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| Vladimir Putin, Savior of the World |
• A Little Russian Paranoia. Okay, a LOT of Russian paranoia. In response to “western” sanctions (the United States, of course, being closer in the East to Russian than in the West, about a mile away or so), which were imposed when Russia began the latest invasion of Ukraine and announced a program of world domination, some “figures” in the Kremlin are calling for declaring an undeclared war against the United States and its “crappy” allies (Russia’s term, not ours). It seems that, although there’s no way (according to Putin) the United States or any other country can inflict damage on Russia, they are suffering damage that even their massive fake news propaganda machine cannot cover up fast enough. Having lost nearly as many soldiers in a little over two years of undeclared war as both sides did in the American Civil War over four years (the bloodiest war in U.S. history), even Putin might be having second thoughts about the wisdom of his three-day war that has now gone on for more than two years. The horrifying losses have ensured that the Russian Federation may never recover its status as a presumed world power and may very well be broken up into its constituent republics, with “Russia” left as a rump republic in the area around Moscow. Whatever happens (and Russia is finished, regardless) the only realistic hope for either Ukraine or Russia (or bits of it) for rebuilding is to adopt the Economic Democracy Act.
• Missing Copper. It seems Russia’s war profiteers and China’s war profiteers may be at odds. A rather large amount of copper has gone missing, and the various groups of thieves in China and Russia are scrambling around trying to fix the situation. Russia is desperate for foreign exchange to support both its collapsing economy and failing war effort, while China is not quite as desperate to acquire copper for its weakening economic efforts but still anxious . . . all the while trying to screw the Russians to weaken them so they can seize Siberia and move into India while engaging in the usual internal power struggles endemic to totalitarian regimes. And you thought the U.S. had problems. Whatever the case, the first country to adopt the Economic Democracy Act is going to be eons ahead of everyone else, economically speaking, so it is completely baffling why world leaders resist it so strongly . . . unless they see a threat to their own personal wealth and power from an economically empowered citizenry.
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| Fed Drowning in BAD Debt |
• Federal Reserve Losses. The Federal Reserve’s gigantic paper losses are turning into real losses as the real economy — as opposed to the surreal economy of Washington and Wall Street — continues to degenerate, with the non-rich getting non-richer and the ultra-rich becoming more so at an exponential rate. Experts are claiming actual Fed losses are now in the rather exclusive neighborhood of $1 trillion with more coming. Ironically, the losses are from holding the sort of securities the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 prohibits the Federal Reserve from holding, and monetizing them in a way not allowed in the U.S. Constitution — a double financial and legal whammy, if you will. There is a way out, of course: adopt the Economic Democracy Act and put the economy on a sound footing both to retire such non-productive securities and get them off the nation’s books, and rebuild the economic and financial strength to take the hit and recover from the losses stronger than before. Make America Solvent Again? Why not?
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| Russian banks stopping payment |
• Russian Economic Freefall and Bank Collapse. The Russian stock market is going into the cellar, with experts claiming it’s the shift away from the U.S. Dollar and the Euro causing it. There is also the problem that several Russian banks have stopped payment in an effort to forestall potential runs as depositors seek to withdraw funds. All of this proves that neither the Russians nor anyone else really understand the role of the secondary stock market or how commercial banks and central banks are supposed to operate. With modern communications and a properly run banking system, a run on a bank (much less dozens of them) should be impossible. Commercial banks should be able to obtain additional reserves instantly by rediscounting their loans at the central bank . . . except that central banks have been hijacked for political purposes by government with nothing left for the private sector . . . which shows they have no idea how a central bank really is supposed to function. That’s why the monetary and tax reforms in the Economic Democracy Act. are so essential if the global economy is to survive Keynesian insanity.
• America’s Debt and Net Worth. According to the Bureau of Fiscal Service, America’s public — and completely non-productive — debt and liabilities now stands at $42.9 trillion and counting. At the same time, America’s net worth in private sector agricultural, industrial, and commercial wealth is estimated at $123.8 trillion, while the federal government owns $5.2 trillion in assets. Ironically, the entire national debt could be transformed from non-performing to performing within a very short time (one to two years), and repaid within thirty to forty years or even sooner if the United States adopted a program of “Total Financial Mobilization” to get rid of non-productive debt and replace it with productive debt, create full employment of labor and capital, save Social Security, eliminate student debt, establish and maintain the U.S. Dollar as a uniform, stable, elastic, and asset-backed reserve currency, among a host of other benefits — and all by adopting the Economic Democracy Act.
• 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 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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