Banks in failure, foreclosed mortgages, people out of work. How would a de-regulated Wall Street translate into these effects? Learn and teach others at a community discussion on the current economic crisis. Topics will be Wall Street’s actions, the effects, and the assumptions made by those who might have regulated it.

Event takes place at Lincoln Elementary School, 213 21st Ave SE, Olympia, WA; it will be facilitated by Professor Savvina Chowdhury of TESC.

This is Topic Three of the Green Economics series, presented to the public by the Green Party of South Puget Sound.

I like the concept of a state bank, for many of the reasons given by David Korten in Agenda for a New Economy. A state run and owned (publicly owned) bank would eliminate a lot of the harmful aspects that are associated with the private for-profit banking industry.

Here is an excerpt and a link to a recent article about the prospects for a state bank, written by Linda Boyd.

The Washington State Bank?

It might jump start the economy

by Linda Boyd

Representative Bob Hasegawa (D-11th district) thinks that one way to jump start jobs and economic recovery would be to create a Washington State bank.

House Bill 3162, sponsored by Hasegawa and cosponsored by five others, seeks to authorize the creation of a Washington State bank. This would mean that all state funds and funds of state institutions would be deposited at the state bank.

The establishment of a state bank could fund the small and medium sized businesses that desperately need it, offer low interest student loans, and generate income for the state general fund.

This might be an excellent investment. According to the Small Business Association, small businesses have created 64% of net new jobs over the last 15 years.

...

Washington State Bank

I realize this is a promotion for David Korten's new book, but I think it is interesting, and I wonder what people think of it. Personally some aspects of it make me uncomfortable, like the parts about 'middle-class,' and ownership society - although I think it's mostly right on - especially the part about ending financial speculation. I imagine what if David Korten were to be President. I am interested in what other people on OlyBlog think about this. Autoplay video on the flip:

Did you know that if everyone on the planet consumed at the same rate as does the average American, then the resources of five or six planet Earths would be required in order to supply enough materials?
Carrying Capacity

with Annie Leonard

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff Project has another video about "Cap and Trade". more information at www.storyofstuff.com

I want to point Ya'll to this excellent article about the Internet. It's from the Real Change Newspaper. a link and short excerpt:

Gaining the Web but Losing Our Souls, an interview with Jaron Lanier by Robert Alford

Tech pioneer Jaron Lanier says the seemingly liberating new technologies of the computer age are trapping users in a cyber world “that just cheapens everybody.”

I would really like to see people from the various social and environmental justice movements working along more of a unified front.

The root causes of environmental degradation and ecological unsustainability; imperialism and wars of aggression; exploitative labor practices; societal oppression; and poverty and any other social injustice are the same.

I would like to see a broad based, inclusive and supportive movement - a movement that is accessible to everyone regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, ability, creed, and/or any other distinguishing feature - in order to effectively and successfully challenge the status quo: a status quo which is currently doing so much harm to all people.

Please imagine a movement to challenge the current establishment's enablement of a degrading and dehumanizing status quo of economic instability, ecological unsustainability, and social injustice...

Further thoughts and avenues for consideration on this topic include, but are not limited to, potential solutions and responses such as 1) permaculture: a resilient, sustainable and independent local/regional economic infrastructure, 2) socio-economic egalitarianism, 3) making health care a central and foundational economic feature ...and etc....

[larger image: first they ignore you, then then laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win]

So Judge John Erlick ruled that he had no doubt that the state is failing in its constitutional duty to fully fund a basic education for the state's schoolchildren, in McCleary v. State of Washington, the school funding case brought by parents, some school districts and others.

While this might seem as obvious as a legislator accepting tickets to a husky football game from a lobbyist seeking a tax break from Olympia, this decision is a remarkable judicial affirmation of our broken school financing system. To those who have worked inside our education financing structure and have supported this legal action as an undesirable, yet inevitable, attempt to change the system this is an unsurprising vindication.

No doubt there will be a lot of "yea, me too's" from people in education as they attempt to now have the public believe that they supported this action from the beginning. In 2006 I, as an Olympia school board member withstood the ire of my colleagues, the superintendent and the local teacher's union president - yes the teacher's union president- when I tried to get Olympia to join the suit. We "don't want to anger the legislature" was the best reason put forward not to join. Bob Shirley also became an advocate for joining the suit (i.e., a small contribution from the district and the ability for the plaintiffs to show solidarity). Two members of the board wouldn't support our involvement because, believe it or not, the local union president wasn't supportive. The statewide WEA was actually the legal, economic and spiritual force behind the suit.