Improving Society and Our Environment
When you work for yourself, you throw a little stone at the corporate power structure that is destroying the American middle class. That may be the best chance society has of returning to greater economic equality.
Real wages haven’t increased for the average American worker for over 40 years, and yet during the same time, incomes of the top 1% of Americans more than doubled. CEO pay grew over that period from 39 times that of the average worker to 367 times the average worker’s pay.
Too much power and wealth is concentrated in the hands of too few people.
There is clearly something wrong with the old economy structure. Too much power and wealth is concentrated in the hands of too few people. And because there is so much invested in and protecting the old power structure, it’s unlikely that policy changes or legislation will make things better for most people anytime soon.
Instead, the New Economy offers hope that we can all make a difference by creating millions of small businesses that each support one-another, and put in place a system that values more than profits and greed. Maybe we can even redefine wealth to mean more than just money and material possessions.
At the same time, working in the New Economy gives you the chance to lower your impact on the natural environment. According to the National Household Travel Survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans make more than 51.3 billion combined trips to and from work.
How much of all that commuting is really necessary? Work from home as part of the New Economy and ditch the commute. You’ll feel better, and the air outside will stay cleaner.
At nearly every turn, the power of sharing, cooperation, collaboration, openness, free pricing, and transparency has proven to be more practical than we capitalists thought possible.
Kevin Kelly, The New Socialism: Global Collectivist Society Is Coming Online
