co-ops

Unless you’re quite wealthy, you probably feel an economic pinch— a job that’s not keeping pace, a fair amount of debt, insecurity about Social Security. The economic priorities of the Bush administration and Congress are fairly plain to see; the road to fiscal propriety in a more progressive America is not rocket science— it comes down to priorities and discipline. I’m happy to speak with two guests today who have decades of combined experience watching the economy, the media, and the rest of the factors that support it. Thank you for listening; we have to take a quick break, but when I return I will tell you about Jared Bernstein, Ph.D. and, then at the bottom of the hour, I will be speaking with Professor Edward Herman.

K. Sabeel Rahman wrote a tidy piece about “public goods” – basically, goods and services open to the public. Contrast this with private and member-only kinds of benefits and accoutrements. Things such as public roads, public water, public sewer, open spaces and parks, museums, schools, fire protection and the like are public goods that (typically) are funded by tax dollars. Here is why preserving the Commons for us all is critical.