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I honestly don't know whether I favor the
construction of a property-owning democracy (as
Rawls and his followers understand it). But I
recently read an article by Thad Williamson in
which he tried to make the concept concrete.
More specifically, he attempted to spell out
several constitutional amendments that would
constitute major steps toward a property-owning
democracy. Here's what he advocates, in his own
words:
"In the American context, realizing
property-owning democracy in a stable form
will require five constitutional
guarantees:
- A right to an equal public
education.
- A right to a minimum income and/or the
means for supporting one's self
at a minimal level of social
acceptability.
- Explicit limitations on corporate
political activity and provision of a
public system of campaign financing.
- An individual right to a share of
society's productive capital and/or
wealth.
- A community right to sufficient
productive capital to sustain a viable
local democratic community."
He goes on to specify what each of these would
mean, but I think this list gives some idea of
what he is advocating. [See "Constitutionalizing
Property-Owning Democracy" by Thad Williamson.]
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