Independence from the Corporate Global Economy
Winter 2007: Go Local!
Independence from the Corporate Global Economy
by Ethan Miller
The old story says we have to depend on big corporations. The new story tells us we can earn a livelihood, gain freedom, and build community through cooperation.
Call it "globalization," or the "free market," or "capitalism." Whatever its name, people across the United States and throughout the world are experiencing the devastating effects of an economy that places profit above all else.
None of this, of course, is news. Many of us have come to believe that the crucial economic decisions affecting our lives are made not by us, but by far-away "experts" and mysterious "market forces." A friend asked me recently, "Since when did the American people decide to send their manufacturing sector south to exploit people in El Salvador or the Dominican Republic?" We didn't, and nobody ever asked.
But what's the alternative? We're taught that there are only two possible economic choices: capitalism-a system in which rich people and corporations have the power, make the decisions, and control our lives; or communism-a system where state bureaucrats have the power, make the decisions, and control our lives. What a choice!
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=1545
Independence from the Corporate Global Economy
by Ethan Miller
The old story says we have to depend on big corporations. The new story tells us we can earn a livelihood, gain freedom, and build community through cooperation.
Call it "globalization," or the "free market," or "capitalism." Whatever its name, people across the United States and throughout the world are experiencing the devastating effects of an economy that places profit above all else.
None of this, of course, is news. Many of us have come to believe that the crucial economic decisions affecting our lives are made not by us, but by far-away "experts" and mysterious "market forces." A friend asked me recently, "Since when did the American people decide to send their manufacturing sector south to exploit people in El Salvador or the Dominican Republic?" We didn't, and nobody ever asked.
But what's the alternative? We're taught that there are only two possible economic choices: capitalism-a system in which rich people and corporations have the power, make the decisions, and control our lives; or communism-a system where state bureaucrats have the power, make the decisions, and control our lives. What a choice!
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=1545