Re: EOnation: The prospects for collective ownership and EO

[Mbindnerdc@aol.com]

I would need more information about the Chilean system.  I agree that some 
form of group ownership is best, although I would think that factional 
control of individually held shares may accomplish what is sought.  For 
example, laborers would be represented as a group by their union, engineers & 
professionals by company committees of their professional societies (IEEE, 
ICOSE, etc).

To limit the variation due to employment, all full-time workers should be 
given the same number of shares - or the same monetary amount of share value 
society wide, rather than distributing shares based on income.  In other 
words, every full time worker would be given $4,000 in shares in their ESOP 
(as well as earning shares as dividends).  Of course, to limit risk, a 
portion, say $1,000 in shares would go to the ESOP with $3,000 going into a 
diversified fund.  Of course, as ESOPs grow, diversified funds will decrease 
as large firms go private (recall the discussion we had in DC about 
utopianism - shifting from stock markets to ESOPs would be part of utopia).

Does this address the issues raised by our Chilean friend?

Mike Bindner