Government - orig. 08/01/05
What I need from my government is to be protected.
One of those interviewed in “The Corporation,” mentions that our government was formed by wealthy, white landowners to protect wealthy, white landowners. (I assume that she is talking about owners of large estates not just people with a house and a yard.) I have kind of felt this to be the truth for a while, but it is not the ideal that we are taught in school or by our society. We are taught that our government is of the people, by the people and for the people. How can we bring the reality in line with our ideal?
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I’ve just been reading about the Organic Valley - Family of Farms on their Web site. This is the brand of cheese I’ve been consuming. It is a co-op of farmers. It seems like a decent brand, but they talk about keeping things local for the benefit of local communities and although there appear to be Organic Valley farms in Washington I do not believe there are any in my community. If you want to find out more I recommend starting on the Why Organic? page of their site.
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It is recommended that all people reduce the ingestion of fish known to contain high levels of mercury especially pregnant women. Find out more about mercury in fish. I currently do not eat fish which is not to say that I want fish to have to exist with high levels of mercury in their systems.
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I was watching some of the interviews from “The Corporation,” today which brought up a number of issues including the following:
Dr. Susan Linn discussed marketing to infants via branding in children’s books. The bonding and warm-feelings that happen between parent and child, while the child is being read to, are being manipulated by some companies to create brand loyalty.
She mentions having to brand children by the time they are six and ties that in to childhood obesity epidemic.
She also brings up research that shows that buying products does not to promote individual happiness, whereas social bonds and job satisfaction do promote happiness. Mary Zepernick says, “Corporations should not have rights only privileges that we grant them.”
Here is a list of Web sites promoting some of the films mentioned on the second DVD of “The Corporation”:
outfoxed.org
culturejamthefilm.com
scaredsacred.org
thefutureoffood.com
bignoisefilms.com
atmo.se
wal-town.com
There was also a discussion of a measure that came up in Oregon that would require that products containing GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) be labeled. The measure did not pass, but the organizers are still working on the issue of product labeling in relation to GMO’s.
The industrial revolution has had a number of unimagined impacts on humanity and the world ecology. We can not know the full impact of bioengineering from this vantage point in time. I would prefer that we err on the side of caution in regards to bioengineering.
I also think that it may be very prideful of us to believe that we can do a better job in regards to engineering organisms than God or nature (depending on your point of view).
It is mentioned in “The Corporation,” interviews that the US has been involved in some kind of military conflict every year since The Korean War. I had a history teacher in high school whose conviction was that all wars are economically motivated.
I have been a pacifist off and on since I found out that my father and my best friend, at that time, were both being sent to the Persian Gulf War. The reason I became a pacifist was for the purely selfish reason that I loved them and I didn’t want them to die or to have to kill other people. (My father was 1st Recon in Vietnam which caused him some issues to put it lightly.) My friend came back with Gulf War Syndrome or the like.
I remember seeing graffiti at the time (I was living in Germany) that said, “Kein blud fur ol.” which means, “No blood for oil.” I believe I understand the ramifications of that statement a little better now than I did at the time.
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The recent ruling by the federal government that taxable interests supersede individual interests in regards to property rights is very worrisome.
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Geographic locations that require importation to satisfy their populations basic needs may not be areas that people should populate.
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I recently thought that the internet was the key to marketing local products on a global scale. I now believe that goods should be produced and consumed locally in a restorative manner. This can reduce the waste consumed by shipping and bolster local economies.
-----
I turned my freezer down from 3 1/2 to 2 1/2. I turned my water heater down to slightly below the level recommended by the manufacturer.
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If we want individuals to be able to behave according to their personal morality then we need to change their situations. A company that is required to provide profit for their shareholders can never allow the freedom of personal morality to supersede the drive for profit.
The stockholder provides money to fund a company. The company is obligated to create returns on the investment.
How do we remove the profit motive such that the bottom line becomes the greater good. At first I liked the idea of limiting profits, but if a percentage scale is used this will force companies to expand in order to create greater gains within the given percentage. Larger companies are difficult to influence locally and politically and allow the individual employees to be further removed from their externalities.
That leaves nonprofit organizations which I currently know very little about. I think that small, nonprofit co-ops or small, nonprofit, employee owned companies producing necessary goods locally might be a nice model for future businesses.
-----
The main issues leading to a global catastrophe as I see them are overpopulation and over consumption as engendered by a commercial economy.
A couple of the things I am doing right now are reducing material consumption and delaying parenthood.
One of those interviewed in “The Corporation,” mentions that our government was formed by wealthy, white landowners to protect wealthy, white landowners. (I assume that she is talking about owners of large estates not just people with a house and a yard.) I have kind of felt this to be the truth for a while, but it is not the ideal that we are taught in school or by our society. We are taught that our government is of the people, by the people and for the people. How can we bring the reality in line with our ideal?
-----
I’ve just been reading about the Organic Valley - Family of Farms on their Web site. This is the brand of cheese I’ve been consuming. It is a co-op of farmers. It seems like a decent brand, but they talk about keeping things local for the benefit of local communities and although there appear to be Organic Valley farms in Washington I do not believe there are any in my community. If you want to find out more I recommend starting on the Why Organic? page of their site.
-----
It is recommended that all people reduce the ingestion of fish known to contain high levels of mercury especially pregnant women. Find out more about mercury in fish. I currently do not eat fish which is not to say that I want fish to have to exist with high levels of mercury in their systems.
-----
I was watching some of the interviews from “The Corporation,” today which brought up a number of issues including the following:
Dr. Susan Linn discussed marketing to infants via branding in children’s books. The bonding and warm-feelings that happen between parent and child, while the child is being read to, are being manipulated by some companies to create brand loyalty.
She mentions having to brand children by the time they are six and ties that in to childhood obesity epidemic.
She also brings up research that shows that buying products does not to promote individual happiness, whereas social bonds and job satisfaction do promote happiness. Mary Zepernick says, “Corporations should not have rights only privileges that we grant them.”
Here is a list of Web sites promoting some of the films mentioned on the second DVD of “The Corporation”:
outfoxed.org
culturejamthefilm.com
scaredsacred.org
thefutureoffood.com
bignoisefilms.com
atmo.se
wal-town.com
There was also a discussion of a measure that came up in Oregon that would require that products containing GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) be labeled. The measure did not pass, but the organizers are still working on the issue of product labeling in relation to GMO’s.
The industrial revolution has had a number of unimagined impacts on humanity and the world ecology. We can not know the full impact of bioengineering from this vantage point in time. I would prefer that we err on the side of caution in regards to bioengineering.
I also think that it may be very prideful of us to believe that we can do a better job in regards to engineering organisms than God or nature (depending on your point of view).
It is mentioned in “The Corporation,” interviews that the US has been involved in some kind of military conflict every year since The Korean War. I had a history teacher in high school whose conviction was that all wars are economically motivated.
I have been a pacifist off and on since I found out that my father and my best friend, at that time, were both being sent to the Persian Gulf War. The reason I became a pacifist was for the purely selfish reason that I loved them and I didn’t want them to die or to have to kill other people. (My father was 1st Recon in Vietnam which caused him some issues to put it lightly.) My friend came back with Gulf War Syndrome or the like.
I remember seeing graffiti at the time (I was living in Germany) that said, “Kein blud fur ol.” which means, “No blood for oil.” I believe I understand the ramifications of that statement a little better now than I did at the time.
-----
The recent ruling by the federal government that taxable interests supersede individual interests in regards to property rights is very worrisome.
-----
Geographic locations that require importation to satisfy their populations basic needs may not be areas that people should populate.
-----
I recently thought that the internet was the key to marketing local products on a global scale. I now believe that goods should be produced and consumed locally in a restorative manner. This can reduce the waste consumed by shipping and bolster local economies.
-----
I turned my freezer down from 3 1/2 to 2 1/2. I turned my water heater down to slightly below the level recommended by the manufacturer.
-----
If we want individuals to be able to behave according to their personal morality then we need to change their situations. A company that is required to provide profit for their shareholders can never allow the freedom of personal morality to supersede the drive for profit.
The stockholder provides money to fund a company. The company is obligated to create returns on the investment.
How do we remove the profit motive such that the bottom line becomes the greater good. At first I liked the idea of limiting profits, but if a percentage scale is used this will force companies to expand in order to create greater gains within the given percentage. Larger companies are difficult to influence locally and politically and allow the individual employees to be further removed from their externalities.
That leaves nonprofit organizations which I currently know very little about. I think that small, nonprofit co-ops or small, nonprofit, employee owned companies producing necessary goods locally might be a nice model for future businesses.
-----
The main issues leading to a global catastrophe as I see them are overpopulation and over consumption as engendered by a commercial economy.
A couple of the things I am doing right now are reducing material consumption and delaying parenthood.
posted by T-Bone_Jones at 7:26 PM
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