Building the Commons as an Antidote to the Predatory Market Economy

[marmar]

Building the Commons as an Antidote to the Predatory Market Economy

Wednesday, 04 September 2013 00:00
By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, Truthout | Opinion


These are times of radical change. We are in the midst of an evolution. As David Bollier writes, "We are poised between an old world that no longer works and a new one struggling to be born. Surrounded by centralized hierarchies on the one hand and predatory markets on the other, people around the world are searching for alternatives."

The old world is one of concentrated economic power that hoards wealth; that creates corrupted and hierarchical governance to serve and further concentrate wealth through exploitation of people and the planet. People are experiencing the ravages of this global neoliberal economy in which the market reigns supreme and everything is a profit center, no matter the human and environmental costs.

We are at a crossroads in the global economic order. If not stopped, the two massive "trade" agreements under negotiation at present, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (known as TAFTA), will cement this globalized neoliberal market economy through greater deregulation, profit protection and an extra-judicial trade tribunal in which corporations can sue sovereign nations if their laws interfere with profits.

There is another way. We've reached a tipping point in awareness of the effects of the current global economy that has erupted in a worldwide revolt as we can see in the Occupy, Arab Spring, Idle No More and Indignado movements. People are searching for alternative ways of structuring the economy and society that are empowering and more just and sustainable. Part of this work includes understanding and building the "commons," which is the opposite of the predatory market economy. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/18582-building-the-commons-as-an-antidote-to-the-predatory-market-economy

[alc]

1. good ideas

I think there are some other approaches that should be done (in parallel) that can start today and show success in months.

Everyone who believes in the commons, and living wages, and that corporations should not be for the wealthy can contribute. The rich who make lots of statements for unions, and poor as well as unions and workers themselves need to contribute.

Create funds that will be used for franchises and VC.

Buy franchises that will be employee owned when paid back.
All profits for franchises will go back into the fund until it's paid back with interest. Then most profits go to employees with some going to build the fund (and commons).

The VC fund will be run like any other VC fund except the profits don't make anyone wealthy. Provide all the support that a normal VC fund gives in addition to the money. Guarantee the entrepreneur him/herself a great payout if it succeeds, but profits beyond that go back to the fund. One "microsoft" or "facebook" will do a lot to make the fund go.

This works within the current market and political system - nothing needs to change. If the fund builds up and gets a track record it can start buying companies in trouble in order to rebuild them rather than sell off the parts. It could buy a company as big as GM when GM received the bailout and could be had cheap.

There's no reason that people with "non-profit" as a goal can't succeed in our current system. Just think how many franchises could be started with the money that will go to the 2014 and 2016 elections. And how much more power workers will have with 100s of stores showing how to "do it right" and feeding the fund to create more stores. And if just 1 of the startups hits big the fund is unstoppable.

Yes, there will be people trying to stop it. But it's all within the laws that those same people want to use. And there will be more and more people all the time who are being successful and the fund gaining political/lobbying power in the process.