All it takes to form a co-op is a small group of determined people all set on an idea to cooperatively own and operate a facet of the economy and allow them to make decisions in a democratic process. By democratizing society through housing and work, we can start a new revolution in our politics, our economy, and even our environment by choosing to consume sustainably and minimize our impact on the planet.Truthout
Cooperative Economics: Replacing a Capitalism in Collapse
Carl Gibson, Occupy.com | Op-Ed
Unless the government-backed counterfeiting cartel, the banking system, is abolished, co-opts can easily become oppressors too by borrowing from it, after they have become so-called "creditworthy."
ReplyDeleteBut what if before then someone goes to his bank and secures the funds needed for a leveraged buyout of the co-opt?
Public banks are a no-go too since they violate equal protection under the law - in favor of the so-called "creditworthy" who very often are already wealthy.
F.,
ReplyDeleteNow wait a minute: Are they a "govt backed cartel" or are they "public banks"?
Seems like they couldn't be both?
rsp,
It's hard for co-operatives to coexist with capitalism. In time they tend to sell out to the capitalists.
ReplyDeleteThe lure of short term capital gains being too much for the members. The capitalists never have a shortage of money to buy over successful enterprises.
As I've explained 15,238 times, voluntary cooperative commmunities would thrive under Rothbardian voluntarism with the prohibition of the initiation of violence and fraud.
ReplyDeleteThis Mr. Gibson is quite confused. As the suburbs were created, they all had to be approved by zoning boards, the government then owned the streets, the government then forced all of the kiddies to attend government schools where they learned to worship war and the Klepto Keynesian State. Then the government using eminent domain built the freeways subsidizing this pattern and causing Global Warming. Further, the government funny money system made this process profitable and made it almost imperative that everyone take part.
Again, we have a fraudulent definition problem (like with "austerity"). The problem is not "capitalism".