Commerce

In the more than two centuries since the beginning of radical transformation of economic life that accompanied the rise of industrial capitalism, one of the most interesting trends has been the changing nature of the forms through which people have engaged in economic activities. Before the industrial revolution, an artisanal mode of production predominated, with many small work-shops producing the goods required by the largely agrarian economy. At first glance, such the existence of many small firms would suggest a highly competitive economy; however this was not the case. Rather, the high cost of transporting goods created by...

Inspired by our friends at Occupy Wall Street and Dr. Cornel West, Move To Amend is planning bold action to mark the second anniversary of the infamous Citizens United v. FEC decision!

Occupy the Courts will be a one day occupation of Federal courthouses across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday January 20, 2012.

Move to Amend volunteers across the USA will lead the charge on the judiciary which created  and continues...

I just had one of those weird disconnect experiences, like HUH??  I read two entirely opposite accounts of the same time period and they can’t both be right.  First I read Michael Moore’s recent book “Here Comes Trouble”, which isn’t great, but has some interesting anecdotes worth reading.  The one that caught my attention was the time Moore attended “Expo Maquila ‘86', a US Commerce Department conference in Acapulco, Mexico to help US companies move jobs to Mexico and save on labor costs.  He went to write an article for Nader’s  Multinational Monitor.  Nader’s chief of staff John Richard told him, “The Reagan...

Exactly six months ago, Maureen and I moved from Shelburne, Vermont to Naples, Florida. There were many reasons for this move and it has proved to be beneficial in most of the ways intended. There is, however, the serious problem of culture shock. Vermont is the land of nature, conservation, moderation, and independents. Naples is the land of artifice, waste, excess and is the belly of the beast of the republican 1%. Where in Vermont one most frequently encounters the animal and the vegetable, in Naples it is the mineral – cement. The environment is virtually an entirely man-made, Disney-like, agglomeration of cement...