More of the same, only more so? In a sense, yes, this week’s news items bear a strong resemblance to those that have been listed week after week for some time. Keep heart, though, we’re continuing to work on introducing the principles of the Just Third Way as applied in the Economic Democracy Act:
• Cannot Win or Lose. This announcement keeps popping up, but yet another expert has declared Russia can’t afford either to win or lose the war it is waging against Ukraine. Putin has created a demographic nightmare, driven key people out of the country, committed war crimes, and so on, etc., etc., etc., but he can’t stop or what is left of the Russian economy will plunge into total chaos, as the war is currently the total focus of everything in the country, even as people try desperately to ignore it or come to the attention of the authorities in the wrong way. At the same time, if Putin continues the war, losses of men, matériel, and, yes, money, will continue to mount astronomically. Russia is already losing more men every two weeks than it lost in ten years in Afghanistan. What is the solution? Stop the war, and reorient the economy to be for people rather than war, as presented in the Economic Democracy Act.
• Good Things from Bad Things. A woman has made a fortune by investing in Detroit real estate. She bought very cheap, did a lot of hands-on work, and spent significant money on renovation. Clearly, economic chaos favors anyone with the resources and ability to take advantage of it. The problem is, an economy should operate for everyone, not just the favored few. For example, had Detroit implemented the Homeowners Equity Corporation, everyone could benefit from buying low, renovating, and moving in, rather than flipping the properties for profit. Overall, of course, this and many other problems (although not all of them) could be solved or ameliorated by adopting the Economic Democracy Act.
• The Federal Reserve “WILL” Cut Rates in September. More experts are predicting the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this month and, of course, are recommending which gambling option will pay off the most. The real issue, of course, is not which bet will pay off in response to the manipulation of the interest rate — a cornerstone of socialism and Keynesian economics — but why the Federal Reserve isn’t filling its function as the guarantor of adequate money and credit for the private sector. That is the goal of the Economic Democracy Act, which would get the economy off Keynesianism and put it on a more rational basis.
• Russia’s Economic Boom. Or was that “Bomb”? This surprisingly objective analysis is not optimistic about Russia’s economic survival, all due to Putin’s megalomania. There is, fortunately, a solution, however. That is to adopt the Economic Democracy Act.
• Russia’s Demographic Crisis. It seems almost simpleminded, but if you insist on hitting yourself on the head with a hammer, taking an aspirin probably won’t stop the headache. Similarly, as Putin insists on continuing the war against Ukraine (which he insists is really against NATO and the United States and Great Britain and France and Montenegro and Switzerland and Italy and San Marino and Prince Leonard of the Principality of Hutt River, and anyone and everyone who annoys him) and proclaims his desire to reverse Russia’s population decline so he can have more soldiers to increase his glory, he is ignoring the fact his war is the primary reason for Russia’s birthrate now being at a twenty-five year low — and it was scraping the bottom of the barrel before. (Admittedly, Russia’s birthrate is still higher than that of the Vatican . . .) What’s the solution? Stop the war and adopt 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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