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In Denmark we have a long history of cooperative retail stores, so a development like this is not too surprising sering as there have been quite a few examples
by erk__ 4y ago
In Denmark we have a long history of cooperative retail stores, so a development like this is not too surprising sering as there have been quite a few examples of stores getting bought by the community here as well. I think it is a good move in general since there is not going to be the same profit over everything mentality in those stores since it is owned by people who buys stuff there.
- ch4s3 4y agoThere are a lot of co-ops in the US too, but that’s not quite what this is. I’m this case the town government bought and runs the store. A co-op might be better, but you may need a certain population threshold to make that work.
- erk__ 4y agoI think a populating of the around 1000 of the city and the sorrunding area is maybe enough though it is likely harder to compete in these times where everyone has cars and such. (THere is also recent examples here where it is not really a cooperative but a group of citizens getting together and raising money to buy the store and rent it out to a grocer. For example in Halvrimmen https://nordjyske.dk/nyheder/jammerbugt/borgere-koeber-koebmandsbutik-og-planlaegger-at-genaabne-1-november/3371349 https://nordjyske.dk/nyheder/jammerbugt/borgere-koeber-koebm..., where they have made a LTD that owns the store)
- MereInterest 4y agoFor sufficiently representative government, I think that government-owned and cooperatively-owned are synonymous. Especially for small towns, the overhead of having two separate organizations, each of which represents all people in the town, would be quite large.
- okaram 4y agoI think the big difference is that government is mandatory, whereas belonging to a co-op is voluntary. Both are useful and important.
- ch4s3 4y agoThey definitely are not. A government owned enterprise is many steps removed from voters, and will be run by bureaucrats. This creates an internal constituency and an opportunity for several kinds of graft. A co-op involves your direct participation in operations, and probably an opportunity to be directly involved in decision making depending on the size of the co-op.
- MichaelZuo 4y agoMaybe for a really small co-op, but beyond 100 to 200 folks, any co-op will have the exact same internal dynamics as city hall, just on a smaller scale.
- ch4s3 4y agoNot really. A co-op can’t levy a tax on your home. A co-op can’t pass laws. A co-op doesn’t have a police force. Co-ops also have to comply with generally accepted accounting principles. Municipalities also have the backstop of the larger state if they become insolvent. These are very different things.
- MichaelZuo 4y agoInternal dynamics means the dynamics between the individuals within an organization.
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- IIAOPSW 4y agoWhat more is a government in a Democracy than a cooperatively owned monopoly on violence?
- imtringued 4y agoI find it strange that citizens of democratic countries agree that democracy in politics is necessary but democracy in economics is not... By that I mean humans are born into this world with one vote for every election in politics but in economics people are born with zero votes and must rely on the benevolence of their parents. There is no minimum access to pollution rights, natural resources, land and perhaps money granted to every citizen equally the moment they are born. It doesn't have to be an insane amount that people can live off, just enough to feel like you are not born as an illegal alien on this planet. No, I don't mean welfare, I mean real democracy.
- groone 4y agoPeople vote each time they choose buy a good or a service. Isn't it democracy if you have the freedom to choose to whom you give your hard earned money (what is left after taxes)?
- ethanbond 4y agoIs it democracy if some people are born with an effectively infinite number of votes and others are born with zero? What a silly analogy.
- kadoban 4y agoIt's just a shitty democracy. Funnily enough, especially since Citizens United (but even way before ofc), that's basically how our government works too.
- ch4s3 4y agoPeople say this, but I think you probably aren't clear on what the Citizens United decision meant. It boiled down to overturning a law that prevented groups of people from spending more than a certain dollar value on anything that could be considered campaigning. The law was so broad that it was used against a Michael Moore documentary, and was obviously unconstitutional. Also the idea that you can just reliably buy congresspeople by spending money on ads is a farce.
- dr_spicy 4y agoI have relatives on an island with a permanent population of about ~200 that cooperatively own their store
- rch 4y agoI shop at a couple of co-ops, and they're excellent. Ideally I'd like to chat with a lawyer knowledgeable about co-op formation to create an open template for a version designed to leverage a long term lease from a nonprofit land trust. The structure could be mixed use to include housing; resident owned, appreciation moderated, with support from the trust for affordability. I've seen a few organizations that might help in a generic way, but lawyers haven't been interested in the 'open' aspect.
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- swayvil 4y agoOur coop here is notoriously expensive. Even obviously cheap stuff like bulk grains are crazy spendy. I don't know why. Are healthy foods just that much more expensive? Their clientele is lots of wealthy retired hippies. Maybe they're just exploiting that niche. I dunno.