18 Nov Fixing Capitalism’s Deepest Flaws
Peter Barnes (entrepreneur, journalist, author)
Tuesday, November 18 / 8:00 PM
UCSB Corwin Pavilion
Capps Forum on Ethics and Public Policy
Peter Barnes argues that because of globalization, automation, and winner-take-all capitalism, there won’t be enough high-paying jobs to sustain America’s middle class in the future. Therefore, to survive economically, our middle class needs—and deserves—a supplementary source of nonlabor income. To meet this need, Barnes proposes to give every American a share of the wealth we own together— starting with our air and financial infrastructure. The dividends would be paid by a nationwide fund similar to Alaska’s Permanent Fund. The fund’s revenue would come from a variety of common assets, starting with our atmosphere. The dividends would amount to several thousand dollars per year—money that wouldn’t be welfare or wealth redistribution but, as in the case of Alaska, legitimate property income. Courtesy of The Book Den, copies of Barnes’ latest book, With Liberty and Dividends for All, will be available for purchase and signing at this event.
Peter Barnes is an innovative thinker and entrepreneur whose work has focused on fixing the deep flaws of capitalism. His books include Who Owns the Sky? (2001), Capitalism 3.0 (2006) and With Liberty And Dividends For All (2014). He co-founded several socially responsible businesses (including Working Assets/Credo), and started a retreat for progressive writers (The Mesa Refuge). Barnes grew up in New York City and earned a B.A. in history from Harvard and an M.A. in government from Georgetown. He began his career as a reporter on The Lowell (Mass.) Sun, and was subsequently a Washington correspondent for Newsweek and west coast correspondent for The New Republic.
Sponsored by The Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life at UCSB and the IHC series The Anthropocene: Views from the Humanities.