#cooperative taxation

[ifindtaxpro]

🌾 Cultivate success with effective tax planning for agricultural enterprises! From farming to ranching and agricultural cooperatives, we're sowing the seeds of financial prosperity in the world of agriculture. 🚜💰 #Agriculture #TaxPlanning #Ranching

[southsouthcooperationday]

(15th meeting) First Session Ad Hoc Committee to Draft Terms of Reference for a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

2. cont.' (b) SubstanIve elements - Discussion of ToRs Skeleton, including any second discussions of previously discussed issues.

Programme of Work

Watch the (15th meeting) First Session Ad Hoc Committee to Draft Terms of Reference for a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation!

First Session Ad Hoc Committee to Draft Terms of Reference for a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation will be held from 26 April – 8 May 2024. UN Web TV

[felixwylde]

What's better to admire than money?

I mean, why money? Money’s just a symbol of power; it’s not the power itself. We kinda rely on it, but we’re still around even when we’re broke.The weird thing about money worship is that it’s not really about what you can buy; it’s treated like some sort of deity.If money were a god, what would it offer? Would it give us fame, fortune, happiness, or just some peace of mind?Are rich folks…

[performancemartketing]

[thetrashthatsmilesback]

Watcher, Capitalism, and the Petite (Petty) Bourgeois

So the whole Watcher controversy has revealed an interesting misunderstanding of what constitutes "the rich" or capitalist beliefs. The major theme that arose during the controversy was the sense that Shane in particular had gone against his previously stated leftist beliefs - that he had, for all these years, taken up a humorous aesthetic of anti-capitalism without actually believing in what he was saying. I believe that this is due to a breakdown in definitions as they become spread to the general public. Dissemination of information is a good thing, and I would never argue against it, but one problem which arises from concepts spreading to large groups without context is that often the actual meanings break down until they are vastly different from their original, academic denotation. This is, I believe, what happened with the phrase “eat the rich” and its current colloquial usage.

I want to preface this with the fact that nothing I am about to say applies exclusively to Watcher, or that the Watcher staff have done anything wrong or misrepresented themselves. I also don’t think that the Watcher fanbase is wrong at all – the situation just happened to spawn arguments both in defense of and critique of the Watcher team which indicated, in my opinion, that an understanding of “the rich” in a capitalist society is not well understood. Disclaimers out of the way, let’s get into this.

During the controversy, two major sides arose – those who had begun to see the Watcher crew (in particular Steven, Ryan, and Shane) as “the rich” or ruling class in a capitalist setting, and those who argued against this by arguing that as Watcher is a small business, and not the upper 1%, they are not included in the definition of “the rich” expressed by leftists. I want to focus in on the counter-argument that Watcher being a small business just trying to survive means that they are not considered “the rich.”

In Marxist theory, there is a small group called the “petite” or “petty bourgeoisie.” This group is defined as those who both own and contribute to the means of production – aka, small business owners. Marx himself wrote little about the petite bourgeoisie, predominantly referencing them in passing in his essays The Class Struggles in France, 1848-1850 and very briefly in The Communist Manifesto. He does happen to criticize this group in the little writing he did on it, “Marx derides what he sees as the petit-bourgeois self-delusion that, because it combines both employment and ownership of the means of production, it somehow represents the solution to the class struggle. This class was progressive in a limited sense, as witnessed by its claims at various times for co-operatives, credit institutions, and progressive taxation, as a consequence of felt oppression at the hands of the bourgeoisie. However, these were (in terms of the Marxist view of history) strictly limited demands, just as the ideological representatives of this class have been constrained by their own problems and solutions” (“Petite Bourgeoisie - Oxford Reference”).

Now, it is very important to note that team “Watcher is a small business” aren’t completely wrong in their positioning of Watcher’s attempt to raise more revenue as Not Evil Capitalism. Marx’s belief was that eventually the Petite Bourgeoisie would be pushed into the proletariat class. I also am not positive that Watcher is a classical small business – they very well could be a worker co-op. A worker co-op is a business where the workers have ownership of the company, and significant representation on the board of directors(“What Is A Worker Cooperative? – U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives”). While some criticism of worker co-ops from a communist or socialist view exist, they are generally seen as a more socialist approach to the typical small business model.

I couldn’t find direct confirmation that Watcher is a co-op. One point against them being one is the use of titles such as CEO and Owner, but these designations could simply be for tax and paperwork reasons. Watcher is an objectively small company, they have between 25 and 30 workers, and most people cite them currently having 27 workers, but in the past they have employed interns and I am unsure of if they currently have interns on board so I am going to stick to the range. It would be incredibly easy to have a worker co-op with 25-30 people, you wouldn’t even need voted representatives; everyone could just be on the board and contribute to decisions. I figured the next best approach would be to see what the roles on Watcher’s shows are – if Steven, Shane, and Ryan contribute significantly rather than just showing up and looking pretty on camera, then there is a good chance they might be functioning as a worker co-op more than a traditional business or small business.

To do this, I decided to look at Watcher’s largest show for each co-owner. This means Ghost Files, Mystery Files, Puppet History, and Steven’s food series. These numbers broke down as follows:

Ghost Files: Ryan is listed as a Creator on all Ghost Files videos. Ghost Files Debriefs do not have writers, so that role will not be held against them on those videos. Ryan and Shane were listed as a Host and an Executive Producer on all videos, but neither ever held a Writer, Editor, or Sound Mixing role.

Mystery Files: Ryan and Shane were listed as a Host and an Executive Producer on all videos, but neither ever held a Writer, Editor, or Sound Mixing role.

Puppet History: Shane is listed as a Creator on all Puppet History videos. He is listed as a Host on all videos, an Executive Producer on all videos, Writer on 4 videos, and never held an Editor or Sound Mixing role.

Steven’s Food Series: Steven is listed as a Host and an Executive Producer on all videos, but neither ever held an Editor, or Sound Mixing role. This show does not require a writer so this will not be held against him.

*Do take these numbers with a grain of salt, I wrote this while in class so its possible that I missed something.*

Looking at those numbers, the main three do predominantly just film, but I don’t want to devalue the work that goes into being on camera. They are still generating capital by acting, I simply wanted to clear up confusion I had due to seeing people say they edited every Ghost Files video. From what I can see, they don’t do the editing, but as executive producers they likely have to review every video before it goes out. I also still can’t fully come to a conclusion on if the company can be considered a worker co-op, but I believe it is a standard small business – aka, the petite bourgeoisie.

All of that leads to the final point – the way that people only began to view the three lead Watcher members/founding members as “the rich” after the announcement of the streaming platform shows the way that leftist theory has become divorced from some of its meaning. I saw several people arguing “you guys can’t recognize the rich”/”you guys would attack doctors and lawyers under the guise of eating the rich,” and yes its true that doctors who work in hospitals are proletariat, but if a doctor opens a private practice or a lawyer opens a private firm, does that render them more bourgeoisie or more proletariat? At what point do the petite bourgeoisie become a part of those who we disavow? I don’t actually have answers to these questions, and I’m sure people much smarter than me or better versed in economics have written on this (one source I found that seemed good while I was skimming it despite its age is this one https://www.jstor.org/stable/2083291?seq=3 ). I didn’t make this point to argue one point over the other on whether Watcher counts as “the rich,” but more to focus on the way that term gets used. The argument could be made that we could have started questioning Shane’s anti-capitalist beliefs the moment he helped start a company, but we didn’t. We only started to criticize him on the basis of hypocrisy after the announcement and its out of touch comments. This raises so many questions about how we use the term “the rich” now – does it refer to anyone we dislike who is financially stable? Has the term become completely divorced from its original meaning? Or were we being hypocrites all along? Has Watcher Entertainment always been incongruent with Shane’s implied political beliefs? Is there a certain point at which the petite bourgeoisie become a part of the financial aristocracy? Or is that term only relegated to the industrial bourgeoisie, is it reserved exclusively for those in financial positions that no artisan could ever hope to reach?

Is it possible that both arguments are correct regarding the Watcher boys, and all other members of small business ownership and management positions? That they are both “the rich” but not a part of the proper bourgeoisie?

I don’t know. I find it fascinating though.

[azspot]

The supply-side movement complicates the idea of austerity because on the one hand, it sells itself as a tax cut movement. It seems to align with the idea of rejecting state power and refusing government aid. But as soon as you make selective cuts to a baseline rate of income taxation, the result is tantamount to direct public spending: in budget accounting terms, both serve to increase deficits. So what supply siders call tax incentives are really government subsidies to the holders of capital income, in particular those who “earn” profits in the form of capital gains. What looks like spending austerity is actually spending extravagance by other means.

Melinda Cooper

[sourcreammachine]

GREEN PARTY MANIFESTO 2024 SUMMARY

tldr: there's a feeling of tension in this manifesto, between youthful zennial climatic ecosocialism and old-guard hippy-liberal environmentalism. this year the greens may well go from 1 MP to the dizzying heights of 2 (there's whispers on the wind that they may even get 3...), and the green council delegation is at 800-odd now, so this could easily be a changing-of-the-guard moment

with the great Berry and the ok Denyer in parliament the party could have more momentum in battling the starmerite government, and with that, it has the ability, the possibility to pick up more momentum. this is a big opportunity in the party's history - over the next five years it can and could be pushed into a holistic ecosocialist movement by the centrally influential mass party membership, and remove the last dregs of its tunnel vision to provide a lefty movement for everyone, green and pink, a Newfoundland coalition. with votes at 16 on the cards and this potential evolution of the party, 2029 could be a big moment for this country's left. whether or not the greens play the role of keystone is up to them

it is also the only manifesto to use the term 'neurodivergent'

💷ECONOMY

wealth tax of 1% on individuals with assets over §10m and 2% for assets over §1b (an extremely humble proposal), reform capital gains and investment dividend taxation to be at the same rates as income taxation, remove the income-based bands on national insurance contributions, ie raising total income taxation by 8% at §50k/a, – altogether raising government revenues by upwards of §70b/a

stratify VAT to reduce it for consumer stuff and hike it for stuff like financial services

permanent windfall tax on banks for whenever they get windfalls

perform a holistic land survey to get the data needed for a new, effective Land Tax

abolish the tax relief on existing freeports and SEZs

heavy carbon tax to raise a boatload of billions, rising progressively over a decade to allow industrial adaptation, for a ~§80b state windfall for five years that'll be for green investment as this windfall starts to recede

renationalise water and energy

§15 minimum wage, 10:1 pay ratio for all organisations public and private (ie §150 sort-of maximum wage, ~§300k/a), mandatory equal pay audits, 'support' lower hours and four-day weeks [clarification needed]

unambiguously define gig workers as workers with contract rights from day one, repeat offenders of gig-slavery will be banned from operating in the country

every City bank required to produce a strategy with a clear pathway to divestment of all fossil fuels "as soon as possible and at least by 2030", every City non-banking organisation simply to be banned from having fossil fuel in their portfolios, credit to be banned for repeat City climate offenders, mandate the BoE to fulfil the funding of the climate transition and climate leadership of the City, FCA to develop measures to ban fossil fuel share trading in the City and immediately prohibit all new shares in fossil fuels

"we will explore legal ways for companies to be transformed into mutual organisations"😈

develop regional cooperative banks to invest in regional SMEs, coops and community enterprises

diversify crop growth, promote local agricultural cooperatives and peripheral urban horticultural farms, give farmers a sort of collective bargain against grocers

aim towards a circular economy: require ten-year warranties on white goods, rollout of right-to-repair

tighten monopoly laws on media with a hard cap preventing >20% of a media market being owned by one individual or company and implement Leveson 2

🏥PUBLIC SERVICES

abolish tuition fees and cancel standing debt

surge nhs funding by §30B, triple labour's spending plans for everything, the entire budget, the entire state, everything

free personal care, with occupational therapy being part of this

35h/w free child care (eg seven hours over five days, or seven days of five hours)

renationalise many academies under local authorities, abolish the "charity" status of private schools and charge VAT

surge funding for smoking-cessation, addiction support and sexual health service

surge funding for public dentistry with free care for children and low-earners

free school breakfasts in primary school and free school lunches for all schools

one-month guarantee of access to mental health therapies

online access to PrEP

let school playing fields be used in the evenings by local sports clubs

greater funding for civic sports facilities and pools

🏠HOUSING

unambiguously-under-the-law nationalise the crown estate for an absolute fuckton of land and assets for housing and for green energy and rewilding for FREE

rent control for local authorities, ban no-fault evictions and introduce long-term leases, create private tenancy boards of tenants

local authorities to have right of first refusal on the purchase of certain properties at aggressive rates, such as unoccupied or uninsulated buildings

all new homes to be Passivhaus standard with mandatory solar panels and heat pumps

§30B across five years to insulate homes, §12B of which is for social homes, and §9B more for heat pumps, and §7B more for summer cooling

planning law reform: council planning mechanisms to priorities little developments all over the place rather than sprawling blobs, demolitions to require as thorough a planning application as erections, new developments required to not be car dependent

planning laws to require large-scale developments feature access to key community infrastructures such as transport, health and education, often mandating the construction of new key infrastructures, support nightlife and local culture in planning regulations

exempt pubs and local cultural events from VAT

building materials to be reusable, builders' waste rates to be surged to encourage use of reuse

750k new social homes in five years

🚄TRANSPORT

'a bus service to every village', restore local authority control and/or ownership of their busses

renationalise rail via franchise-concession lapsing, slowly assume ownership of the rolling stock (currently leased, and would continue to be so under labour's implementation of renationalisation) by buying a new train when the stock needs to be replaced

electrification agenda across the rail network, strategic approach to rail line and station reopenings

bring forward (sorta, the tories suspended it but labour says they'll reinstate it) the new petrol car ban from 2030 to 2027, existing petrol cars targeted to be off the road by 2034, investigate road-price charges as a replacement for petrol tax, hike road tax proportionally to vehicle weight, drop urban speed limits from 50kph to 30kph (or from 30mph to 20mph if you only speak Wrong), mass funding for freightrail and support logistics firms transitioning away from lorries

§2.5b/a for footpaths and cycleways, target of 50% of urban journeys to be extravehicular by 2030

frequent-flyer levy, ban on domestic flights within three-hour rail distance, remove the exemption of airline fuel from fuel tax, prioritise training of airline workers into other transportational jobs

👮FORCE

abolish the home office, transfer its police/security portfolio to the justice ministry and its citizenship/migration portfolio to a new migration ministry separate from the criminal justice system

abolish the kill the bill bill and restore the right to protest

recognise palestine, push for immediate ceasefire and prosecution of war crimes, back the south africa case, "[support] an urgent international effort to end the illegal occupation of palestinian land"

grant asylum-seekers the right to work before their application is granted

end the hostile environment

abolish Prevent

end routine stop-and-search and facial recognition

commission to reform 'counterproductive' drug regime, decriminalise personal possession

amend the Online Safety Act to "[protect] political debate from being manipulated by falsehoods, fakes and half-truths", ie actually protecting 'fReE sPeEcH' and not everything that rightists imply by that phrase

decriminalise sex work

reform laws to give artists IP protections against ai

cancel trident and disarm

push for nato reforms (in its and our interest, they're not russophiles, they're not galloway, it's ok): get it to adopt a no-first-use nuclear policy, get it to prioritise diplomatic action first rather than military reaction, get it to adopt a stronger line on only acting for the defence of its member states

right to roam🚶‍♂️

🌱CLIMATE

zero-carbon by 2040, rather than the ephemeral ostensible government target of 2050

stop all new oil/gas licenses, end all subsidy for oil/gas industries, regulate biofuels to end greenwashing, end subsidies for biomass

decarbonise energy by 2030, minimum threshold of energy infrastructures to be community owned, "end the de facto ban on onshore wind" with planning reform

massively expand the connections between the insular grid and the UCTE continental grid to increase electricity import and export and prevent the need for energy autarky

more targeted bans on single-use plastics

"give nature a legal personhood" ok grandma let’s get you to bed

§2b/a to local authorities for local small-business decarbonisation

"cease development of new nuclear power stations, as nuclear energy is much more expensive and slower to develop than renewables. we are clear that nuclear is a distraction from developing renewable energy and the risk to nuclear power stations from extreme climate events is rising fast. nuclear power stations carry an unacceptable risk for the communities living close to facilities and create unmanageable quantities of radioactive waste. they are also inextricably linked with the production of nuclear weapons. green MPs will campaign to phase out existing nuclear power stations." because some people just can't let go of the seventies. nuclear is good. nuclear is our friend

invest in r&d to find solutions to decarbonise 'residual' carbon in the economy, such as HGVs or mobile machinery

increase unharvested woodland by 50% (no time frame given), grants to farmers for scrub rewilding, rewet Pete Boggs, make 30% of the EEZ protected waters and ban bottom trawling

§4b/a in skills training to stop gas communities getting Thatchered, prioritising shifting these workers into offshore wind

a.. licensing scheme for all pet animals? you guys sure about that one

regulate animal farming with a goal of banning factory farms, ban mass routine antibiotics, ban cages/close confinement and animal mutilation

ban all hunting including coursing and "game", ban snaring, ban hunt-landscaping such as grouse moors, end the badger cull, mandate licensing of all animal workers with lifetime striking off for cruelty convictions, compulsory hedgehog holes in new fencing, 'push' for 'ending' horse and dog racing [clarification needed], new criminal offences for stealing and harming pets, 'work towards' banning animal testing

🗳️DEMOCRACY

proportional representation for parliament and all councils

abolish voter ID

votes at sixteen

votes for all visa'd migrants

restore the electoral commission's prosecutory powers and remove the cap on fines it can impose on parties

increase Short Money, especially for smaller parties

create a manifest legal category of organisation for think tanks, to allow better enforcement of lobbying and funding restrictions

consider fun new measures for political accessibility such as MP jobsharing and allowing public provision of offices for all parliamentary candidates

🎲OTHER STUFF

Self-ID including nonbinary recognition, including with an X passport marker

"work towards rejoining the eu as soon as the domestic political situation is favourable", join the eea now (with restored free movement)

let local authorities invest shares in sports teams, including professional ones, dividends ringfenced for public sports facilities and coaching

right to die

[blatantescapism]

Tumblr probably isn’t the place for this, this seems like a Reddit kind of question, but

We know that the international court has an ongoing legal case against the US government’s involvement in genocide.

Are there any current or developing legal cases *within* the US? So that US citizens can bring their own charges against the government directly?

There are weird legal arguments about presidential immunity right now

and impeachment depends on the cooperation of the government.

So maybe we should be attacking this from a different angle.

Biden bypassed Congress to send weapons to a genocidal foreign regime.

I argue that this is effectively “taxation without representation” in addition to the obvious violations of Constitutional and essential human rights.

I believe that there is precedent and legal basis here for US citizens to protest by withholding payment of this year’s federal taxes.

( in the absence of a fair and unbiased court, this would require either a *very* skilled legal defense team, or for it to be a *very* large coordinated effort. The IRS will seize your personal property if your legal defense fails.)

Ideally, we could push for a major overhaul of the tax and federal budget system in general.

The entire damn point of taxes! Is to improve the well-being of the public!

It’s supposed to be a pool of community resources where everyone chips in so that we can all have nice things!

It’s not supposed to be a price for being alive

It’s not supposed to be the president’s personal piggybank

It’s NOT supposed to be for war crimes

[nyiibat2]

Comparing Presidential candidates: Jill Stein Green Party

Jill Stein: Green party candidate

Quote “I'm running for president with the Green Party to offer a choice for the people outside the failed two-party system. We'll put a pro-worker, anti-war, climate action agenda front and center in this election and on the ballot in November.” And quote.

Jill Stein has been very vocal in her fight for a better economical, political, and climate future. A future of America where people can say they’re proud to be American citizens. Her social media presence has catapulted her into the race.

Jill Stein is a Harvard-educated doctor, a pioneering environmental health advocate, and an organizer for people, planet, and peace. She has helped lead initiatives to fight environmental racism, injustice, and pollution, to promote healthy communities, and to revitalize democracy. She has helped win victories in campaign finance reform, racially-just redistricting, and the clean-up of incinerators, coal plants, and other toxic threats. She was a principal organizer for the Global Climate Convergence for People, Planet, and Peace over Profit. {Source; About Jill section jillstein2024.com}

Jill’s policies for her 2024 campaign include; PEOPLE'S ECONOMY;

A Jill Stein administration will:

Guarantee lifelong free public education for all institutions of learning, including trade schools and Pre-K through college and graduate school

Abolish all student debt for 43 million encumbered Americans

Increase and equalize public school funding

End the privatization of public schools

Guarantee free childcare

Reduce taxes on incomes below the real median income of $75,000 per household

Strengthen Social Security - remove the artificial cap on the Social Security tax for the wealthy, and apply the Social Security payroll tax to all income, including capital gains and dividends.

Remove loopholes that allow foundations to hide wealth from taxation

Institute strongly progressive taxation for incomes and wealth, and increase the estate tax

Guarantee affordable, efficient utilities through a transition of all utilities to public not-for-profit ownership

Free high-speed internet across the U.S. with rural broadband via fiber optics

Put “too big to fail” banks into public ownership as public utilities (currently the four largest banks which own 25% of all banking assets)

Create nonprofit public state and local banking

Implement postal banking

Replace corporate trade agreements with global fair trade agreements

Prohibit finance capital from buying up single-family homes and rental housing stock

Ban corporate stock buybacks

Break up monopolies in big tech and elsewhere

Tax the ultra-wealthy and giant corporations heavily

LABOR;

A Jill Stein administration will:

Pass a $25 minimum wage, indexed to cost inflation and productivity growth, whichever is higher, with special consideration for geographic locations where cost of living greatly exceeds other areas

Guaranteed Livable Income above poverty

Guarantee housing as a human right

Implement universal rent control

Increase federal support for worker-owned cooperatives

Expand and defend workers’ right to unionize to include domestic, agricultural, and so-called “gig” workers

Ensure worker representation on corporate boards (co-determination) at 50%

Give voting rights in pension funds to the workers

Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act and end the "right-to-work for less" laws

Federalize workers' compensation to standardize and ensure full funding for worker’s comp

Close the pay gap and end wage discrimination based on race, gender, or other factors

Pass a Federal jobs guarantee to end unemployment

Pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

Pass the Wage Theft Prevention and Recovery Act

End the Landrum-Griffin Act restrictions that bar unions from hiring some formerly incarcerated people

Eliminate the sub-minimum wage loophole in the Fair Labor Standards Act

Create a National Solidarity Fund, funded by a one cent ($0.01) per worker-hour tax, paying stipends to workers who are striking or locked out

Encourage Sectoral bargaining through the Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

Utilize civil asset forfeiture against companies guilty of violating workers’ protections (standards to be determined)

Federally mandate and fund three weeks of paid sick leave, eight weeks of paid vacation per year, and one-year parental leave for all new parents.

Ban “at-will“ employment by requiring just cause to terminate employment.

Unionize all federal employees

Commit to veto any legislation that breaks strikes

HOUSING

A Jill Stein administration will:

End homelessness and housing insecurity with a Homes Guarantee

Nationally adopt “Housing First” practices

Fund social housing as part of the Real Green New Deal to build at least 15 million green, union-built, publicly-owned homes over the next 10 years

Support a Universal Tenant's Bill of Rights

Direct the Department of Labor to assist with the establishment of a National Tenants Union

Implement universal rent control and a prohibition on excessive rental deposits

Eliminate credit checks from rental applications

Impose taxes on unoccupied homes (vacancy tax) and investment rental “homestay” properties to curb speculation

Expand House Choice Initiatives, and provide full funding to all existing project-based rental assistance contracts

Repeal the Faircloth Amendment so that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can build public housing again

Prohibit predatory lending, require clearly listed mortgage costs and risks, and no fine print

Expand HUD and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Programs for first-time home buyers, with down-payment assistance, direct guaranteed loans, and pre-purchase housing counseling

Reinvigorate federal housing programs that build publicly-owned housing for families, for the elderly, and for people with disabilities

Expand and protect the homeowner mortgage interest benefit, and eliminate the “second home” and “yacht” loopholes

HEALTHCARE

A Jill Stein administration will:

Immediately implement National Improved Medicare for All as a precursor to establishing a UK-style National Healthcare Service which will replace private hospital, private medical practice, and private medical insurance with a publicly-owned, democratically controlled healthcare service that will guarantee healthcare as a human right to everyone in the United States

Cancel all medical debt

Advance reproductive rights and codify Roe v. Wade

Ensure the U.S. healthcare system operates with full protection, respect and inclusion of human rights for all, including women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, Black, Indigenous, and people of color

Restore public trust in the government’s medical agencies and institutions by enforcing audits, transparency and oversight in their internal processes

Restore confidence in the FDA, CDC and other regulatory boards by 1) closing the revolving door between corporations and regulatory boards and 2) getting corrupting big money out of politics by adopting public financing of elections.

Expand public funding - and phase out private/corporate funding - of medical and pharmaceutical research, conducted in public health agencies, public universities and medical schools

Ban patents where the research and development has been paid for by taxpayers via public colleges, the NIH, the CDC and other governmental entities

Restore funding to all medical governmental agencies including Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Take the pharmaceutical industry into public ownership and democratic control. Big pharma has failed to serve the public interest in an industry awash in private profit as it gouged consumers with monopolistic pricing in a business model centered on addictive opioids and patent-protected medicines. It’s time to ensure the production of life-saving medicines that millions rely on with their production as public goods.

Eliminate healthcare inequities and gaps in all disadvantaged communities by investing in local clinics and community hospitals

Establish a Federal Community Care Agency to provide community-based support, long-term in-home and in-community care, and visitation care to seniors and to people with disabilities

Ensure fair compensation for home caregivers

Guarantee long-term care for all patients in their home and community.

Prohibit the keeping of people’s possessions by assisted living facilities after death

Eliminate Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and other burdensome and discriminatory compliance requirements and enact protections against healthcare surveillance

Offer responsible and transparent end-of-life care to those who want it

Respect bodily autonomy and personal freedom and choice in medical treatments, including the right to dignified assisted death

Fund and support research and development of treatment for rare diseases

Federal legalization and funding of cannabis medicinal research

Launch an urgent national program to rebuild the U.S. epidemic/pandemic response

Review and update the 2006 Pandemic Preparedness Act (last updated prior to COVID in 2019) to ensure U.S. pandemic preparedness is fully funded.

Ban private investment in CDC healthcare projects in order to restore public trust

Strengthen the infrastructure for accelerated emergency distribution of information, medications, vaccines, and treatments

Fund and provide high-quality personal protective equipment such as N-95 type masks and all diagnostic testing (including viral load testing) free at local pharmacies

Mandate and provide funding for high-quality air filtration code improvements for all public transportation, public buildings, schools and businesses

Restore OSHA-supported airborne protections for healthcare workers

Establish policies that will eliminate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools, healthcare facilities, and on public transportation

Further study the Novavax protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to determine safety and efficacy for children under 12; remove restrictions if findings allow

Address Long COVID

COVID-19 likely increased the disabled population in the United States by over 1.2 million persons just from 2020 to 2021. As of August 2022, some 16 million Americans were affected by long Covid, with 2 to 4 million out of work due to the condition. Long Covid causes both cognitive and physical impairments and can develop after the initial illness, with each subsequent infection increasing the risk of developing it.

Ensure those affected by long Covid are protected in their workplace, and their needs for housing, healthcare, and economic security are met

Fully fund research into the causes, prevention and treatment of long COVID

DEMOCRACY

A Jill Stein administration will:

Replace the exclusionary two-corporate-party system with an inclusive multi-party democracy through ranked-choice voting and proportional representation

Implement Ranked-Choice Voting for all elections nationwide

Implement proportional representation for all legislative elections

Work to overturn Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo and abolish corporate personhood by Constitutional Amendment

Institute full public financing of elections. Get the corrupting influence of private money out of politics and put the people back in.

Abolish the Electoral College, and elect the president via national popular vote using ranked-choice voting

Support a modern Voting Rights Act, including non-partisan redistricting commissions and same-day voter registration nationwide

Restore the Preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act

Ensure a Constitutional right to vote and restore voting rights to all felons

Pass Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) nationwide

Make Election Day a federal holiday

Expand polling locations and make free vote-by-mail an option for all elections, and expand polling locations

End all discriminatory voting laws and the purging of voting rolls; repeal Shelby County v Holder

Allow those who are under supervision or incarcerated to vote in elections, and be counted in the districts they resided in before incarceration

Eliminate gerrymandering by enacting proportional representation

Repeal discriminatory, anti-democratic ballot access restrictions designed by the establishment parties to suppress competition

Expand initiative, referendum, and recall powers to every state and nationally

Ensure open debates on public channels including all ballot-qualified candidates

Provide free public airtime for all ballot-qualified candidates

Oppose censorship by both the government and big tech corporations, and defend press freedom by applying antitrust laws to media conglomerates

Expand Freedom of Information laws and whistleblower protections

Protect the free Internet and net neutrality

Safeguard election integrity with hand-counted paper ballots and routine post-election audits

Lower the voting age to 16

Grant immediate statehood for the District of Columbia

Ensure self-determination for Puerto Rico and other colonial territories still under US rule

Replace partisan oversight of elections and the presidential debates with independent, non-partisan election commissions

Increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 9 to 18, with 18-year term limits staggered so that one seat opens per year

Require a supermajority of ⅔ of the Supreme Court for judicial review of federal laws

Enact a binding code of ethics for all judges, including Supreme Court justices

Prohibit lobbying of any kind by former members of Congress.

Ban stock trading by legislators

Ban government contractors from donating to political campaigns

Prohibit Congress from giving themselves any benefits they do not give to the people

Support and fund participatory budgeting projects to engage the public in policy decisions

Create a Federal Department of Equity to ensure that design and implementation of all policies (including climate policies) are equitable, as opposed to the historic victimization of poorer and marginalized communities.

PRISONS AND POLICING; “We call the United States the “land of the free” but we have the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, with over 2.3 million people in federal, state, and local prisons and jails. Instead of addressing root causes of inequality and injustice, today’s systems of policing, prisons, and criminal justice have been designed by the Wall Street parties and their wealthy elite backers to enforce a socioeconomic hierarchy that is systemically racist and classist.”

A Jill Stein administration will:

Ban private prisons and detention centers.

Abolish the Death Penalty.

End mass incarceration and build a system centered on restorative justice.

Fully legalize cannabis for recreational and medicinal use with similar restrictions to alcohol.

Release nonviolent drug offenders from prison, remove drug offenses from records, and guarantee both pre- and post-release support

Ensure drug treatment on demand

Begin the process of legalizing hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin and other related substances) and fund studies on their medicinal benefits.

Begin the process of decriminalizing personal possession of hard drugs - treat drug misuse as a health problem, not a criminal problem

Increase the number of public defenders and ensure a reasonable caseload and good pay

Ban mandatory minimum sentencing and ‘three strikes’ laws.

Abolish unpaid and underpaid prison labor

Mandate and enforce higher standards for living conditions in prisons

Establish community control of police with oversight boards empowered to audit police departments, issue subpoenas, remove officers, and block rehiring of offending officers

End cash bail, fines and fees that disproportionately impact poor and working class people.

Eliminate all ‘Cop City’- type police training facilities that militarize policing and teach dangerous and abusive policing practices.

End qualified immunity for police and prosecutorial immunity.

Federalize all police misconduct investigations.

Fund state and national police misconduct data collections systems.

End the militarization of police (end the 1033 program).

End training of US police on occupation-style policing by Israeli Defense Forces.

End Civil Asset Forfeiture for private citizens

Ensure the funding of community-based youth programs as a deterrent to both petty and violent crime and to reduce interactions with police.

Investigate and prosecute sexual violence, kidnapping, and human trafficking

Fight corporate white-collar crime with resources proportional to its economic impact

End warrantless mass surveillance

Pardon whistleblowers and political prisoners

End the epidemic of gun violence with common-sense gun safety laws:

Ban the sale of assault rifles and establish a buyback program

Establish mandatory waiting periods and background checks for firearm purchases

Pass red flag laws for individuals who pose a danger to themselves and others

Create standardized digital records of gun registrations and sales

Close gun show loopholes

Require firearm owners to own a high-quality gun safe to store their firearms

Require firearm owners to purchase liability insurance of no less than $1,000,000

Hold adult firearm owners criminally liable for minor children accessing firearms and using them in the commission of any crime or accidental injury or death

TRIBAL/INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY

A Jill Stein Administration will:

Honor all existing treaties with Indigenous nations

Ensure free, prior, and informed consent for any and all activity on tribal sovereign land

Establish a federal Land Back Commission

Create a task force of Tribal nations leaders to assess their needs for infrastructure, resources, education and economic development

Support a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a reparations plan to address Indigenous people’s economic dispossession

Amend the federal regulations to streamline the recognition process of Tribal Nations, Native Hawaiian Nation and other Pacific and Caribbean Islanders

Increase appointments to Tribal liaison positions, boards and commissions to ensure representation on all policies impacting Tribal Nations

Enforce the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People to require tribal consent for granting construction permits on treaty lands, waterways, and usual and accustomed areas

Prohibit all activities on sovereign territories without Free, Prior, and Informed Consent

Defend Tribal rights to regulate and manage their environment’s natural resources

Mandate all property tax revenues from tribal (reservation) lands be shared with the tribes

Remove policies and practices that create barriers in upholding Native voting rights at all levels of government

Protect Native religious freedoms

Declare the second Monday in October as the Federal holiday “Indigenous Peoples Day”

Fund the Indian Health Service and establish at least one IHS clinic in each state

Increase and expand community health centers and behavioral and mental health services for Native youth

Establish an adequately funded medical facility in all reservations

Ensure the Department of Education fully funds and includes Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum developed by Tribal leaders in all states

Provide funding for judicial training on the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 to eliminate the loss of Native children’s ties and identities to their families, cultures and homelands

Improve and align government policies and efforts, including data collection, to appropriately identify and classify American Indian/Alaska Native and multi-racial students

Expand funding for Tribal Compact Schools and address the disproportionate rates of drop-out, expulsion and suspension rates of Native students at the K-12 level

Expand access to Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native Studies programs in mainstream Colleges and Universities

Officially recognize children lost to adoption under the Indian Relocation Act of 1952, tribal members who were dis-enrolled during the U.S. Indian Tribes termination policies (1940 to mid-1960), prior to the enactment of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and reunify them with their tribes and families

Ensure the rights of Tribal Nations to investigate and exercise criminal jurisdiction over non-Native citizens who commit domestic or sexual violence on Tribal lands in accordance with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Maintain and authorize the VAWA to fund and expand the specific Tribal Nations’ provisions, such as judicial training

Improve and fund Native lands’ justice systems to facilitate prosecution of non-natives accused of serious crimes

Ensure correct Native classification of Missing and Murdered Native women in the federal records

Increase tribal, federal, state and local cooperation to end the crisis of Missing and Murdered Native women

Commission a report on the pipeline culture as an intrinsic factor in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis of and mandate oil companies fund resources for crisis prevention

Improve state-federal-tribal relations to avoid bias and discriminatory policing through law enforcement cross-cultural education with Tribal Nations

Expand funding of Urban Indian health organizations to enable them to address the health needs of Native Americans in urban areas who may not have access to Tribal health facilities

Fund Indian Health Service’s (IHS) trust responsibility for Urban Indians so IHS funds can never be taken from the Federally Recognized Tribal allotment to fund Urban Indian Healthcare

Address the disproportionately high rates of homelessness among Urban Indians

Halt gentrification in Tribal and poor communities that prices people out of their communities

Help States develop and fund Urban Indian Liaison Offices to improve community relations

REPARATIONS AND THE AGENDA TO FACILITATE BLACK LIBERATION; “A Jill Stein Administration will guarantee as a human right reparations to the descendants of African slaves for the historic crime of enslavement. Reparations is a cornerstone of the Black Agenda, but reparations is far from the only policy needed to begin to redress what has been stolen from the Black community over 400+ years.”

In addition to ensuring Reparations, a Jill Stein Administration will:

Direct all federal agencies to consider and include race and ethnicity as part of all of their initiatives and other programs implemented with federal dollars

Overturn the harmful Alexander v. Sandoval Supreme Court decision that currently increases the burden for, or eliminates private right of action against entities that violate Title VI and other mandates contained in the Civil RIghts Act of 1964

Promulgate a moratorium on all proposed Cop Cities and end federal investments in such facilities

Establish a National Office for Civilian Oversight Committees to ensure greater transparency and accountability for civilian law enforcement departments

Establish a multi-agency federal Returning Citizens Task Force to assist and provide resources for the formerly incarcerated in an effort to expedite their journey back to full citizen status including, but not limited to, immediate restoration of voting rights in most cases

Increase investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and leverage the power of the federal government to force states to compensate state run, land grant HBCUs the more than $13 Billion they are owed

Increase investments in programs that support Black-owned businesses.

Ensure that a universal single-payer healthcare system addresses and resolves the health outcome disparities for the Black community, and in particular for Black women

Eliminate ‘food deserts’ where fresh produce and food sovereignty is largely unavailable, a condition which disproportionately impacts Black communities.

Work with Congress and federal agencies to codify the Justice for Black Farmers Act

Eliminate white nationalists from police forces by Federal law, and ensure white nationalist groups’ activities are routinely monitored, due to white nationalist violence being the greatest single source of domestic terrorism.

Ensure the Office of Civil Rights is fully funded, staffed, and fulfills its obligation to protect the civil rights of marginalized communities.

Restore Section 4(b) and Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and permanently certify the entire law

Address and ameliorate the legacy of redlining through programs that deliver recompense for Black homeowners whose home values are adversely and disproportionately impacted to this day by this systemically racist practice

Federal moratorium on new construction of fossil fuel infrastructure and other polluting operations in or proximate to Black and other environmental justice communities

Massive reinvestment from policing and prisons into social, economic, and other programs that lead to direct community benefits

Establish a federal commission to eradicate the lead pipes and tainted water crisis impacting cities like Flint, MI within one year after I take office

Work with Congress and impacted community members to draft and pass the Justice for Cancer Alley Act that will include compensation and free healthcare in perpetuity for victims in this region who have been subjected to environmentally racist practices for decades

Coordinate with Black-led formations including, but not limited to, the Black Hive at Movement for Black Lives to codify proposals and demands included in their Black Climate Mandate

Coordinate with Black-led formations including, but not limited to, the Black Alliance for Peace to promulgate their Zone of Peace strategies that combat and dismantle larger structures and interests that generate war and state violence—colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism and all forms of imperialismboth domestically and internationally

2SLGBTQIA+ RIGHTS

Support the Equality Act, the PRIDE Act, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, and other bills to prohibit discrimination by the U.S., the military, state or local governments, or private industry

Support the PrEP Access and Coverage Act (until universal healthcare is implemented).

Develop and implement 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive public education to combat bullying

Include 2SLGBTQIA+ history in school curricula, provide school and community trainings and 2SLGBTQIA+ specific school counseling

Federally prohibit the harmful practice of “conversion therapy”

Fund housing relief programs for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, who are disproportionately represented in unsheltered populations

Remove punitive and cumbersome legal name change requirements and fees

Declare trans murder and suicide rates a national emergency

De-gender or add nonbinary gender options to all Federal public documents

De-gender school dress codes, and guarantee protection from discrimination as a result of dress in workplaces

Publish the original Equal Rights Amendment in the National Archives, effectively bringing it into law.

Prohibit insurance companies from denying trans-affirming procedures

Remove “transmedicalist” language from all educational materials relating to trans individuals

Specifically prohibit disciplining or firing trans employees for acknowledging their gender/pronouns with customers, clients, or other individuals in the workplace

Legally prohibit mutilative surgeries on intersex infants

Pass legislation to mandate that police adopt policies to ensure fairer interactions with transgender people, especially transgender women of color, who are disproportionately impacted by disparities in policing

Outlaw misgendered imprisonment nationwide and end “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses for violent crimes

Prevent and repeal any legislation that purports to protect religious liberty at the expense of the rights of others

DISABILITY RIGHTS

Work towards economic security for people with disabilities by ensuring opportunities to partake fully in the economy at a fair wage and to enable financial security for all

Make sure that technology is accessible and supports the goals of the diverse lives of people with disabilities

Help children with disabilities and their families by providing life-changing early interventions and getting them valuable access to education

Defend the civil liberties of people with disabilities in areas like criminal justice, voting, physical and mental health, parental rights, and marriage equality

End all exceptions in wage laws and workplace protections for individuals with disabilities

Expand Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Social Income (SSI) to a living wage of greater than 10% of regional Cost of Living calculations

Expand access to Social Security/SSDI/SSI, including assistance of public lawyers in SSDI application.

Eliminate SSI waiting periods and disability proof requirements

Update the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with updates to be informed by people in the disabled community.

Fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Pass the Disabilities Integration Act

Expand funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)

Ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Ensure that disabled immigrants are afforded the same immigration rights as non-disabled immigrants

Federally invest in upgrading all existing public housing and public schools to ADA accessibility standards

Provide Federal funding to meet ADA accessibility and accommodation requests by individual residents, students and faculty

Create a federal “Disability Education Services Agency” to offer public schools resources and training to support students with disabilities

Pass a permanent Money Follows the Person (MFP) program to resist institutionalization and ensure a Right to Return to homes and community

Eliminate small business exemptions to the ADA; Appropriate federal funds to achieve compliance by small businesses

Establish federal marriage equality to eliminate marriage penalties for individuals with disabilities

Ensure opioid pain management protections for those with chronic and debilitating pain

Ensure a federal jobs guarantee covers people with disabilities, particularly with respect to limited work schedules and nontraditional job roles

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

A Jill Stein administration will:

Publish the Equal Rights Amendment

Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act (HR 7) to end pay discrimination and ensure equal pay for equal work

Pass the 2021 Violence Against Women Act

Ensure that domestic abusers cannot own or buy a gun

Federally fund and expedite all rape kit testing

Codify Roe v Wade

Ensure full reproductive rights and bodily autonomy for women

Repeal the Hyde Amendment

Fund free birth control and menstruation products

Repeal FOSTA/SESTA which puts sex workers at risk

Decriminalize sex work

Expand the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Protect and enforce Title IX

Ensure prosecution of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace and the military

IMMIGRATION

A Jill Stein administration will:

Vastly reduce the tide of migration by ending the crises driving people to migrate in the first place - ending US wars and military interventions (250 in the past 30 years, per the Congressional Research Service), reducing climate migration through an emergency Green New Deal and eliminating fossil fuel emissions within a decade; ending US economic sanctions driving migration from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua; legalizing marijuana in the US and supporting legalization in Latin America to undercut drug cartels whose violence is a major driver of migration.

Abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and establish an Office of Citizenship, Refugees, and Immigration Services under the Department of Labor. Redirect all ICE funding to processing centers that provide immigrants and refugees with resources for housing, work, and healthcare upon arrival

Prosecute all ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who have committed human rights violations

Repeal the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act

Repeal the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act

Grant amnesty to every undocumented person in the United States, and implement a path to citizenship with expediency

Provide whistleblower visas for immigrants who report labor violations or exploitative work conditions

Expand refugee programs and improve the housing conditions for all refugees during resettlement

Remove stringent requirements for linguistic assimilation and employment, and expand mental health services for refugees

Expand the number of visas available to immigrants

Greatly increase humanitarian aid to struggling Latin American economies, especially for countries that have been devastated by U.S. intervention

End US sanctions in general, which are illegal in any event. They should most immediately be ended where they devastate economies in Latin America and fuel immigration, as in Cuba and Venezuela

End the War on Drugs

Take immediate action to locate separated children and reunite them with their families

Direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and provide them resources to adjudicate visa petitions within 30 days, instead of the current 2 years or more, to shorten the duration of Family Separation for legal immigrants and citizens

Fully staff and fund immigration courts

Hire more asylum officers and provide exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate asylum cases

Ensure all immigration judges have civil service protection

Ensure that due process and constitutional protections are available to undocumented immigrants when it comes to deportation issues

Repeal section 212(a)(9)(B)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act concerning Accruing Unlawful Presence

Support DACA by updating the registration date of the 1929 Registry Act to 1/1/2022, and restoring Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which expired in April 2001. This will allow people who have approved petitions to apply for their Green Card upon payment of a fine for the filing fee.

Reduce the record number of detainees currently under DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) control.

On top of her Policies Jill Stein has also pledged to end the genocide in Gaza if shes elected president. Stating quote “We the undersigned demand the US government stop supporting the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. We therefore pledge to withhold all support from candidates supporting the genocidal war on Gaza. We will instead support only candidates who:

Support peace, freedom, dignity, equality, and security for all people in Palestine and Israel;

Don’t take money from AIPAC and the PACs and lobbyists for war profiteers;

Who specifically support:

An immediate ceasefire

Ending the blockade and allowing food, water, medicine, energy, and emergency shelter to enter Gaza

Return of all hostages and political prisoners

An end to Israeli occupation and apartheid

Compliance by all parties in the conflict with international law, including an end to all violence against civilians

Accountability for war crimes

Jill Stein has also been vocal in her support of Palestinian voices at protests she's attended as well as on her social media and throughout her campaign. Unfortunately she still needs a major push to end up on the official ballot. You can still vote for her come november, you just have to write who you’re voting for on your slot. You can support and donate to her administration on her website. jillstein2024.com

[omegaphilosophia]

Alternatives to Capitalism

Identifying economic systems that may be considered better than capitalism depends on the criteria used for comparison, such as equity, sustainability, and overall societal well-being. Here are some alternative systems, each with its potential benefits and drawbacks:

1. Social Democracy

Description:

A political, social, and economic philosophy within a capitalist framework that emphasizes social justice, government intervention, and the welfare state.

Benefits:

Equity: Strong focus on reducing inequality through progressive taxation and wealth redistribution.

Welfare: Comprehensive social safety nets, including healthcare, education, and unemployment benefits.

Regulation: Strict regulations on businesses to protect workers, consumers, and the environment.

Drawbacks:

Economic Efficiency: Potentially higher taxes and regulation can impact business incentives and economic efficiency.

Government Size: Large government programs may lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Examples:

Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

2. Democratic Socialism

Description:

A political philosophy that advocates for political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production, extensive welfare programs, and economic planning.

Benefits:

Social Ownership: Emphasis on worker cooperatives and public ownership can lead to more equitable wealth distribution.

Democratic Control: Democratic decision-making processes in economic planning aim to meet the needs of the majority.

Social Welfare: Extensive welfare programs ensure basic needs are met for all citizens.

Drawbacks:

Economic Efficiency: May face challenges in innovation and efficiency due to reduced profit motives.

Implementation: Transitioning to this system can be difficult and disruptive.

Examples:

Elements found in policies proposed by some political parties and movements in various countries, though not fully implemented anywhere on a national scale.

3. Eco-Socialism

Description:

A blend of socialism and environmentalism, focusing on social ownership and ecological sustainability.

Benefits:

Sustainability: Prioritizes environmental health and sustainable development.

Social Equity: Combines social ownership with efforts to reduce inequality.

Community Focus: Emphasizes local, decentralized economies and participatory democracy.

Drawbacks:

Economic Growth: May limit economic growth due to stringent environmental regulations.

Scalability: Localized economies may struggle to scale and integrate into global markets.

Examples:

Green political movements and policies, though not fully implemented as a national system.

4. Participatory Economics (Parecon)

Description:

An economic system based on participatory decision-making, worker and consumer councils, and equitable distribution of resources.

Benefits:

Democracy: Emphasizes direct participation in economic decision-making.

Equity: Focus on equitable distribution of income and resources.

Efficiency: Aims to align production with social needs and reduce waste.

Drawbacks:

Complexity: Requires significant coordination and participation, which can be challenging on a large scale.

Transition: Moving from a capitalist system to Parecon would be complex and require significant societal changes.

Examples:

Theoretical and has not been implemented on a large scale, but certain cooperative movements and local experiments reflect its principles.

5. Commons-Based Peer Production

Description:

An economic system that emphasizes collaborative, decentralized production, often facilitated by digital platforms, and focuses on shared resources (the commons).

Benefits:

Innovation: Encourages open collaboration and innovation.

Sustainability: Reduces resource waste through shared use and collaborative consumption.

Empowerment: Empowers individuals and communities through direct participation and control over production.

Drawbacks:

Monetization: Can struggle with monetizing contributions and ensuring fair compensation.

Scalability: May face challenges in scaling beyond certain sectors, especially those not easily digitized.

Examples:

Open-source software projects, Wikipedia, and other collaborative platforms.

Conclusion

Each of these systems offers alternative approaches to address some of the shortcomings of capitalism, such as inequality, environmental harm, and exploitation. However, they also come with their own set of challenges and trade-offs. The best system may involve a hybrid approach, incorporating elements from various systems to balance economic efficiency, social equity, and environmental sustainability.

[southsouthcooperationday]

(14th meeting) First Session Ad Hoc Committee to Draft Terms of Reference for a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

2. continued (b) Substantive elements - Second reading and discussion of ToRs Skeleton, including any second discussions of previously discussed issues

Programme of Work.

Watch the (14th meeting) First Session Ad Hoc Committee to Draft Terms of Reference for a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation!

First Session Ad Hoc Committee to Draft Terms of Reference for a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation will be held from 26 April – 8 May 2024.

[todaysdocument]

“How much this whole situation is the result of fear of the policies of the new administration is further indicated by a short review of the five distinct periods in recent economic history.” 

Pres. Hoover’s analysis of the origins of the Great Depression, February 21, 1933. 

Collection HH-FESS: Simeon D. Fess Papers

Series: Simeon D. Fess Papers

Transcription: 

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

February 21, 1933

The Honorable

Simeon D. Fess

United States Senate

My dear Mr. Senator:

I am glad to respond to your request that I put in writing for your records, the statement I made to you yesterday as to the economic situation at the moment, and the causes thereof.

   Today we are on the verge of financial panic and chaos. Fear for the policies of the new administration has gripped the country. People do not await events, they act. Hoarding of currency, and of gold, has risen to a point never before known; banks are suspending not only isolated instances , but in one case an entire state. Prices have fallen since last autumn below the levels which debtors and creditors can meet. men over large areas are unable or are refusing to pay their debts. Hundreds of millions of orders placed before election have been cancelled. Unemployment is increasing, there are evidences of the flight of capital from the United States to foreign countries, men have abandoned all sense of new enterprise and are striving to put their affairs in defense against disaster.

Some days before election the whole economic machine began to hesitate from the upward movement of last summer and fall. For some time after election it continued to hesitate but hoped for the best. As time has gone on, however, every development has stirred the fear and apprehension of the people. They have begun to realize what the abandonment of a successful program of this administration which was bringing rapid recovery last summer and fall now means and they are alarmed at possible new deal policies indicated by the current events. It is this fear that now dominates the national situation. It is not lack of resources, currency or cr dit(sic).

   The incidents which have produced this fear are clear. There was a delay by the President-elect of over two months in willingness to cooperate with us to bring about order from confusion in our foreign economic relations. There have been a multitude of speeches, bills, and statements of demo-

[page 2]

cratic members of Congress and others proposing inflation or tinkering with the currency. My proposals for reduction of expenditures have been ignored to the extent of over $200,000,000 by the Democratic House of Representatives. The differences between Democratic leaders and the President-elect over the basis of taxation with which to balance the budget caused them to reject balancing of the budget. The publication by Democratic leaders of the House of the Reconstruction Corporation loans has caused runs on hundreds of banks, failures of many of them, and hoarding on a wide scale. There have been proposed in the Congress by Democratic leaders and publicly even by the President-elect, projects involving federal expenditure of tremendous dimensions which would obviously lie beyond the capacity of the federal government to borrow without tremendous depreciation in government securities. Such proposals as the bills to assume Federal responsibility for billions of mortgages, loans to municipalities for public works, the Tennessee improvement and Muscle Shoals, are all of this order. The proposals of Speaker Garner that constitutional government should be abandoned because the Congress , in which there will be an overwhelming majority, is unable to face reduction of expenses, has started a chatter of dictatorship. The President-elect has done nothing publicly to disavow any of these proposals.

The Democratic House has defeated a measure to increase tariffs so as to prevent invasion of goods from depreciated currency countries, thus stopping increased unemployment from this source. There have been interminable delays and threatened defeat of the Glass Banking Bill, and the Bankruptcy bill.

How much this whole situation is the result of fear of the policies of the new administration is further indicated by a short review of the five distinct periods in recent economic history.

The first period began with the financial and monetary collapse of Europe in the last half of 1931 culminating in October, bringing contradiction of credit and reduction of exports, falling prices of both commodities and securities, followed by great fear and apprehension in the people which was promptly represented by hoarding, bank failures, flight of capital, withdrawal of foreign gold balances with final interpretation in decreased employment, demoralization of agriculture and general stagnation.

The second period following the approval by Congress of our measures of reconstruction in early February 1932 was a period of sharp recovery over a period between 60 and 90 days; during this period public confidence was restored, prices of commodities and securities rose, currency began to return from

[page 3]

hoarding, gold shipments abroad were greatly lessened, bank failures practically ceased and the whole country moved upward.

The third period began in April and continued through July. This was a period of a sharp debacle which was brought about by the Democratic House by the same character of proposals we now see again, that is by the original failure of the revenue bill, the failure to reduce expenditures recommended by the Executive with consequent fear that the movement toward balancing the budget would not be successful; the passage of a group of inflationary measures including the Patman Bill, the Goldsborough Bill, etc. The passage of a series of projects which would have required greater issues of government securities than the Treasury could support including the Garner Bills for gigantic public works and unlimited loans by the Reconstruction Corporation, etc. Public confidence was destroyed; hoarding, withdrawal of foreign gold, decrease in employment, falling prices and general economic demoralization took place.  

The fourth period began about the adjournment of Congress when it was assured that these destructive measures were defeated and that constructive measures would be held. This period extended from July until October and was a period of even more definite march out of the depression. Employment was increasing at the rate of half a million men a month, bank failures ceased, hoarded currency was flowing back steadily and gold was returning from abroad, car loadings, commodity and security prices and all other proofs of emergence from the depression were visible to every one. Fear and despair had again been replaced by hope and confidence.

The fifth period began shortly before election when the outcome became evident, and has lasted until today. I have already recited its events.

The causes of this terrible retrogression and fear in this fifth period have an exact parallel in the third period of last spring. The fact that there was no disavowal of the actions of last spring by the Democratic candidates during the campaign lends added color and alarm that the same actions and proposals which are now repeated in this period positively represent the policies of the new administration - and the people are seeking to protect themselves individually but with national damage. The movement forward in recovery of our people is again defeated by precisely the same factors as last spring and again emanating from the Democratic leaders.

In the interest of every man, woman and child, the President-elect has, during the past week, been urged by the saner leaders of his own party such as Senator Glass and others, by myself,

[page 4]

and by Democratic bankers and economists whom he has called on for advice, to stop the conflagration before it becomes uncontrollable, by announcing firmly and at once [illegible insertion] that the budget will be balanced even if it means increased taxation; (b) new projects will be so restricted that government bond issues will not in any way endanger stability of government finances; (c) there will be no inflation or tampering with the currency; to which some have added that as the Democratic party coming in with an overwhelming majority in both houses, there can be no excuse for abandonment of Constitutional processes.

The President-elect is the only man who has the power to give assurances which will stabilize public mind as he alone can execute them. Those assurances should have been given before now but must be given at once if the situation (would [struck out]) is to be greatly helped. It would allay some fear and panic whereas delay will make the situation more acute.

The present administration is devoting its days and nights to put out the fires or to localize them. I have scrupulously refrained from criticism which is well merited, but have instead been giving repeated assurances to the country of our desire to cooperate and help the new administration.

What is needed, if the country is not to drift into great grief, is the immediate and emphatic restoration of confidence in the future. The resources of the country are incalculable, and available credit is ample but lenders will not lend, and men will not borrow unless they have confidence. Instead they are withdrawing their resources and their energies. The courage and enterprise of the people still exist and only await release from fears and apprehension.

The day will come when the Democratic party will endeavor to place the responsibility for the events of this Fifth period on the Republican Party. When that day comes i hope you will invite the attention of the American people to the actual truth.

Yours faithfully,

[signed] Herbert Hoover

[alphaman99]

agree or disagree?

am aware of how difficult it is to navigate between what is real and what we call the ‘matrix’, which is a carefully crafted illusion that has been superimposed for our control and enslavement.

It’s a complicated concept to explain, but as the layers of lies are revealed, the easier it will become to understand the level of deception and therefore the depth and intricacy of the illusion we have been living under.

When everything you are exposed to from birth has been created to make you believe in a specific reality, wether it’s real or not, you will believe it to be real.

To little children Santa is real because we have made them think so through all different means of deception; he brings them gifts, he eats the cookies they leave for him, they know what he looks like, where he lives, how he travels and that he watches over them to see if they’ve been bad or good. They live in an illusion they call reality because we engineered it for them that way.

We are like little children who through every possible means, have been deceived into thinking that we live in a hostile world in continuous turmoil because that is our nature, a scarce world of famine and poverty because we are too many and a planet that is slowly dying because we don’t care for the environment.

We have been deceived into thinking we are weak and defenseless, powerless and insignificant, mere cogs in a carefully crafted system based on money and taxation because that is the only way society functions.

And we have come to believe that THAT is reality but it’s not. That is the illusion they have meticulously created over centuries with limitless resources, for our disempowerment and enslavement.

But just like the child one day realises Santa was not real, the time has come for humanity to grow up and face the sick illusion they have fed us for generations.

We are not weak, we are powerful, the world is not scarce it’s abundant, we are not too many, we are still too few, we are not evil by nature, we are loving, we thrive in cooperation and community, not separation and competition, we are not insignificant, we are God’s greatest creation.

The time has come to lift the veil of deception, to see the evil illusion for what it is and to claim back our power, our faith in humanity and our freedom.

Laura Aboli

[beholdimhisbeloved]

1) RFBT

· Partnership

· Corporation

· Cooperatives

· FRIA

· E-Commerce Act

· Ease of Doing Business Act

· Intellectual Property Law

· Data Privacy Act

2) MAS

· Basic Considerations

· Cost Behavior and CVP

· Variable & Absorption

· FS Analysis

· Budgeting

· Standard Costing

· Performance Evaluation

· Pricing

· Relevant Costing

3) AFAR

· Partnership

· Corporate Liquidation

· Revenue Recognition – PFRS 15

· Long Term Construction Contract

· Franchise & Consignment Sales

· Home Office and Branch

· Business Combination

· Separate Financial Statements

4) TAX

· Introduction to Taxation

· Income Tax Fundamentals

· Final Tax & Capital Gains Tax

· Gross Income – Exclusions and Inclusions

· Special Gross Income Rules

· Deductions Principles

· Deductions from Gross Income

· Individual Income Tax

5) AT

· Practice and Regulations of the Profession

· Code of Ethics

· Fundamentals of Assurance Services

· Introduction to Auditing

· Overview of Audit Process and Pre-engagement

· Audit Planning

· Study and Evaluation of Internal Control

· Auditing in an IT Environment

· Business Processes Part 1

6) FARAP

· Review of Accounting Process, Single Entry and Correction of Errors

· Cash and Cash Equivalents, Bank Reconciliation, Proof of Cash and Audit of Cash

· Trade and Other Receivables, Notes Receivable and Audit of Receivables

· Loans Receivable, Impairment and Receivable Financing

· Inventories, Biological Assets and Audit of Inventories

· PPE - Initial and Subsequent Measurement, Borrowing Costs and Government Grants

· Wasting Assets, Intangible Assets, Impairment and Audit of PPE and Intangible Assets

· Investment in Equity Securities, Associates and Debt Securities

· Investment Properties, Other Investments and Audit of Investments

[usafphantom2]

Agreement will allow USAF to position its military aircraft at bases in Finland

U.S. military will have access to Finnish military bases on the Russian border.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/17/2023 - 19:25in Military

The U.S. and Finland will sign a defense cooperation agreement next week, which will grant the U.S. military military access to bases and facilities across the Nordic country and its border with Russia.

This will allow the U.S. rapid military access and aid to Finland in case of conflict.

The government published the document called the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) on Thursday, which grants U.S. soldiers access to air force bases, naval bases, garrison areas, training areas, storage areas and barracks of the Finnish Border Guard.

“The DCA deals with practical issues such as the entry of troops, pre-positioning of equipment and taxation,” explained the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The DCA specifies the places where cooperation and collaboration between Finland and the United States would mainly focus."

There are currently 15 facilities listed in Finland to which the U.S. will have full access - which will include the ability to store military equipment and ammunition there.

The agreement provides for four air bases, with at least two destined for the U.S. Air Force and its aircraft, a military port where U.S. Navy warships will also be able to dock and rail access to northern Finland, where the U.S. will have a storage area next to a railroad that leads to the Russian border.

The details of the deployment, including the types of aircraft that may be stationed in Finland, have not yet been finalized.

The government of Finland proposes to authorize Minister of Defense Antti Hakkanen (or in his absence Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen) to sign the DCA on December 18 in Washington D.C.

Since the DCA contains provisions of a legislative nature, it is subject to the approval of the Parliament of Finland.

Along with the signing of the defense agreement, Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, will discuss bilateral relations between the two nations, current NATO affairs and Russia's aggression against Ukraine with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Finland became the newest member of the NATO military alliance earlier this year, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Sweden also expressed intentions to open its doors to U.S. forces, potentially adding seventeen new military facilities. Combined with the fifteen of Finland, this would raise the total to 32 new U.S. bases in Northern Europe. Sweden's entry into NATO is still awaiting Turkey's approval, conditional on the sale of F-16 fighters by the US.

The US has signed similar agreements with NATO members Norway, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia.

An agreement with Denmark is currently pending approval.

Moscow expressed discontent with Finland's accession to NATO and is considering "technical-military" measures in response.

“The line of contact between NATO and the border of the Russian Federation has more than doubled,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "This is a major change for Northern Europe, which used to be one of the most stable regions in the world."

A Kremlin spokesman said that the U.S. access release agreement will “certainly lead to tension.”

Tags: Military AviationIlmavoimat/Finnland Air ForceNATO - North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[azspot]

There’s a very old and remarkably common idea in the liberal tradition that the welfare state needs to be dismantled in favor of family responsibility. The supply-siders orchestrated this turn by turning one class of workers against another around issues of taxation and inflation. They were very attentive to the fault lines between private- and public-sector labor unions in the 1970s: the private sector was primarily blue-collar, male, and white; the public sector disproportionately non-white and female. Total union membership in blue-collar industries peaked at the beginning of the 1970s. By 1975, it was declining sharply, while the public-sector movement was on the rise. The populist wing of the supply-siders could easily turn to blue-collar men and say, look, these people in the public sector are starting to strike. Every strike action they take will increase your taxes—and you are already suffering from inflation. You are not winning wage gains; they are, at your expense. It was a very strategic move to divide these groups of workers and undermine the New Deal Democratic coalition.

Melinda Cooper