Reaction: State of the Dream 2012

Today I sat at my desk and read the United for a Fair Economy State of the Dream report, 2012.  

It was the most depressing thing I've read in a long time.  Here goes (and obviously, all the data below was plainly lifted from the report):

Here's the basic idea:  median wealth in black and Latin@ families is drastically lower than in white communities.  Even as time passes, black families will accumulate wealth at a slower rate than white families, and Latin@ families will actually earn less income than they do now, making the process of accumulating wealth even more challenging.

Book No. 1

Alright, then!  Let's get to it!  The first book on my reading list is The Color of Wealth:  The Story Behind the US Wealth Divide, by Meizhu Lui, Barbara Robles, Betsy Leondar-Wright, Rose Brewer, and Rebecca Adamson, with United for a Fair Economy.

The first thing you should know about me is that I read pretty slowly.  I take lots of notes and need to take lots of thinking breaks.  Anyway, I just finished Chapter 1, which is titled "Overview:  The Roots of the Racial Wealth Divide."

The Fiscal Cliff, Co-ops, and Me

Suddenly, everywhere I turn, there's mention of the fiscal cliff.  A quick Twitter search yields ominous posts warning us that "elections have consequences" (or is that a threat?) and speculating on who the people will blame if we go "over" the cliff.  Someone used the term "austerity bomb," which can't be a good thing.

Well, what is this cliff, anyway, right?  The Economic Policy Institute has published a fair amount of decipherable material on the subject, and I am especially fond of their choice to rename the cliff the "fiscal obstacle course."  For starters, they explain the cliff as the combined effect of tax and spending cuts that are either about to expire or about to go into effect.  This is why, they explain, the "cliff" is an inadequate metaphor.  A cliff has the implication of a single, drastic choice:  a "grand bargain," if you will.  The reality is that there are several different choices to be made that could impact our fiscal situation in different ways, hence the "obstacle course."

On Worker Co-op Development

I just read this simple but very helpful article titled "Worker Cooperative Development Models and Approaches: A Brief Overview," by Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Michael Johnson, Jim Johnson, Len Krimerman, and Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo.

As someone who has been hanging around the world of cooperatives for a few years, mostly in the developer role, it was helpful to read an article that clearly stated analysis around cooperative development that reflects my own. Specifically, the article talks about supporting co-ops that are "accessible to all populations" and "develop an authentic, organic ownership culture among the worker owners," among other things.

Why Book Reports?

Remember the seventh grade?  Remember having assigned readings and then having to fill out that pre-made sheet for your book reports?  This blog is kind of like that.  There's a reading list, there's a schedule, and there will be reports on the books, articles, and videos I'm looking at.  My intention is to have a sort of workspace where I can write my initial reactions and work them into better pieces of writing that I can use other places.  But I'd also love to have folks chime in!