5 ms·

The city government IS a cooperative formed by the citizens of the City of Berkeley.

• frognibble 17y ago
  A cooperative is a group of people united voluntarily. A city is not voluntary (yeah, you can move. but it's not always possible or convenient until we have seasteading).
  • joubert 17y ago
    City residence IS voluntary. Very much unlike country citizenship, which, for practical purposes is involuntary for the vast majority of (non-European) people.
    • tome 17y ago
      What do you mean? Country citizenship is not voluntary for EU citizens either. Did you mean country residence?
      • joubert 17y ago
        In practical terms, citizenship does not restrict residency in Europe for Europeans.
  • bokonist 17y ago
    Almost every legal adult who lives in a city chose to live there. Yeah, choices have practical constraints, and yeah, it can be difficult to change once you've committed. But that's true of almost any complex product available on the free market (CRM systems, a university education, database software, operating system software, etc.).
• rglovejoy 17y ago
  There is a huge difference. If I decide to withhold my dues to a coop I belong to, the worst that they can do is not renew my membership. If I own a house in Cooperative of Berkeley, as you put it, and I decide that I no longer want to pay my dues (property taxes), they'll take away my house and might even have me prosecuted for tax evasion.