[p2p-research] Debugging Source Freedom (was: Patrick Andersons proposal)

[Patrick Anderson]

Matt wrote:
> how do you translate those profits to the community
> in a way that shows their 'investment'.

Who do you mean when you say "their investment"?

I claim profit must be treated as *payer* investment.

I say a Consumer paying a Price above Cost will
be making an investment - but a special kind of
investment that pays in *product* instead of profit.

I don't want the faceless 'community' to take control of
that investment - for then it will be thrown into a slush
fund controlled by some committee that we will then
be fighting to "do the right thing" just as we already
do with almost any form of government we currently
face.


> In solving that problem, solves another problem;
> the voting system for what to do with that profit.

If profit is treated as I suggest, then voting can
be accomplished simply by asserting your rights in
property ownership.  In other words, if you own 21%
of a roto-tiller, then you have 21% of the votes
over that machine.

Even though I hope we can make a situation that
looks and feels like a 'commons', I think it is important
that we allow individuals and sub-groups to act
mostly independent of that conglomerate so the
"Tyranny of the Majority" can be kept under control.
I don't want anyone without ownership in my roto-tiller
to be able to say how often I must change the oil, etc.


> The only abuse I can think of in this system so
> far is example:
> two single moms bartering babysitting services
> between each other at a ridiculous hourly rate
> to generate more 'voting' points.

I'm saying we won't have any such problems if we
notice the direct connection between funding and
voting and then allow people to fund only when
they want that service.

Current taxation systems take our funds (votes)
early on and then asks some 'representatives' to
try doling them out in some 'fair' manner which
can never have the fine-grained control that I
describe and so we usually pay for all kinds of
projects that we would otherwise never pay for.