Saturday, November 22, 2014

Taxation without Representation?

Salon today has an in-depth article about the under representation of the working class in government.

If millionaires were a political party, that party would make up roughly 3 percent of American families, but it would have a super-majority in the Senate, a majority in the House, a majority on the Supreme Court and a man in the White House. If working-class Americans were a political party, that party would have made up more than half the country since the start of the 20th century. But legislators from that party (those who last worked in blue-collar jobs before entering politics) would never have held more than 2 percent of the seats in Congress.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Crash, Boom, Pop! An Economic Education Comic Book

Here is a Kickstarter project that looks like it is worth backing:


Does the Current Economic System Encourage Bad Innovation and Discourage Good?

There is an interesting, but a bit heavy and academic, article on Alternative Economics today.  Under the current system, the author argues:

"The type of innovation that occurs will depend not upon its social utility, but upon whether its proceeds can be appropriated privately. And this incentivizes dark innovation."

Follow the link above to read more.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Quote of the Day: Stop Judging People for Being Poor

One participant mentioned that when we give to the poor, we should ask their forgiveness. It is the poor and marginalized who have been failed by our society and system and we’re all part of the problem. Another person said we need to stop judging people for being poor; we need to change our system to make it easier for people to get the help they need....

These opinions made me rethink my behavior. I’ve never thought of asking a person for forgiveness when I hand them a dollar outside a supermarket. But it makes sense. By asking for their forgiveness and blessing, I’m reaffirming their inherent worth and dignity by treating them with respect; I’m asking them for something only they can give. And I need to stop caring how they ended up being homeless. It’s not my place to judge and I’m not qualified to ask.

All I know is that as a man of faith, it’s my responsibility to respond with compassion. This is the hard truth of faith; this is where conversion of the heart takes place. When we stop punishing and start forgiving. When we stop blaming and start helping. When we treat our neighbor as ourselves.-Justin Almeida, Walking in Their Footsteps