Sunday, December 20, 2009

Two Common Sense Ways to Improve the Economy

I believe that seizing independence back from the corporations, while not an easy or simple proposition, is a method of reversing some of the damage done by the corporate protectionist agenda our government has been embodying with since before the civil war.



IP laws are just one aspect, Open Source addresses that.



One method is by decentralizing manufacturing, since goods are a measure people use (often wrongly) to judge prosperity.



So while I’m not advocating a return to the farmstead with a goat and 10 chickens.



I AM advocating community level manufacturing, where recycling plays and integral role in providing raw materials, and goods are not transported halfway around the planet to reach the consumer. Digital manufacturing makes this approach viable.



A more detailed exploration of this concept: http://www.cubespawn.com under the “social implications” menu.



1 It will allow the technology to mature, giving time to grow into some maturity

2 It will address the carbon footprint issues created with centralized, but non-local manufacturing.

3 Recycling is inherent in the process

4 It vastly reduces the dependency of local economies on a “Central” economy.



If most basic goods are made in the local community or one nearby – scarcity of goods is decoupled from the “economic state”.



If a conscious shift to using locally derived materials is used, then a communities’ well being is less dependant on events beyond their control. Its not a quick OR easy solution – it is one with very long term benefits.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost