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Many people of the Boomer generation are on the verge of retiring. And many are eschewing the rat race life of corporate America early. Here are some ways people are claiming ownership of things while at the same time benefitting their communities.
For the naysayers who say it's one or the other, it's not always true. Can I survive and make a decent income while still "giving back" to my community? Yup, you can. And without necessarily having to increase taxes in order to do it.
"...a community-benefiting ownership strategy--takes a variety of forms. At one level are enterprises largely or entirely owned by employees who live in the communities in which those enterprises are located. At another are community-building neighborhood corporations. At still another level are nonprofit efforts that undertake economic activity to support community-service missions. Beyond these are publicly owned enterprises that provide jobs and services but also make money for cash-starved local municipalities. Still other efforts include large numbers of cooperatives, community land trusts and hybrid community-oriented economic efforts. Moreover, a number of public-pension and other investment strategies either help nonprofit efforts (especially in housing) or contribute to local community finances by strengthening the local tax base. Some invest in worker-owned companies.
Virtually all these approaches differ from traditional social programs in that they do not depend primarily on taxing and spending--at a time when the ever-deepening fiscal crisis will continue to constrain traditional strategies. Many also anchor jobs firmly in local communities--at a time when globalization and runaway corporations threaten local economic stability...."
So much for the WM's of the world.
Miulang
For the naysayers who say it's one or the other, it's not always true. Can I survive and make a decent income while still "giving back" to my community? Yup, you can. And without necessarily having to increase taxes in order to do it.
"...a community-benefiting ownership strategy--takes a variety of forms. At one level are enterprises largely or entirely owned by employees who live in the communities in which those enterprises are located. At another are community-building neighborhood corporations. At still another level are nonprofit efforts that undertake economic activity to support community-service missions. Beyond these are publicly owned enterprises that provide jobs and services but also make money for cash-starved local municipalities. Still other efforts include large numbers of cooperatives, community land trusts and hybrid community-oriented economic efforts. Moreover, a number of public-pension and other investment strategies either help nonprofit efforts (especially in housing) or contribute to local community finances by strengthening the local tax base. Some invest in worker-owned companies.
Virtually all these approaches differ from traditional social programs in that they do not depend primarily on taxing and spending--at a time when the ever-deepening fiscal crisis will continue to constrain traditional strategies. Many also anchor jobs firmly in local communities--at a time when globalization and runaway corporations threaten local economic stability...."
So much for the WM's of the world.
Miulang