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Corporations Already Rule the World
By Donella Meadows
–February 8, 1996–
The title of David Korten’s new book — When Corporations Rule the World — does not refer to some theoretical future state. Korten’s point is that corporations already rule much of the world, and that the consequences aren’t good, not even for corporations.
His book is a detailed documentation — names, cases, numbers — of dysfunctional corporate [...]
Flat Tax, Vat Tax, Splat Tax
By Donella Meadows
–February 1, 1996–
There are four questions to ask about any new tax proposal. Will it be simple? Will it be fair? Will it raise enough money for the government? Will it be good for the economy?
The flat tax promoted by presidential candidate Steve Forbes fails on all four counts. But so does our present tax system. Forbes’s contribution [...]
You’re Only Half the Man Your Grandfather Was
By Donella Meadows
–January 25, 1996–
“Downward Motility” is the title of a January Esquire magazine article about declining human sperm counts. A similar piece in the New Yorker is called “Silent Sperm.” The press is beginning to pick up the endocrine disrupter story. Of all environmental scare stories, this one really hits home.
Over the past two generations sperm counts in many [...]
An Age-Old Choice Presents Itself Again
By Donella Meadows
–January 18, 1996–
It’s an ancient urge to want to destroy those who don’t believe what you believe. People who think in strange ways seem even more dangerous sometimes than people who cheat, steal, or kill. The latter merely threaten your property or life. The former call into question your identity, your purpose, your God, your whole world.
So history [...]
Ten Reasons to Wonder About the Cost of Saving Species
By Donella Meadows
–January 11, 1996–
How much would it cost to save all the endangered species in America? Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) the chairman of the House Committee on Resources recently assigned the General Accounting Office (GAO) to answer that question, not because he cares about species, but because he wants to rub out the Endangered Species Act. He expected the [...]
