SENATE BILL: Cooperative Development Act of 2014 (Law'd)

[TNF]

While cooperatives are not a be-all, end-all solution to the problem of capitalist social relations, they offer a distinct alternative to the prevailing, exploitative model of private ownership. Allow for their full and free development will reduce economic inequality (by creating a thriving sector of the economy that is owned and managed by workers themselves), promote real democracy and give workers a chance to make their own way in an ever shifting, uncertain economy, and create good jobs that don't cause dependency on a boss or the degradation of the human spirit that comes with wage labor.

If my co-sponsor would like to chime in, perhaps make a conservative case for this, that'd be grand.

[TNF]

We should incorporate or repeal if redundant the bill that Seatown and I passed in mid 2012.

oh and yes, 24 hours to begin advocating for this, TNF.

I actually don't think that the bill Seatown passed would be redundant and in need of repeal, since it specifically cancels out capital gains taxation on cooperatives. Our bill doesn't mention capital gains taxes, so I think it's safe to say that we can leave the other one on the books, unless you'd rather us modify this one to include a zeroing out of capital gains taxation on coops and repeal the law to keep things tidy on the Wiki.

Thanks everyone for your support on this bill.

[TNF]

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[TNF]

I'm open to debating the numbers. The original program shells out $1 billion, but I figure that we could throw a little more the way of our worker enterprises, given that we're currently debating floating huge sums of money to small businesses under the terms of the Let's Get Atlasia Back to Work Act.

[TNF]

I'm open to debating the numbers. The original program shells out $1 billion, but I figure that we could throw a little more the way of our worker enterprises, given that we're currently debating floating huge sums of money to small businesses under the terms of the Let's Get Atlasia Back to Work Act.

I don't expect those numbers to end up near as big when we are done with that bill.  In any case cooperatives will be eligible for those same benefits, will they not?

I assume so, given that they operate as for-profit entities, but I can always offer an amendment in that thread to make it explicit.

[TNF]

Aye

[TNF]

Perhaps $8 billion rather than $10 billion?

[TNF]

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[TNF]

What happens if a firm relocates within Atlasia? What if they're closing 3 plants with 2000 workers in the Midwest to open one with 400 in Mississippi?

Then the laid off workers in the Midwest factories will be given the option of forming a workers' cooperative with the factories left behind. I'll add an amendment to clarify that process after we finish hashing out these numbers.

[TNF]

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[TNF]

Amendment is hostile, obviously, because it guts the meat of the entire bill.

[TNF]

Hey TNF, you're a good fellow, we should work together. I am drunk right now but I don;t mind giving some money towards co-ops because The People need it, goddammit. I  can't promise $10 billion, god knows thats a lot, but I can promise some.

I've already introduced (and passed) an amendment reducing that amount to $5 billion, which you've already stated you could work with, and I'm good with that. At issue is shua's attempt to gut the entire meat of the bill by denying aid to co-ops, which is something I would like the administration's backing in vigorously opposing.

[TNF]

TNF?  Hostile to the modification I assume..?

Yes, hostile to the modification.

[TNF]

Nay

[TNF]

The problem is we don't know how many people will be trying to establish co-ops and what the quality of the loan requests will be.  I don't want us to get into a situation where big loans are being put out for things that have little chance of success just because we have the money set aside for it.

Of course, setting aside money for them makes them more likely to succeed.

[TNF]

Is that an amendment Yankee?

[TNF]

I think that looks good shua.

[TNF]

Amendment is friendly.

[TNF]

5bn is a sensible amount. The proposed amendment is unfriendly.

[TNF]

NAY

[TNF]

I am likewise ready for a final vote.

[TNF]

Aye