Things Are Seldom What They Seem

In the opening of Act II of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, Little Buttercup informs the Captain in cryptic terms that many things are not as they might appear at first glance.  Confused, the Captain responds in kind, trading a list of random aphorisms for Buttercup’s “incomprehensible utterances.”

Easter Witness

This being “Holy Week” preceding “Easter Week,” we thought it might be appropriate to highlight a publication of the Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ), Easter Witness: From Broken Dream to a New Vision for Ireland:

A Little Background Information

In the previous posting on this subject we looked at a statement made by Pope Francis to the effect that “food is not private property,” which a number of people declared meant that His Holiness had abolished private property in food, and that therefore socialism is a true interpretation of Catholic social teaching.

CESJ Repodcast

In this week’s Just Third Way (re)podcast, host Dave Hamill finishes the discussion on the Core Values of the interfaith Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ).  Successful organizations start with people firmly committed to a set of core values, which cannot be compromised without weakening the organization.  CESJ’s strength, unity and programs flow from its founding principles, agreed upon by consensus from the first meeting on April 7, 1984. CESJ’s core values were developed to guide CESJ in its work, to attract others sharing these values and to serve as the very basis of CESJ’s existence.

News from the Network, Vol. 12, No. 15

Apparently at least one person on Earth is offended by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, specifically Article 17: “(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”  We suspect that some offended people don’t know what property is, may not be too clear on the fact that “everyone” includes “everyone,” or maybe just got up on the wrong side of the bed this century.  In any event, here are a few tidbits of news from around the network:

How Finance Really Works in Practice

In the previous posting on this subject, we looked at the different ways in which new capital formation could be financed.  We discovered that if we assume that only existing savings can be used to purchase new capital, ownership of all new capital is going to be concentrated in the hands of whoever owns those savings.  In capitalism, that means a private sector élite, while in socialism that means a government bureaucracy of some sort, whether you’re talking a national dictator or a village council.

And Now for Something Completely Different

. . . but not entirely.  Back in the early twentieth century, Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson made a name for himself writing historical novels and then satire to try and counter the "New Things" of socialism, modernism, and the New Age . . . which (much to his chagrin) was taken as “prophecy” (Lord of the World, 1907) or his blueprint for an ideal society (The Dawn of All, 1911).  He also wrote others in what he termed the “sensational” category, which his readers seemed intent on misinterpreting.

How Finance Really Works in Theory

In the previous posting on this subject, we looked at why Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is illogical.  Specifically, it relies on a mathematical impossibility, i.e., having one equation with three dependent variables.  The bottom line is that in the Quantity Theory of Money equation, M x V = P x Q, V, P, and Q determine M, not the other way around as MMT adherents maintain.  If you manipulate M, all you do is screw up the system so that Say’s Law of Markets won’t function.

Just Third Way Podcast Greatest Hits!

In this week’s Just Third Way podcast, host Dave Hamill leads a discussion on some of the Core Values of the interfaith Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ).  Successful organizations start with people firmly committed to a set of core values, which cannot be compromised without weakening the organization.  CESJ’s strength, unity and programs flow from its founding principles, agreed upon by consensus from the first meeting on April 7, 1984. CESJ’s core values were developed to guide CESJ in its work, to attract others sharing these values and to serve as the very basis of CESJ’s existence.

News from the Network, Vol. 12, No. 14

As usual, there have been some interesting developments in the Just Third Way this week, some of them even for the better.  So, not to waste any time:

A Contradiction in Terms?

Recently we received a quote from a news commentary on an allocution by Pope Francis to the effect that the head of the Catholic Church had abolished the natural law.  Not all of the natural law, of course, just the part that some people disagreed with and needed some credible authority to back them up regarding the alleged abolition of private property by Pope Francis (or any other pope).  Specifically,

“But You Are a Slave”

In his Advice to Young Men, the English Radical politician and journalist (among other things) William Cobbett said, “To be poor and independent is very nearly an impossibility.”  As the “Apostle of Distributism” (as G.K. Chesterton called him), Cobbett had even stronger things to say about the necessity of widespread capital ownership:

Some Thoughts on Distributism

We recently got into a FaceBook group devoted to discussing “Catholic Stuff.”  Most of the questions and discussion items were a little bit out of our area of expertise, but we did get into an interesting one about “distributism,” the rather loosely defined social philosophy advocated by G.K. Chesterton and his cohort, Hilaire Belloc.

Just Third Way Podcast: “People and Things”

This week’s guest on the Just Third Way podcast is Dawn Brohawn.  Dawn is Director of Communications for the Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ), and recently completed a short pilot video intended to introduce people to the ideas behind the Just Third Way.  Join Dave and Dawn as they discuss the video, then read the supplementary material and view the video:

News from the Network, Vol. 12, No. 13

This past week seems to have been a “Justice University” week.  A number of projects relating to that endeavor have been advanced materially, and relationships are being built.  We’re also seeing increasing evidence that the world needs the Just Third Way, and for many reasons:

Why Modern Monetary Theory is Illogical

“Modern Monetary Theory” or “MMT” is the theoretical framework for virtually all monetary policy in the world today.  Even those who reject MMT do so within the context of the very system they reject.

Freedom Under God

It is probably safe to say that at no time in living memory has there been less true human freedom. Even the idea of freedom has decayed to the point where it is effectively meaningless for most people.

The Four Pillars of a Just Market Economy

In the previous posting on this subject, we looked at the principles of economic justice, 1) Participation, 2) Distribution, and 3) Social Justice.  These, we believe, are the essential building blocks of an economically just society.

Just Third Way Special Video Broadcasts

For this week’s “Electronic Outreach,” we thought we’d try something different.  Last week we launched a new video, “People and Things,” a two-minute production that “baits the hook” so to speak and gets people interested in learning more about the Just Third Way.  We realized we had a number of short videos, none of them longer than a few minutes, that people weren’t seeing only because they didn't know about them.    So, staring off with the new video, here’s a convenient “play list” for those of you who like your edutainment in small pieces:

News from the Network, Vol. 12, No. 12

There has been a great deal of progress made this past week in advancing our understanding of how the Just Third Way can help get the world out of the situation it is in and that offers a viable alternative to bankrupt (and bankrupting) Keynesian theories that have resulted in mountains of unserviceable debt in virtually every country in the world.  One message of the Just Third Way that today’s politicians need to take to heart is that it doesn’t have to be this way: