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Re: MONETARY: Discussion of Monetary Reform
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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 1:02
PM
Subject: Re: MONETARY: Discussion of
Monetary Reform
George Orwell, where are you now that we need you? I just
read the first two chapters by James Robertson in his book with John
Bunzel.
I agree wholeheartedly with the authors on the need for
radical overhaul of the US and global monetary system. I also agree on
the need for interest-free money and strict ways to discourage the pandemic of
usury that keeps the poor of all countries from enjoying the abundance that
current economic systems deny them. And I join the authors in seeking global
peace, a sustainable global environment and economic justice for
all.
I'm not an anarchist, but, as one who shares with most citizens of
the world a natural distrust of government -- society's only legitimate
institutional monopoly, that over all instruments of coercion and force -- I
shudder to think of a world or any nation-state that would so centralize power
over money and all economic transactions as would be the presumably unintended
consequence of a money system developed by James Robertson. Joe Stalin
and Hitler would have loved Robertson's idea of a central monetary
authority creating out of thin-air debt-free money that would all flow as
debt-free revenues directly to national governments (and eventually to a
single global government like the UN) "to spend it into circulation for
public purposes."
As a committed
American revolutionary and one who accepts Lord Acton's warning about the
corrupting effects of concentrated power, especially over the power over money
and ownership of productive capital, I do not ignore the implications of Baron
Mayer Amschel Rothschild when he proclaimed, "Let me issue and control a
nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws." (Frederick Merton,
The Rothschilds, A Family Portrait, New York: Atheneum, 1962.)
There are no realistic checks on the power over money in the system advocated
by Robertson. Combining the monopoly power over money with a
monopoly over the nightsticks, jails and other normal instruments of state
coercive power is a certain formula for totalitarianism, even if the elite in
control of money and state power were Mother Teresas. Power corrupts and
as one whose life is dedicated to the design of laws and institutions that
systematically diffuse all forms of social and governance power to the level
of the individual human being, I find Robertson's solution to the money
problem politically naive, socially dangerous and ultimately the opposite of
economic justice, as we in the Just Third Way (http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/comparison3rdway.htm)
would define that term. (http://www.cesj.org/definitions/glossary.html#Anchor-Justice-4127)
I agree with Robertson that
modern money (i.e., so-called fiat money) is created out of thin air, and I
believe that money should be used in ways that enhance the sanctity of life
and the sovereignty (i.e., economic independence) of every human person.
But money is a form of credit
and therefore should be backed by something more concrete than the promise of
a central authority. It is a contradiction in terms for him to talk
about "debt-free" money since in human economic exchanges a buyer is
automatically in debt to a seller until the buyer returns something of equal
value (or money that can be exchangeable into something of equal value) to the
seller.
I see nothing in Robertson that
even deals with credit as an essential means by which the poor and
middle-income people without savings can be supplied with interest-free and
insured capital credit to become owners of the new capital needed in the world
to create abundance for all. His solution is that the poor reduce
consumption to own capital, a certain formula for a continually growing wealth
gap among nations and within nations. He seems not to be at all familiar
with Louis Kelso's writings, particularly The New Capitalists: A Proposal for
Freeing Economic Growth from the Slavery of Savings (with Mortimer Adler,
1961, downloadable at www.kelsoinstitute.org) and Harold
Moulton's The Formation of Capital (Brookings, 1935) And the millions of
American workers who have become owners of over 10,000 US companies (and other
around the world who emulated them) would never have done so if Kelso and
others had not orchestrated a campaign to get laws enacted that democratized
capital credit for corporations and cooperatives. Robertson's reforms
ignore the socially progressive uses of capital credit and fail to distinguish
between good (i.e., productive) and bad (i.e., non-productive or even
destructive) uses of credit , as proposed under our Capital Homestead
Act.
My response here is
not to attack, but to offer a more just, more empowering and effective
solution to the injustices inherent in world's monetary system. Our
monetary alternative to Robertson's reforms can be read in chapter VII in our
book, Capital Homesteading for Every Citizen, which can be downloaded free at
http://www.cesj.org/homestead/capitalhomesteading.pdf
Our Center for
Economic and Social Justice would be happy to co-sponsor a debate in Washington
on our
alternative approaches to monetary reform with James Robertson and John
Bunzel. Ideally it would be after the ARP event at the Federal Reserve
on April 21st, which is absorbing much of our time.
Norm Kurland
www.cesj.org
www.globaljusticemovement.org
www.americanrevolutionaryparty.us
John
Bunzl wrote:
best wishes
John B.
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Thursday, March 02, 2006 7:53 PM
Subject:
Re: MONETARY: Discussion of Monetary Reform
Dear Pablo,
You're wondering what can be done to
change the money systems of the world, given to highly concentrated power
of those now holding financial and political power. The answer is to
mobilize and organize those fed up with the system to target their "people
power" on the systemic injustices of the money system.
Here's a statement demanding reforms to the Federal Reserve
policies: http://www.cesj.org/about/programs/declarations/monetaryjustice.htm.
And here's what that group is doing about it: http://www.cesj.org/specialreports/focusonfed_050415.html.
If you or any others in COG's monetary reform group support this group's
agenda, then consider yourself invited to join this year's gathering of
celebrants of monetary justice at noon on Friday, April 21st on the
Constitution Avenue entrance of the Federal Reserve System headquarters
(the American "Temple of Money") between 20th and 21st Streets, N.W. in
Washington, D.C. When monetary reformers focussing on the Fed and
BIF reach a critical mass of people power money, power will be
democratized from the bottom-up.
Norm
pablo444@gmx.net wrote:
Hello Dan and Mr Frazee -
Certainly, having met with both Rodney and Peter on several
occassions at the London Round Table meetings, I can vouch for their
total familiarity with the corrosive nature of the incumbent money
system.
The question of course is what action should be taken?
There is a camp that seeks to influence Govt (and related
institutions) to take control of the money supply so that all money
be issued debt free and without interest. One could call it
Lincolnism or perhaps Greenbackism. I am not of that camp (though I
would be overjoyed were they to succeed) based on the reasoning that
I am not aware of any incumbent power group happily giving up the
reigns of their power to another group, merely because that other
group had a "better" way of doing things.
The predominant money system is a societal control mechanism for
ensuring that those at the top (as they themselves view things)
remain at the top. And Govts enjoy considerable power in the current
arrangement and have little incentive, as yet, to give it up. They
love to spend money on their latest pet socialist projects (a never
ending stream of those) and this privately issued, publicly disguised
money system suits that purpose very well.
A way I tend to favour is to work towards out-competing the current
money system. And in this fun, capitalist complying model, I see gold
as a favoured ammunition.
To put things into contentious and politically incorrect language,
the aim simply, is to launder Federal Reserve Notes, Euros, GB Pounds
etc into gold and then conduct an ever increasing % of your daily
transactions in gold. Laundering is the correct term when one
considers the true nature and qualities of a Federal Reserve Note,
primary amongst which are:
1. It loses value relentlessly and can do nothing else under the
"Let's print a Billion" ethos of the Fed.
2. It is issued as a debt, repayable by the Govt.
3. It is interest bearing in such a design that its repayment is
technically impossible, so giving the lie to point 2.
4. It's acceptance in payment of taxes gives it its coercive, force
backed quality which degrades free exchange.
5. It has produced a group of users who, because of its system
design, are literally addicted to it and require an ever increasing
amount to feed their addiction.
6. By subtly setting all men against one another, it gradually and
inevitably destroys civilised behaviour and with it civilisation.
Federal Reserve Notes and drugs produce similar effects and for that
reason, "Laundering" them is in fact a moral, social and spiritual
imperative. Govts are already "addicts" and therefore it is
unrealistic to expect them to cure themselves or to treat kindly
anyone who may be manouvering to cut off their supply.
So, launder FRN's into gold and then use gold (or any other precious
metal) to effect transactions.
Why gold?
The primary reason is that no one, that is NO ONE, can make more of
it at the drop of a hat. Not even the people who may head up and run
the multiplicity of private gold currency systems such as e-gold,
pecunix, goldmoney, e-bullion etc etc.
I am not gold bug. And in his book "The Lost Science of Money",
Stephen Zarelenga clearly shows the mistaken thinking around gold as
money. But his alternative, to trust Govt, is naieve. Gold is the
least worst option, of that there is no doubt.
Here's to an Honest Money System (no matter what form it may
ultimately take).
Regards
Pablo
On 2 Mar 2006 at 4:50, Dan Parker wrote:
Dear Mr. Frazee,
Having communicated with Rodney Shakespeare, and having
read the book he co-wrote with Peter Challen (who heads
the Christian Council for Monetary Justice), I can say that he,
along with many of us, are aware of the monetary dynamics
you so poetically describe.
The bigger question is how best to advance monetary
reform. We are engaged in a variety of efforts. I self-
publish a magazine, do the website for the Alberta
Social Credit Party and also one for Global Justice.
As well we have had city councils pass resolutions calling
for the creation of interest-free money etc.
I think it is important to try to bring a lot of these ideas
together to create synergy, which is needed due to the
resources of the opposition. We have put enough resources
together to effectively educate.
http://www.whitecourtweb.com/whitecourt_advisor.htm
http://www.globaljusticemovement.org/
http://www.socialcredit.com/
Regards
Dan Parker
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