Comments on: The Invisible Hand of the Social Movement http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/ Human world. Global transformation. Planetary civilization. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:59:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: brent704@gmail.com http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-2630 brent704@gmail.com Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:25:50 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-2630 The gov't and big business have designed a complicated "system" where "we the people" have essentially waived our god-given basic human rights by way of applications for birth certificates, social security cards, applying for gov't benefits, "registering" our personal property, "applying" for licenses and priveleges etc etc. Don't beleive this? Research this for yourself. Request a copy of your birth certificate application, refuse to use your social security number, try to "opt out" of social security program, tell the IRS that you'll be happy to pay your fair share of taxes if they could simply provide you with the law/statute which authorizes them to withhold your hard-earned income etc etc. Think about this for a moment- it's almost 2009 and the "system" still uses the SAME methods to identify us (social security, birth certificate etc) as it did 20 years ago. Why not use fingerprint scanning technology? Because WE own our finger prints while THEY own those documents/numbers (us). Finger printing doesn't require an application, signing away your rights, voluntary servitude etc... The gov’t and big business have designed a complicated “system” where “we the people” have essentially waived our god-given basic human rights by way of applications for birth certificates, social security cards, applying for gov’t benefits, “registering” our personal property, “applying” for licenses and priveleges etc etc. Don’t beleive this? Research this for yourself. Request a copy of your birth certificate application, refuse to use your social security number, try to “opt out” of social security program, tell the IRS that you’ll be happy to pay your fair share of taxes if they could simply provide you with the law/statute which authorizes them to withhold your hard-earned income etc etc. Think about this for a moment- it’s almost 2009 and the “system” still uses the SAME methods to identify us (social security, birth certificate etc) as it did 20 years ago. Why not use fingerprint scanning technology? Because WE own our finger prints while THEY own those documents/numbers (us). Finger printing doesn’t require an application, signing away your rights, voluntary servitude etc…

]]> By: Ron http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-2629 Ron Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:28:50 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-2629 The invisible will become all too visible in the next 100 years as the global population continues to soar while wars and consumption of resources destroys the ecosystems and mass extinctions give rise too the overpopulation of niche species that can survive alongside of man like rats and pigeons, and cockroaches. These pest will increase the use of pesticides, as well as an increase of other pollutants from plastics to radioactive waste. eventually an incurable pestilence or disease will emerge like the bird flu or ebola virus but it will be airborne and because of the density of human society will exact a terrible toll. If nuclear war occurs it will also cause mutative effects and along with all of this human may be threatened with sterility, which may be overcome through cloning and in vitro embryonic fertilization. The only possible solution is to limit births through quota systems and develop zero waste philosophies that are sustainable through the use of non toxic organic materials. ............................. I could go on some more but you get the picture..................too bad religion expects us to reach this apocalyptic state and does little too steer the masses away from hell on earth. The invisible will become all too visible in the next 100 years as the global population
continues to soar while wars and consumption of resources destroys the ecosystems and mass extinctions give rise too the overpopulation of niche species that can survive alongside of man like rats and pigeons, and cockroaches. These pest will increase the use of pesticides, as well as an increase of other pollutants from plastics to radioactive waste.
eventually an incurable pestilence or disease will emerge like the bird flu or ebola virus but it will be airborne and because of the density of human society will exact a terrible toll. If nuclear war occurs it will also cause mutative effects and along with all of this human may be threatened with sterility, which may be overcome through cloning and in vitro embryonic fertilization. The only possible solution is to limit births through quota systems and develop zero waste philosophies that are sustainable through the use of non toxic organic materials. ……………………….. I could go on some more but you get the picture………………too bad religion expects us to reach this apocalyptic state and does little too steer the masses away from hell on earth.

]]> By: cuba-inclusive.bestallinclusive http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-566 cuba-inclusive.bestallinclusive Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:54:10 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-566 [...] ?magnific site now disserte this snippet http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-m... and give comments [...] [...] ?magnific site now disserte this snippet http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-m... and give comments [...]

]]> By: sglasson http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-264 sglasson Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:01:04 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-264 I would think that the "invisible hand of the social movement" is actually on the bad side of environmentalism. After all, the social movement wants to protect people from government regulation, and the <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency' rel="nofollow">EPA</a> is part of the federal government. Does the social movement want to protect individual people but not individual corporations, which are regulated in part by the EPA. In that case, it would only be backed by the "invisible hand/let it be" idea for certain situations, and not for others. I think that some things DO need to be regulated more than other, such as how the EPA regulates corporations to bring down pollution and help the air quality. I do believe a bit of the info you (Orion) gave Benjamin about the current situation of the world and it's environment. I wish I knew what some of his sources were to lead him in opposition. I would think that the “invisible hand of the social movement” is actually on the bad side of environmentalism. After all, the social movement wants to protect people from government regulation, and the EPA is part of the federal government. Does the social movement want to protect individual people but not individual corporations, which are regulated in part by the EPA. In that case, it would only be backed by the “invisible hand/let it be” idea for certain situations, and not for others. I think that some things DO need to be regulated more than other, such as how the EPA regulates corporations to bring down pollution and help the air quality.

I do believe a bit of the info you (Orion) gave Benjamin about the current situation of the world and it’s environment. I wish I knew what some of his sources were to lead him in opposition.

]]> By: Orion http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-247 Orion Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:04:42 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-247 Hi Benjamin, Most people believe this is an age of global capitalism and the US is a capitalist country. They are unaware of the dramatic subsidies our government gives to most major corporations and entire industries -- like big Pharma. However subsidizing industry is not quite the same as socialism. If you are interested in learning about our environmental crisis, I suggest looking at the recent Millenial Ecosystem Assessment -- the first comprehensive look at the state of our ecosystems. Also, the World Resource Institute has a report called People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life, that is worth checking out: http://www.wri.org/biodiv/pubs_description.cfm?pid=3027 To learn more about the current rate of mass extinctions, here is a resource from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/2/l_032_04.html Poverty is complex topic, but there are close to 3 Billion people living on less than $2 a day, that's half the world's population. Do they lack freedoms? Absolutely, what is freedom without adequate access to the basic necessities of life? Hi Benjamin,
Most people believe this is an age of global capitalism and the US is a capitalist country. They are unaware of the dramatic subsidies our government gives to most major corporations and entire industries — like big Pharma. However subsidizing industry is not quite the same as socialism.

If you are interested in learning about our environmental crisis, I suggest looking at the recent Millenial Ecosystem Assessment — the first comprehensive look at the state of our ecosystems. Also, the World Resource Institute has a report called People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life, that is worth checking out: http://www.wri.org/biodiv/pubs_description.cfm?pid=3027

To learn more about the current rate of mass extinctions, here is a resource from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/2/l_032_04.html

Poverty is complex topic, but there are close to 3 Billion people living on less than $2 a day, that’s half the world’s population. Do they lack freedoms? Absolutely, what is freedom without adequate access to the basic necessities of life?

]]> By: Benjamin Napier http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-246 Benjamin Napier Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:51:25 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-246 Orion, I am not happy with our present system. It is a socialist disaster already. Our environment is not in crisis and the ecosystems are just fine. Extictions are not above historical averages. Poverty is caused by the lack of personal liberty. Orion,

I am not happy with our present system. It is a socialist disaster already. Our environment is not in crisis and the ecosystems are just fine. Extictions are not above historical averages. Poverty is caused by the lack of personal liberty.

]]> By: orionkriegman http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-245 orionkriegman Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:08:07 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-245 Really glad people are taking the time to share their thoughts and reactions. Michael -- I've been to the Wiser Earth site a few times, it is a growing directory of the hodge-podge of groups out there doing important work, thanks for sharing this resource. Benjamin -- your faith in our current system appears unshakable, I wonder what you make of the immense challenges of climate change, the declining health of all ecosystems and the increasing rate of extinctions, growing inequality and number of people without adequate access to water, health care, or housing...don't these enormous challenges require us to adapt our system and way of life? Great to hear from you all, Orion Really glad people are taking the time to share their thoughts and reactions.

Michael — I’ve been to the Wiser Earth site a few times, it is a growing directory of the hodge-podge of groups out there doing important work, thanks for sharing this resource.

Benjamin — your faith in our current system appears unshakable, I wonder what you make of the immense challenges of climate change, the declining health of all ecosystems and the increasing rate of extinctions, growing inequality and number of people without adequate access to water, health care, or housing…don’t these enormous challenges require us to adapt our system and way of life?

Great to hear from you all,
Orion

]]> By: Benjamin Napier http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-244 Benjamin Napier Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:06:06 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-244 It is sad to see so many duped into thinking that there are any redeeming features to communism and socialism. If you will look at history, the wages of communism are death, poverty and misery. No matter how you package them, the results will always be the same. If you guys want to live under totalitarian rule with no rights whatsoever, please relocate to North Korea or Cuba and leave the rest of us to our liberty (what little we have left). It is sad to see so many duped into thinking that there are any redeeming features to communism and socialism.

If you will look at history, the wages of communism are death, poverty and misery. No matter how you package them, the results will always be the same.

If you guys want to live under totalitarian rule with no rights whatsoever, please relocate to North Korea or Cuba and leave the rest of us to our liberty (what little we have left).

]]> By: Michael Spalding http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-242 Michael Spalding Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:07:52 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-242 For everyone that is a Paul Hawken fan, I recommend checking out his latest book, <a href="http://www.blessedunrest.com/" rel="nofollow">Blessed Unrest</a>. Which is both a description of the unprecedented number of organizations and people working towards social justice and environmental restoration and a history of the intellectuals that inform their work. I think one of the most important analogies Paul makes is between this new type of social movement and the immune system. The success of the immune system depends on the quality of its connections and the social movement's success depends on the same. Connections, rather than the strength of any individual organization or person, will set the stage for our success. And as a result of Paul's research, his staff created <a href="www.wiserearth.org" rel="nofollow">WiserEarth</a>, an online tool to improve the quality of the connections between the millions of organizations and people that work in social justice, the environment and indigenous rights. For everyone that is a Paul Hawken fan, I recommend checking out his latest book, Blessed Unrest. Which is both a description of the unprecedented number of organizations and people working towards social justice and environmental restoration and a history of the intellectuals that inform their work.

I think one of the most important analogies Paul makes is between this new type of social movement and the immune system. The success of the immune system depends on the quality of its connections and the social movement’s success depends on the same. Connections, rather than the strength of any individual organization or person, will set the stage for our success. And as a result of Paul’s research, his staff created WiserEarth, an online tool to improve the quality of the connections between the millions of organizations and people that work in social justice, the environment and indigenous rights.

]]> By: orionkriegman http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/human-world/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-241 orionkriegman Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:16:17 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/orionkriegman/global-citizenship/071714/the-invisible-hand-of-the-social-movement/#comment-241 Tom T, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. "Market Failure" is a term used by economists to describe when free markets, operating without government intervention, fail to deliver an optimal or efficient allocation of resources. This occurs for several well understood reasons: imperfect information, externalities, monopolies, public goods and the free-rider problem, equity concerns, and other reasons. Imperfect information -- this simply refers to the real world situation where a lot of information is unknown by economic actors. The classic "free market" model assumes perfect information, a theoretical situation that is never actually realized. Externalities refers to the situation where a firms costs can be externalized onto other actors -- for example, a factory might dump its waste into the nearby river. The costs of clean-up are paid for by society, i.e., tax-payers -- unless there is some form of regulation and legal accountability enforced by the government. There are numerous examples of externalities. One of the things I liked about the movie SICKO is that it shows private health care companies can be even more bureaucratic than government. In general, bureaucracy is a symptom of size, and many multi-national corporations are gigantic and suffer from incredible inefficiencies. Tom T,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

“Market Failure” is a term used by economists to describe when free markets, operating without government intervention, fail to deliver an optimal or efficient allocation of resources. This occurs for several well understood reasons: imperfect information, externalities, monopolies, public goods and the free-rider problem, equity concerns, and other reasons.

Imperfect information — this simply refers to the real world situation where a lot of information is unknown by economic actors. The classic “free market” model assumes perfect information, a theoretical situation that is never actually realized.

Externalities refers to the situation where a firms costs can be externalized onto other actors — for example, a factory might dump its waste into the nearby river. The costs of clean-up are paid for by society, i.e., tax-payers — unless there is some form of regulation and legal accountability enforced by the government. There are numerous examples of externalities.

One of the things I liked about the movie SICKO is that it shows private health care companies can be even more bureaucratic than government. In general, bureaucracy is a symptom of size, and many multi-national corporations are gigantic and suffer from incredible inefficiencies.

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