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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2003)
Winter Reading 2003-2004 Let us help you Make your own unique gifts for the holidays From $5–$500 Spend wisely, seek balance, live richly. T HE P ERFECT P ANTS Because you pick the style, color and the fabric Laurie McClain Socially Responsive Investing 10 styles 60 colors Made here in Eugene 132 E. Broadway, Suite 501 • Eugene 541-686-1908 • 1-800-386-1908 www.mcclainsri.com T ENCEL , C OTTON , L INEN & R AYON Member, First Affirmative Financial Network 1416 W ILLAMETTE S T . Securities offered through a registered representative of Walnut Street Securities, Inc. (WSS) member NASD and SIPC. First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC (FAFN) specializes in socially responsible investments and is a registered investment advisor with the SEC. FAFN is not a control affiliate or subsidiary of WSS. 24 DECEMBER 4, 2003 www.zonaclothes.com 687-9175 Capitalism’s Higher Purpose The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy by William Greider. Simon & Schuster, 2003. Hardcover, $28. W illiam Greider’s back with a new book that examines capi- talism with a critical but hope- ful eye. Greider has made a name for him- self as a reporter for The Washington Post, “Frontline” on PBS and The Nation maga- zine. His two previous books, Who Will Tell the People and Secrets of the Temple were praised for their insight and depth in- vestigation of American politics and the Federal Reserve. American-style capitalism is under attack today not only from ideologues on the far left but also, and more significant- ly, from political moderates. Increasingly, moderates are growing cynical in the face of blatant corruption on Wall Street, cor- porate shenanigans on a grand scale, pen- sion funds theft, government policy dictat- ed by special interests, and large-scale environmental destruction at home and abroad. Few of us are eager to abandon capital- ism, but can we “fix” capitalism so that it has a “soul” or higher purpose of more equitably meeting the broad needs of soci- ety? How can our economy contribute to democracy rather than dimish it? Grieder doesn’t put much faith in liberals’ demands for more legislation or regula- tion, but he finds hope in the creative new business models quietly taking root in U.S. enterprise. Greider writes at length about compa- nies today that are successfully replacing feudalistic hierarchies with shared owner- ship and decision-making. “Running a successful business is dif- ficult,” he writes, “and self-ownership is more so, because people must also alter their own attitudes and aspirations and develop new, more trusting relations among themselves. Profound change is always difficult, yet it is always required
