As the economic and financial world descends deeper into utter chaos, it becomes increasingly difficult to select news items that even make sense. Of course, we want to see the adoption of the Economic Democracy Act, but the question is when the powers-that-be will realize its wisdom:
• Market Volatility Lessons. In an amazing news flash, the recent wild fluctuations in the stock market offer two lessons to investors. One, drastic drops in the stock market are often followed by big jumps. Two, the market is subject to wild fluctuations. No, really — if you read the article, that’s what it says. In other words, what you learn from the fact that the stock market is all over the map is that the stock market is all over the map. Absolute genius! Of course, if we wanted a sane stock market and investment strategy, we would insist Congress adopt the Economic Democracy Act.
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| Jerome Powell |
• Speaking of Tariffs. At least we’re finally learning how to spell tariff properly. Maybe we should also learn other words with equal relevance to a modern advanced global economy instead of failed or archaic policies of the past . . . like oikos, tribute, ethne, tamkarum, theme, common sense, fairness, . . . Well, back to reality, at least one in which the president of the United States thinks he’s in the 19th century, and Jerome Powell is annoying him by doing his job as he sees it and warning him of serious downsides of tariffs especially in a modern economy . . . such as causing losses in the trillions of dollars. Now, we disagree with Powell’s theory and practice of monetary theory, but at least we can figure out what it is and how he thinks it works. We could discuss the Just Third Way with Powell, but never with President Trump. Of course, this would all be moot if Congress would adopt the Economic Democracy Act., but in the meantime we’ll settle for something we can at least figure out.
• Sell America. For decades, if not centuries, we’ve been told to “Buy America(n).” Now, in the wake of the total economic chaos being spread by the policies (if that is the right word) of President Trump, the experts on “the Street” are saying there appears to be a “pulling back” from traditional “safe havens” like bonds or U.S. currency. In other words, instead of buy America, it’s sell America time. Of course, this is based on the speculative nature of today’s investing, and it would avoid the entire problem by reorienting investment from speculation to true investment by adopting the Economic Democracy Act.
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| Charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo |
• Freedom of Speech. It is becoming increasingly dangerous to speak your mind or even think independently in some countries like China, Russia . . . the United States . . . What? Yes, you heard that right. A certain public figure is suing a certain media outlet for criticizing him unfairly, and one of the outlet’s top producers has resigned. Once upon a time, criticizing public figures was a popular sport, even an essential one. If “the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” the “Liberty of America was won in the public media” or (As “Marse Henry” Watterson of Louisville reportedly lamented when told he shouldn’t criticize the government or elected officials), “Things have come to a helluva pass/When a man can't cudgel his own jackass.” What’s the solution? If you can’t criticize public figures, it’s because you don’t have power, and they do. As Daniel Webster observed, “Power naturally and necessarily follows property.” To get power back to ordinary people, adopt the Economic Democracy Act.
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| Self-evident truths |
• End of Due Process. President Trump is “blasting” the United States Supreme Court for complaining about his ignoring due process . . . one of the “crimes” the Founding Fathers listed as justifying the American Revolution and guaranteed to all persons (not just citizens) in the United States Constitution. If more people had real power through capital ownership, the government would have a lot less. We need the Economic Democracy Act.
Aryan breeding program
• Baby Boom Bounty. President Trump is so worried there won’t be enough purebred Americans he wants to offer a bounty to women to have more kiddies to take the places of all the people he is deporting. It would be far better to adopt the Economic Democracy Act, and let people have the children they want without government interference.
• Tariffs Bring in Capital? President Trump somehow thinks high tariffs will bring foreign investment capital pouring into the United States. Aside from the delusional nature of this belief, if he wants investment capital to pour in, he needs to 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 (now with an imprimatur), 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., 52 or more copies) at the wholesale price, send an email to info@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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