Relative to Leauge for Industrial Democracy and Upton Sinclair Mutual Aid Fund

Robert,

Thank you for the letter.

It is quite interesting to see you (and others?) trying to take similar initiatives to the Peoples' Equity Union (i.e. the Upton Sinclair Mutual Aid Fund). My research and your correspondence indicate that we have very similar motivations, understanding, and intentions relative to ecological economic redevelopment/community betterment. I think we both understand the concept of the community/worker hybrid cooperative and would like to get very busy in implementing such in our respective communities and elsewhere.

With respect to such, I am trying to work on two fronts, the micro and the macro. It is my considered opinion that success will not occur on the local level until there is a huge critical mass of citizens that understand the fundamental root causes of the current and further impending failure of the Capitalist/Corporatist system and the need for us as a country and a world to unify in support of an alternative economic paradigm, a "plan and implement" economy based on the meeting of human needs, and not a "risk and return" motivation based on profit.

It brings to mind to mind the schism of the 1800's between Marx and Proudhon, and it is almost rendered impossible by the myriad of profit-motivated, solely self-interested endeavors that have evolved to be a highly decadent but self-perpetuating entropy of linear trajectory and the massive systematic inflation in the price of real and capital assets..

There is a fundamental accounting principle: Equity = Assets - Liabilities. Until we can bring to the fore world leaders who value equity as a fundamental universal principle (equity means ownership and it means equality), along with inclusion, humanity, altruism, well-being and quality of life, peace, and sustainability and who speak to the human condition in historical perspective and propose bold collective action by the species, the future of the human race will remain bleak.

I'd like to get your thoughts.

Thank you.

In Peace, Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity.

Mike Morin

Mortgage Defaults and Related Capitalist Fallaciousness

Let's not quibble about minor adjustments, "loan modifications", that cannot begin to deal with the structural malaise of a mortgage default and possible ensuing eviction.

The first matter at hand, is can we have a moratorium on evictions, both mortgage and rental related? It seems as the Chief Executive, Obama could issue an executive order relative to such. Whether it be heeded on local levels is an entirely different question.

More fundamentally, the whole mortgage/lending and landlord/tenant reality of the Capitalist system is wrong. When I make a payment of $500 to my property management firm, what good reason is there that I should not be getting at least $350, if not $400, of equity from such a payment?

Such a world unity cooperative housing policy and program needs to replace the current Capitalist rip-off.

We have to recognize that first, and come together as a peoples' union to demand that we be treated as such.

Similarly, the exploiters need to organize to protect whatever legitimate interests they may have and to work with us on a transition strategy.

I understand the cutthroat mentality of the Capitalists. I am not naive. But the massive suffering that we have been experiencing and being realized by an accelerating segment (One argument is that we are only beginning to discuss it because it is now starting to effect the ownership "class") in the real estate/financial sector as in all sectors of the economy is due to the complete inequity, fallaciousness, inhumanity/uncaring nature that has been the Feudal/Mercantile/Capitalist evolution.

Tinkering will not suffice.


In Peace, Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity,

Mike Morin
Peoples' Equity Union

Workers and the Poor: AFL-CIO Blog

The minimum wage definitely needs to be raised. However, we all must consider regional difference between let's say, Arkansas and California.

More important then "minimum wage" is the issue of living wage. The short term answer is a guaranteed income for all over the age of eighteen (of course, we need to deal with orphans as well, and there still is an issue related to AFDC), increasing with age.

Over the long term we need an equity union to perhaps write off or down the liabilities and bring the cost of assets back to earth.

With respect to a guaranteed income, it should be only enough to meet the bare essentials including the idea that youth can share apartments and houses (although everyone should get equity from their "rent" payments) up to a certain age (suggested for discussion, 23).

Concerning meeting needs, there is a huge difference, climate wise, between McAllen and Minot. And PLEASE let's not dally another second regarding the opportunity costs associated with automotive squandering and MUCH HIGHER PRIORITIES like home heating, cooking, and electricity...


In Peace. Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity,

Mike Morin

Letter to "Funders for Sustainability"

Dana,

Just got finished watching "The Story of Stuff". Annie Leonard did an excellent job. Thank you for your contribution to the funding of this short film. I have made a small donation in support.

Apparently, the short is getting much viewership, hopefully it is not exclusively "preaching to the choir". Fundamental behavior change is essential to any hope that we have towards achieving sustainability in our communities and our world.

But awareness and behavior change of "consumers" is not enough. We must regain our humanity and we must radically alter our economic relations. Such will be extremely difficult because the Capitalist Growth Machine has centuries of momentum which has accelerated drastically in the last generation. The tragic growth pradigm of an economic system is one that eschews the reality of a finite planet, that eschews the teachings of ecology, that eschews the true needs of the majority of the people on the planet, and eschews environmental/public health and humanity towards people/workers and other living things.

We need a fundamental paradigm shift to an EcoSocialist Economy based on the principles of inclusion, equity, humanity, quality of life (in lieu of standard of living), sustainability, and peace. We need to radically rearrange the way resources are allocated to and within communities and among and within economic sectors. Such a "plan and implement economy" would have the neighborhood as a locus and work assiduously to develop and maintain inter-community, inter-regional, and world cooperation and unity. A strategy of ecological economic redevelopment would be employed and realized. In the United States a goal of walkable neighborhorhoods, reversing a century of sprawl, by reducing automobile usage by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years, rebuilding neighborhoods/town and village centers (or building the latter in many cases) and reallocating the production and distribution of goods and services so that almost all can get what they need within walking distance of their homes.

I have attached a paper entitles "Restructuring Our Financial System" which proposes an alternative to the current dominant paradigm. Please take a look at this.

I would greatly appreciate your feedback on this letter and the attachment. I would be very glad to share more of my work with you. I have a 25 page concise, comprehensive plan that you may want to look at. Please do not hesitate to request this, or to communicate with me on any issue or concern related to this communication.

I am not seeking funding, I am seeking exposure for my ideas. To whatever extent we can collaborate would be of great interest to me.

Thank you.

I hope to "hear" from you soon.


In Peace, Friendship, Cooperation, and Solidarity,

Mike Morin
Eugene, OR
(541) 343-3808

With Respect to "Transition United States" Website Initiative and "Movement"

Until we all recognize that none of this will succeed unless we explicitly call for the rapid mobiilization to a Socialist economy, the Transition United States website will probably remain little more than self-congratulory phony Liberal chit-chat and diversion.

We were hip and advocating all the "technical" aspects, being discussed now over thirty years ago (some of them like PVs, windpower, hydrogen, collectively known as "appropriate technology" are in reality a lot of false hope).

A lot of us knew, at the time, that it wouldn't happen under the oppressive ignorance of the Capitalist system, but some (I was young and naive), if not many, thought that we were heading calmly and slowly towards Socialism and peace and conservation and demand-side management and solar water heating and passive solar design and towards self-sufficiency in food, popular gardening, and REAL organic agriculture (not the lies in labeling Marketing ploys of unscrupulous Capitalists), and we thought we had a future.

Then came "the Reagan Revolution" and "supply-side economics". Reagan unleashed greed. It will probably prove to be the beginning of the final end to the Capitalist absurdity based on the total denial of a finite real planet of resources and the notion that it's OK to cut your brother's throat, if there's money in it. Many good lives were ruined both domestically and abroad, and Kissinger's "detente" turned out to be Reagan stabbing Gorbachev in the back.

US and associated Capitalists had a great transient boom. Now, here's the bust.

But, we remember.

I'd like to see a peaceful transition to an equitable, humane, sustainable planet with a quality of life for everyone, especially the progeny, but the gluttons of the USA, with their ignorant, individualistic (read selfishness), nationalist ("the remaining "Superpower" :-P) notion of Global Manifest Destiny raised hell and we are now going to pay for it. In their typical style they will try to damn everyone else, first.

Thanks USAers! Thanks Capitalists! Can anyone cue up George Harrison's song "Piggies"?

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.

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…

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

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

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”