The Initiative on Economic Personalism has been making steady progress. We are currently working on scheduling up to four meetings next week with more to come. With a modicum of luck, this could also give a boost to the effort to push the Economic Democracy Act:
• Initiative on Economic Personalism. Father Edward Tomlinson, a priest in England, has invited members of the CESJ Core Group to be on his podcast, "This Turbulent Priest," to talk about the Initiative. Some very good contacts are being made, and other possibilities are opening up. We cannot, of course, report on the four meetings we are scheduling for next week and the outreach we are engaging in until after we have completed them (and gotten permission to use names!), but progress is being made and things are looking very good, with the possibility of an event before the end of the year a definite possibility. This ties in with the push to adopt the Economic Democracy Act (EDA) with a great deal of overlap.
• A Better Way to Manage Economic Shocks. It’s nice to have people in your country win a Nobel Prize, especially when they earn it. The good feeling gets a little diluted, however, when 1) It’s in the economics of the current paradigm, and 2) It’s not given to a Binary Economist (not quite the same thing, but close). In any event, as reported in an article from the Associated Press, “American economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford won the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics Monday for their work on models that have helped governments and central banks manage economic shocks, such as energy crises and inflation.” Now, we can laud Hall and Woodford for their work, even though it is in the Keynesian paradigm and doesn’t really address the root of the problem — which is the Keynesian paradigm — but it still could use the much simpler and straightforward solution of adopting the Economic Democracy Act (EDA), which gets away from trying to manipulate the economy for political ends and gets right to the point about real as opposed to artificial crises.
Jamie Dimon
• Economic Earthquake a-Comin’.
JPMorgan Chase, a rather large financial
institution, has made rather large profits during the last period. Nevertheless, Jamie Dimon is still sounding
alarms. As
reported in an article in Yahoo! Finance, “JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon
warned that ‘large fiscal deficits, sticky inflation, elevated asset prices,
rising interest rates and geopolitical conditions continue to shift under the
surface’ despite the US economy's strength powered by ‘strong business
investment and a consumer that keeps spending.’
Dimon added, ‘These forces may be manageable, but we remain prepared for
a wide range of outcomes.’” In other
words, the good times might not keep rolling and people should be prepared for
it . . . and the best way to prepare is to adopt the
Economic Democracy Act (EDA).
• Some Pumpkins. Okay, this item has nothing much to do with adopting the Economic Democracy Act (EDA), but at least it’s about something important: pumpkins. As reported in an article in The Weather Channel, “Every fall, a handful of growers around the world chase a single goal: the heaviest pumpkin ever weighed. And right now, there's a 3,156-pound contender for a world record on the scale.” Unfortunately, while these pumpkins are edible, they are more fibrous than the usual product and very, very watery — which is where most of the weight comes from. We will stick with neck pumpkins, described by AI as being, “A neck pumpkin — also known as the Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck Squash — is an heirloom variety of winter squash (Cucurbita moschata) that belongs to the butternut family,
That didn't end well
• EDA Opening. It has become traditional (meaning it’s been
done more than once) to obsess about the first hundred days of a new party or
person in power. This probably comes
from “the Hundred Days” that followed Napoleón’s escape from Elba where he was
previously able, and which ended at Waterloo. In any event, the
Democrats are preparing a “100-Day Agenda” that we hope will not simply consist
of a boomerang bounce back to the sort of thing that turned a lot of people to
Trump in the first place. As
noted in an article in the Associated Press, “House Democrats are preparing
an ambitious 100-days agenda focused on delivering their campaign promises —
making life more affordable and conducting vast oversight of the Trump
administration — if the party seizes majority control in next month’s
elections. Democratic leader Hakeem
Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if the party wins power, said
the Democrats will be united "right out of the gate" on reinstating
Affordable Care Act tax breaks, reversing Republican Medicaid cuts, holding
votes against the Iran war and undoing President Donald Trump's tariff regime. They expect to launch the agenda in the first
100 hours, once the new Congress is seated in January.” If they really wanted to make a difference,
they should focus on adopting the
Economic Democracy Act (EDA).
• Retail Inflation Rising. Yes, we know that some authorities and politicians are assuring us inflation is nothing to worry about. There are even economists, such as John Maynard Keynes, who insist it isn’t “real” inflation until it’s a rise in the price level after reaching full employment. Whether the inflation is real or not, however, it’s hurting a lot of people, even as the powers-that-be insist it doesn’t exist. As related in an article in The Hill, “More than 4 in 10 Americans said they are struggling to afford basic living costs amid rising inflation levels in the country, according to polling data released Wednesday. The Pew Research Center surveys, which were conducted in late July and August, found that 44 percent of U.S. adults reported struggling to pay for basic necessities like medical care, rent or mortgage, transportation and food. Rising costs had an even greater impact on lower income Americans, as 71 percent of those surveyed said they struggled with costs for at least one of these expense categories.” Of course, if you want to eliminate this sort of “demand-pull” inflation (we can’t do too much about “natural” “cost-push” inflation), then you should push for adoption of the Economic Democracy Act (EDA).
• Wholesale Inflation Rising. As noted in the above item, the cost of living keeps rising for ordinary people. They are not alone. It is also going up for the wholesale industry, which means it will soon be reflected in retail prices even more than they are now. As reported in an article in the Associated Press, “Wholesale inflation rose more than expected last month on a big jump in fuel costs as rising prices become a bigger economic challenge for millions of Americans, and a growing political problem for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. The Labor Department’s producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — soared 6.3% in September from a year ago, up from 5.6% in August and the biggest increase since December 2022, the government said Thursday.” As usual, of course, the solution is to adopt the Economic Democracy Act (EDA) as soon as possible.
• Trump Fails to Save Sunshine. A CESJ volunteer used to call it “nutty time” because it messed with her internal clock twice a year and didn’t accomplish anything useful, anyway. On November 1, however, the United States is returning to “non-nutty time,” meaning many people won’t have to go to work in the dark and they get back the “extra” hour of sleep stolen from them earlier this year. Why? According to an article in USA Today, “Despite pressure from President Donald Trump and growing public support for ending clock changes, lawmakers have yet to send the Sunshine Protection Act to the president's desk. For now, federal law remains unchanged, and most Americans should prepare to turn their clocks back one hour on Nov. 1.” What are the purported benefits to messing with people’s brains twice a year? 1) More Evening Daylight: Provides an extra hour of daylight after typical working and school hours, allowing for more time outdoors and leisure activities. 2) Economic and Retail Boost: Encourages consumers to shop, dine out, and visit local businesses on their way home from work, supporting the retail, hospitality, and recreation sectors (such as golf and sports industries). 3) Evening Road Safety: Improves visibility during the evening commute, which can help reduce traffic accidents when compared to a darker rush hour. 4) Lower Crime Rates: Provides better visibility in public spaces during evening hours, with some studies noting a drop in outdoor crime during the sunset period. The original reason, energy savings, never seems to have materialized. As for the rest, why not just start the day an hour earlier all year round instead of changing the clocks? People should be able to do what they want to do when they want to do it, regardless of what time it is, which they could do by adopting the Economic Democracy Act (EDA). Just leave the clocks alone.
• Petition to Stop the Public Execution. The petition to stop the public broadcast of the execution of Nidal Hasan has been rendered somewhat moot by President Trump’s announcement that it will not be broadcast. Nevertheless, given the somewhat mutable decisions made by the current administration, it will not be closed.
• 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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