From: Phil Osborn (philosborn2001@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Aug 06 2003 - 20:43:21 MDT
Taking a look at a couple of Max's short pieces, I
note his mention of the Gramein Bank - the micro-loans
program - as an example of how to be socially
conscious and profitable, or something like that - in
his BLOG on "Why Marx Was Even More Wrong Than You
Thought."
I'm surprised on that note that Mondragon was not
mentioned. The Mondragon Cooperative is a
world-class, outstanding business which breaks all the
prevalent business models.
Of course, there are reasons:
The "Progressive (in a pig's eye! as progressive as
"Pro-Life" is...) Left" won't talk about Mondragon
because they aren't a socialist model at all. In fact
they came out of the Basque Anarcho-Syndicalist school
if anything, and they have never taken a penny of
state money or assitance that I know of and have never
hocked their future to any state bank, either. So
there, stupid socialists! Look at all the utter
failures of socialism. Try to find a success, just
one, anywhere???
But Mondragon bootstrapped itself into being an
$8billion business, with its OWN bank, its OWN schools
and university, its OWN social security and health
coverage, ALL paid for voluntarily by its
worker/owners. Ie., Mondragon is actually DOING all
the great social things that the socialists have been
holding up as an ideal. Workers runing their own
businesses, themselves - Mondragon (NOT red China, or
Cuba, or the former Evil Empire). What guns and
terror couldn't accomplish, hard-headed practical
business sense did with flourish and taste.
And the Right (what, another total misnomer??? When
were they ever right about anything?) hates Mondragon
because Mondragon has succeeded spectacularly as a
profit-making business WITHOUT the top-down leadership
of megabuck-salaried brave captains of industry
leading the stupid workers. NO. The WORKERS RUN
MONDRAGON! And they have ALL the benefits that the
socialist left wants, plus job security, plus high
wages, and they made a $250Million net profit last
year during a world-wide economic downturn, while
doing major worldwide community outreach, such as with
the Doctors Without Borders.
so. there.
Check it out. ;)
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