What does “Community-Based Economics” Mean?
The 10 Key Values are what defines most completely what the Green Party’s position in on a variety of issues. Within any specific issue, these values are the guiding force. The sixth of the key values is a belief in community-based economics. Unlike some of the other values, such as social justice and gender equality, community-based economics is not as intuitive. So, just what does it mean to have community-based economics?
Locally-Owned Businesses
Supporting locally-owned businesses through tax incentives or grants is a key idea to supporting community economics. Because more of the money from local shops goes to the local economy than is true for online or chain-store shopping, the Green Party platform calls for more support for local businesses, which will create better educational and civic opportunities for people within that community.
Industry Decisions
The Green Party wants to empower people in each community to determine whether or not they want a certain business in their area or not. Don’t want a landfill? That should be okay. Opposed to Wal-Mart? Again, that should be a decision made at a local level to create the most sustainable economic model for the community. Decisions should not be based on corporate needs.
Living Wage
The living wage is a concept that the Green Party has tried to introduce into society in many communities. A living wage is enough pay to afford to live in decent housing and to have food and clothing appropriate for the climate. The goal of community-based economics is to determine a local wage that is enough to support these basic economic needs.
These basic economic principles will support each community’s needs and help the people within that community to live better, more productive lives. The Kentucky Green Party’s goal is for communities across the Commonwealth to be able to implement these economic strategies.
The Living Wage Concept
The idea of a living wage is key to creating the society that the Green Party wishes to see. A living wage is enough money that someone who is working a full-time job – 40 hours in Kentucky – can afford decent housing that is properly heated and cooled, clothing, food, and other basic necessities. In most places, the living wage is
significantly higher than the legal minimum wage.
In Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital city, the legal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. According to Penn State University’s living wage calculator, the living wage for one adult is $7.29 per hour while that number increases to $14.49 for one adult and one child. That means that anyone with one child making less than $14.49 an hour won’t be able to afford basic care items without assistance.
The basic idea of living wage campaigns is to use these numbers to demonstrate to local and state leaders that the current minimum wage being required simply isn’t enough to allow families to support themselves.
One of the keys to the living wage project that make it a player in politics is that the living wage is based on working adults. The people who do not make a living wage are working, which makes them more sympathetic to folks who may oppose government “handouts” in other arenas. The living wage issue isn’t about welfare or having extra money to spend at an online casino; it’s about equality.
A University of California study of workers at the San Francisco Airport showed that turnover dropped by almost 70 percent when the administration there enacted a living wage because pay rates rose by an average of 22 percent. That meant that employees were less likely to leave, saving the airport significant money in hiring and training new employees. Overall the living wage concept is beneficial to communities, business owners, and workers.
