The only thing significantly different from previous news notes is the fact that they seem to be getting weirder . . . and staying the same all the time. Cutting to the chase, the only thing that’s going to make the situation better is to adopt the Economic Democracy Act:
• Labor Productivity Rebounding! Yes, according to a recent analysis from the Bank of America, labor productivity, that has been in a slump for fifteen years, is finally coming back! And what does that mean? It means that the workers who were not producing any more with their labor than they have for the last several thousand years have finally been replaced at an accelerating rate by advancing technology, so that “output per labor hour” (the definition of “labor productivity”) is increasing again. It doesn’t mean that workers are producing more, but that the machines that are replacing them are producing more. What’s the answer? For former workers to buy the machines that are doing the producing, which is one of the goals of the Economic Democracy Act.
• Stop Waiting. Word on the Street (meaning Wall Street) is that investors and companies should stop waiting for the Federal Reserve to make a decision about interests rates and just do what they were going to do, anyway. This makes sense. Although the Federal Reserve is supposed to be in the business of ensuring an adequate and stable money supply for the private sector, it is really (currently) in the business of implementing the latest programs of politicians who don’t know what they’re doing until the people with money and votes tell them. Since that means investors and companies, the Federal Reserve can usually be counted on to back up whatever decision the gamblers on Wall Street have made. So why not go right ahead and do what you want to do, anyway? Of course, if you want a sane economy, you can always adopt the Economic Democracy Act, but what fun would that be?
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| Robert Kiyosaki |
• Baby Boomer Bust Looming. He probably isn’t too happy about it, either, but Robert Kiyosaki is rapidly becoming America’s favorite (if that is the right word) financial Cassandra. He is predicting a financial meltdown because of the economic and financial lunacy that has driven the global and U.S. economy since the New Deal . . . and we think he’s right, except he doesn’t have a solution. We do: adopt the Economic Democracy Act. It’s not that hard, but it does spread out financial, and thus political power quite a bit, and that probably scares the pants off of the financial totalitarians.
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| Soon to get REAL tee'd off . . . |
• Enough is Enough! Just when you thought you’d heard it all, they come up with something else. It seems the gamblers, the brokers, this time, are buying up prime tee times on golf courses. Of course, something like a tee time, while better than bitcoin as it has something behind it, is completely dependent on whether people want it. It’s not a need, it’s a very discretionary want, and if the price goes too high, people won’t want it anymore. It would be better, in our opinion, to invest in something productive and have the Economic Democracy Act, but frankly, who cares what gamblers do with their money . . . especially if you don’t play golf?
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| The economy is doing great, just great . . . |
• Fun With Interest Rates. According to the experts, the Federal Reserve’s fiddling with interest rates means that the “housing market” is going to take decades to recover. The answer, of course, is to adopt the Economic Democracy Act, and let the market set interest rates.
• The Economy is Saved! (Again). Jobless claims are down, and home sales are surging! The economy is on solid ground . . . until next week, when all this changes and the real economy runs the risk of surfacing. Frankly, the only thing that’s going to put the economy on “solid ground” is the Economic Democracy Act., and we’d better get busy and adopt it.
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| No comment. |
• And They Call ME Stupid? An insurance scam that was supposed to net the perp a gazillion dollars only netted him a few thousand and left him crippled for life . . . and now he has to repay even the pittance he received. Nothing will ever put an end to this kind of stupidity and greed, but perhaps the Economic Democracy Act might keep people from doing such bat-bleep crazy things as cutting off your own legs for money.
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| Why not try something REALLY radical? |
• Ben and Jerry’s Sale. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is again being sold. Unilever is getting back in the business of business and will focus on their core competency instead of ice cream. Oddly, although Ben and Jerry’s has been noted for being “progressive,” we notice they don’t bother to treat the workers any different from other traditional companies. Why doesn’t Unilever sell the company to its workers and do something truly progressive? That’s what Bob’s Red Mill did, and gained eternal (or at least memorable) commendation.
• Greater Reset “Book Trailers”. We have produced two ninety-second “Book Trailers” for distribution (by whoever wants to distribute them), essentially minute and a half commercials for The Greater Reset. There are two versions of the videos, one for “general audiences” and the other for “Catholic audiences”. Take your pick.
• The Greater Reset. CESJ’s new book by members of CESJ’s core group, The Greater Reset: Reclaiming Personal Sovereignty Under Natural Law is, of course, available from the publisher, TAN Books, an imprint of Saint Benedict Press, and has already gotten a top review on that website. It can also be obtained from Barnes and Noble, as well as Amazon, or by special order from your local “bricks and mortar” bookstore. The Greater Reset is the only book of which we’re aware on “the Great Reset” that presents an alternative instead of simply warning of the dangers inherent in a proposal that is contrary to natural law. It describes reality, rather than a Keynesian fantasy world. Please note that The Greater Reset is NOT a CESJ publication as such, and enquiries about quantity discounts and wholesale orders for resale must be sent to the publisher, Saint Benedict Press, NOT to CESJ.
• Economic Personalism Landing Page. A landing page for CESJ’s latest publication, Economic Personalism: Property, Power and Justice for Every Person, has been created and can be accessed by clicking on this link. Everyone is encouraged to visit the page and send the link out to their networks.
• Economic Personalism. When you purchase a copy of Economic Personalism: Property, Power and Justice for Every Person, be sure you post a review after you’ve read it. It is available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble at the cover price of $10 per copy. You can also download the free copy in .pdf available from the CESJ website. If you’d like to order in bulk (i.e., ten or more copies) at the wholesale price, send an email to publications@cesj.org for details. CESJ members get a $2 rebate per copy on submission of proof of purchase. Wholesale case lots of 52 copies are available at $350, plus shipping (whole case lots ONLY). Prices are in U.S. dollars.
• Sensus Fidelium Videos, Update. CESJ’s series of videos for Sensus Fidelium are doing very well, with over 155,000 total views. The latest Sensus Fidelium video is “The Five Levers of Change.” The video is part of the series on the book, Economic Personalism. The latest completed series on “the Great Reset” can be found on the “Playlist” for the series. The previous series of sixteen videos on socialism is available by clicking on the link: “Socialism, Modernism, and the New Age,” along with some book reviews and other selected topics. For “interfaith” presentations to a Catholic audience they’ve proved to be popular, edging up to 150,000 views to date. They aren’t really “Just Third Way videos,” but they do incorporate a Just Third Way perspective. You can access the playlist for the entire series. The point of the videos is to explain how socialism and socialist assumptions got such a stranglehold on the understanding of the role of the State and thus the interpretation of Catholic social teaching, and even the way non-Catholics and even non-Christians understand the roles of Church, State, and Family, and the human persons place in society.
Those are the happenings for this week, at least those that we know about. If you have an accomplishment that you think should be listed, send us a note about it at mgreaney [at] cesj [dot] org, and well see that it gets into the next “issue.” Due to imprudent and intemperate language on the part of some commentators, we removed temptation and disabled comments.
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