancy in administrative costs in all sectors of the economy. It would actually be a simplified system with the ability to cooperate with social/environmental equity and sustainability goals. An Equity Union as a quasi-public organization (a NGO) would greatly reduce the need for big government(s).
Coordinated with an explicit Ecological Economic Plan, such Financial Systems Reform would go a long way towards the hope of realizing a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world.
Workers' Compensation and Social Security programs need to be maintained.
The environment is the entire world and each individual’s relationship to their world. The environment is not an issue. It is THE issue.
Single payer should be double payer with the “private” financial sector uniting into an Equity Union to cooperate with governments to fund all sectors of the (ecological) economy.
Who the hell pays taxes anyway?
People on payroll and their employers, that's probably about all. Those people, to a great extent should be relieved of that unfair burden.
Large companies use creative accounting schemes and there are just too many businesses, diversified corporations with diversified investment portfolios, equity investors, stock traders, medium and small contractors and businesses, etc. for the IRS to keep up with it all.
I don't think that much of the taxes that the government(s) would expect are actually being collected.
Why not pay, a well-managed capitated health care system directly out of the treasury and funds allocated by the Equity Union, supplemented by voluntary contributions from the wealthy and relatively wealthy?
An Equity Union (the pooling of ownership assets worldwide) could promote the active participation in a health fund. The Equity Union and the Treasur(ies) could make allocations on behalf of individuals in communities. The sum of payments to the community funds would be the budgeted amounts from which the capitated Regional HMOs would make their delivery decisions, consistent with a larger plan and well deliberated medical policies, which include a long-term plan for eliminating the plethora of unnecessary care, as well as taking all profits out of the delivery systems.
The equity fund and the treasury could allocate funds based on need, or the treasury could allocate to those in poor communities with little to no or negative equity (based on property values, and the amount of equity personally held in all property (real, capital, and personal)). People in wealthy communities, over their head in debt should be encouraged to move to poorer communities with some, if not all debt, forgiven.
In the new economy, there would be no debt and all would make equity payments instead of rent and mortgage interest payments.
Debt forgiveness should be part of the transition plan as should the writing down of real property values and the value of capital assets.
A double payer health care program would be part of a larger effort to invest in human and community improvement in poor areas and the transition of wealthy neighborhoods from standard of living wealth zones, to quality of life wealth zones (in all communities).
Don't tell me that it is too complicated. Have you ever seen the internal workings of Accounting, Information, Finance, and Marketing systems within large capitalist conglomerates, banks, governments, insurance companies, etc.? Like reducing the redundancy in health payment systems, a Peoples' Equity Union would save great amounts of money by eliminating profits (certain sectors such as health would be non-profit and sectors such as community improvement would be not-for profit), eliminating Marketing costs (save logistics), and greatly reducing redundancy in administrative costs in all sectors of the economy. It would actually be a simplified system with the ability to cooperate with social/environmental equity and sustainability goals. An Equity Union as a quasi-public organization (a NGO) would greatly reduce the need for big government(s).
Coordinated with an explicit Ecological Economic Plan, such Financial Systems Reform would go a long way towards the hope of realizing a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world.
Workers' Compensation and Social Security programs need to be maintained.
The environment is the entire world and each individual’s relationship to their world. The environment is not an issue. It is THE issue.
Demand Side Management, Energy, and Reform
I would like to address the supply side scenario for energy production based on assumptions of economic growth requiring an increase in the use of energy.
The trouble with focusing on supply side economics and energy is that they both ignore demand. In relation to economics, the lack of effective demand for the plethora of consumer products will prove to be the downfall of this past generation’s experiment with supply side economics. With respect to energy, we must recognize that demand side management is critical to any possibility of a sustainable future. Liberal economics (laissez faire, the so-called free market) can not deal with the problem(s). We need a planned economy to effectively retrofit the infrastructure and to rebuild our communities to be walkable, therefore eliminating the terrible daily waste of oil/energy resources for transportation purposes.
I have to differ with rosy scenarios regarding the contribution that photovoltaics can make. I’m not an electrical engineer or an electrician, but it is my understanding that PVs don’t have the oomph (be it voltage, amperage, and/or wattage) to contribute very significantly to the current and recommended increased usage of electricity. Sure, PVs and wind might be able to contribute to lighting applications and a few very high efficiency appliances, but they can not power our transportation, industrial, business, and home heating and air conditioning, hot water, agricultural inputs, refrigeration, drying, and cooking needs.
We could go full throttle to the building of nuclear power plants, but I am highly leery of their toxicity and safety issues. Even if we pursued the path of electrification with the maximization of nuclear power, it will require a tremendous overhaul of our transportation infrastructure, and other applications currently met by oil products, coal, and natural gas.
First of all, nuclear is not a “free market” technology. Government programs paid for most of the resources for development of such. Then, there is the waste issue. Is it not the Federal Government who is going to or proposing to pay for the waste depository at Yucca Mountain (Nevada)? Also, there is the issue of bringing back the so-called Price-Anderson legislation. This was legislation in which the Federal Government provided insurance for nuclear power plants and related operations. No private insurer would underwrite the risks, thus the Feds had to step in.
Perhaps a better scenario could be realized if we started very soon with a planned economy that focused first on economic and energy demand side management and also retrofitted infrastructures with respect to very scarce and relatively clean (I view carbon resources, if appropriately used, to be cleaner than nuclear) energy applications.
The potential for solar thermal hot water is immense, especially with such hot water heaters equipped with concave magnifying lenses to concentrate the rays of the sun. Imagine all hot water demanding properties on the planet equipped with such devices. Imagine all the (community/worker owned) jobs involved with the production, installation, and distribution of these units. I list distribution last, because all efforts need to be made to maximize the localization of such production and installation, as well as any other products for which going towards relocalization may be possible (e.g. food).
Relocalization is part of the plan (and not just for food). Instead of reversalism, the term that the author Staniford has coined as being emblematic of the relocalization paradigm, let me offer the following "re" words that imply a gradual evolution to a future which incorporates the best of the past, for your consideration, response, and action.
Reformation
Little to no beneficial change will occur without an almost religious change from the paradigm of economic growth and standard of living to one that emphasizes community redevelopment and quality of life. This is an important educational component of an alternative ecological economic plan.
Reorganization
If we can be successful and realize the educational/reform component, the next (concurrent) step is to reorganize to one of cooperative (or at least partially so – we will probably need to compromise on the divide between one dollar/one vote and one person/one vote as the dominant paradigm of economic organization) communitarian local and regional economic entities, at least until the day that we are all nearly equal in terms of ownership of the means and goods of production and distribution. How to assure the transition from inequality is problematic. However, as the entire economic system begins and proceeds to fail, those wealthy seeking to avoid total financial ruin will welcome the opportunity to accept the quality of life paradigm, foregoing their opulent, ostentatious, enslaving, ecocidal, genocidal, and suicidal "standard of living" modus operandi.
Reallocation
We need coordinated regional planning agencies that agree on the fundamental mission of a global ecological economy that have the two basic pillars of sustainability and equity. These “planning” agencies would work together and with the local/regional economic entities to determine how resources are allocated to and within communities based on the relocalization paradigm and other governing principles. The vehicle, That I envision here is a Peoples’ Equity Union with “branches” in all communities/neighborhoods.
Restructuring
Communities will need to be physically rebuilt to make them walkable (i.e. new urbanism, retrofitting residential communities built in the oil/automobile age by building
community economic and cultural centers making necessities and other important quality of life amenities available to all within walking distance of their homes). Included in such a plan would be neighborhood work stations which would aid in the ability of office workers to telecommute in their occupations as we transition from a Capitalist economy to a Socialist one. Imagine all the jobs!
Reducing
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
To post a comment, either click on the title of this essay, or click on the small print on the bottom that says either, "0 comments", "1 comment", "2 comments", etc.
The trouble with focusing on supply side economics and energy is that they both ignore demand. In relation to economics, the lack of effective demand for the plethora of consumer products will prove to be the downfall of this past generation’s experiment with supply side economics. With respect to energy, we must recognize that demand side management is critical to any possibility of a sustainable future. Liberal economics (laissez faire, the so-called free market) can not deal with the problem(s). We need a planned economy to effectively retrofit the infrastructure and to rebuild our communities to be walkable, therefore eliminating the terrible daily waste of oil/energy resources for transportation purposes.
I have to differ with rosy scenarios regarding the contribution that photovoltaics can make. I’m not an electrical engineer or an electrician, but it is my understanding that PVs don’t have the oomph (be it voltage, amperage, and/or wattage) to contribute very significantly to the current and recommended increased usage of electricity. Sure, PVs and wind might be able to contribute to lighting applications and a few very high efficiency appliances, but they can not power our transportation, industrial, business, and home heating and air conditioning, hot water, agricultural inputs, refrigeration, drying, and cooking needs.
We could go full throttle to the building of nuclear power plants, but I am highly leery of their toxicity and safety issues. Even if we pursued the path of electrification with the maximization of nuclear power, it will require a tremendous overhaul of our transportation infrastructure, and other applications currently met by oil products, coal, and natural gas.
First of all, nuclear is not a “free market” technology. Government programs paid for most of the resources for development of such. Then, there is the waste issue. Is it not the Federal Government who is going to or proposing to pay for the waste depository at Yucca Mountain (Nevada)? Also, there is the issue of bringing back the so-called Price-Anderson legislation. This was legislation in which the Federal Government provided insurance for nuclear power plants and related operations. No private insurer would underwrite the risks, thus the Feds had to step in.
Perhaps a better scenario could be realized if we started very soon with a planned economy that focused first on economic and energy demand side management and also retrofitted infrastructures with respect to very scarce and relatively clean (I view carbon resources, if appropriately used, to be cleaner than nuclear) energy applications.
The potential for solar thermal hot water is immense, especially with such hot water heaters equipped with concave magnifying lenses to concentrate the rays of the sun. Imagine all hot water demanding properties on the planet equipped with such devices. Imagine all the (community/worker owned) jobs involved with the production, installation, and distribution of these units. I list distribution last, because all efforts need to be made to maximize the localization of such production and installation, as well as any other products for which going towards relocalization may be possible (e.g. food).
Relocalization is part of the plan (and not just for food). Instead of reversalism, the term that the author Staniford has coined as being emblematic of the relocalization paradigm, let me offer the following "re" words that imply a gradual evolution to a future which incorporates the best of the past, for your consideration, response, and action.
Reformation
Little to no beneficial change will occur without an almost religious change from the paradigm of economic growth and standard of living to one that emphasizes community redevelopment and quality of life. This is an important educational component of an alternative ecological economic plan.
Reorganization
If we can be successful and realize the educational/reform component, the next (concurrent) step is to reorganize to one of cooperative (or at least partially so – we will probably need to compromise on the divide between one dollar/one vote and one person/one vote as the dominant paradigm of economic organization) communitarian local and regional economic entities, at least until the day that we are all nearly equal in terms of ownership of the means and goods of production and distribution. How to assure the transition from inequality is problematic. However, as the entire economic system begins and proceeds to fail, those wealthy seeking to avoid total financial ruin will welcome the opportunity to accept the quality of life paradigm, foregoing their opulent, ostentatious, enslaving, ecocidal, genocidal, and suicidal "standard of living" modus operandi.
Reallocation
We need coordinated regional planning agencies that agree on the fundamental mission of a global ecological economy that have the two basic pillars of sustainability and equity. These “planning” agencies would work together and with the local/regional economic entities to determine how resources are allocated to and within communities based on the relocalization paradigm and other governing principles. The vehicle, That I envision here is a Peoples’ Equity Union with “branches” in all communities/neighborhoods.
Restructuring
Communities will need to be physically rebuilt to make them walkable (i.e. new urbanism, retrofitting residential communities built in the oil/automobile age by building
community economic and cultural centers making necessities and other important quality of life amenities available to all within walking distance of their homes). Included in such a plan would be neighborhood work stations which would aid in the ability of office workers to telecommute in their occupations as we transition from a Capitalist economy to a Socialist one. Imagine all the jobs!
Reducing
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
To post a comment, either click on the title of this essay, or click on the small print on the bottom that says either, "0 comments", "1 comment", "2 comments", etc.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
How to post a comment on this blog
To post a comment to any of the essays on this blog, either click on the title at the top of the essay and scroll down, or view any comments and post one yourself, by clicking on the small print at the bottom of the essay where it says "0 comments" or "1 comment", or '2 comments", etc.
Remember to click on "subscribe by e-mail" below the comment dialogue box (to the right), if you want to be notified of subsequent comments.
MM
Remember to click on "subscribe by e-mail" below the comment dialogue box (to the right), if you want to be notified of subsequent comments.
MM
Health Reform - Posted to New York Times Blog
(For those of you visiting from the the New York Times blog, there are other posts related to health care reform below).
As a veteran of the health insurance "cost containment" and “managed care” movements and a student of the health care "industry", I have seen from the inside the inefficiencies of the health payment system and the ineffective and bloated bureaucracies of Managed Care (on both the payer and provider sides of the equation)..
A single payer system (a world single payer would be the ideal), with regional administration units, would reduce health care costs by eliminating profit from the system, greatly reduce costs by eliminating marketing costs and by the streamlining of huge redundancies in administration systems. A single payer system would also allow for a capitated non-profit delivery system where Physicians could triage care unencumbered. But this is only a third of the picture.
A second third of the problem is the rampant abuse (perhaps much or some of it is well intentioned) and fraud associated with the profit driven medical industrial complex and the associated revenue and job security needs of the provider community.
Instituting a non-profit HMO system with careful medical protocols, could allow us to slowly, orderly, and healthily bring the leviathan costs associated with medical care delivery way down.
The third piece, and it is a huge one, is environmental and public health.
Thank you.
As a veteran of the health insurance "cost containment" and “managed care” movements and a student of the health care "industry", I have seen from the inside the inefficiencies of the health payment system and the ineffective and bloated bureaucracies of Managed Care (on both the payer and provider sides of the equation)..
A single payer system (a world single payer would be the ideal), with regional administration units, would reduce health care costs by eliminating profit from the system, greatly reduce costs by eliminating marketing costs and by the streamlining of huge redundancies in administration systems. A single payer system would also allow for a capitated non-profit delivery system where Physicians could triage care unencumbered. But this is only a third of the picture.
A second third of the problem is the rampant abuse (perhaps much or some of it is well intentioned) and fraud associated with the profit driven medical industrial complex and the associated revenue and job security needs of the provider community.
Instituting a non-profit HMO system with careful medical protocols, could allow us to slowly, orderly, and healthily bring the leviathan costs associated with medical care delivery way down.
The third piece, and it is a huge one, is environmental and public health.
Thank you.
Transition Towns Initiative Website
There is an interesting initiative in the UK called the "Transition Network". They are primarily concerned with peak oil and climate change, which are very relevant concerns, and are organizing town planning initiatives accordingly.
You can access their work by going to: http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork .
Mike
You can access their work by going to: http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork .
Mike
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Reforming Financial Systems
People:
The current Capitalist dominated system is dysfunctional both from an equity/fairness and economic and natural resource sustainability perspective.
The dominant paradigm in Capitalist financial business operations uses something called the discount rate which assumes that money will be worth less (eventually worthless) in the future, thus creating a necessity to extract profits exceeding a "hurdle" rate leading to unfair and unwise exploitation of both workers and natural resources, and to rampant inflation.
The use of credit is not a good business or personal practice. In business, it should be discouraged because creditors have first claims on net revenues and hold liens on real property and capital assets. For "consumers", the use of credit is unwise because the system is set up to extract profits from interest thus assuring that when consumers use credit that they are losing money relative to inflation. Certainly the current foreclosure crisis in the USA is ample evidence of the inflation and the unfairness and unhealthiness of the mortgage lien process.
Credit Unions and Mutual Insurance companies are in theory attempts to institute non-profit economic democracies for their respective industries. However, because of the need to compete for customers, both of these relatively progressive financial service organization types are forced to play the same game that is basically destructive to individuals, families, communities, and the natural environment. Ideally, credit should only be used as a last resort, much more preferably not at all. We should replace all aspects of the extant financial system with an Equity Union. In some ways, a mutual insurance company is similar to an equity union. However, because such companies are required to realize profits in order to compete for "policy holders" (really investors), the companies that comprise the portfolios of the mutual insurance firms can not be not-for-profit, can not be mutual organizations themselves.
In a not-for profit Equity Union financial services system based on principles of mutuality working in concert with ethical, wise, knowledgeable, and intelligent community, inter-community, inter-regional, and worldwide planning there would certainly be an important role for financial service workers.
A major impediment to such an Equity Union would be the competitive advantage of the current financial sector and the fear of the friction of change to those individuals and organizations. Dealing with this sector of "the" economy, it would be more feasible with regards to Capitalist resistance and more humane, to orderly and peacefully transition to an Equity Union, coordinated with ecologically sound economic planning.
At risk of understatement, it will take a huge amount of work to educate folks to the need and benefits of such change and to communicate the basic Plan. Transition Planning will also be a very difficult process, but I see no alternative to the current, impending and worsening global economic, political, social, and natural environmental collapse.
Please help.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
Eugene, OR
USA
(541) 343-3808
The current Capitalist dominated system is dysfunctional both from an equity/fairness and economic and natural resource sustainability perspective.
The dominant paradigm in Capitalist financial business operations uses something called the discount rate which assumes that money will be worth less (eventually worthless) in the future, thus creating a necessity to extract profits exceeding a "hurdle" rate leading to unfair and unwise exploitation of both workers and natural resources, and to rampant inflation.
The use of credit is not a good business or personal practice. In business, it should be discouraged because creditors have first claims on net revenues and hold liens on real property and capital assets. For "consumers", the use of credit is unwise because the system is set up to extract profits from interest thus assuring that when consumers use credit that they are losing money relative to inflation. Certainly the current foreclosure crisis in the USA is ample evidence of the inflation and the unfairness and unhealthiness of the mortgage lien process.
Credit Unions and Mutual Insurance companies are in theory attempts to institute non-profit economic democracies for their respective industries. However, because of the need to compete for customers, both of these relatively progressive financial service organization types are forced to play the same game that is basically destructive to individuals, families, communities, and the natural environment. Ideally, credit should only be used as a last resort, much more preferably not at all. We should replace all aspects of the extant financial system with an Equity Union. In some ways, a mutual insurance company is similar to an equity union. However, because such companies are required to realize profits in order to compete for "policy holders" (really investors), the companies that comprise the portfolios of the mutual insurance firms can not be not-for-profit, can not be mutual organizations themselves.
In a not-for profit Equity Union financial services system based on principles of mutuality working in concert with ethical, wise, knowledgeable, and intelligent community, inter-community, inter-regional, and worldwide planning there would certainly be an important role for financial service workers.
A major impediment to such an Equity Union would be the competitive advantage of the current financial sector and the fear of the friction of change to those individuals and organizations. Dealing with this sector of "the" economy, it would be more feasible with regards to Capitalist resistance and more humane, to orderly and peacefully transition to an Equity Union, coordinated with ecologically sound economic planning.
At risk of understatement, it will take a huge amount of work to educate folks to the need and benefits of such change and to communicate the basic Plan. Transition Planning will also be a very difficult process, but I see no alternative to the current, impending and worsening global economic, political, social, and natural environmental collapse.
Please help.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
Eugene, OR
USA
(541) 343-3808
War, Military, Police, Prisons, Public Works
The following was written in response to a query about how returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans should be treated, and a seperate question about "public works":
I haven't given much thought to returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, other than to sympathize with the horrible experience that they must have had/been having. I have as much if not more sympathy for the aggressed upon people of Iraq and Afghanistan. Then there is the wounded on both sides of the"wars". War results in a very high cost of health care, and outrageous physical suffering, in addition to the emotional suffering of families and unwounded citizens, the deprivations of being in a war zone, and of course the direct costs associated with feeding the military industrial complex and the costs of arming the "terrorist" resistors. All these are HUGE opportunity costs for the peaceful development of equitable, sustainable, modest communities.
Ideally, I'd like to eventually abolish the military. Other than the unpopularity among reactionary Americans, there would be issues of transition of employment for military and other types of "security"personnel like police and jailers. Then there is the issue that people go into these positions because of a lack of other economic opportunities.
Fidel Castro said that we are all policeman, meaning that we should all follow moral code in all aspects of life and help straighten others out who are acting immorally or amorally. I have given a lot of thought to the prison industrial complex and the unfairness of such system. The ideal would be zero incarceration. I suggest employment transition planning for the guards and policemen, and citizen review boards for prisoners because I am sure that many have been unfairly prosecuted since, especially for the poor, there are never any or very little in the way of investigations on the behalf of their defense.
With regards to public works, I think that public and private monies should be allocated to rebuilding our neighborhoods and facilitating the transitions that I have talked about in this note and previously, and other matters that I have not yet addressed (such as agriculture, pollution, fisheries, energy and other natural resources, and education, which I have only mentioned under the terms sustainability and environmental/public health).
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
I haven't given much thought to returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, other than to sympathize with the horrible experience that they must have had/been having. I have as much if not more sympathy for the aggressed upon people of Iraq and Afghanistan. Then there is the wounded on both sides of the"wars". War results in a very high cost of health care, and outrageous physical suffering, in addition to the emotional suffering of families and unwounded citizens, the deprivations of being in a war zone, and of course the direct costs associated with feeding the military industrial complex and the costs of arming the "terrorist" resistors. All these are HUGE opportunity costs for the peaceful development of equitable, sustainable, modest communities.
Ideally, I'd like to eventually abolish the military. Other than the unpopularity among reactionary Americans, there would be issues of transition of employment for military and other types of "security"personnel like police and jailers. Then there is the issue that people go into these positions because of a lack of other economic opportunities.
Fidel Castro said that we are all policeman, meaning that we should all follow moral code in all aspects of life and help straighten others out who are acting immorally or amorally. I have given a lot of thought to the prison industrial complex and the unfairness of such system. The ideal would be zero incarceration. I suggest employment transition planning for the guards and policemen, and citizen review boards for prisoners because I am sure that many have been unfairly prosecuted since, especially for the poor, there are never any or very little in the way of investigations on the behalf of their defense.
With regards to public works, I think that public and private monies should be allocated to rebuilding our neighborhoods and facilitating the transitions that I have talked about in this note and previously, and other matters that I have not yet addressed (such as agriculture, pollution, fisheries, energy and other natural resources, and education, which I have only mentioned under the terms sustainability and environmental/public health).
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
Universal Health Care and Health Care Reform
The following essay was written in response to an inquiry asking for help to form a single payer health care finance system in the State of Colorado:
I think it is a mistake to do single payer on the state level. All you will be doing is rearranging the redundancy of claims (if any - I would propose that there not be), information systems (including medical records), actuarial, underwriting, accounting, and medical management (the last which I strongly believe should be done by experienced Primary Care Physicians who are of course of the highest quality in general medical expertise and very cognizant of the cost and over-treatment problems and issues). Besides, states are arbitrary boundaries and metropolitan areas and bioregions would be more effective and efficient planning regions.
Single payer(s) would eliminate profits, marketing costs, and if structured correctly could bring fairness, effectiveness, and efficiency to the health care delivery realm.
The ideal would a world single payer system, with unity in policy, management, payment methods, and health (care) equity, but health care services (at least in the longer run) should be viewed as a last resort relative to environmental/public health matters.
Of course administration on the world-wide or national level (in the case of the USA) would be unwieldy, so regional planning/administrative units would need to be set up. But policy should be global, and if not feasible, national, so that a coordinated, effective, equitable system could be planned and implemented. States could be regional planning/administrative units, I suppose, but maybe EPA regions or some variation thereof would be a better place to start. Certainly that would be an issue of discussion whether the plan be national or global.
Remember, there is going to be a lot of friction involved with such a radical change and there will be continued resistance from the status quo because of that. The fate of workers involved in the payment and delivery systems needs to be of paramount concern and the holdings of Capital and the interests of the medical/pharmaceutical industrial/distribution complex can not be ignored. Another reason that we need an Equity Union.
Please feel free to distribute this communication as widely as possible.
Workin' for peace and cooperation,
Mike Morin
I think it is a mistake to do single payer on the state level. All you will be doing is rearranging the redundancy of claims (if any - I would propose that there not be), information systems (including medical records), actuarial, underwriting, accounting, and medical management (the last which I strongly believe should be done by experienced Primary Care Physicians who are of course of the highest quality in general medical expertise and very cognizant of the cost and over-treatment problems and issues). Besides, states are arbitrary boundaries and metropolitan areas and bioregions would be more effective and efficient planning regions.
Single payer(s) would eliminate profits, marketing costs, and if structured correctly could bring fairness, effectiveness, and efficiency to the health care delivery realm.
The ideal would a world single payer system, with unity in policy, management, payment methods, and health (care) equity, but health care services (at least in the longer run) should be viewed as a last resort relative to environmental/public health matters.
Of course administration on the world-wide or national level (in the case of the USA) would be unwieldy, so regional planning/administrative units would need to be set up. But policy should be global, and if not feasible, national, so that a coordinated, effective, equitable system could be planned and implemented. States could be regional planning/administrative units, I suppose, but maybe EPA regions or some variation thereof would be a better place to start. Certainly that would be an issue of discussion whether the plan be national or global.
Remember, there is going to be a lot of friction involved with such a radical change and there will be continued resistance from the status quo because of that. The fate of workers involved in the payment and delivery systems needs to be of paramount concern and the holdings of Capital and the interests of the medical/pharmaceutical industrial/distribution complex can not be ignored. Another reason that we need an Equity Union.
Please feel free to distribute this communication as widely as possible.
Workin' for peace and cooperation,
Mike Morin
Transportation and Related Planning
In response to a query about the role of electric vehicles. I answered as follows:
With respect to electric vehicles, my thoughts are that they may be a small part of a longer term solution and probably restricted to rebuilt/walkable urban and suburban neighborhoods for the use of the elderly and/or infirm. The top priority with respect to fossil fuels and other energy resources is demand side management. The chief priority in planning the role of the automobile is to reduce automobile use by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years. We are currently burdened by a terrible oversupply (including owned and overstocked inventories at factories and dealerships) of fuel inefficient and poorly designed internal combustion vehicles. If these vehicles weren't so poorly designed, there could be a significant opportunity to convert them to hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. But they are very poorly designed. Perhaps the current population of vehicles should be deconstructed and parts reused or recycled. New vehicles should be exclusively, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric, except maybe for long-term transport and work vehicles.
There could be tremendous amounts of work generated by the reconstruction of neighborhoods and the rearrangement of production, distribution, and communication systems to make them neighborhood friendly. In addition, a great potential for work lies in the field of deconstruction of transportation and related infrastructure adaptation. Parking lots could be torn up and converted to community gardens. Streets (and rail systems) could be torn up and converted to walking and bike paths (and perhaps slow electric vehicles for the infirm) and others altered to be less wide, restoring the liveability of housing located on these very noisy busy passageways. Parking garages could be torn down and replaced by mixed use developments. Highways could be dedicated mostly to bus travel, long distance transport, and perhaps some, if not many, of them torn down and reclaimed as natural and agricultural land. For automobile and small truck usage, it would be optimal to encourage the development of vehicle-sharing cooperatives. All vehicles left in use must be quiet, and slower (with the exception of busses, work vehicles, and long range transport). With respect to transport and distribution systems (and production systems) relocalization and neighborhood telecommunications (including teleconferencing facilities) should be the major goal, greatly reducing the need for long-range travel, especially that which is not related to the long range transport of necessities.
Relocalization of production needs to be encouraged whenever feasible.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
With respect to electric vehicles, my thoughts are that they may be a small part of a longer term solution and probably restricted to rebuilt/walkable urban and suburban neighborhoods for the use of the elderly and/or infirm. The top priority with respect to fossil fuels and other energy resources is demand side management. The chief priority in planning the role of the automobile is to reduce automobile use by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years. We are currently burdened by a terrible oversupply (including owned and overstocked inventories at factories and dealerships) of fuel inefficient and poorly designed internal combustion vehicles. If these vehicles weren't so poorly designed, there could be a significant opportunity to convert them to hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. But they are very poorly designed. Perhaps the current population of vehicles should be deconstructed and parts reused or recycled. New vehicles should be exclusively, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric, except maybe for long-term transport and work vehicles.
There could be tremendous amounts of work generated by the reconstruction of neighborhoods and the rearrangement of production, distribution, and communication systems to make them neighborhood friendly. In addition, a great potential for work lies in the field of deconstruction of transportation and related infrastructure adaptation. Parking lots could be torn up and converted to community gardens. Streets (and rail systems) could be torn up and converted to walking and bike paths (and perhaps slow electric vehicles for the infirm) and others altered to be less wide, restoring the liveability of housing located on these very noisy busy passageways. Parking garages could be torn down and replaced by mixed use developments. Highways could be dedicated mostly to bus travel, long distance transport, and perhaps some, if not many, of them torn down and reclaimed as natural and agricultural land. For automobile and small truck usage, it would be optimal to encourage the development of vehicle-sharing cooperatives. All vehicles left in use must be quiet, and slower (with the exception of busses, work vehicles, and long range transport). With respect to transport and distribution systems (and production systems) relocalization and neighborhood telecommunications (including teleconferencing facilities) should be the major goal, greatly reducing the need for long-range travel, especially that which is not related to the long range transport of necessities.
Relocalization of production needs to be encouraged whenever feasible.
With much love and care,
Mike Morin
Planning
Greetings Folks:
As we are in the time of Man where we have unprecedented communications capabilities, it is my hope that this communication will be disseminated as widely as possible and that we can begin discussion on the following.
As we are in time of man where we are facing unprecedented peril, we must foster unprecedented fundamental change from the brutal amoral and immoral and violent Capitalist domination to a cooperative communitarian one based on love, quality of life, and sharing.
We must reassess the world situation starting with local concerns. We need a worldwide economic democracy, a "system" truely of the people, for the people, and by the people. Peace, equity (equality and ownership), and sustainability need to be among the basic pillars of our plan.
We must plan.
We must cooperate.
We must inculcate the need to diligently pursue and encourage the love of each other, and persistently act upon that understanding.
We must understand that nature, including human work, is the basis of all wealth, and recognize the impending finitude of our natural resources as it relates to the prospects for future generations.
We must accept that all people should be considered to be created equal at birth and work to make that a reality, but that risk in labor, best intentions, and hard work need to be rewarded.
We must understand, accept, and act upon the maxim that the children of the world are the highest priority.
We must return or instill humanity and equity to work and workplaces.
We must create an Equity Union to replace the usurious banking system and the currently inequitable equity holding systems of the Capitalist status quo.
We must rebuild our communities, production, distribution, and transportation systems, so that all communities are walkable (i.e. people can get the products and services they need within walking distance to their homes).
We must work towards a goal of allowing all people to work at or as near to home as possible.
We must create community centers in all neighborhoods to facilitate community participation in the betterment of their neighborhoods and the world, to facilitate the efficient distribution of necessities to the neighborhoods, and to provide the resources that will allow work to be done at or close to home (e.g. teleconferencing, internet and other computer access, intra and inter community communications, etc.)
We must foster and facilitate inter-community, inter-regional, and world wide cooperation.
We must reduce the use of the automobile by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years.
We must reform our health care system to provide universal access by implementing a single payer plan, regional HMO Risk programs, and slowly but greatly reducing the budget to those local and regional health entities to rid the system of its current rampant abuse and fraud.
In essence we must rearrange:
reassess
reimagine
reorganize
relocalize
reallocate
rebuild
reform
reduce
reuse
recycle.
We must plan according to the principles and values mentioned above and we must educate consistently with our mission, plans, and goals.
I'm a Work kin for peace and cooperation,
With much love,
Mike Morin
As we are in the time of Man where we have unprecedented communications capabilities, it is my hope that this communication will be disseminated as widely as possible and that we can begin discussion on the following.
As we are in time of man where we are facing unprecedented peril, we must foster unprecedented fundamental change from the brutal amoral and immoral and violent Capitalist domination to a cooperative communitarian one based on love, quality of life, and sharing.
We must reassess the world situation starting with local concerns. We need a worldwide economic democracy, a "system" truely of the people, for the people, and by the people. Peace, equity (equality and ownership), and sustainability need to be among the basic pillars of our plan.
We must plan.
We must cooperate.
We must inculcate the need to diligently pursue and encourage the love of each other, and persistently act upon that understanding.
We must understand that nature, including human work, is the basis of all wealth, and recognize the impending finitude of our natural resources as it relates to the prospects for future generations.
We must accept that all people should be considered to be created equal at birth and work to make that a reality, but that risk in labor, best intentions, and hard work need to be rewarded.
We must understand, accept, and act upon the maxim that the children of the world are the highest priority.
We must return or instill humanity and equity to work and workplaces.
We must create an Equity Union to replace the usurious banking system and the currently inequitable equity holding systems of the Capitalist status quo.
We must rebuild our communities, production, distribution, and transportation systems, so that all communities are walkable (i.e. people can get the products and services they need within walking distance to their homes).
We must work towards a goal of allowing all people to work at or as near to home as possible.
We must create community centers in all neighborhoods to facilitate community participation in the betterment of their neighborhoods and the world, to facilitate the efficient distribution of necessities to the neighborhoods, and to provide the resources that will allow work to be done at or close to home (e.g. teleconferencing, internet and other computer access, intra and inter community communications, etc.)
We must foster and facilitate inter-community, inter-regional, and world wide cooperation.
We must reduce the use of the automobile by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years.
We must reform our health care system to provide universal access by implementing a single payer plan, regional HMO Risk programs, and slowly but greatly reducing the budget to those local and regional health entities to rid the system of its current rampant abuse and fraud.
In essence we must rearrange:
reassess
reimagine
reorganize
relocalize
reallocate
rebuild
reform
reduce
reuse
recycle.
We must plan according to the principles and values mentioned above and we must educate consistently with our mission, plans, and goals.
I'm a Work kin for peace and cooperation,
With much love,
Mike Morin
A Brief Overview of My Intentions and Plans
A Brief Overview of My Intentions and Plans
I am trying to organize locally, regionally, and worldwide.
I have contacted Eugene-Springfield Solidarity (Oregon, USA) with respect to their initiative and to express to thee all that peace, equity and sustainability, and relocalization need to be the among the major pillars of an ecological economic redevelopment plan. I am also independently working to do local community organizing.
At risk of going into a long-winded explanation, I will elaborate some.
I am sufficiently knowledgeable and experienced to be quite cynical about the prospects for people. However, I maintain hope based on being in a position where I am allowed to pursue a right livelihood at assessing the world, local, and regional situation and imagining alternatives to what is extant.
We need to put great efforts into organizing on the local/regional level, yet we cannot separate our efforts from those of other regions of the world. That is, we cannot isolate ourselves. That has been the mistake of all eutopian experiments (according to Lewis Mumford, eutopian means "good place", outopian means "no place"), Thus, if we progress along the lines of local/regional organizing, we must also reach out and find, and/or foster and facilitate the formation of similar organizing efforts in all locales of the planet. Only working together as one world can we hope to overcome the peril facing the people.
We must reform the financial system. The alternative to the status quo is to form an Equity Union. Perhaps we may want to call it (in English) The Peoples' Equity Union. It would be a worldwide united equity system with cooperating inter-community entities. It would preclude the use of loans, which are fundamentally usurious. It would place the most destitute, the most in need, and all children (which I define as about 25 years old or less) as the highest priority. However, the Plan would include the needs of everybuddy. As the old Socialist slogan goes, "for all according to their needs, by all according to their abilities".
A major focus of the Ecological Economic Redevelopment Plan is the walkable neighborhood. This Plann(er) recognizes that the age of the automobile is racing to a disastrous ending and that if we want to maintain the true benefits of automotive power and sustain our precious fossil fuels (as well as other natural resources), that we must reduce the use of automobiles by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years. There will be great resistance from the economic interests of the status quo. We need to work in cooperation with them as well.
Locally, we need to begin to organize in neighborhoods (however they are to be defined). The City of Eugene has taken an initiative to identify neighborhoods and encourage the formation of neighborhood associations. In Eugene, this would be a good place to start, and such could serve as a model for other communities.
Walkable neighborhoods are defined as neighborhoods where people can get the things they need within walking distance and have the goal and create the resources to facilitate the maximum amount of people working in their neighborhoods and/or at home. Bring the goods, services, and the means of communication to the people instead of all those willy-nilly inefficient, and tragically squandering automobile trips. Perhaps a part of the Plan would be an evolution to a pre-order cooperative system for food and other necessities. Such a system would go a long way to promote accurate and quality production, efficient distribution and a large reduction in waste.
Building and renovating buildings for community centers is a large part of the plan. Also building more YMCAs or reasonable facsimiles, renovating housing, and creating equity opportunities for all is part of the plan. Also adaptive reuse of greyfields and soon to be greyfields will be in order.
My philosophy is that no one gets hurt (i.e. everybuddy wins). The wealthy and their followers may have to adjust their lifestyles and accept the concept of “quality of life” in lieu of “standard of living”
I am trying to organize locally, regionally, and worldwide.
I have contacted Eugene-Springfield Solidarity (Oregon, USA) with respect to their initiative and to express to thee all that peace, equity and sustainability, and relocalization need to be the among the major pillars of an ecological economic redevelopment plan. I am also independently working to do local community organizing.
At risk of going into a long-winded explanation, I will elaborate some.
I am sufficiently knowledgeable and experienced to be quite cynical about the prospects for people. However, I maintain hope based on being in a position where I am allowed to pursue a right livelihood at assessing the world, local, and regional situation and imagining alternatives to what is extant.
We need to put great efforts into organizing on the local/regional level, yet we cannot separate our efforts from those of other regions of the world. That is, we cannot isolate ourselves. That has been the mistake of all eutopian experiments (according to Lewis Mumford, eutopian means "good place", outopian means "no place"), Thus, if we progress along the lines of local/regional organizing, we must also reach out and find, and/or foster and facilitate the formation of similar organizing efforts in all locales of the planet. Only working together as one world can we hope to overcome the peril facing the people.
We must reform the financial system. The alternative to the status quo is to form an Equity Union. Perhaps we may want to call it (in English) The Peoples' Equity Union. It would be a worldwide united equity system with cooperating inter-community entities. It would preclude the use of loans, which are fundamentally usurious. It would place the most destitute, the most in need, and all children (which I define as about 25 years old or less) as the highest priority. However, the Plan would include the needs of everybuddy. As the old Socialist slogan goes, "for all according to their needs, by all according to their abilities".
A major focus of the Ecological Economic Redevelopment Plan is the walkable neighborhood. This Plann(er) recognizes that the age of the automobile is racing to a disastrous ending and that if we want to maintain the true benefits of automotive power and sustain our precious fossil fuels (as well as other natural resources), that we must reduce the use of automobiles by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years. There will be great resistance from the economic interests of the status quo. We need to work in cooperation with them as well.
Locally, we need to begin to organize in neighborhoods (however they are to be defined). The City of Eugene has taken an initiative to identify neighborhoods and encourage the formation of neighborhood associations. In Eugene, this would be a good place to start, and such could serve as a model for other communities.
Walkable neighborhoods are defined as neighborhoods where people can get the things they need within walking distance and have the goal and create the resources to facilitate the maximum amount of people working in their neighborhoods and/or at home. Bring the goods, services, and the means of communication to the people instead of all those willy-nilly inefficient, and tragically squandering automobile trips. Perhaps a part of the Plan would be an evolution to a pre-order cooperative system for food and other necessities. Such a system would go a long way to promote accurate and quality production, efficient distribution and a large reduction in waste.
Building and renovating buildings for community centers is a large part of the plan. Also building more YMCAs or reasonable facsimiles, renovating housing, and creating equity opportunities for all is part of the plan. Also adaptive reuse of greyfields and soon to be greyfields will be in order.
My philosophy is that no one gets hurt (i.e. everybuddy wins). The wealthy and their followers may have to adjust their lifestyles and accept the concept of “quality of life” in lieu of “standard of living”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
