Pursuit of Happiness

Jeanne at Body and Soul isn't your typical blogger; rather than innumerable posts during the day on a plethora of topics, she lets a subject that catchs her attention simmer for a while and then posts a thought-provoking essay on it. Read her latest on the 'ownership society':

At some level, I think most people understand that once you have food, clothing, shelter, and a few personally important luxuries (for me -- books and music), the things that add the most to your life -- schools, health care, a clean environment, pleasant surroundings, museums, etc. -- are things that either you can't provide for yourself, or things that function best when everyone shares in them.

So the problem with focusing on making more and more people part of an "ownership society," isn't just that it's a scam, but that even if you really tried to make it happen, society wouldn't necessarily be better off.