September 2012 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Fw: Banking
by robert searle 23 Sep '12

23 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: David Talbot - 38 Degrees <action(a)38degrees.org.uk> To: dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk Sent: Wednesday, 19 September 2012, 16:49 Subject: Banking 38 Degrees Dear friend, A parliamentary committee has just kicked off an investigation into the banks. They were told to look into banking after the scandal in the summer. [1] These MPs could clean up banks for good. But will they? If all bankers get is a slap on the wrist they’ll carry on as if nothing’s changed. Bankers are pleased it’s MPs and Lords looking into what they’ve been up to rather than a judge. That’s because in the past they’ve expected to be able to twist MPs’ arms so they get an easier ride. But the MPs on the committee need our votes to stay in their jobs. So let’s remind them who they really work for, with a petition signed by tens of thousands of us, telling them to get tough with the banks. Can you sign the petition asking the committee to get tough on banks? https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/banking-inquiry It’s not long since the Bob Diamond scandal, but some MPs might think public outrage has faded. Let’s prove it hasn’t. A massive petition will let them know that we think banks should work for all of us, not just a few super-wealthy bankers. There are over a million 38 Degrees members across the UK - including lots in the local constituencies of the committee MPs. So we can take our message right to their doorsteps. If MPs give banks an easy ride, we’ll target them locally to let voters know who their MP is really representing. Please take 30 seconds to sign the petition. Let the MPs know we’re watching: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/banking-inquiry To make sure the MPs hear us loud and clear, we’re teaming up with Which? Their consumer clout combined with 38 Degrees people power is a formidable combination. When we took on powerful energy companies together earlier this year, we ended up saving thousands of people a total of over £8 million on their bills. [2] Now, let’s stir up the banks in the same way. All of us paid to bail out the banks. They should put customers before huge bankers' bonuses. We need tougher rules to keep banks in line and proper punishments for bankers who break them. It should be easier to move our money when we’re not happy. Let’s make sure the MPs have these demands at the front of their minds as the inquiry starts. Can you sign the petition now? https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/banking-inquiry Thanks for being involved, David T, James, Hannah, Robin and the 38 Degrees team NOTES [1] Timeline: Barclays' widening Libor-fixing scandal http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/m/74c055fb/2d40752f/5d417b25/46737ddb/7573… Parliament: Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards appointed http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/m/74c055fb/2d40752f/5d417b25/46737dd4/7573… [2] Which? press release: More than 36,000 people make The Big Switch http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/m/74c055fb/2d40752f/5d417b25/46737dd5/7573… ________________________________ Unsubscribe: If you no longer wish to be part of our movement and receive our emails you can unsubscribe here. This email was sent to dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk. 38 DEGREES Registered Company No. 6642193

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Fw: C2C: Climate Seminar Weds Noon-- If it’s “no joke”, why the silence?
by robert searle 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Eban Goodstein <climate(a)bard.edu> To: dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk Sent: Monday, 17 September 2012, 21:30 Subject: C2C: Climate Seminar Weds Noon-- If it’s “no joke”, why the silence? C2C: Climate Seminar Weds Noon-- If it’s “no joke”, why the silence? To view this message in your browser, click here C2C Fellows / National Climate Seminar / Bard 9.17.12 Dear friends and colleagues, President Obama’s brief mention of climate changein his convention speech was notable mostly for its rarity. On the heels of two years of extraordinary weather disasters in the US—record flooding, massive drought and crop failure-- politicians have generally stopped talking about global warming. It’s clear why formerly climate-moderate R’s like Romney have clammed up: Tea Party primary challenges have turned global warming into a toxic subject. But why the silence from Democrats? This Wednesday, at noon eastern, The National Climate Seminarwelcomes Darren Springer, top aid to Senator Bernie Sanders , to talk about why climate is missing in politics, and how to get it back. Call-in number: 1-712-432-3100; Conference Code: 253385   Send advance questions for Darren to climate(a)bard.edu. In two weeks, join Heinz Award winner KC Golden from Climate Solutions on coal exports. Later in the term, RFF’s Dallas Burtraw on the future of clean air act regulation; NRDC’s Kim Knowlton on climate and health; Eleanor Sterling from the American Museum of Natural History on climate and biodiversity; and350.org’s May Boeve on the climate movement and politics.   Beyond the election, the Bard Center for Environmental Policy is helping students develop leadership careers in sustainability—in policy and business—through our C2C Fellowsprogram. Please help spread the word: SE C2C Fellows Training The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, October 26-28 NE C2C Fellows Training Bard College November 30-December 2 C2C Fellowsweekend training workshops, sponsored by the Bard Center for Environmental Policy , focus on concrete skills development, including fundraising and communication. Graduates of the weekend workshops are eligible for partial scholarships to CEP’s masters programs in environmental policy, climate science and policy, and green business, as well as $1,000 scholarships for follow-on leadership trainings. Apply Now: the cost of the weekend trainings is $30 including food and lodging. Please pass the word along!   Help us support rising young leaders in green business, politics and policy.    Thanks for the work you are doing. Eban Goodstein Director, Bard CEP & Director, Bard MBA in Sustainability ________________________________ National Climate Seminar / Fall 2012 Climate Seminar calls are Wednesdays at 12pm EST and held twice monthly via conference call. Assign the half-hour calls to your students for a chance to hear top scientists, analysts, and political leaders discuss climate and clean energy solutions. Download schedule here. Date Presenter Conversation Sep. 5 Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism Solutions Rio, Deja Vu? Sep. 19 Bernie Sanders*, U.S. Senator for Vermont Climate and the Election Oct. 3 KC Golden, Climate Solutions Coal Exports: Just Say No? Oct. 17 May Boeve, 350.org Social Movements & Politics Nov. 7 Dallas Burtraw, Resources for the Future Clean Air Act, Next Steps Nov. 21 Kim Knowlton, NRDC Climate Change: A Matter of Health Dec. 5 Eleanor Sterling, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, AMNH Climate Change & Impacts on Biodiveristy *Invited ________________________________ Sponsors The National Climate Seminar is organized and run by Bard CEPwith media partner, Island Press, publisher of The Climate Solutions Consensus (2011)edited by David E. Blockstein and Leo Wiegman, and made possible by a grant from the Clif Bar Family Foundation. 40% of car trips are within two miles of your home: take Clif Bar's 2 Mile Challengeand ride or walk instead! ________________________________ Follow this link to update your communication preferences: Contact Preferences PO Box 5000 30 Campus Road, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, 12504, United States Campaign ID: 533000003438071 | Contact ID: 533000000775684

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Fw: [gang8] Babylon
by robert searle 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

There is a reference here to the late Paul Kriwaczeks book Babylon. I had contact with him but it was on another subject. As Kriwaczek was a TV producer he wrote for me an interesting account for publication of the making of Ancestral Voices presented by David Munrow, the brilliant Early Music populariser. A few days later the latter took his life. http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Robert_Searle ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Michael Hudson <michael.hudson(a)earthlink.net> To: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 19:47 Subject: Re: [gang8] Babylon Not over-optimism but “the norm.” Remember the BM conference re China: They printed out the payment sheets IN ADVANCE for what they ESTIMATED the yield of the land would be. If there was a flood or drought, they wrote the ACTUAL delivery. Deficits were in RED INK. The example is in the BM, but behind glass, so we couldn’t photograph it to put on the cover. When floods occurred in Babylonia, the barley debts simply were annulled. Michael On 9/18/12 1:47 PM, "Geoffrey Gardiner" <geoffrey.gardiner(a)btinternet.com> wrote: > > > > >Michael, > >I picked up a copy of Paul Kriwaczek’s book ‘Babylon’, published in 2010. Sadly he has died, I understand. The book seems good, and I notice the author draws largely on Marc Van Der Mieroop. Piotr Steinkeller is also quoted. Not easy to see all his sources as his bibliography is done in an unusual way. He follows Marc in attributing farmers debts to the over-optimism of the bureaucrats as to the yields of the lands. I remember Marc emphasising that point to me at the BM conference. > >Geoffrey > > > > > __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (2) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group The gang8 list is devoted to Creditary Economics. To unsubscribe, email: gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___

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Fw: BFI Newsletter Vol. 13 No. 9
by robert searle 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: The Buckminster Fuller Institute <contact(a)bfi.org> To: Robert Searle <dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 22:20 Subject: BFI Newsletter Vol. 13 No. 9 Trimtab: The Monthly E-Newsletter of The Buckminster Fuller Institute Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your browser. BFI Updates Prince Charles recognizes 2010 Challenge Winner, Allan Savory HRH Prince Charles of Wales addressed the International Union for Conservation of Nature about the future of agriculture, specifically supporting the work of 2010 Challenge Winner The Savory Institute. 2012 Runner-up, Future of Fish selected for CharitySub Future of Fish is featured on CharitySub, a subscription-model philanthropic site, and an innovative system to educate funders about the most important issues. For more info or to sign up, click here SOCAP Selects 2012 Challenge Entrants as Featured Entrepreneurs BFI is lead organization in Halloran Philanthropies and SOCAP's accelerator network. This year SOCAP will feature a number of projects we recommended, including, Eco- Fuel Africa and World Wide Hearing. Congratulations to all of them! Trends and Perspectives Life Magazine's Tribute to Bucky Boing Boing partner, David Pescovitz, writes a heartfelt tribute to Bucky and "the importance of unintended consequences", accompanied by some beautiful and rare images. Read it here! John Cage Turns 100 John Cage would have turned 100 this year on September 5th. He and Bucky share a creative lineage through the Black Mountain College. At the BFI, we enjoyed taking the occasion to look back at his work. Check out a staff favorite of Cage's 100th Birthday reporting, from NPR, here. Ornette: Made In America rereleased For another look at Bucky's influence on music, check out this free-form documentary on jazz pioneer, Ornette Coleman, who lists Bucky as his chief artistic inspiration. Click here for a New Yorker review of the film. Tesla Fans Leap Into Action! As we here know, great geeks have great supporters: When cartoonist Matthew Inman started an online funding campaign to turn Tesla's lab, Wardenclyffe into a museum, fans rushed to action, funding the project in 6 days. Help them out here! Resources Naked Value Released Howard Brown's Naked Value is available following a book launch at SVA on Friday. The book examines how smart businesses optimize their resource use, produce less waste, and give customers what they want! Unreasonable Institute Is Accepting Applications! The Unreasonable Institute incubator is now accepting applications for their 2012 impact-entrepreneur fellowship program. Got what it takes? 99% Invisible Begins It's Third Season This "tiny radio show on design" (a BFI staff favorite) has just reached it's crowdfunding goal, and will begin it's third season this month! Listen here Boom and Leisure Newsletter Launches Boom and Leisure, a newsletter on design events around the world has launched this month. Check it out! Events BFI at Bioneers, Discounted! Bioneers is offering you a 20% discount if you register using promotional code BC12AO4 for a 20% discount. BFI will be presenting a panel on the Challenge at the Bioneers Conference in CA, Sunday, October 21st. Join us! Bucky & Black Mountain College BFI is co-curating ReVIEWING Black Mountain College 4: Looking Forward at Buckminster Fuller's Legacy, September 28-30 in North Carolina. We look forward to seeing you there! BFI & Long Now BFI is planning an event with The Long Now Foundation on October the 18th in San Francisco. More details to come, save the date! SOCAP12: Making Meaning Matter Join Social Capital Markets in San Francisco October 1-4 for their world renowned conference on "the intersection of money and meaning". Register Now! R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe NC Stage Company presents a play "part autobiography, part TED talk" on Bucky's life and work, September 12 - October 7, 2012 in Asheville, NC.Book your tickets! DesigNYC's Recharging Communities Show DesigNYC is showing this year's designer/non-profit collaborations, with work in areas as diverse and challenging as human trafficking, public transportation, prisoner reentry, food justice, workforce development and sustainable urban revitalization. Running from October 3-15 at GD Cucine Celebrating The Harvard Bards of the 20th Century at Mount Auburn Join a travelling outdoor poetry reading as they visit the graves of famous Cambridge poets at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, on October 8th from 2:30 - 5:00. More info here! Vol. 13 No. 8 Support BFI The opportunities to do more in extending Bucky's legacy have never been more abundant. Now is the time to get involved and help ensure the sustainability and continued growth of BFI. Your financial support, no matter the size, makes a huge difference. Please support our work today! Featured Store Item Stock up on reading material! The Compendium This is one of our favorite items in the store. Please let us introduce you to The Compendium: A collection of many rare and out of print items documenting the amazing thoughts and inventions of R. Buckminster Fuller. With over 700 pages total, these originals, reprints and copies from 33 periodicals and publications represent more than 40 years of public discourse by and about Fuller. Order at Dymaxion Artifacts! From the Idea Index 2009 Honorable Mention: Cycle for Health Cycle for Health is a pedal powered catalyst that when placed into a failing rural East African transport system mobilizes medical resources, personnel and patients.Click here to read more! Subscribe Not a current subscriber to TRIMTAB? Stay up to date on the latest from BFI and the design science revolution by subscribing today! This email is sent from: The Buckminster Fuller Institute p 718 290 9280 | f 718 290 9281 | bfi.org | contact To unsubscribe from this newsletter, click here. To never receive email from The Buckminster Fuller Institute, click here. This email is sent from: The Buckminster Fuller Institute 181 N11th St, Suite 402 Brooklyn, NY 11211 United States p 718 290 9280 | f 718 290 9281 | bfi.org | contact To unsubscribe from this newsletter, click here. To never receive email from The Buckminster Fuller Institute, click here.

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Fw: Today at 6 pm: Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax"
by robert searle 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Feasta News <website(a)feasta.org> To: Feasta News Subscriber <dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 11:27 Subject: Today at 6 pm: Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax" Today at 6 pm: Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax" The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability "Designing systems for a changing world" Today at 6 pm: Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax" Dear Feasta Members and Newslist subscribers, A reminder that the Smart Taxes Network's new book The Fair Tax; supported by history, agreed by economists, feared by the 1% will be launched in Buswells Hotel, at 6.00pm today, Tuesday, the 18th of September. Fr Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland, a well known advocate for the vulnerable and marginalised, will describe why the information and arguments in The Fair Tax or a Site Value Tax over a conventional property tax are so vital for the people he defends. Some of the writers, Dr Constantin Gurdgiev, Judy Osborne and Emer Ó Siochrú, will also be there to discuss their contributions to the book. All are welcome! (Wine and cheese will be served for early arrivals; tea and coffee for all comers....) The Fair Tax can be bought on the day at a special discount of €12, or €10 for Feasta members. It will be generally available in Irish and UK bookshops and from Smart Taxes for €14.95. The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription: You are subscribed to the following list: Feasta News using the following email: dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL: http://www.feasta-mail.org/mail.cgi/u/feasta_news/dharao4/yahoo.co.uk/ If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism. You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen: http://www.feasta-mail.org/mail.cgi/list/feasta_news If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: mailto:[email protected] The following physical address is associated with this mailing list: FEASTA The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, Main Street, Cloughjordan, Co.Tipperary, Ireland Mailing List Powered by Dada Mail Dada Mail 5.0.1 | Copyright © 1999-2012, Simoni Creative

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Fw: The Case for Spending Down a Charitable Foundation
by robert searle 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: John Fullerton <jfullerton(a)capitalinstitute.org> To: Robert Searle <dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 22:30 Subject: The Case for Spending Down a Charitable Foundation To forward this email, click here. The Case for Spending Down a Charitable Foundation “Have things become so critical – both in terms of the scale of the challenges we face but also the possibility of change – that this radical step [of spending down our assets over the next ten to fifteen years] is a good move?” This is the question recently put to the advisor of a foundation deeply concerned about the environment, which he in turn shared with a few of us immersed in the sustainability crisis. It’s a question of great importance and great urgency. Before getting to a “yes” or “no” response (mine will be a qualified “yes”), it’s important to say up front that I fully understand that tackling the environmental crisis is not the explicit mission of every foundation. Nevertheless, I believe there is a compelling case to be made, now more than ever, for more foundations to focus on the environment, and for foundations targeting the environment to effectively go “all in” with great urgency. Read more at the Future of Finance. Cleveland Foundation a Winner of HUD Community Development Award The Cleveland Foundation has been named one of 10 winners of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s new Secretary’s Award for Community Foundations. The award recognizes community foundations for exemplary work with public partners in housing and community development. In announcing the award, Antonio R. Riley, HUD’s Midwest Regional Administrator, cited the Cleveland Foundation’s work in creating “lasting and positive change,” with the launch of the Evergreen Cooperatives in 2008. The subject of our second Field Guide to Investing in a Regenerative Economy study, the Evergreen Cooperatives initiative is a group of worker-owned, anchor-institution-based cooperative companies, based on “green” principles, in Cleveland’s inner city. Read the Evergreen Field Guide study here. ________________________________ Gus Speth’s America the Possible I read Gus Speth's The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and the Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability (2008), before I met the man. I recall it ending on something of a down note, with an acknowledgment that the environmental movement had in many ways failed to fulfill its mission and a sense of "over to you next generation." Fortunately, however, and to my great personal enrichment, Gus did not quit. Like most environmentalists who came of age following the publication ofSilent Spring, Gus no doubt underestimated the forces working against the interests of the planet, mostly the unintended consequences of an economic system whose destructive side effects we did not comprehend, or did not want to acknowledge. Gus' brave and bold new book, America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy, confronts head-on the enormity of the challenge facing America. It is the unfolding of a powerful vision—grounded in a scientific understanding of the planet’s life support systems—for retaking our democracy and restoring an economy in service of people, by one of the true sages of the New Economy movement. What We're Reading The Brookings Institution has just published a paper, “State Clean Energy Finance Banks,” that explores the creation of dedicated state clean energy banks. The goal of these entities will be to create a source of low-cost finance to improve clean energy’s competitive edge, while reducing the dependence of the sector on uncertain federal grants and government subsidies. State Clean Energy Finance Banks ________________________________ Comment of the Week “I have written before that corporations own public policy and, in fact, government itself. This is no more apparent than in our complete failure ... to set ourselves on a responsible trajectory toward a sustainable energy economy. ...But there is an even greater threat to democracy. Even without corporations owning our government, the problem of our passing on ecological and fiscal debt to the next and future generations - without their consent - is as repulsive as child abuse, as unethical as theft, and as anti-democratic as totalitarianism.” - Gerry Todd, Corporations Are Not People ________________________________ Quote of the Week “We're stealing the future, selling it, and calling it GDP. Our choice is to steal it or heal it.” - Paul Hawken’s keynote address at the TechConKona conference on the Big Island of Hawaii To unsubscribe from this email list, click here. 73 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Greenwich, CT 06830 United States

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The Economic Crisis of the Century.
by Mark Adam 17 Sep '12

17 Sep '12

Mr. President, As someone who believes in the ideals of the United States, I implore you to examine the current economic criiis with a new gaze. The problems facing the masses of the 21st Century are unique throughout our journey into civilization. Never before have the masses been able to be so literate, educated, and connected. And never before has the traditional path of conquest and expansion to create economic value been at such a nadir. With these have emerged all the issues that have been swept under the rug for the 200+ years since America's principals were first conceived. The ideals for democracy that the American founders envisioned couldn't have imagined how immense the media system would come to dominate. While they were astute enough to ensure Freedom of the Press to mitigate the power of information, they couldn't have anticipated that the wheels of capitalism would concentrate such power into the few. A democracy must have an informed populace to be effective, but if the media for staying informed are NOT democratic, but determined by corporations which are obliged to provide a return to its owners, then the process and ideals of democracy falter. Nor could they have anticipated and planned for the "end of the West", wherefrom the newly arising youth get displaced because the land for development is already taken by the dominant property "owners" operating within the outdated philosophy regarding the "common property". That's where we are today, with Generation X, like myself, and younger, who are quite literate and won't be content with production-line jobs in the industrial economy, but want the vibrancy of the cultures they find on the internet. They want the Creative Economy. The Internet can provide a unified infrastructure to complement the movement of physical goods to provide for human needs and move America (and the world) out of the legacy that is the Industrial Age into a new one of the Creative Age; from the Age of Separation, Expansion, and Independence to one of Unity, Collaboration, and Inter-Dependence. If the warning signs are ignored, the system endangers itself from self-collapse. As any biologist can tell you, there is no sustainable scenario of exponential growth on a finite planet. I urge you to get in contact with those of use who do have such a vision, and with me, personally, for a comprehensive plan that can create America 2.0. Sincerely, Mark Janssen Gothenburg, Nebraska

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Fw: [Arthakranti] Obama's Economic Challenge
by robert searle 17 Sep '12

17 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Narendra Khot <nvkhot(a)gmail.com> To: Artha Kranti <Arthakranti(a)yahoogroups.co.in> Sent: Wednesday, 12 September 2012, 7:01 Subject: [Arthakranti] Obama's Economic Challenge The Biggest Economic Challenge of Obama’s Second Term By Robert Reich The question at the core of America’s upcoming election isn’t merely whose story most voting Americans believe to be true – Mitt Romney’s claim that the economy is in a stall and Obama’s policies haven’t worked, or Barack Obama’s that it’s slowly mending and his approach is working. If that were all there was to it, last Friday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the economy added only 96,000 jobs in August – below what’s needed merely to keep up with the growth in the number of eligible workers — would seem to bolster Romney’s claim. But, of course, congressional Republicans have never even given Obama a chance to try his approach. They’ve blocked everything he’s tried to do – including his proposed Jobs Act that would help state and local governments replace many of the teachers, police officers, social workers, and fire fighters they’ve had to let go over the last several years. The deeper question is what should be done starting in January to boost a recovery that by anyone’s measure is still anemic. In truth, not even the Jobs Act will be enough. At the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, Romney produced the predictable set of Republican bromides: cut taxes on corporations and the already rich, cut government spending (mainly on the lower-middle class and the poor), and gut business regulations. It’s the same supply-side nonsense that got the economy into trouble in the first place. Corporations won’t hire more workers just because their tax bill is lower and they spend less on regulations. In case you hadn’t noticed, corporate profits are up. Most companies don’t even know what to do with the profits they’re already making. Not incidentally, much of those profits have come from replacing jobs with computer software or outsourcing them abroad. Meanwhile, the wealthy don’t create jobs, and giving them additional tax cuts won’t bring unemployment down. America’s rich are already garnering a bigger share of American income than they have in eighty years. They’re using much of it to speculate in the stock market. All this has done is drive stock prices higher. The way to get jobs back is to get American consumers to spend again. Consumer spending is 70 percent of the nation’s economic activity. Most of it comes from the middle class and those aspiring to join the middle class. They’re the real job creators. But here’s the problem. Middle-class consumers won’t and can’t spend because their savings are depleted, their homes are worth a fraction of what they were five years ago, their wages are dropping, and they’re worried about keeping their jobs. And they’re no longer able borrow against the rising values of their homes because the housing bubble burst — which means they can no longer pretend they’re in better financial shape than they really are. This is the heart of our economic dilemma. Last Thursday night at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, President Obama suggested a way to correct this, or at least not make things worse: Raise taxes on the wealthy rather than cut programs the middle class and poor depend on (such as Medicare and Medicaid), give tax incentives to companies that create jobs in the United States, and invest in education. It’s start but America’s middle class and poor need far more. They need to be able to refinance their mortgages at today’s low interest rates. They need a larger Earned Income Tax Credit – a wage subsidy for lower-paying jobs. And a higher minimum wage that’s automatically adjusted for inflation. They could use a new Works Projects Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps designed to put the long-term unemployed back to work. They need stronger unions to bargain for a larger share of the gains from economic growth. And a Social Security payroll tax that exempts the first $25,000 of income and eliminates the ceiling (now $110,100) on income subject to it. And they need an industrial policy designed to create high-wage jobs in America. In accepting his party’s nomination for president, Obama said the “basic bargain” that once rewarded hard work and gave everyone a fair shot had come undone. He’s right. And the U.S. economy won’t return to normal until that basic bargain is remade. If Obama gets a second term, recreating that bargain — and getting enough votes from Congress to do so — will be his central challenge, and America’s. This article was published at NationofChange at: http://www.nationofchange.org/biggest-economic-challenge-obama-s-second-ter…. All rights are reserved. __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a new topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___

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Fw: Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax", and public debate on Site Value Tax
by robert searle 17 Sep '12

17 Sep '12

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Feasta News <website(a)feasta.org> To: Feasta News Subscriber <dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Thursday, 13 September 2012, 16:20 Subject: Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax", and public debate on Site Value Tax Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax", and public debate on Site Value Tax The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability "Designing systems for a changing world" Launch of the Smart Taxes Network book "The Fair Tax", and public debate on Site Value Tax Dear Feasta News subscriber, The Smart Taxes Network's new book The Fair Tax; supported by history, agreed by economists, feared by the 1% will be launched in Buswells Hotel, at 6.00pm next Tuesday the 18th of September. Fr Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland, a well known advocate for the vulnerable and marginalised, will describe why the information and arguments in The Fair Tax or a Site Value Tax over a conventional property tax are so vital for the people he defends. Some of the writers, Dr Constantin Gurdgiev, Judy Osborne and Emer Ó Siochrú, will also be there to discuss their contributions to the book. Wine and cheese will be served for early arrivals; tea and coffee for all comers. The Fair Tax can be bought on the day at a special discount of €12, or €10 for Feasta members. It will be generally available in Irish and UK bookshops and from Smart Taxes for €14.95. ------------------------------ And another, related note for your diary: THE FAIR PROPERTY TAX ? A public debate to be held in Trinity College Dublin on Monday the 24th September, 7.30pm Synge Theatre, Nassau St entrance. To be chaired by John Bowman (RTE) The audience will be invited to question a panel of economists and financial experts who support the introduction of a Site Value Tax in Ireland. Constantin Gurdgiev, Ronan Lyons, Karl Deeter, with international speaker to be confirmed. The tax regime in Ireland has been very favourable to property owners, but especially to developers who, with their banks, took maximum advantage, says Colm McCarthy in the preface to The Fair Tax (see above). The system fuelled the disastrous development-site debts of a handful of testosterone-charged developers and led directly to the Irish state’s guarantee of the collapsing banks. The Irish government is belatedly introducing a property tax under pressure from the Troika rather than from a conviction of its merits. Instead of targeting irresponsible developers, speculators and banks, the government is planning to bail them out again by excluding their land hoards and undeveloped sites from the new property tax. Ordinary homeowners will pay at least 20% extra tax every year so that speculators can continue to pay nothing. Only a Site Value Tax can make them pay their fair share. Speakers in this pubic debate will explain how a second massive transfer of wealth from the 99% to the 1% can happen again due to the ignorance of politicians, the hubris of the Department of Finance, and the continuing backroom influence of the developers and bankers. They can explain the real advantages of a Site Value Tax over a conventional property tax and convincingly show how easy it is to assess and implement. Leaked reports suggest the government believes that the Irish public could not understand a Site Value Tax and so plan to impose a flawed property tax. Do the Irish people deserve this assessment of their intelligence by their leaders? Come along to the debate and make up your own mind. The debate is hosted by the Smart Taxes network and numerous reports commissioned by the organization can be seen on the website: http://smarttaxes.org/site-value-tax Registration not necessary. €5 on the door Further information Judy Osborne 086 36 99 575 Press queries Rachel Henderson 086 843 8379 ------------------------------- The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription: You are subscribed to the following list: Feasta News using the following email: dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL: http://www.feasta-mail.org/mail.cgi/u/feasta_news/dharao4/yahoo.co.uk/ If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism. You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen: http://www.feasta-mail.org/mail.cgi/list/feasta_news If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: mailto:[email protected] The following physical address is associated with this mailing list: FEASTA The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, Main Street, Cloughjordan, Co.Tipperary, Ireland Mailing List Powered by Dada Mail Dada Mail 5.0.1 | Copyright © 1999-2012, Simoni Creative

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Fw: Project Syndicate September 2012 Newsletter
by robert searle 17 Sep '12

17 Sep '12

A World of Ideas..................Repeated Ad Nauseaum.......................................! RS/ ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Project Syndicate <dhessel(a)project-syndicate.org> To: dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk Sent: Thursday, 13 September 2012, 18:20 Subject: Project Syndicate September 2012 Newsletter Project Syndicate September 2012 Newsletter Dear Project Syndicate reader, Welcome to the September 2012 newsletter, bringing you the latest news from Project Syndicate and a selection of key commentaries from the past month. This month, we are pleased to present our special summer supplement, and a new Focal Point featuring Joseph Stiglitz's assessment of the US economy. To keep up-to-date with all of our content, visit our Web site regularly, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for your continued support. The Summer of Our Discontent Project Syndicate presents a special summer supplement, "The Summer of Our Discontent." Commentaries include: Harold James on summertime crises in Europe Jean-Claude Trichet on standards for non-standard monetary policy Kemal Dervis and Javier Solana on why Europe needs inflation Laura Tyson on Mitt Romney's inadequate economic-policy proposals Jong-Wha Lee on safeguarding Asia's economic growth Howard Davies on the need for stimulus to create jobs in Europe Hoda Badran on why the Arab Spring has been dangerous for women "The Summer of Our Discontent" is also available on Amazon Kindle. Stiglitz on America Like all crises, the 2008 financial crisis was a moment of truth, not least for conventional wisdom about the US economy. Joseph Stiglitz was one of the few economists challenging the status quo long before the crisis erupted. In a new Focal Point, Stiglitz examines the successes and failures of America's response to the global financial crisis - and proposes solutions to the US economy's troubles. Why Germany Should Lead or Leave by George Soros NEW YORK – Europe has been in a financial crisis since 2007. When the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers endangered the credit of financial institutions, private credit was replaced by the credit of the state, revealing an unrecognized flaw in the euro. By transferring their right to print money to the European Central Bank (ECB), member countries exposed themselves to the risk of default, like Third World countries heavily indebted in a foreign currency. Commercial banks loaded with weaker countries’ government bonds became potentially insolvent. There is a parallel between the ongoing euro crisis and the international banking crisis of 1982. Back then, the International Monetary Fund saved the global banking system by lending just enough money to heavily indebted countries; default was avoided, but at the cost of a lasting depression. Latin America suffered a lost decade...read more. Mitt Romney and America's Four Deficits by Laura Tyson BERKELEY – The United States is beset by four deficits: a fiscal deficit, a jobs deficit, a deficit in public investment, and an opportunity deficit. The budget proposals put forward by presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, could reduce the fiscal deficit, but would exacerbate the other three. To be sure, Romney and Ryan have failed to provide specifics about how they would reduce the fiscal deficit, relying on “trust me” assertions. But the overarching direction of their proposals is clear: more tax cuts, disproportionately benefiting those at the top, coupled with significantly lower non-defense discretionary spending, disproportionately hurting everybody else – and weakening the economy’s growth prospects...read more. Other Recent Commentaries Martin Feldstein on whether inflation is making a comeback Joseph S. Nye on US foreign policy during Obama's first term Brigitte Granville on how Hollande's domestic policies threaten France's economy Ian Buruma on the unnecessary escalation of geopolitical tensions in Asia Stephen S. Roach on why China's economy is doing just fine Anne-Marie Slaughter on the Internet as a human right August's Most Popular Commentaries "Justice for Sweden" by Marten Schultz "Early Retirement for the Eurozone?" by Nouriel Roubini "Economics in Denial" by Howard Davies "No More Growth Miracles" by Dani Rodrik "How Long for Low Rates?" by Kenneth Rogoff Become a fan of Project Syndicate on Facebook Get exclusive updates from Project Syndicate and share content with your friends. View our page here. Follow Project Syndicate on Twitter Receive all of Project Syndicate's commentaries as Tweets by accessing our page here. Subscribe to Project Syndicate's RSS feeds View a live feed of all Project Syndicate content as it is posted online. Feeds are available in eight languages here. Download the Project Syndicate iPhone App Access our experts' insights on your phone, wherever you are. Get the free app by clicking here. Listen to Project Syndicate Podcasts Listen to podcasts of our commentaries. A full listing of our podcasts is available here. ©2012 Project Syndicate | P.O. Box 130, 120 21 Prague 2 This email was sent to dharao4(a)yahoo.co.uk. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. View this email on the web here. You can also forward to a friend. Unsubscribe Powered by Mad Mimi ®

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