>Ah, yes, the lost lessons of history. I read, a short time back, a number
>of articles which talk about the development of a Have's-vs-Have-Not's
>society in the US. I believe that this phenomenon is reflected around the
>world. This is a very serious dynamic and issue which I feel we have an
>obligation to address globally as well as locally.
>
>Capitalism is much touted as the superior form of society on this planet
>by those who are benefitting from capitalism. However, I have to question
>the premise of this viewpoint when I consider the increasing numbers of
>homeless people and the unemployed in this country.
>I am not against profiting (even obscenely) from one's labors. However, I
>believe that we have a moral obligation to serve the society which gave us
>our riches and to return something to that society which makes it a
>better place. Instead, I too often see blind greed and blatant abuse of
>people.
Clyde's comments caused me to visit a post from another list--the Whole
Systems List. In that forum, Wes Burt offered the following to address
this global issue locally. Part of what Learning Organizations can
embrace is a social consciousness, an acceptance of public stewardship
despite being "privately held."
[QUOTE]
I am pleased to propose the two articles, which
express the economic keynote of an optimum
community, corporation, or commonwealth, in
the sequence in which they naturally occur in the
life-cycle of each individual reproducible
productive capital or human asset. They are
numbered as they might have been listed among
the twelve Moral Commandments promulgated at
Sinai, of which we are taught only ten; or as they
might have been listed among the first twelve
"articles in addition to, and Amendment of the
Constitution of the United States of America,"
of which the States ratified only ten in1789 to
constitute the American Bill of Rights.
Fortunately for us, the omission of these two
articles did not become critical in America until the
onset of industrialization in the 1890's.
#5, TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS NEED,
while in development and dependent on external
support.
Only when this article has been satisfied
throughout the development period of the capital
or human asset, will "the springs of
co-operative wealth flow more abundantly" when
the asset begins to produce, as every successful
businessman has learned the hard way.
#6, FROM EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY,
while in production and independent of external
support.
This article prescribes, not an equalization of
condition at the margin of subsistence by taxation
of all income in excess of subsistence
exemptions, as some people claim, but a "Flat
Tax" (% of income) on all income "from whatever
source derived," as set forth in the XVI th.
amendment to the Constitution of the United
States. #6 also defines the structure of the real
property tax of local governments, as it operated
prior to the 1890's to provide education,
infrastructure, and justice, while the U.S. was still
a nation of property owning farmers and small
businessmen. Today's total tax rates range from
23% in Turkey to 55% in Sweden, with the U.S.,
Switzerland, and Japan clustered around the
Biblical tax rate of three tithes, or 30% of Gross
Domestic Product.
[END QUOTE]
--Ginger Shafer The Leadership Dimension "Bringing Leadership to Life" vshafer@azstarnet.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>