We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Working week should be 21 hours, says New Economic Foundation

from The Guardian. The people in this foundation appear to be completely out of touch with the imperatives of a capitalist system where labor is merely a cost of doing business to enhance the capitalist's wealth. With a people centered and planet sustainable system we could have a 21 hour work week. There is no question that this work schedule results in greater productivity, but it also results in higher employee costs in the form of payroll taxes which this state agency apparently didn't measure. Private employers are not stupid. The real issue is--do we want a system that serves the needs of everyone or just the few who "own" the economy?