There seems to be more of a focus on financial problems associated with retirement . . . something which (as we’ve commented previously) might need a little bit of rethinking. There are other news items, of course, notably the notice about the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum event in Ottawa, Canada, but still many problems might be resolved or reduced in magnitude by adopting the Economic Democracy Act:
• Free Nations Post Russia Forum. If you’re going to be in or near Ottawa, Ontario (you know, the capital of Canada . . . or you should know) on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm, local time, you should make a point of attending the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum there (the website is in Russian, but you can click on the translation option). The event will take place on Parliament Hill (197 Sparks Street, Wellington Building, Ottawa, Ontario) and advance registration is required. Send an email to freenationsrf.org@gmail.com to reserve a place and receive a confirmation via email — the confirmation email is essential for security reasons. We don’t know if the event will be livestreamed but will try to find out. CESJ sent a representative to the Forum in Washington, DC, this past April and was impressed with the speakers and the presentations (the only thing missing was the Economic Democracy Act . . .), so you should plan to attend if at all possible.
• Trump’s Shocking Tariff Proposals. Candidate Trump seems to be leaning in the direction of America First, protectionism, splendid isolation, and so on, but his tariff proposals have the so-called expert worried. Ironically, in common with all the (other) experts and candidates, Trump is a one-factor thinker and doesn’t see widespread capital ownership as an option. What neither he nor any of the others understand is if the United States had the Economic Democracy Act, protectionism would become irrelevant as would the concern about immigration and capital flight, etc.
• Retiree Regrets. Yet another reason to rethink retirement. It seems that one of retirees’ biggest regrets is not saving enough money. Not investing enough money? Why aren’t these people aware “savings = investment”? Instead of saving now to spend later, why not invest now to get income later? Better yet, why not adopt the Economic Democracy Act, which is geared toward empowering everyone with the ability to acquire self-liquidating capital assets, that is, pays for itself and then generates income for the investor, not just accumulate cash to spend.
• Russia’s Credit Woes. Russia is having a few fiscal problems. Yes, we know, go cry in your vodka. With an inflation rate of 27% — thanks in
large measure to the invasion of Ukraine TDSMOtOPOaIHWaPaRaEEE (Three-Day
Special Military Operation to Obliterate Putin’s Opponents and Increase His
Wealth and Power at Russia’s and Everyone Else’s Expense) — ordinary Russians
are struggling to buy food as their wages are eaten up by inflation . . . many
storekeepers have removed butter from the shelves due to shoplifting; you have
to ask for it specially. In response, the
Russian Central Bank is raising the interest rate from 19% to 21%. Riiiiight.
Inflation, defined as a rise in the price level, is rarely if ever
resolved by raising the price level.
What’s the answer? Adopt the
monetary and credit reforms of the
Economic Democracy Act.
• Time Again to Rethink Retirement. What with the economy being the way it is for normal people (we’re ignoring the wealthy gamblers on Wall Street), there is more buzz about “returning to work” after “retirement.” On top of trying to convince employers to hire you after you’re over the age of 60, finding a job that doesn’t make you barf, possible taxation of Social Security benefits, etc., etc., etc., there’s the realization that it’s all so unnecessary, or would be if Congress had adopted the Economic Democracy Act. It may be time once again to think about the concept of retirement. Instead of “saving for retirement,” why not “invest for life”? Concentrate on obtaining enough capital ownership to generate an adequate and secure income for people at any age, and people will be able to work when they want to, not when they need to, regardless how old or young they are.
• Again, With Homes as Investment. As regular readers of these news notes are aware, we do not view primary dwellings as investments. They are a necessary consumer expense, shelter, that just happens in many cases turns out to have a substantial residual value if purchased instead of rented. That is why, although we strongly advocate home ownership over renting, we are irritated at promoting home ownership as an investment. Now, that being said, there is a way both to make home ownership much more feasible by treating it “as if” it was a capital investment, and to manage it the same way — up to a point. It’s called the “Homeowners Equity Corporation” or “HEC” and it’s an integral part of the Economic Democracy Act (“EDA”). Interestingly, both the HEC and the EDA could easily be implemented in Ukraine to finance the rebuilding of the country without the necessity of government debt or foreign loans or grants.
• 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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