ownership society

What do we want from an economy?

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(This was originally posted on DailyKos, where it was suggested that I post this here. It has been slightly edited.)

Unless you've been living under a rock you know that we are in an economic death spiral and that things will get worse before they get better. All things will pass, however, and unless things crater for good, we will eventually pull out and begin economic recovery, in one year or three or ten, and we will be ... well, where will we be? What are our economic goals? What do we want from an economy?

The Failure of the Ownership Society

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On February 20, 2003, President Bush first coined the term Ownership Society while campaigning for more tax cuts. Bush supporters were quick to latch onto this term and expand its meaning.

In the ownership society, patients control their own health care, parents control their own children's education, and workers control their retirement savings.

Five years later we should measure what the "Ownership Society" means in the real world.

"We're creating...an ownership society in this country, where more Americans than ever will be able to open up their door where they live and say, welcome to my house, welcome to my piece of property."
- President Bush, October 2004