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About David Morris

David Morris is co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its initiative on The Public Good. He is the author of New City States and four other non-fiction books. His essays on public policy are regularly published by On the Commons, Alternet, Common Dreams and the Huffington Post. More

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Oct 21, 2011

The Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/the-tea-party-vs-occupy-wall-street/

A few days ago NBC’s Meet the Press host David Gregory complained about Occupy Wall Street protestors “demonizing banks” and wondered, “Is this not a reverse tea party tactic?” Gregory is right.  In many respects Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is indeed a mirror image of the Tea Party. To the Tea Party government is the… Continue reading

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Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 2 Comments | Updated on Oct 6, 2011

It’s Labor vs. Capital, Stupid

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/its-labor-vs-capital-stupid/

A few months ago Nassim Taleb, author of the Black Swan, an influential book about the crucial importance of unpredictable, unforeseen events on our financial system was asked whether the hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in Greece was a Black Swan event. He replied, “No. The real Black Swan event is that people… Continue reading

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 7 Comments | Updated on Sep 28, 2011

The Case For The Post Office

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/the-post-office-past-present-and-future/

In the next few days we may decide the future of the Post Office.  The signs are not auspicious.  President Obama has agreed to a plan to cut Saturday delivery. The Post Service’s management wants to close 2500 post offices immediately and up to 16,000 by 2020.  Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) has introduced a bill… Continue reading

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Sep 17, 2011

The Military and the Commons

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/the-military-and-the-commons/

A few days ago I received notice of a New America Foundation (NAF) hosted conference in Washington, D.C. called “Beyond Primacy:  Rethinking American Grand Strategy and the Command of the Commons.”    At the conference NAF released a formal report on the subject: Whither Command of the Commons?  Choosing Security Over Control. The authors, Sameer Lalwani,… Continue reading

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Aug 12, 2011

S&P Says Microsoft More Creditworthy than US Government

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/sp-says-microsoft-more-creditworthy-than-us-government/

Two days after Standard and Poor’s downgraded US government bonds, David Llewellyn-Smith, writing in The Sydney Morning Herald noted, “We now face the ludicrous circumstance in which the United States government holds … a lower (credit) rating than Microsoft, despite issuing its own currency (the world’s reserve), being able to raise taxes when it chooses,… Continue reading

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Aug 5, 2011

We Will Grow the Economy By Shrinking It

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/we-will-grow-the-economy-by-shrinking-it/

Throughout human history societies have been informed and instructed by the superstitions of their age. For thousands of years we believed a single person–a king, a pharaoh, a high priest– should have life and death power over us. Any other social structure was unthinkable. We believed the gods that brought drought could be appeased only by animal and, sometimes, human sacrifice. Today these superstitions seem ridiculous. How could thinking people ever have believed such preposterous notions? Continue reading

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Jul 7, 2011

Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-is-the-most-wasteful-government-agency-not-part-of-the-deficit-discussion/

In all the talk about the federal deficit, why is the single largest culprit left out of the conversation?  Why is the one part of government that best epitomizes everything conservatives say they hate about government— waste, incompetence, and corruption—all but exempt from conservative criticism? Of course, I’m talking about the Pentagon.  Any serious battle… Continue reading

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Jun 23, 2011

Why Is Mighty Time Warner Scared Of Tiny Salisbury, North Carolina?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-is-mighty-time-warner-scared-of-tiny-salisbury-north-carolina/

Thanks to Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Telecommunications as Commons Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for contributing to this article.  You can, and should follow his reporting on public networks at www.muninetworks.org. Conservatives would have us believe the public sector can’t compete with the private sector. The private sector itself knows better. Nowhere… Continue reading

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Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 3 Comments | Updated on May 18, 2011

And the Winner is….The Public Sector

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/and-the-winner-is-the-public-sector/

“Unlike the public sector, the private sector is bred for efficiency. Left to its own devices, it will always find the means to provide services faster, cheaper, and more effectively than will governments,” said James Jay Carafano. I suspect the vast majority of Americans would agree with Mr. Carafano. They probably consider the statement self-evident. The facts, however, lead to the opposite conclusion. When not handicapped by regulations designed to subsidize the private sector, the public sector often provides services faster, cheaper and more effectively. Continue reading