Should housing be a right. That is the question. But the real question is what would that mean and how do we make it more than a token right but an actual effective right. In North America we had this mythology that everyone could own their own home. That has
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THE FIFTH COLUMN: Imagining A Post Capitalist World
This is not meant to be a comprehensive analysis but an imagining of some of the features of a post capitalist world. OK lets get this over with first. The first thing we will notice is the numbers we use to measure the success of a capitalist economy, GDP, GNP
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The MEC Mess an Intuitive Understanding
These comments are not based on any comprehensive analysis but rather my intuitive response to what has been filed in court and published online and the media coverage. It appears that both sides may be correct, sort of. From a business point of view the Board of Directors actions may
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The gap between the 1 percent and the 99 percent is widening-Co-operatives could narrow that spread in Cowichan
Here is another instalment from Rob Douglas and Roger Hart regarding economic development and the potential of expanding co-operatives in the Cowicham Region. BIG IDEA #1: CO-OPERATIVES Rob Douglas-North Cowichan Councillor The gap between Read more…
Continue readingCapitalism—an irrational system in an age of climate change
Capitalism is generally recognized as having one great strength. That, of course, is as a creator of wealth. Aided by the remarkable advance of technology (some would say inspired and facilitated by capitalism) it has created wealth unknown before in human history. Capitalism is also generally recognized as having one
Continue readingRaising taxes on credit unions is a retrograde step
Prior to 1972, Canadian credit unions were exempt from all income and capital taxes. In many countries, including the United States, they remain tax exempt at both the state and federal levels. The justification is their non-profit nature. In 1972, credit unions were brought into the tax syatem, paying the
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: A new bilingual national association for co-operatives across Canada
by: Canadian Co-operative Association | Press Release: Delegates to CCA’s Annual Meeting vote in favour of creating a new national organization representing co-ops, credit unions and mutuals. (Photo: Co-operative News) EDMONTON, June 29, 2013 – Delegates from Canada’s two national co-operative associations have voted strongly in favour of creating a single bilingual organization
Continue readingHarper’s subversion of co-ops
One of the Harper government’s assaults on progress that I missed at the time, perhaps because the mass media made little of it, was its undermining of co-ops, one of my favourite institutions. Last April it terminated the federal Co-operative Development Initiative and cut funding for the Rural and Co-operatives
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Why Don’t The NHL Players Form A Co-operative?
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger What is it exactly that the NHL Owners do to justify the money they make? They don’t skate, check, shoot or score and yet they control professional hockey and send that annoying Gary Bettman around to squeeze out more profits for the owners. He threatens to shut down
Continue readingCo-operatives—the proven alternative to capitalism
In this, the International Year of Co-operatives, we cannot remind ourselves too often of the tried and true alternative to conventional capitalism. Co-operatives have for generations offered a more humane approach to economic activity than competitive enterprise, even while competing successfully in a capitalist marketplace. They have provided a full
Continue readingCo-op beats Spanish recession
As one of the PIGS, the four (or six) European countries whose dysfunctional economies are much in the news these days, Spain is perhaps not the place you would expect to find a thriving economic enterprise. But one such enterprise is in fact flourishing, weathering the financial storm quite nicely.
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