Summary. Creative, fun, inspiring, and funny advertising is much more likely to get watched, and in today’s society of online social networking, these are the ads that will go viral and have the farthest reach.

Such ads also provide the additional public service of offering a source of entertainment and inspiration. Below are some videos from the FeedThePig.org campaign being promoted by the Ad Council. ResourcesForLife.com is an Ad Council media partner.

“Royal Family”

“Armored Car”

“Chase”

Behind the Scenes. The video below shows the history and background of the FeedThePig.org campaign.

Dear Friend,

I know that time is precious for everyone, so I’ll try to keep this update short. The approximate reading time is about 5 minutes. Toward the bottom, there’s some repetition of announcements from last month for those who’ve just joined the list.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. If you’ve not visited theTumbleweedHouses.com website recently, you should really take a look. It’s recently been renovated and has a beautiful new design.

In The News. We’re entering our 10th year, and I know it seems like a long haul for those of you who’ve been with us from the beginning, but there’s much more to come. Just when we thought that everyone had heard our message, we have yet another journalist or reporter contacting us to tell the story again, to thousands more people. You can visit our media page to see some of the recent reports that have featured the Small House Society.

Facebook Page. The Small House Society Facebook Page currently has 1,515 members (up from 1,405 last month). If you’ve not yet done so, please visit the Small House Society Facebook Page and click Like to connect with us there. I’ve been really impressed with how quickly people have joined our Facebook presence. In a few months we’ve seen as much growth as 9 years on Yahoo Groups.

Yahoo Group. The Small House Society Yahoo Group continues to be quite active after about 9 years. For those who prefer a venue other than Facebook, you might want to consider it as a way to connect with other small living people.

Updated Directory of Designers and Builders. One of the most frequent requests we get is from people seeking small home designers and builders. In January I finished updating our directory of small home designers and builders to include the city and state to make it easier for journalists and potential customers to find local small home contacts.

Thanks. I want to thank the global team of volunteers and contributors “behind the scenes” who help make all this possible. I’m very grateful to the many people who continue to uphold and advance the mission of the Small House Society. Thanks again for your support. Please let me know if there is any way that the Small House Society can serve you better.

Regards,
Gregory Johnson, Facilitator, President, Co-Founder
Small House Society

Internet: http://www.smallhousesociety.org
E-Mail: shs @ resourcesforlife.com (without spaces)
Postal: c/o Resources for Life, PO Box 2717, Iowa City, IA 52244-2717
Phone: (319) 621-4911
Subscribe. Enter your email address below and click the Join Now button to be notified when the latest Small House Society newsletter is available.

“The economy is so bad,
you need a good dose
of Maxine!”~ Greg Johnson

We had re-posted on our website an email that has circulated the globe many times over and found its way into the email inboxes of millions. The email contained a dozen Maxine cartoons and quotes about the economy.

There are currently 197,000 other websites and photo sharing sites where you can view and read these cartoons.

However, we removed them from our site because, as it turns out, those cartoons were fake. While the images were Maxine, the captions attributed to her were not hers.

If you’re looking for authentic Maxine cartoons and quotes, consider purchasing Yelling it Like It Is or one of the other official Maxine compilations.

Copyright Notice. We were contacted by Hallmark regarding the Maxine images and quotes about the economy on our site — probably because our site was the #1 search result out of 197,000 on a search for that topic. Below are excerpts from the notice of clarification we received from the legal department at Hallmark.

“The images that you had on your site, and many of those circulated on the Internet and in emails, are not legitimate Maxine cartoons. Rather, they use an image of our Maxine character together with editorial content that does not originate from Hallmark. While we have great respect for the opinions of others and their right to share those opinions, we cannot allow Maxine to be used as the voice of those opinions.”

“Therefore, when we find sentiments used in Maxine cartoons that did not originate with us and should not be attributed to our well-known Maxine character, we request the removal of the Maxine images. As I’m sure you can understand, widespread infringement on the Internet is difficult to adequately police…”

Dear Friend,

I know that time is precious for everyone, so I’ll try to keep this update short. The approximate reading time is about 5 minutes. Toward the bottom, there’s some repetition of announcements from last month for those who’ve just joined the list.

In The News. We’re entering our 10th year, and I know it seems like a long haul for those of you who’ve been with us from the beginning, but there’s much more to come. Just when we thought that everyone had heard our message, we get yet another journalist or reporter contacting us to tell the story again, to thousands more people. Here are some of the recent reports that have featured the Small House Society:

• The New Yorker – “Let’s Get Small – The Rise of the Tiny-House Movement”
• AARP Video Interview with Jay Shafer
• AARP Radio Interview about the Small House Movement
• RadioColoradoCollege.org – Tiny Homes Take Hold

Facebook Page. The Small House Society Facebook Page currently has 1,405 members (up from 1,315 last month). If you’ve not yet done so, please visit the Small House Society Facebook Page and click Like to connect with us there. I’ve been really impressed with how quickly people have joined our Facebook presence. In a few months we’ve seen as much growth as 9 years on Yahoo Groups.

Yahoo Group. The Small House Society Yahoo Group continues to be quite active after about 9 years. For those who prefer a venue other than Facebook, you might want to consider it as a way to connect with other small living people.

Updated Directory of Designers and Builders. One of the most frequent requests we get is from people seeking small home designers and builders. In January I finished updating our directory of small home designers and builders to include the city and state to make it easier for journalists and potential customers to find local small home contacts.

Thanks. I want to thank the global team of volunteers and contributors “behind the scenes” who help make all this possible. I’m very grateful to the many people who continue to uphold and advance the mission of the Small House Society. Thanks again for your support. Please let me know if there is any way that the Small House Society can serve you better.

Regards,
Gregory Johnson, Facilitator, President, Co-Founder
Small House Society

Internet: http://www.smallhousesociety.org
E-Mail: shs @ resourcesforlife.com (without spaces)
Postal: c/o Resources for Life, PO Box 2717, Iowa City, IA 52244-2717
Phone: (319) 621-4911
Subscribe. Enter your email address below and click the Join Now button to be notified when the latest Small House Society newsletter is available.

Summary. There are few things we can do that save time, save money, improve our health, and improve our environment. Using a bottleless water cooler is one such act that can have a huge impact in many areas.

Health Benefits. We know that the choice to drink water instead of sweetened drinks can help with weight loss and improve overall wellness.

Water Quality. Yet, not all water is the same. While bottled water has become an icon for purity, studies show that municipal water is a more reliable source for pure water because of higher standards in quality and testing. Bottled water is also very expensive, even when purchased in bulk or delivered in 5-gallon containers.

Flavor. Of course, municipal water doesn’t always have the best flavor. So, what’s the best alternative?

Filtered Water Cooler Benefits. Filtered water coolers (bottleless water coolers) offer the higher purity and quality control of municipal water, with the additional benefits of on-site filtering. There’s also no need to worry about bottle delivery, or keeping extra full and empty bottles stored somewhere. With options such as activated carbon and RO processing, your water can be as pure as you’d like.

Money Savings. The annual cost of having bottled water delivered can be very high. Filtered water coolers save time and save money while providing a more reliable source of clean water.

Environmental Impact. The time and energy required to recycle bottles is considerable, and sadly, many bottles end up in landfill rather than getting recycled. For those who utilize reusable 5-gallon containers, there’s still an environmental impact of having a truck deliver the water. According to the Environmental Capital Group, the positive environmental impact of even a single company, like Quench for example, is estimated to be equal to having planted over 4 million trees. [More...]

* * *

Full Disclosure. We’ve been promoting the benefits of proper hydration and the importance of pure water for years. Recently, Quench decided to become a supporter of ResourcesForLife.com. Despite their support, our reporting continues to be broad, inclusive, and balanced.

Summary. It’s a little known secret that you can rent a vehicle from Enterprise Rent-A-Car for as little as $9.99 per day if you know how to find the special Weekend Special offer and signup for it. The video below describes how to get the special pricing which is available on economy or compact cars for weekend use only and limited to 100 miles per day.

“I remember the day I was at Enterprise paying for my car, and the person ahead of me was paying only $10 per day. I asked an employee how this could be and the employee whispered to me the tip that has saved me hundreds of dollars. Watch the video below to learn more.” ~ Greg Johnson

Video. Below is a short instructional video showing how to get a rental car for about $10 per day.

Summary. Smalltopia: A Practical Guide to Working for Yourself is full of tips, tools, and strategies to help you create personal freedom through a very small business.

Smalltopia is broken up into three sections: Philosophy, Business Essentials, and Case Studies.

Author, Tammy Stroebel, shares her personal story of escaping the rat race and the lessons she learned along the way.

BUY NOW

Review. Below is a review and testimonial by Gregory Johnson about Smalltopia.

Over 30 years ago I started my own consulting firm. It’s nice to get paid for doing what I love. To be successful, I’ve had to work smart and work hard. Along the way, I learned that simplicity is one of the keys to success — not just financial success but happiness success.

Smalltopia is an essential resource for anyone wanting to start and manage their own business. It’s not just enough to be in business for yourself. It’s not enough just to make lots of money. What’s really important is whether or not you’re happy. Many business owners have complicated, stressful, and busy lives. They have money, but not peace of mind.

If you build your life and business from the Smalltopia blueprints, you’ll be creating a foundation for future success and contentment. ~ Greg Johnson

Summary. Eduardo Porter explores the logic and emotion behind themes of price, value, and worth, in his book The Price of Everything: Solving the Mystery of Why We Pay What We Do. [BUY NOW]

Book Promotion. Perhaps equally intriguing is the creative marketing campaign behind promoting the book. Porter is working with the Leigh Bureau as his agent for public speaking engagements. He has chosen Penguin as his publishing agent. The think-tank creativity agents at SpongeChicago.com have assisted in the promotion of the book by creating a very catching video (below). In their Laboratory for New Thinking, Sponge helps brands find, fulfill, and express their unique identities.

Commentary. This is a commentary by Gregory Johnson about the theme of Porter’s book.

I first learned about The Price of Everything through the impressively crisp and musically rich video created to promote it (see below). I’ve long been fascinated with how our society arrives at determining the price of something. So, inspired by the premise of this book, here are some thoughts about the price of everything.

Everything is Free. The song Everything is Free by Gillian Welch [iTunes] is a folk-style song telling the story of how increasingly things are free that once cost something. Many companies are moving the free line and giving more of their services away for free. This is particularly popular with online providers offering email, photo sharing, video hosting, ebooks, music, email distribution, etc. Rather than giving away the tip of the iceberg and selling everything else, companies are giving away their services to 90% of their customers and the 10% who pay for premium services help fund the entire operation. This is creating a society where many people can have for free the services that meet their basic needs.

Cost and Worth. Gigaom.com offers a very well presented visual report on the cost of an iPhone. The cost of something is essentially the sum of its parts, but the worth of something is often greater. The true value of something is found in how much money and time it can save the one who possesses it. Or, how much money it can create for the possessor. A lawyer can charge $500 per hour because they are saving their client millions of dollars. Sometimes, something is worth a lot not because it saves or makes either time or money, but simply because of how it makes us feel. There are sometimes research and development costs that far exceed the eventual cost to build one mass produced unit. So, all of these factors go into determining the value of something.

Market Value. Another way we arrive at the value of something is by allowing consumers to vote with their purchase decisions on what price is too high. Once the price gets too high, consumer demand diminishes. Of course, for necessary products and services such as food, heat, shelter, and healthcare, consumers will pay whatever it takes. This introduces the possibility for price gouging.

Video. Below is the video produced by SpongeChicago.com for the promotion of The Price of Everything.

Summary. This document provides member tips and guidelines for member customers of the University of Iowa Community Credit Union (UICCU). This page will be updated as necessary.

Benefits. As a financial banking institution in Iowa City, the credit union is small enough to be nimble and responsive to unique customer needs and suggestions.

Services. In the years leading up to 2010, the UICCU has been relying on various companies to provide banking services to customer members. The advantage to this would usually be that the best providers can be selected for each service. However, as a result, a customer member may need to interact with numerous websites and service providers to do their banking. In the future, the UICCU may consider merging all services under a single domain name. The current list is:

• https://www.netit.financial-net.com — This is a third party brokerage company that offers branded online banking for smaller financial institutions. This is the site for reviewing account transactions, bill paying online, and viewing the credit card balance. However, credit card transactions aren’t available for viewing here.
• https://www.uiccu.org – This is the main UICCU website, and no online banking is offered within the UICCU.org domain name.
• https://www.mycardinfo.com – This is a website that doesn’t seem to have the full endorsement or trust of the UICCU, but it is linked from the main UICCU website. It is the only location where UICCU patrons can find their UICCU Visa credit card transactions. When clicking the link from the UICCU website, patrons are warned, “Please be advised that you are leaving University of Iowa Community Credit Union’s website. This link is provided as a courtesy.  University of Iowa Community Credit Union does not endorse or control the content of third party websites.”
• https://www.statement-express.com – This is a third-party website that offers online statements. There is no direct way to login to this site, and no direct link from the UICCU website. The only login path is to enter the online banking, and then navigate to a link where you can leave online banking and go to the Statement-Express.com website.

Essential Information. The following points are essential information for anyone banking at the UICCU and wanting to optimize their experience. You can avoid frustrations by knowing what to expect.

• Credit Card. The UICCU Visa card is actually the best way to make regular daily purchases because it offers greater security and the transaction tracking is more detailed that what is offered for standard checking accounts. However, as is explained below, it is important to use the debit card at least 12 times per month as a credit card transaction to qualify for some special offers.
  • Payments. If you like to conduct banking in real-time, then payments to your card are best made from within the online banking system as a transfer to the card rather than making payments from within the MyCardInfo.com portal where most credit card activity is conducted. The reason is that a transfer payment to the card will show up immediately in your bank account and the actual new balance will be reflected. Regardless of how you pay, the actual payment won’t be processed and reflected on your credit card for several days.
• Deposits in Real-Time. When you make a deposit at the UICCU, the funds are available immediately, even if it’s a check deposit or weekend ATM deposit. That’s the advantage of real-time banking.
• Overdraft Fees in Real-Time. Overdraft fees are assessed immediately in real-time if any check, debit, or electronic transaction takes place when there are insufficient funds at that moment. However, they might not show up in the online banking system until a day or two later. This can be a potential problem, since some electronic payments of varying amounts are withdrawn at unpredictable times. So, if you anticipate making debit transactions on your account, or may be having an electronic bill payment come through, be sure to have the funds in the account ahead of time. What’s nice about the UICCU is that they offer a tiered overdraft fee system that rewards responsible patrons by charging fees well below the industry standard (for the first two). Those who repeatedly overdraw an account are charged a higher fee over time. The tiered system is: 1-2 overdrafts are $19 each transaction, 3-10 are $28 each transaction, and 11 or more are $38 each transaction (regardless of how small the purchase was). With the current online banking system, a patron utilizing online banking might not be aware that these NSF fees are mounting up because they don’t show up until a day or two later, and the bank doesn’t currently have a system in place to notify the patron in a timely manner by phone or email (this may be an option in the future). Overdraft notices are currently sent by postal mail. For these reasons, it’s best to maintain a high balance (you’ll also earn competitive interest). Also, having overdraft protection setup with a savings account can help. Here are some examples of problems that could arise without proper planning:
  • A patron signs into online banking and sees that an unexpected transaction (earlier in the day) has caused their account to be overdrawn. The patron immediately transfers funds to cover that amount. Even so, they will be charged an overdraft fee regardless of how quickly they acted to correct the problem. The fee(s) won’t show up until a day later, so the patron may (unknowingly) be running a negative balance that results in additional overdrafts. If this happens to you, and  you transfer funds, be sure to transfer approximately $30 per transaction that may have caused an overdraft fee (refer to the tiered system mentioned above).
  • A patron may have had some unplanned purchases or expenses during the day. When the patron gets home, they immediately transfers funds to cover their expenses that day. Even so, if any unplanned expenses caused the account to be overdrawn, the patron will be charged an overdraft fee for every transaction regardless of how quickly they act to correct the problem. The fees won’t show up until a day later, so they may (unknowingly) be running a negative balance that results in additional overdrafts. If this happens to you, and  you transfer funds, be sure to transfer approximately $30 per transaction that may have caused an overdraft fee (refer to the tiered system mentioned above).
  • A patron may be shopping, make a purchase, and then later in the day find the same item elsewhere for less money. They return the item purchased from one store, and buy it at another. This can cause their account to spiral into an ever increasing negative balance. Although stores and banks have figured out a way to instantaneously take your money, they are reluctant to have money returned in a timely manner. So, refunds may take days to show up in your account, but purchases will show up immediately. Be sure to pay very close attention to your account and maintain a much higher balance than you perceive is necessary.

Summary. This document is a response by Gregory Johnson to the article Conflict or Cooperation by Walter E. Williams.

* * *

Business Success in a Marketplace Democracy
by Gregory Johnson

Walter E. Williams wrote an article called Conflict or Cooperation that describes how big government can hinder freedom and liberty by allowing a majority to make choices contrary to what the minority wants. The article appears as a 31 March 2010 entry for Williams on the Creators.com website and is also on his George Mason University web page (source).

In his article, Williams provides the example of prayer in school as an illustration of how government can cause a majority choice to infringe on the liberty of a minority:

Take the issue of prayers in school as an example. I think that everyone, except a maniacal tyrant, would agree that a parent has the right to decide whether his child will recite a morning prayer in school. Similarly, a parent has a right to decide that his child will not recite a morning prayer. Conflict arises because schools are government owned. That means it is a political decision whether prayers will be permitted or not. A win for one parent means a loss for another parent. The losing parent, in order to get what he wants, would have to muster up private school tuition while continuing to pay taxes for a school for which he has no use. If education were only government financed, as opposed to being government financed and produced, say through education vouchers, the conflict would be reduced. Both parents could have their wishes fulfilled by enrolling their child in a private school of their choice and instead of being enemies, they could be friends.

Human Nature. I agree with most of what Williams is saying, but he doesn’t quite go far enough. The fact is that the failings we see in our political system are human nature and they also exist in the free marketplace. They are human failings, not political ones. It’s, unfortunately, human nature (for some humans at least), to use their majority power in politics or the marketplace to become a collective tyrant and disregard the desires or needs of the minority. Some people in politics and the marketplace simply have a hard time getting along with others. So, their solution is to take control, or, split away if they can’t be in control.

Learning to Get Along. What is really needed in our society is a sense of tolerance, diversity, and liberty. So, in the case of prayer in school, it would be more equitable and true to the principles our nation was founded on to simply allow the day to be started with a choice of prayer or not. Those wanting prayer time, could meet in the auditorium. Those who don’t wan to start the day with prayer could meet in their classrooms or another area of school. Problem solved. Rather than splitting the schools into praying and non-praying schools, why not just encourage people to cooperate with each other and respect differences. One of the most important lessons children will learn in school is to learn to get along with others. United we stand, divided we fall. What are we teaching children if we build separate praying and non-praying schools?

Separatism Never Ends. Assume we have separate schools for praying and non-praying students. What if the majority of students in praying school happen to be Muslim? For some towns in America this could easily be true. Should the prayers in the auditorium be Islamic prayers? In Williams’ example, the schools should keep splitting up into smaller and smaller schools each representing their own separatist views until, presumably, we have the kind of sectarian division and strife that exists in Iraq. It’s not practical or healthy to have as many schools as we have religions and denominations or sects of those religions. At some point, people need to learn how to live together. A better approach is to learn how we can create solutions that accommodate everyone. Those who pray and those who don’t pray should be able to go to school together under the same roof.

Marketplace Democracy. As we all know, the democracy in our country doesn’t just occur in voting booths every two years. It occurs every day when we vote with our money. What we really have in our country is a marketplace democracy more than a political democracy. The consumers of the marketplace decide everything, including who becomes elected, what companies rise and which ones fall, and what social trends will sweep the nation. No politician or government has that kind of power. Organizations, companies, services, and/or products not receiving enough money will dwindle away for lack of support. It doesn’t mean they were bad necessarily, but they just didn’t have a large enough economic support base.

When Politics and the Marketplace Fail. There are situations when the marketplace system and political system don’t work on their own to serve the greater good. For example, if we were voting (with dollars or votes) on whether to spend money in our society for wheelchair accessible buildings, the majority of people might vote that it isn’t necessary (since it doesn’t serve their immediate personal interests). The reason we accommodate and assist children, the elderly, and handicapped people isn’t because it’s necessarily economically profitable in the marketplace or prudent politically, it’s just the humane and compassionate thing to do. So, compassion is more important than democracy in politics or popularity and profits in the marketplace. Compassion is the trump card.

Here’s a real-world example of how politics and the marketplace both failed to protect liberty and equal access to services. In March 2006, a group of rural Iowans were without high-speed Internet service. They were still using dial-up modems. Qwest was providing them phone service, but not DSL, and Mediacom wasn’t there at all. Neither as consumers in the marketplace nor as voting citizens would their collective voices been enough to get high-speed Internet service. Only with the help of the Consumer Defense Resource Group were these citizens able to receive the basic high-speed Internet service that others have had for years.

• Learn More. Big utility companies like Mediacom, Qwest, and Mid American Energy are given tax breaks as well as the use of public airwaves and public lands to conduct their business. They also have the benefit of being a monopoly in most markets. In exchange for this, they are expected to equitably serve the taxpayers who partially fund their businesses. Most of their profits come from population-dense urban areas where a small investment to deliver service, to an apartment building for example, produces a larger profit than delivering service to a rural farm house. Unless pressured to do so, most businesses simply ignore any marketplace minority that offers low profitability. Yet, we all recognize that everyone, even rural farmers, need basic services such electricity, water, sewer, waste removal, phones, schools, libraries, and roads. The Federal Government now recognizes broadband Internet as an essential service that needs to be delivered to all citizens.

Business Success in Marketplace Democracy. There’s a restaurant in the town where I live called Mia Za’s. It’s primarily an Italian food restaurant, but they offer a little bit of everything for everyone including some baked goods from local bakeries. Mia Za’s has an amazing variety of foods, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, pastas, and more. That’s common for larger restaurants, but what’s uncommon is that when ordering, customers can write up their orders on highly customizable order forms. For example, you can create a salad from scratch or just choose from a menu of popular salads. In the Mia Za’s world, nobody is left out even if they represent a minority of customers with a certain food preference. In fact, every individual is treated as a unique person with their own food preferences. Under one roof, one finds vegetarians and meat eaters, pasta lovers and those who prefer sandwiches, all living in harmony. The reason this business model works so well is because it reflects and reinforces our better nature and the inner intuitive sense and desire to get along with everyone. We all want freedom and choices, not only for ourselves but for others. Were the Mia Za’s approach applied to government, politics, school, or the marketplace, we’d all be much better off. There’d be no need for the conflict that Williams addresses in his article.

• Learn More – Mia Za’s Model Applied to Education. During my senior year of high school, the school I was attending began testing a Mia Za’s-like approach to education. As seniors, we could choose what courses we wanted. It was a lot like registering for classes at the college level. Rather than serving up education like a combo-meal at McDonalds, they were taking a risk that students would have an interest in their own education and destiny. Initially school administrators were very concerned about what students would do given freedom of choice with education. Like a Mia Za’s menu, students could pick and choose what courses they wanted, and even customize the courses. Rather than a majority of administrators or parents fighting over what combo-meal curriculum would be offered, everyone got to choose the education they wanted. This is one example of many where creativity, ingenuity, and cooperation can result in serving everyone’s needs without there needing to be winners or losers.

When Quality is the Bottom Line. When I was managing a Radio Shack store in California, my pay, bonuses, promotions, and recognition were based on sales volume. The formula for success was quite easy: Focus on the high dollar sales. For some reason, I was often compelled to think beyond that model, and those around me were perplexed when I would patiently spend time helping customers with smaller purchases. One day, an elderly lady came into the store looking for a phonograph needle — the kind that could play 33 RPM or flip over and play 78 RPM albums (if you can remember back that far). I spent a bunch of time helping her, and when she left the store satisfied, the people I was working with simply had to ask me why it is that I would spend so much money on a $1 sale. So, I explained to them about what I call the other bottom line: that of excellence in service.

• Learn More. A few weeks after helping that elderly woman with her phonograph needle, the corporate office of Radio Shack sent out a letter to all of our stores. Apparently the elderly woman was so impressed with the service she’d received that she wrote the president of Radio Shack about it. The news of that $1 sale reached the desk of the president, and it became an example of how the company wanted their employees to treat every customer. When companies and employees strive for excellence in service, everyone benefits. Certainly a company known for excellent service will attract more customers and grow, but good customer service isn’t just about excelling in business, it’s common courtesy. The same is true when offering exceptional products. Of course, it’s good for a company’s reputation and long-term sales figures, but it’s also the right thing to do. The example above of Mia Za’s is a good illustration of offering exceptional products, excellent service, and great value.

Marketplace Cooperation. In his article, Williams suggests that government promotes conflict, but the free market economy promotes cooperation. Conventional wisdom tells us the opposite is true. For example, one state that does research on highway costs and develops a method to construct more durable and economical road surfaces will share this with other state governments. There is some competition between countries, yet even so, research into health and eliminating poverty is often shared when seeking to make the world a better place. However, in the free market economy, businesses are constantly competing and rarely would they share information that might give their competitor’s an edge.

• Learn More. There are some examples of marketplace cooperation, yet they don’t come about naturally. Instead, cooperative models of business are usually developed by people who recognize the benefits of working with each other rather than against each other. One example is the Iowa City Area Computer Support Cooperative. This is a cooperative business model that results in higher quality service at more economical prices when businesses work together.

Conclusion. Here are a few principles to remember:

• Fairness, freedom, and cooperation only thrive in politics and business when we take the initiative to promote and defend these principles.
• Those who make excellence (in products and services) their bottom line will ultimately have greater success than those who always choose to do what is cheapest, easiest, and/or makes the most profit.
• Cooperation with people will produce better results for everyone than competing against them. A hybrid model of competing with people (rather than against them) can inspire everyone to do better.

Video Commentary. Below is a video commentary by Gregory Johnson about the potential challenges of democracy.