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Good piece, Bob. What we seem to need is a widely
accepted sense of "entitlement" of some kind that galvanizes people into
political action. To get that, people would have to feel they have a
common cause and a gut-level sense of betrayal by the system. I don't see
that in wealthy democracies, where most people are concerned with maintaining
their status or moving up the ladder. There are special interests and
outlooks that make people adhere to one political philosophy or another,
but there is very little sense of injustice or outrage.
A piece I posted earlier this morning dealt with how
people in the now bust high-tech sector are coping with
unemployment. In reading the article in the Ottawa Citizen, it seemed to
me that there was very little anger among the unemployed techies.
However, there was a lot of frustration, almost as though firing off job
applications left, right and center, should somehow have fixed things up, but,
dammit, it didn't, so what am I still doing wrong? Individualism, not
common cause. Not what is wrong with the system, but what is wrong with me
because I no longer seem to fit.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 9:57
AM
Subject: Re: Slightly extended (was Re:
[Futurework] David Ricardo, Cavema n Trade vs. Modern Trade
And in the interim the misery index would
increase - there might even be food riots, perhaps even home invasions for
food, rather than status consumables, - while we waited for the government to
take (re)action. Revolutionary conditions and the further deligitimation
of the system. Food banks are a blight on civil society, almost unheard
of before the neoconservative/neoliberal dismantling of the social contract in
the past two decades. I do not doubt it's a thankless task begging for
food donations from the greedy hegemons of our society. When I made my
seasonal donation, this week, to a homeless shelter for youth, my donation was
corporate-graded and I received an Enbridge Gas gift in return. Somehow
I was not amused that my compassion was reconstructed as a market
exchange. I reminded the volunteers there was a time when compassion for
the poor was considered a communal responsibility - as it is in many other
cultures, although even there it is under attack from the neo-cons - and not
charitable volunteerism that looks good on a resume. Tithing has taken
on a careerist overtone based upon the number of power-dressed corporate
employees I am meeting in the malls. These are the same folks who bash
the poor whenever liberalization of social policy [and increased taxes] are
mentioned.
I don't agree, necessarily, Arthur, that
deprivation leads to co-operation (I wish!). History suggests
otherwise. I recall reading Ted Robert Gurr's book, "Why Men Rebel?" and
his book suggests that the answer is being deprived of a perceived
entitlement. Hungry people just might perceive food as an
entitlement, given its positioning on Maslow's hierarch of human
needs. Now rebellion hasn't happened - but I believe that is only
because the many people who are becoming increasingly marginalized in our
society are existing within a misery index that is at a tolerable level, or
directing their pain at themselves. (More the latter, I suspect.)
That can change as conditions change. Coalition building is a great
idea, but it is a middle class knowledge form, and that's about a third of the
population of our classed society. And we ain't starving, in fact many
of us are obese. Coalition building presumes a level of
political efficacy. Riots, on the other hand, are an ugly, ugly, thing
to behold, as I have.
Reconstructing a new vision of the social safety
net is an absolute must, in my opinion, given the direction of our
society. Clearly that is not happening in Dubya's America, and in Canada
I am fearful of where Paul Martin will take us in his efforts to reduce the
level of debt. If the precedent of Ontario politics is an example, he
will be a fiscal conservative who will govern as a neoliberal, and keep the
liberal rhetoric for managerial shuffling that is low cost.
BB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 12:52
AM
Subject: Re: Slightly extended (was Re:
[Futurework] David Ricardo, Cavema n Trade vs. Modern Trade
Thomas:
If I read you right Arthur, then shutting down
the food banks by volunteer groups would increase the misery index and force
government to address the problem in a different way? That's not a bad
idea as I'm sure the ongoing drudgery of running a food bank must be a major
pain in the ass.
Respectfully,
Thomas
Lunde
----------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To:
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Slightly extended (was Re:
[Futurework] David Ricardo, Cavema n Trade vs. Modern Trade
Date:
Mon, Dec 8, 2003, 12:02 PM
I agree with
your analysis, Ed.
Social change is ongoing and
new alliances will be formed---but out of necessity. The three
groups you mention don't have to work together or even acknowledge each
other as long as good hearted middle class folk are handing out free food.
Turn off the tap and you will see cooperation and shared
understanding aplenty.
arthur
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed
Weick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent:
Monday, December 8, 2003 11:17 AM
To: Cordell, Arthur: ECOM;
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject:
Re: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework] David Ricardo, Caveman Trade
vs. Modern Trade
Ed, when
the poor kick back politicians will
act.
I agree, and in some cases they
have on matters such as housing, for example. But they can't seem
to present any kind of unified front. The people I described as
using my food bank, older guys from the valley, embarrassed young
mothers with kids, and the young who graced us with their presence
really wanted to have very little to do with each other. What we
need is a unification of the poor and politicians who pay attention to
them, but we seem to have run out of people like Tommy Douglas, Stanley
Knowles and David Lewis and we now seem to have a plethora of people
like Peter MacKay, Stephen Harper and Paul Martin, people who pay far
more attention to the rich than the poor. In the past few decades,
the political drift has been rightward, and the drift of society as a
whole has been toward the establishment of a middle class identity that
sees poverty terms of personal flaw and the poor as undeserving.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
; [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ;
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 10:37
AM
Subject: RE: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework]
David Ricardo, Caveman Trade vs. Modern Trade
Ed, when the poor kick
back politicians will act.
-----Original Message-----
From:
Ed Weick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent:
Monday, December 8, 2003 9:32 AM
To: Harry Pollard;
'Thomas Lunde'; [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework]
David Ricardo, Caveman Trade vs. Modern Trade
I'm not laughing, Harry. I've just accessed a
report by the Canadian Council on Social Development that shows that
poverty in urban areas, including poverty among the working poor,
increased in Canada between 1990 and 1995. It has
probably continued to increase since then. I'm not sure of
what can be done about it, but I would agree with Arthur that
foodbanks are not the answer. Neither is kicking the poor
harder, as politicians seem increasingly to want to
do.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
From: Harry
Pollard <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 'Ed Weick' <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ;
'Thomas Lunde' <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 4:09
AM
Subject: RE: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework]
David Ricardo, Caveman Trade vs. Modern Trade
Ed,
Not only to liberty
and justice not taste too well, when they aren't there to taste,
you will be sure that ends will not
meet.
Two hundred years ago,
Ricardo postulated the "Iron Law of Wages" and about 125 years ago
George picked it up and ran with it. Of course that's all
Classical stuff - out-of-date for these complex modern
economies.
So, we have welfare
for people with full-time jobs who can't survive on what they get.
We even have a name for them - the working poor. We have a law to
force employers to pay a minimum wage, when in the England of half
a millennium or so ago - there was a law to keep wages down
(the Statute of Laborers).
Why
don't we laugh? Even though it might sound a trifle
hollow.
So, in ten years, or
twenty, or a hundred, will we still be trying but failing to
provide something for an ever increasing number of the
poor?
On second thoughts, don't
laugh.
Harry
********************************************
Henry George School of Social
Science
of Los Angeles
Box 655 Tujunga CA
91042
Tel: 818 352-4141
-- Fax: 818 353-2242
http://haledward.home.comcast.net <http://haledward.home.comcast.net/>
********************************************
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
On Behalf Of Ed Weick
Sent: Thursday, December
04, 2003 6:08 AM
To: Thomas Lunde; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject:
Re: Slightly extended (was Re: [Futurework] David Ricardo, Caveman
Trade vs. Modern Trade
Thomas,
very good posting. Ontario has just raised the minimum wage
from peanuts to peanuts. Many of the poor are working full
time and even double time, but are still unable to meet the rent
or buy enough food, let alone get their kids the kinds of in toys
("status goods") that are going around. They can try eating
freedom and justice, but they don't taste very good when you can't
make ends meet.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
From: Thomas
Lunde <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 3:36
AM
Subject: Re: Slightly extended (was Re:
[Futurework] David Ricardo, Caveman Trade vs. Modern
Trade
They don't need money,
Thomas. They need justice and the freedom to enjoy
it.
Harry
Thomas:
In a way, you are right. Being
poor and working with the poor as customers and neighbours
let's me see the many ways the poor are lacking justice.
A recent article in the paper made the outstanding
statement that 37% of workers in Canada are not covered by the
Labour Code and laws. When wages for the poor are kept
artificially low, then the only way to compensate to maintain
a survival standard is to work more. Of course, there
are about 4 to 5% who are mentally incapable, or physically
disabled or in the case of single mothers, family challenged.
However, the work more solution has only produced the
working poor, who still have to use food banks and subsidized
housing, if thet can get it. Not only that, as you
suggest, they do not even have the freedom to enjoy what
little they have. I would agree, that justice and
freedom would go a long way to compensating for money - or as
you might suggest, make the earning and spending of money a by
product of an effective system of justice and the freedom and
thereby create a surplus to
enjoy.
Respectfully,
Thomas Lunde
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