Post by josh on Dec 22, 2011 20:17:52 GMT -7
Here is my proposal. I'm going to start distributing it to Occupys here in MT as well as in NY, LA, etc. Any suggestions are welcome. I realize the GAs are busy, with a lot of things to discuss, so I'll post my first draft here (and a few other places) for now, and hope that some discussion will start. Thanks for your time and energy, all.
A Proposal to the General Assemblies of the Occupy Movement for the Creation of a Cooperative Investment Bank
WHEREAS, the current economic system has led to unprecedented inequalities in the distribution of wealth and income within our society, and;
WHEREAS, the conventional business structure, in which ownership of an enterprise is separable from the workers who create the revenue of that enterprise, is a patently undemocratic system and;
WHEREAS, we believe that democratic economic systems, and therefore democratic business structures, are necessary to provide for the rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness to those who are employed by those systems and businesses, and;
WHEREAS, we believe that a democratic economic system is the necessary underpinning of a truly democratic political system, and;
WHEREAS, it is vitally important that We, the People, begin to immediately find better ways of organizing ourselves for the production and distribution of goods and services, and;
WHEREAS, cooperative business structures provide an democratic economic model and have a proven track-record of operation in many, widely varied, industries, and;
WHEREAS, the incorporation of cooperative enterprises on a large scale will require a funding mechanism to provide groups of workers who desire to form a cooperative with the necessary initial capital input, and;
WHEREAS, financing for workers seeking to form cooperative businesses is unlikely to come from the current, undemocratic, banking sector, and;
WHEREAS, the Occupy Movement, in New York and across the nation, contains within it people who have the skill sets required for the creation of a banking concern, and;
WHEREAS, We, the People, have at our disposal much personal wealth that is in large part currently being utilized to support an unsustainable and soul-deadening consumerist lifestyle, and;
THEREFORE, let it be resolved that:
(1) The Occupy Movement calls upon those persons of good will who wish to aid in the creation of a more just economy and who have skill sets that will be necessary or useful in the creation of a banking concern whose stated goal will be the financing of worker-cooperatives to organize themselves for the creation of such a concern.
(a) The banking concern referred to above will be hereinafter referred to as the Cooperative Investment Bank (CIB).
(2) The Occupy Movement calls upon those persons of good will who wish to aid in the creation of a more just economy and whose financial situation allows, to pledge an amount of their financial resources to the funding the CIB.
(3) The Occupy Movement stands in solidarity with currently existing cooperative enterprises and calls upon them to lend their support to the creation and operation of the CIB.
[initial draft by Joshua Davis]
A Proposal to the General Assemblies of the Occupy Movement for the Creation of a Cooperative Investment Bank
WHEREAS, the current economic system has led to unprecedented inequalities in the distribution of wealth and income within our society, and;
WHEREAS, the conventional business structure, in which ownership of an enterprise is separable from the workers who create the revenue of that enterprise, is a patently undemocratic system and;
WHEREAS, we believe that democratic economic systems, and therefore democratic business structures, are necessary to provide for the rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness to those who are employed by those systems and businesses, and;
WHEREAS, we believe that a democratic economic system is the necessary underpinning of a truly democratic political system, and;
WHEREAS, it is vitally important that We, the People, begin to immediately find better ways of organizing ourselves for the production and distribution of goods and services, and;
WHEREAS, cooperative business structures provide an democratic economic model and have a proven track-record of operation in many, widely varied, industries, and;
WHEREAS, the incorporation of cooperative enterprises on a large scale will require a funding mechanism to provide groups of workers who desire to form a cooperative with the necessary initial capital input, and;
WHEREAS, financing for workers seeking to form cooperative businesses is unlikely to come from the current, undemocratic, banking sector, and;
WHEREAS, the Occupy Movement, in New York and across the nation, contains within it people who have the skill sets required for the creation of a banking concern, and;
WHEREAS, We, the People, have at our disposal much personal wealth that is in large part currently being utilized to support an unsustainable and soul-deadening consumerist lifestyle, and;
THEREFORE, let it be resolved that:
(1) The Occupy Movement calls upon those persons of good will who wish to aid in the creation of a more just economy and who have skill sets that will be necessary or useful in the creation of a banking concern whose stated goal will be the financing of worker-cooperatives to organize themselves for the creation of such a concern.
(a) The banking concern referred to above will be hereinafter referred to as the Cooperative Investment Bank (CIB).
(2) The Occupy Movement calls upon those persons of good will who wish to aid in the creation of a more just economy and whose financial situation allows, to pledge an amount of their financial resources to the funding the CIB.
(3) The Occupy Movement stands in solidarity with currently existing cooperative enterprises and calls upon them to lend their support to the creation and operation of the CIB.
[initial draft by Joshua Davis]