Protect the Commons

Protect the Commons:

A series of posts written by Mike looking at “the commons”. The posts mainly reflect on North America, but the truths they contain are global.

In his introduction Mike asks, “What are the commons anyway?” The commons are those physical, informational, electronic, and intellectual assets that we all own. One example would be Lake Erie, while another might be the airwaves, the electromagnetic spectrum on which so much media rides. The commons also include those assets that nobody can lay legitimate claim to, like, for example, the sky or the human genome.

Because the commons encompass so many different holdings, my discussion of the commons deals primarily with the shared natural heritage of the United States of America, our land, water, and air, as well as the organisms that live in those environs. I plan to explain the value of the commons as well as why we should not accept efforts to privatize public assets. But the first and most important reason, the one you must get your head around before you learn more, is this: THEY’RE YOURS!

• What exactly do we the people collectively own?
  You’d be surprised at the extent of our estate…
• The crown jewels
  What are some of the really cool things we the American people own?
• The preposterous opposition
  It is no coincidence that advocates of privatization are also rampant opponents of conservation.
• The enclosure movement
  In the modern enclosure movement, we’re all peons.
• Breathing our birthright
  Clean air is a priceless commodity, as those who live without it know.
• Foxes managing our henhouse
  Believe it or not, some politicians have been known to work against the interests of the American people.
• Keep every cog and wheel
  To protect the commons, you have to protect every part of it, even the inconvenient or obnoxious parts.