Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Question re cohousing financing

[Tom Lent (tlent]

At 01:15 PM 10/20/96 EDT, Bob M. LKG2-A/R5 226-7570 wrote:
>  I am concerned about something you said in your posting about where you got
>financing for initial purchase of land. You said that part of your financing
>came from "the local war tax resistance fund". I interpret this to mean that
>there is a local organization whose members are withholding from their federal
>income taxes the percentage that, in their estimation, is used for "making
>war", and that this group has loaned some money from this fund for the coho
>project. My question is, did the coho group agree by consensus to accept this
>money and, if so, was there any dissent?
>  My concern is that accepting loans from a group like this would put an ideo-
>logical spin on the project. That is, it would represent an ever-so-subtle
>tilt toward pacifism and toward disrespect for federal tax laws.
>
>Bob

There was no formal vote on accepting this loan. The group was fully
informed that it was being considered and no one raised an objection  We
actually have accepted investments from the fund in two seperate pieces. It
is a straight loan with no special accomodation different from any other
investor. Several of the original members of this group have been involved
with the war tax resistance movement, in fact the group started many years
ago with a few people wo met and decided to pursue cohousing at a community
building workshop that was part of a regional war tax resistance conference.

This community definitely does have a tilt toward pacifism (hey, this IS
Berkeley). We (the three households with 4 year olds) are proud to support a
local preschool that emphasizes conflict resolution skills and appreciating
diversity in its curriculum. I also hope that as struggle with consensus and
build the conflict resolution and community building skills so necessary to
make cohousing work we are simultaneously providing a learning opportunity
for our kids that will help them be better peace makers in the world.

My understanding of the war tax resistance moevement is that it does not
seek to encourage disrespect for federal law, but rather seeks to grapple
with the contradictions between our deeply held moral values and the laws we
live under, and seeks to help people find the most personally appropriate
ways to act on matters of deep concern and conscience when those values are
undermined by a law. Talk ot a tax resister and you will see that acting
against the law of our government is not taken lightly or in a manner of
disrespect at all. 

Tom - Berkeley Cohousing
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Tom Lent * 2220 Sacramento St * Berkeley, CA 94702-1907
           email: tlent [at] igc.org * phone: 510/845-5243
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