Economic Democracy

Converting Existing Businesses To Worker Cooperatives

December 14, 2013 Democracy Collaborative, www.community-wealth.org Create! Cooperatives, Democracy, Economic Democracy, Worker Rights and Jobs

Conversions are potentially so important for several reasons. Most broadly, there is a tremendous potential with such a large number of “baby boomer” business owners retiring in the coming years and decades. What will they do with their businesses? With conversions we have a huge opportunity to save businesses and jobs that might otherwise be lost if the retiring owner closes the doors or sells the business. We see conversions in all sectors, industries and regions—but we see more and more of them in places where the business is a real pillar of the community, either because it employs people in good jobs or because it provides a critical product or service, or both. So we have a whole system of existing small, locally-owned businesses that provide jobs, anchor capital, in some cases anchor downtown businesses in rural areas or whole neighborhoods in cities, and are part of the economic and social fabric of a place—and we should be spending a lot of energy and thought around how to preserve these.

Do We Have Time To Fix Global Warming?

December 14, 2013 Gary Engler, www.rabble.ca Create! Climate Change, Economic Democracy

On the other hand, if you believe in the power and ability of ordinary people to rise up when confronted by a crisis that affects us all, then it is possible to be optimistic. If the system you want to build begins with working people around the world taking over the reins of the economy and replacing capitalist minority rule with economic democracy, then that could happen relatively quickly. Yes, it still requires "leaders" working hard, talking and organizing, but history offers many examples of ideas spreading quickly and then people acting upon them. The critical element -- the "objective conditions" -- already exists. Capitalism itself has created an economy overwhelmingly dominated by social labour. This gives the working class the potential power to take over almost every part of the economy in the vast majority of major economies around the world.

How To Keep The Economy Weak: Dumb Budget Deal

December 11, 2013 Jon Queally, www.commondreams.org Educate! Economic Democracy, Finance and the Economy

He continued: "The worst part of the budget deal by far is what it doesn’t address: unemployment insurance for America’s four million long-term unemployed workers. This deal asks essentially nothing of the richest Americans while placing terrible burdens on the unemployed as well as new federal employees, and continuing the fiscal policy drag on our still-unfinished recovery." And according to Michael McAuliff's reporting, the negotiated agreement is going to give Medicare a huge "whack" by increasing cuts to the program's providers. The "mandatory budget resources" referred to in the deal, explains McAuliff, will focus mostly on Medicare providers, including doctors, clinics, and hospitals who serve the program.

Globalized Corporate Trade Fails Again: WTO Stalls

November 27, 2013 Lauren Airey, www.shopfloor.org Educate! Corporatism, Democracy, Economic Democracy, TPP, WTO

The approach of global trade is not working for most people in the world. The failure of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to move forward is one more example of a failed approach. The Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Atlantic version, TAFTA, are additional examples. The WTO and these trade agreements pursue a path that puts profits ahead of the necessities of the people and the planet. They have expanded the wealth divide, destroyed the environment and undermined the rights of workers. Unlike the spokesperson from the United States in the article below, we are pleased to see this failure. Our view is that an entirely new approach is needed to international trade. We need to change the goals of trade and the method of reaching agreements on trade. The new goals should be one of cooperation, not domination; it should put the people and planet before process. The approach to achieve trade for the benefit of people and planet should not be one of secrecy and participation by transnational corporations, as the current approach takes but rather one of transparency and participation of civil society in creating economic democracy. These negotiations are creating international laws, the people affected by those laws should participate in making them.

Amid Government Shutdown, ‘New Economy’ Events Across US

October 19, 2013 Candice Bernd, www.truth-out.org Create! Economic Democracy

In all, the US economy took a more than $24 billion hit as the government shutdown came to an end Thursday when Congressional lawmakers finally reached a deal that will keep the government funded through January 15, avoiding what could have been an unprecedented debt default. But as the government remained shut down and much of the economy was paralyzed through most of the week, the New Economy Coalition (NEC) was celebrating the path to a different economic model - one much more resilient to the instability of larger financial markets.

Report: 8 Ways Local Energy Policies Can Boost the Economy

October 8, 2013 Staff, www.ilsr.org Create! Economic Democracy, Finance and the Economy, Localism

The economy has stalled and so has the war on climate change. But a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance describes how dozens of cities are boosting their local economies while dramatically reducing greenhouse gases. City Power Play: 8 Practical Local Energy Policies to Boost the Economy reports on how Chattanooga, TN, is adding over $1 billion to the local economy in the next decade by implementing one of the most advanced smart grids while delivering the fastest internet service in the country. Sonoma County, CA, has created nearly 800 local jobs retrofitting over 2,000 properties for energy savings with city financing. Babylon, NY, repurposed a solid waste fund to finance retrofits for 2% of the city’s homes, saving residents an average of $1,300 a year on their energy bills at minimal cost to the city.

From Housing to Health Care, 7 Co-ops That Are Changing Our Economy

October 5, 2013 Claudie Rowe, www.yesmagazine.org Create! Cooperatives, Economic Democracy, Finance and the Economy

Ideas for co-ops may flourish, but few people understand exactly how to make theirs real. The Co-op Academy is providing answers. Founded four years ago by Omar Freilla (who recently made Ebony magazine’s list of the Power 100), the academy runs 16-week courses that offer intensive mentoring, legal and financial advice, and help designing logos and websites. Run by the South Bronx-based Green Worker Cooperative, the academy guides up to four teams per session through the startup process and has graduated four organizations now thriving in New York City.

Solutions to the Housing Crisis with Michael Carlson and Nancie Koerber

July 24, 2013 Podcast Cooperative, Economic Democracy, Finance and the Economy, Housing

The artificial inflation of the housing market, predatory lending practices and fraudulent behavior by Big Finance which created the collapse

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