Independence from plutocracy.

• Author: Anderson, Philip
• Position: Letters to the Editor - Letter to the editor

I am writing to comment on "The Rule of the Rich" by Bill Moyers (February issue). Moyers, as always, had an excellent, timely, and insightful analysis of our situation. I fully agree with everything he said.

However, I think he missed a possible solution to our political and economic domination by the plutocracy.

While reading about the closing of the Whirlpool factory, it occurred to me that we are too dependent on mega-corporations to create jobs for us. Maybe we need to break our abusive dependency and create jobs for ourselves.

Cooperatives, employee-owned businesses, nonprofits, and ethical corporations are possible. There are many examples of successful businesses organized and operated for the good of the community, as well as for profit.

The situation in Indiana that Moyers describes was tailor-made for creating a worker-owned business. The plant, the raw materials, and the skilled workforce were in place. I suspect that the community would have been very willing to help raise operating capital to save 1,400 jobs. What was lacking was the vision to throw...