Commons Magazine
Commons Magazine
Commons Magazine
Notes toward a political platform for the commons
It’s wonderful to have your fondest hunches
confirmed by a close-to-home source. When speaking and writing about the
future of the commons movement, I frequently note that many people
understand the principles of the commons, even if they don’t know the
word. I recently republished an
article
about the commons that appeared in Utne Reader magazine 12 years
ago—written at a time when I was unfamiliar with the concept myself.
Here’s another article I published at the same time about what it would
take to create a truly good, democratic society. In re-reading the
article, I saw that this list comes pretty close to defining a political
platform for the commons in the U.S.
Here’s the article as it
appeared in the March-April 2001 edition of Utne Reader. —Jay Walljasper
(Photo by
Brett Davis under a Creative Commons:“license”:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ from flickr.com)
Universal health care: This would include natural health treatments
and psychological therapies, both of which save money over the long haul
by preventing serious medical conditions.
A fair electoral system: How about a voting system in which the guy
who gets the most votes wins? Even better would be proportional
representation (common outside the English-speaking world), which allows
third and fourth parties to bring fresh ideas into the political debate
without becoming spoilers.
Full employment: Any society that glorifies work as much as we do
ought to offer every citizen the chance for a worthwhile job. Even in a
recession, there are slums to fix up, trees to plant, and the
unfortunate to care for.
Far more federal spending on schools than on the military: Education
is a better national security investment than weapons and warriors. The
popular T-shirt says it all: “It will be a great day when our schools
get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to
buy a bomber.“
A 6-to-1 ratio between the highest-and lowest-paid employees in any
enterprise: This might have the added benefit of coaxing some of our
more greedy and ostentatious billionaires to relocate in the
Cayman Islands.
Four weeks paid vacation for all: A movement is already under way to
give Americans the same kind of free time that Europeans, Australians,
and the Japanese enjoy.
A hummable national anthem: Ours isn’t so bad for an old battle poem
plastered atop an English beer hall tune, but it’s time for an anthem
more people are willing to sing. Maybe “This Land Is Your Land” or “All
You Need Is Love.“
A strongly unionized workforce: From weekends off to civil rights
legislation, labor unions have been the sparkplug of significant social
improvements. The right-wing drift of recent decades can be attributed
more to the decline of labor’s power than to the fading of
1960s radicalism.
Natural and historic preservation: More parks, wilderness areas,
wildlife refuges, historic districts, and generous tax credits for
saving scenic landscapes and landmark buildings.
Unstinting support for the arts, humanities, and basic science:
Think of tango festivals, touring comedy revues, cool museums (Gloria
Steinem’s girlhood home in Toledo?), and new revelations about dinosaurs
and dogwood blossoms.
Topflight public broadcasting free of corporate purse strings:
Imagine great investigative reporting, live poetry slams and salsa
shows, original dramas by emerging literary talents, and humor of all
varieties. Like the best of BBC, but in the many accents of America.
Diversity. Character. Color. Charm.
Scrap the melting pot and grab a
stew pan so we can savor all of America’s spicy flavors. Let West
Virginia celebrate its Appalachian splendor, Detroit its
African-American and Arab-American heritage, Boulder (and Halifax) its
burgeoning Buddhist sensibility, and Gilroy, California, its
famous garlic.
Greater global awareness: We give shamefully small amounts of
nonmilitary aid to poor nations around the planet even as U.S.
corporations exploit their people and environment. Adding insult to
injury, many Americans show little interest in anything happening beyond
our borders. We’re losers in this situation too, missing out on great
ideas from other cultures that could help solve some of our own problems
here at home.
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