Introductions, Proposals and News

[Deborah Groban Olson <dgo@esoplaw.com>]

Dear Industrial Homestead Group:

        Welcome! You are one of 23 people currently subscribed to Homestead
listserv part of the Capital Ownership Group.  It would be nice if each of
you would send a paragraph or two to the group describing yourself and your
interest in Industrial Homestead Policy. To send messages to the Homestead
group, email them to homestead@cog.kent.edu.

        I have just sent each of you a copy of an email message I sent to Mike
Dolan, Deputy Director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. He is the
chief organizer of massive demonstrations against the World Trade
Organization (WTO)'s meeting in Seattle in November. A huge coalition of
groups is working on this mobilization.  While many are going simply to
protest, others are working on concrete constructive proposals for the WTO. 

        I believe that the debate on the impact of international trade
negotiations is the current arena where our issues can get the most
visibility. The situation is very fluid. We have a chance to speak to a
broad audience which is hungry for viable ideas.

        I am also forwarding to you a message with Shann Turnbull's proposals 
on a
Community Investment Code (CIC) which he has proposed to the Australian
government trade negotiators. You may have previsously gotten it and thrown
it out during our recent unfortunate spamming problem.

        Yesterday, I sent out requests for mutual hot links to various other
organization's web sites. One that should be coming on line soon is to the
Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). www.cfed.org We are now
uploading into our on-line library their report on "International Investor
Rights and Local Economic Development". It provides a good explanation of
the various trade agreements and how they may directly interefere with
efforts to anchor capital locally. After discussion with Bob Stumberg, one
of the authors, I conclude that any proposals we develop should be worded
to fit into international trade agreements in some capacity, at least as
potential "green light subisidy" language.

        Shortly I will email you my proposed language for a US Constitutional
amendment on requiring a quid pro quo from businesses to the common weal
for government largesse to said businesses. 

        I also have avail a copy of David Spitzley's summary of Louis Kelso's 
The
Capitalist Manifesto, and a debate between Norm Kurland of the Center for
Social and Economic Justice (CESJ) and Corey Rosen of the National Center
for Employee Ownership (NCEO) on the efficacy of promoting Kelso's idea of
opening the Federal Reserve discount window to make capital credit  readily
available at cheap rates for ESOPs, CSOPs, etc. If you do not have these
items please let me know and I'll send them.

        Please start sending in your propsals.  I hope we have enough material 
to
hold real-time on-line discussion in late September or October. If we are
to take advantage of the November WTO events in Seattle, we need to get our
ideas to each other in September, debate and sort through them in early
October, and be ready to present them for discussion as part of a larger
popular agenda on world trade by the end of October.

Best regards,

Deb Olson 
Deborah Groban Olson
Project Co-ordinator
Capital Ownership Group Project
Ohio Employee Ownership Center
Kent State University
3163 Penobscot Building 
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 331-7821 or (313) 964-2460
(f) (313) 331-2567
email: dgo@esoplaw.com
web site: http://cog.kent.edu