We're our own boss

Haven't been blogging much because we've been too busy working - on the house, on the business, and on Tracy's new live project "Tracy and the Hurtin' Hearts."  CD's have arrived, if you haven't heard!!

But do not despair, here's a fabulous piece by my friend Dru, who attended a conference in Baltimore about "Workplace Democracy."  He talked to dozens of people who are building co-operative businesses - businesses that are owned by the people who work there.  An excerpt:

      Finally, an interest of mine that seems to be lurking beneath the surface of a lot of discussions is our societally-limited sense of self which seems to interfere with non- 
     hierarchical cooperation. At least one other person is having similar thoughts:

          I think worker co-ops need to change mantra from "I'm my own boss" to "we're our own boss"" - throw off the mantra of individualism.

 As a (north american non-indigenous) rule, we're trained culturally to be either subservient automatons or ego-visionary individual celebrities. A major obstacle to collective management is that there's an empty space where the in-between option of cooperation should be. The lack of positive examples of building trust in a collective vision and the accompanying day to day practices seems to be one of the main impediments to building workplace democracy. I've recently been privy to some experiences that are both inspiring in terms of people's ability to overcome these issues, but which have simultaneously confirmed the need for significant steps in terms of addressing this cultural deficit.

Dru paints a great picture of the types of work people are doing in co-ops, from dog-walking to brush manufacturing, to IT work.  Check it out!

You won't read this on the TV news

A rising star of Quebec journalism quits his job and reflects on his despair at where Canada is headed politically, at home and internationally.

My real major? Student loan repayment!

Finally, an article about student debt in the Globe and Mail.  I cannot tell you how many hopeless conversations I've had when the "how am I ever going to repay my student loan?" remark comes up at parties.  It is one of the most instantly demoralizing topics to discuss with people between the ages of 20-40.

I think student debt is the unifying issue for young Canadians right now.  The current interest rate on my loan is prime plus 2% if I let it float (ie. 4.5%) or prime plus 5% (7.5%) if I lock it in.  For some people with large loans (and I know people who owe 40-50k plus), the daily interest alone is more than gas or groceries.  I know some people who don't even open their student loan statements because it is too demoralizing.  I wouldn't recommend this but it's true. 

With real wages in decline and good jobs harder to find, it's no wonder many young people can't afford to leave their parents' nest.  I can't see how many people afford to buy a house, car or condo without their parents' financial assistance. People wonder why the Canadian birth rate is so low, but who could afford to have kids when they haven't even finished paying for their first degree?

As a result, there are a lot of semi-employed, highly educated young Canadians out there right now.  Which might be good for the "teaching English abroad" companies, but isn't doing much to better Canadian society.  It's a shame more adults don't encourage high schoolers to consider a skilled trade, when a university degree is no longer a guarantee for a good job.

The number one reason I chose not to apply to grad school was the uncertainty of landing a job afterwards.  Five more years, then slug it out to become a university prof and live far away from my family?  Non, merci.

As a result, I moved home and spent three years walking before I got a hand-me-down car when my grandmother passed away.  During those mornings when I would walk in the freezing cold to work, I would tell myself, "you're walking off your student loan, you're walking off your student loan."  I'm not whining, there are many people in the world who deal with much worse on a daily basis. 

But I find it disheartening that a society which claims to value 'education' would place such a tremendous financial burden on young people seeking to get an education.

Berries on the web

Haynes' berry farm is now on the web.  I was there yesterday and there were lots of berries to be had.  $1.75 for U-pick berries and $3.00 for all picked.  Forget those California golf balls dressed up like strawberries and go get some of the real thing.  They freeze well too and are delicious in smoothies all year long.