When I hear talk of how the capitalist system is exploiting humanity or failing humanity, I wonder if it isn’t time to dust off the ancient concept of commons.
The people who came as colonists to Georgia had a tradition of property held in common. Every village back in England had a common, a piece of land that the wealthy didn’t own. That land belonged to the people. One of the things that made you a commoner was that you had a right to graze a cow on the common. You might have some rights to grow a garden on an allotment there. Maybe you could cut some hay and firewood.
Through the years, the idea of common property expanded. Public high schools were not, in my case, a huge success. But public libraries were.
We’ve had some interesting experiments involving common privileges and common responsibilities. The G.I. Bill changed my family’s history.
What would happen if we put x percent of our gross national product into expanding our commons? What if, for example, would happen if, when someone died, the government paid his or her heirs for the property?
I could see more wild areas available to the public. I could imagine housing becoming more affordable.
I think it’s possible to make changes that would offer common folks like me an opportunity live a better life. I think we could do that without causing a revolution.
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