The news items this week approach the surreal, with items contradicting each other, and others simply not making sense. As usual, many of these problems could either be resolved or made much less worrisome by adopting the Economic Democracy Act:
• Consumer Sentiment Slips. Due to “frustration over high prices,” consumers are not feeling very optimistic despite falling gas prices and an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. This baffles the experts who don’t understand that there is more to life than less expensive gas and an increase in gambling on Wall Street. Part of the problem is a virtually complete lack of understanding of money, credit, banking, and finance, not to mention contradicting Keynes and realizing economics itself as consisting of something other than money manipulation. What’s the solution? Adopt the Economic Democracy Act, and put the money system as well as the economy back on a rational basis.
• Another Problem of Homes as Investment. An asset that doesn’t self-liquidate is not a true investment, but a speculation. That is why it is a more than a little worrying that so-called “middle class” buyers are purchasing homes they can barely afford. Forgetting they are purchasing housing that might have a significant resale value once they’re no longer using it, they behave as if they are purchasing an investment that will increase their productive wealth instead of endangering the wealth they might have and makes their financial position extremely precarious. If people are truly concerned about investing for the future, they should purchase or rent housing within their means and push for the adoption of 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 become a money pit.
• A “Grade A” Economy? There is a little buzz on how if Kamala Harris is elected, she can inherit Biden’s “Grade A” economy.” The problem here is what the [bleep] is a “‘Grade A’ economy”? If the current economy is “Grade A,” excuse us, but what exactly does a “Grade B” or even “Grade A Minus” economy look like? How does a “‘Grade A’ economy” have gargantuan unrepayable public and private debt, grossly inadequate labor income, lack of widespread capital ownership, and all the other problems we’ve been chronicling over the past several decades? Wouldn’t it be better to have a truly “‘Grade A’ economy” and adopt the Economic Democracy Act?
• Massive Meat Recall. Due to the possibility of listeria contamination, pre-cooked meat producer BrucePac has recalled almost 10 million pounds — that’s 500,000 tons — of, well, pre-cooked meat products. While we have no real objection to Big Business per se (so long as the ownership is small), there is a good argument to be made for smaller scale operations when something of this scale occurs. Integration of the financial system is bad enough with its combination of dangerously incompatible functions, but adding food into the mix can be fatal. How could adoption of the Economic Democracy Act. help this situation? Probably not much, at least directly. Still, smaller, more localized meat processors might come into being with adequate credit, and financial institutions would certainly be allowed to specialize and operate on a much smaller scale.
• Big Banks Rebound! Yes, the world can breathe a sigh of relief. Optimism about a “soft landing” for the current bad economy (see the above item about the “‘Grade A’ economy”) has spurred a burst of optimism among Big Banks serving Big Government (and a nod to Big Business if government isn’t spending enough money). Why should this even be considered important? Because the powers-that-be have not adopted the Economic Democracy Act and put the economy back on a sane basis.
• 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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