Global Economic Democracy Teach in Flyer

8/3/2019 Global Economic Democracy Teach in Flyer

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I. Democracy Networks: The Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street movement, the UK Uncut and theSpanish Indignants movement are each examples for thinking about how a global movement mightemerge. Alliances among diverse political forces can strengthen the hand of various communities facing

common problems. Democratic networks must defend the right to collective bargaining, housing andmeaningful employment as well as the provision of public services answerable to democratically electedgovernments.

II. Green Jobs: We are facing a triple crisis defined by economic, environmental and energy supply

problems. The solution to these crises requires a Green New Deal that expands investments, research,jobs and infrastructure related to alternative energy and mass transportation.

III. An Alternative Financial System: We need a new way to organize our banking capacities and

financial system. The people have the immediate power to influence direction of financial investment,limiting the financial volatility that is the basis for a high frequency trading system expropriating themajoritys savings every nanosecond. Tax, budget and investment policies must change to promoteincome equality. We must move our money out of investments that dont create sustainable growth.

Endorsers

Teach-ins in planned: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Belfast, United Kingdom; Las Vegas, Nevada; Madison,Wisconsin; New York, New York; Stockholm, Sweden (list in formation). (Yellow, indicated interest

but must follow up).

liberty, fraternity, equalityliberty, fraternity, equalityliberty, fraternity, equalityliberty, fraternity, equality

The Global Teach-InBuilding a New Economy through

Democratic Networks, Green Jobs,

and an Alternative Financial SystemA Four Hour Participatory Live Broadcast

Spring (to be announced), 201212:00PM EST, 18:00 CET

The conditions in each country, region and city clearly differ. Webelieve, however, that three themes provide a common foundation forglobal cooperation, national examinationand local deliberation.

The Global New Economy Teach-In

Email: [email protected], Skype: globalteachin, www.globalteachin.org,

Twitter: Globalteachin @Globalteachin, http://www.livestream.com/globalteachin,

Press inquiries: +46727836534


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The Role of Democracy Networks, Green Jobs and an Alternative Financial System

I. Democracy Networks: The concentration of power in large corporations and banks has placed seriousconstraints on democracy. Many large companies have outsourced work overseas and failed to organize

work at home. The megabanks, backed by bond rating agencies and governments, have created austerity programs, and have received bailouts when many are jobless or homeless. Yet, we have democratic

responsibility for the economy (taking the form of bailouts) without democratic influence on how these bailout funds are invested. The result: disinvestment and austerity for the majoritywhile a massive public investment helps the private corporate minority. We need to organize globally and locally to

counteract the non-democratic power of these mega-institutions. A Global Teach-In, bringing togetherdiverse constituencies in real time, is an excellent way to do this. The Arab Spring, the Occupy WallStreet movement, the UK Uncut and the Spanish Indignants movement show how alliances among

diverse political forces can strengthen the hand of various communities facing common problems. Wemust defend the right to collective bargaining, housing and meaningful employment as well as the

provision of public services answerable to democratically elected governments. Cooperative economics,family and worker-owned firms, and locally anchored businesses are key ways to achieve these goals.

II. Green Jobs: We are facing a triple crisis defined by: economics (inequality, deindustrialization,

mass unemployment, or the privatization and de-democratization of public goods), the environment(pollution, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and depletion of species) crisis and reliance onunsustainable energy supplies (diminished stocks of cheap oil, use of oil in hard to get or insecure areas,

and substitution of land used to grow food to supply alternative fuels). The solution requires a GreenNew Deal that expands investments, manufacturing and infrastructure related to alternative energy andmass transportation. This will lower our reliance on non-sustainable and costly energy systems while

promoting a wealth-creating system. The creation of wealth is a way to transcend the politics of scarcityand austerity. The budget deficits of some countries have led or will lead them to cut back military

budgets. Such cutbacks represent an opportunity to advance the conversion or diversification of defensefirms into green industries. The advance of green jobs depends on regulations which penalize carbonemissions and research and production networks promoting firms capacities. For a green job to be a

good job, labor rights must be extended and jobs must be more locally anchored. Locally anchored jobs

are more sustainable (reducing transit costs in production) and provide economic security.

III. An Alternative Financial System: The tax breaks received by the super rich and the bailoutsreceived by large banks have not prevented austerity and economic decline. They have strengthened their

ability to continue to manipulate governments and lowered accountability. We need a new way toorganize our banking capacities and financial system. The people have the immediate power to influence

direction of financial investment, limiting the financial volatility that is the basis for a high frequencytrading system expropriating the majoritys savings every nanosecond. Five key sources of capital cansupport locally-anchored and/or green growth alternatives: (a) Move Your Money: This U.S.-initiated

movement takes funds out of large banks and moves the money to smaller banks and credit unions.Cooperative banks and low-interest charging banks are also important alternatives. (b) SelectiveReinvestment: Unions, universities, hospitals, religious and other organizations can reinvest their large

payroll and pension fund accounts that have supported megabanks, various stock portfolios and bonds.(c) New Budget Priorities: Security challenges include climate change and economic insecurity. So wemust redirect military budgets towards green investments (mass transit investments help security byhelping move populations from flood zones, earth quake regions and other areas under attack). (d) Greenand Local Procurement: Cities and communities that federate or cooperate can create consumer orpurchasing cooperatives, leveraging their buying power to advance a triple bottom line, i.e. not just

profits, but local employment and sustainability. (e) More Equitable Tax Policies: When the rich andcorporations dont pay their fare share of taxes the result is often reduced welfare state services and afailure to invest in needed public goods.


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The Global Teach-In Broadcast

Part I: The Triple Crisis and the Democratic Opening

We will discuss the problems and potential solutions associated with the Triple Crisis with participants

across the globe. We analyze the challenges to democracy associated with growing concentration of political, media

and economic power. We will look at how the current wave of democracy movements presents an historic

opportunity for overcoming the Triple Crisis. How do these movements address these multiple challenges?

Part II: The Triple Crisis & Local Communities

This part of the program examines how global challenges appear on the national and local level. We get

the reaction of scholars, activists and political leaders. We will look at the role played by specific economic, media

and political organizations and how these impact each specific crisis.

Part III: Alternative Institutions and Local Case Studies

We examine how regional coalitions and actions on the local level can promote more democratic and

sustainable society. These examples show how green jobs, alternative banks, mass transit and democratic

participation have emerged in local communities in different parts of the world.

Part IV: Open Town Meeting

In this part of the program we invite the public at large to ask questions and present examples regarding

how alternatives to the triple crisis can be overcome and how democracy and equality can be promoted.

The logic of planetary responsibility is aimed, at least in principle, at confronting the globally generated problems point-

blankat their own level. It stems from the assumption that lasting and truly effective solutions to planetwide problems

can be found and made to work only through the renegotiation and reforming of the web of global interdependencies and

interactions. Instead of aiming to control local damage and local benefits derived from the capricious and haphazard drifts

of global economic forces, it would pursue results in a new kind of global setting, one in which economic initiatives

enacted anywhere on the planet are no longer whimsical and guided by momentary gains alone, with no attention paid to

the side effects and collateral casualties and no importance attached to the social dimensions of the cost-and-effect

balances. In short, the logic is aimed, to quote Habermas, at the development of politics that can catch up with global

markets.

Zygmunt Bauman, Does Ethics Have a Chance in a World of Consumers?, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2008: 29.

The elementary republics of the wards, the county republics, the state republics, and the republic of the Union, would

form a graduation of authorities, standing each on the basis of law, holding everyone its delegated share of powers, and

constituting truly a system of fundamental balances and checks for the government. Where every man is a sharer in the

direction of his ward-republic, or some of the higher ones, and feels that he is a participator in the government of affairs,

not merely at an election one day in the year, but every day; when there shall not be a man in the state who will not be a

member of some one of its councils, great or small, he will let the heart be torn out of his body sooner than his power be

wrested from him by a Caesar or a Bonaparte.Tomas Paine, quoted in Richard K. Matthews, The Radical Politics of Thomas Jefferson, Lawrence, Kansas, 1984: 82-83.

Teach-In Times Program

Part I 12:00 EasternStandard Time

The Triple Crisis and the

Democratic Opening

Part II 13:00 EasternStandard Time The Triple Crisis & LocalCommunities

Part III 14:00 EasternStandard Time

Alternative Institutions and

Local Case Studies

Part IV 15:00 EasternStandard Time

Open Town Meeting

Documents

Global Economic Democracy Teach in Flyer