Again, there is not too much new this week, and, again, most of it could be resolved by adopting the Economic Democracy Act:
• Sports for Sale. The Pohlad family, which has owned the Minnesota Twins baseball team since 1984, is selling the team. Whatever the reasons for selling, there is one reason not given for buying and one strategy. If, as the Pohlad family declares, the team is an integral part of the community, why not sell the team to the players and the community? Something similar was done with the Green Bay Packers football team ’way back when, but it is not a perfect model and can be improved upon to give the ostensible owners (i.e., players and community members) control and income. Perhaps the principals involved might want to take a look at the Economic Democracy Act, and possibly come up with some creative ideas.
• Penny Stupid, Pound Stupider. There are people who have so much money they buy what they want without giving it too much thought other than it falls within their admittedly immense budget. This is the sort of thing we see in the thankfully old and largely forgotten jokes about rich Texans, e.g., the Texan with bad eyesight whose automobile windshield is ground to his prescription, or the Texan who buys a Rolls Royce for cash and asks for his change in Volkswagens. Above and beyond that class of rich are people who have so much money that it has no meaning for them. Money for them is power, and their power is unlimited, to the point where it is not even obscene, but ludicrous. One of the selling points of the Economic Democracy Act is the wealthy will be left with their accumulations intact, but that really has no meaning for such people. Even if they add nothing to their current accumulations, they could spend, spend, spend at their current rates and not run out of money for a few generations. That is actually to the good, for if everyone had access to ownership of productive capital, there would be the need for people who can consume at phenomenal rates without producing until things even out so that consumers produce what they consume and vice versa . . . which will take at least three generations. So, we don’t have to worry about the ultra-super rich. It is a self-solving problem. Just pass the Economic Democracy Act.
• Milton and the Stock Market. Why, in the aftermath of a horrifyingly destructive storm, is the stock market soaring? We suppose it could be similar to the profits to be made from the rise in the market noted during wartime, but it could also be that the performance of the stock market has absolutely no connection to economic reality. Somehow, we think it might be the latter. What’s the solution? You guessed it: adopt the Economic Democracy Act.
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| John Maynard Keynes |
• Employment and Inflation. In Keynesian Lalaland, there is a tradeoff between inflation and employment. If you want low unemployment, you must accept high inflation, and if you want low inflation, you must accept high unemployment. The basis of this is extraordinarily dubious, but it has become economic dogma that must not be questioned, which is why the alleged low U.S. inflation and increase in jobless claims is sending panic throughout the world. The irony is that it is all so unnecessary, and could easily be resolved by adopting the Economic Democracy Act.
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| If this doesn't creep you out, nothing will. |
• Russia’s National Bankruptcy. Putin’s war in Ukraine is now swallowing whole a gigantic proportion of the Russian economy at the same time the war effort is a money pit. Some estimates are Russia will not recover economically for a decade, while when the demographic disaster is factored in, Russia might never recover and become reduced permanently to the status of undeveloped country. This is not, however, if they stop the war and adopt the Economic Democracy Act . . . which is not likely, given the current mindsets of world leaders today.
• 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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