Article
filed under
The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Jul 27, 2010
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/acorn-deserves-apology-too/
Shirley Sherrod has her job back and a presidential apology. ACORN is still waiting. The cases are remarkably similar. Both Sherrod and ACORN were demonized by highly edited videos appearing on right-wing websites and widely publicized by Fox News and conservative radio hosts. In both cases the mainstream media and the federal government rushed to… Continue reading
Article
filed under
The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
May 1, 2010
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/8-words-could-save-our-country/
A rogue Supreme Court seems hellbent on establishing a corporate oligarchy. Congress can’t stop it. Every time Congress or state legislatures tries to curb the power of billionaires or mega corporations the Court slaps them down. Citizens United v. FEC, the recent Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited sums of money to influence elections is only the most recent step in this process. There will be more. But the shocking decision may be sufficient to galvanize a political movement that can change the rules and ensure our democracy.
We can save our country by adding eight words to the fundamental law of the land, the US Constitution. "Corporations are not persons." "Money is not speech." Continue reading
Article
filed under
The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Apr 15, 2010
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-are-feds-giving-900-billion-tax-breaks-every-year/
With April 15 upon us, I’d like to talk about taxes. Not about the part of the tax code that generates revenues. You’ve already heard enough about the taxes you pay to last a lifetime, and the election campaign has just begun. Instead, I’ll focus on the less visited topic of the taxes we don’t… Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Banking, The Public Good
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
Mar 29, 2010
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/depositing-public-funds-in-local-banks/
A growing number of states and cities are considering or enacting policies that move government bank accounts to small community banks and credit unions. These bills have two primary motivations: To withdraw public funds from big banks that have imposed high fees on customers and engaged in predatory mortgage lending, redlining, and other practices that… Continue reading
Article
filed under
The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Jan 29, 2010
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/instead-cap-and-trade-cap-and-dividend/
A new and vastly improved climate change policy has come out of nowhere to capture the imagination of state and national policymakers: "Cap and dividend." It works like this: Step one, impose a carbon cap. Step two, auction off all carbon allowances. Step three, return most of (if not all) the revenues generated to all households on a per capita basis. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy, The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Jan 5, 2010
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-outsidethebeltway-climate-bill-deserves-support-why-wont-enviros-get-behind-it/
Cap and Trade is one approach for limiting our global warming pollution but there is a different climate change proposal in Congress called the CLEAR Act. It’s simple, deserves to be looked at closely and looks to be the start of a winning alternative to the complicated system of cap and trade. Continue reading
Article
filed under
The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Dec 4, 2009
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/post-2928/
It is fitting that President Obama announced his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan on the 30th anniversary of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev’s decision to do the same. The two events are joined at the hip. In 1978, the Afghan army overthrew the existing government and made the head of the country’s Communist Party… Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Independent Business, The Public Good
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
Nov 22, 2009
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/antitrust-policies/
The Federal Robinson-Patman Act prohibits manufacturers and suppliers from providing price discounts and other forms of preferential treatment to some buyers and not to others, if the effect of such discrimination is to lessen competition or injure individual competitors. Volume discounts are allowed only to the extent that they reflect actual differences in the cost of manufacture or sale of the product. Continue reading
Article
filed under
The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Nov 10, 2009
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/energy-questions-states-leaders-should-listen-better/
How many times do the people have to be proven right before their political leaders listen to them? The recent cancellation of Big Stone II by its investors brings that question to mind. Back in 2006, seven Minnesota utilities asked the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for permission to build a large coal fired power… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy, The Public Good
| Written by
David Morris
|
| Updated on
Oct 5, 2009
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-proposed-climate-change-bill-washington-simpler-and-more-equitable/
On Sept. 22, in a speech to 100 world leaders gathered at the United Nations to discuss climate change, President Barack Obama declared the U.S. “determined to act.” But at the same time, word began to circulate on Capitol Hill that the Senate might be equally determined not to vote on the climate bill any… Continue reading
