Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Law free

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 11 May 2011, at 12:56 AM, Wayne Tyson wrote:

>  but I don't know why you don't follow that 
> practice. Why would you and why would you not? 

Because it would create such instability that everyone would move out. No bank 
would give a mortgage. No one would buy in. It's unsustainable unless you go 
off the grid and live according to some other standard. The places I know that 
do that, however, have very stringent rules. They are not law-free by any 
means. Dancing Rabbit, for example, requires that people live there for a year 
before they can become a member. Then there are very clear work and money 
requirements. They vary from one house to another but they are very clear.

Arguments for money also apply to labor. Labor is essential to establishing a 
stable community unless you pay for everything that needs to be done. Either 
you balance the books with money or you balance it with labor, or a mix of 
both. The floor has to be cleaned — you pay or play.

The problem is that communities get the labor now, they just get huge 
contributions from a few people and moderate amounts from more, and then a 
little bit from some and none from others. Not everyone feels good about that.

But my question is why we tolerate that in labor but not in  money? We make 
rules about money but not about labor — why?

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org