My professor, Will Milberg, stirred a strong response in me this evening for the need of individual consciousness building.  As is frequent with these brilliant teachers, he weaved together a handful of ideas that enhanced my world perspective and left me near tears due to how far we've strayed from holding a caring, sustainable society. 



He began by explaining the onset of the early, classical economists such as Ricardo and Marx.  They mainly busied themselves with studying how resources were distributed amongst social classes.  Any critiques or recommendations they gave came after they thoroughly explained the existing system.  Anyone studying economics, or more appropriately, political economics, at the time would have developed a thorough understanding of the blessings and curses of each perspective.  This general trend became illuminated when Milberg mentioned that, before these men, there was no widespread practice of capitalism, and thus there was no field of economics.  That is, there was less impetus to track the distribution of goods and services.  There was too small an amount of goods going around, few kept books, and an idealistic perspective would be that people had their basic needs met so that they did not have an urge for lots more.



The importance of identifying how things are distributed only becomes important when some people have too much and others don't get enough.  Scarcity.  In any society of unchecked desire and greed, who gets what becomes interesting and open to critique.  When some are starving, there is a problem.  On the other end, when basic needs are met and pursuits are supported, greed has potential to diminish, thus dissolving a need for economics.



Before jumping into a futuristic desire of hope and trust in our innate ability to cooperate, I must explain that the acceptability of scarcity is particularly troubling.  Over time, the insistence that capitalism is the only way that things may be accomplished combined with the corporate push to narrow the field of economics to mathematical optimization models has dulled people's wisdom.  It has left the vast majority of society with the belief that resources are indeed scarce, competitive greed is the only way, and the only way to survive is to hoard.  Sadly, a system based on hoarding is wildly unsustainable, and as has been hinted to us by the recent capitalist crisis, will lead to our own destruction.  Constant hoarding at maximum speeds concentrates lots into the hands of a small portion of the world population, and produces things at a rate that the earth cannot cope with.  But the elimination of debate over different systems, and the subtraction of political parties that represent different economic systems, has left those with a decreasing amount of resources and basic needs, an increasing amount of people, without a clear understanding of how to build something that supports all life.  With nowhere to go, they either learn to be players in the hoarding system, pushing the earth to it's doom, get lost in poverty and learning how to rely on handouts, fight, or turn to soul searching. 



Fortunately, soul searching has a real ability to present a sane picture for how the world can work.  It's almost amazing what comes up once we make decisions based on what will inspire all of our hearts.  First off, the abundance of our universe is accepted along with the responsibility to take and produce only what is needed.  A deep sense of trust and collective cooperation arises from this that dissolves notions of individualism and fear of not having enough.  The wisdom of respecting earth's ecosystem becomes crucial, and including everyone goes without question.  Surplus becomes distributed more easily, and instances of scarcity are attended to with skill and generosity.  This general base to apply to all specifics is identified by that which nourishes, a heart centered approach that takes concern for what makes people feel deeply alive.  The contrasts to this are the indications of ego- holding onto ideas and notions as fixed, grasping for things not currently present, and rejecting anything that contrasts with our preferences. 



Second, nature based systems hold so much wisdom that can effectively be adapted to our styles of organizing.  Many researchers have begun sharing their understanding of this.  In boat design, it helps crafts move faster, and in internet groups like Craigslist (i.e. decentralization), it helps things grow faster.  In application to economics, I personally have much to learn, but Hazel Henderson and others have documented extensively how this can take shape. 



When there is appropriate respect for giving and taking, concern for those with whom we are involved, and intelligent foresight to design long term sustainability, a wisdom-based world can take shape.  This will move us beyond the stress of worrying about our ability to survive or beating others to the punch bowl.  Different amounts of punch may still be gained by different people, but no one will receive less than they need.  And hopefully, a limit will be placed on how much excess can be accumulated.  I recognize that speaking generally does not pay due respect to the historical difficulty of making global or societal decisions.  Yet nitpicking without a larger vision creates confusion.  When organic development of the human mind and spirit sprouts from each individual; when everyone independently realizes the truth of interdependence and what makes us feel authentically joyful, the devil in the details of single decisions will be replaced by saints.



In conclusion, it is crucial to our survival and authentic happiness that we gently remove our veils of illusion and radiate heart-based that heart-based truth that rests in us all.  The problem with economic history is not necessarily the manipulation but the lack of sustainability and social concern.  If everyone accepts reality to be a sinking ship, while an unused, unsinkable ship is only one mile away, then a systemic collapse and lots of suffering is inevitable by choice.  The decision for the better world would not only make us happier than that which materialism provides, but allow our grandchildren to live.  The way forth relies on an organic evolution of sanity, beginning with the individual, spreading to immediate relationships and environment, then extending further to all society, inter-cultural interaction, and earth.  Abundance with moderated desire becomes reasonable and acceptable responsibility for this path is taken.  Staying calm, and letting go of fear for personal survival limits our grasping for unnecessary excess.  It then spreads to others in the form of ensuring that all have enough for their physical, mental, and spiritual well being and advancement.  And mindfulness to long term sustainability makes it obvious that the earth is not overburdened in the process.  We are a part of the earth, the earth feeds us, and we live with one another.  Only caring for each level will ensure our own happiness.



Namaste.



A review of the capitalist crisis:

http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=139&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/Item_Preview.html



http://www.levy.org/pubs/pn_4_06.pdf



http://www.alternet.org/workplace/132859/the_big_takeover%3A_how_wall_street_insiders_are_using_the_bailout_to_stage_a_revolution/?page=entire



http://economicmeltdownfunnies.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/EconomicMeltdownComicbook.pdf



Biophysical economics:

http://isiria.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/biophysical-economics-economy-returning-to-nature/



Ecological Economics:

http://www.answers.com/topic/ecological-economics



For further reading:

David Korten's "Agenda for a new economy"

More available upon request

"In a talk in London in 1999 on land value taxation Professor Mason

Gaffney of the University of California referred to the reaction of some

right-wing libertarian economists to calls for economic justice. Their

response is “TANSTAAFL” (there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch). As

he pointed out, they are wrong. The truth is TISATAAFL (there is such a

thing as a free lunch); and the important questions are WIGI (who is

getting it?) and WOTGI (who ought to get it?). Where the issuing of

new money is concerned, the answers are: the commercial banks are now

getting the free lunch; in future all citizens ought to get their share of it –

as public revenue."



-p. 32, James Robertson, "Monetary Reform"

http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/uploads/CreatingNewMoney.pdf

"Mr. Chairman, we have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal reserve banks. The Federal Reserve Board, a Government Board, has cheated the Government of the United States and the people of the United States out of enough money to pay the national debt. The depredations and the iniquities of the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal reserve banks acting together have cost this country enough money to pay the national debt several times over. This evil institution has impoverished and ruined the people of the United States; has bankrupted itself, and has practically bankrupted our Government. It has done this through the maladministration of that law by which the Federal Reserve Board, and through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it".

-Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking Committee, June 10, 1932

The FED basically works like this: The government granted its power to create money to the FED banks. They create money, then loan it back to the government charging interest. The government levies income taxes to pay the interest on the debt. On this point, it’s interesting to note that the Federal Reserve Act and the sixteenth amendment, which gave congress the power to collect income taxes, were both passed in 1913. The incredible power of the FED over the economy is universally admitted. Some people, especially in the banking and academic communities, even support it. On the other hand, there are those, such as President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, that have spoken out against it. His efforts were spoken about in Jim Marrs’ 1990 book Crossfire:"

-http://bellaciao.org/en/spip.php?article17792

Does everyone realize what Goldman Sachs and other big investors are up to in the world's forests?  It's rather terrifying.  They are buying our air.  I'm almost being literal.



The scam behind the war against global warming is a fairly typical one in our current world of privatizing everything.  The idea that is inching forward in government is to tax all companies that need or choose to pollute the air.  This money would then go to groups that protect and maintain the world's forests, rivers, oceans, etc.  Any left over money could potentially go to improving public infrastructure.  But since everything is privatized this is all screwed up. 



With only a few owners, such as Goldman Sachs (who, coincidentally, has orchestrated all of history's economic crashes-click here) all the world's taxes will go into their hands.  They will then hire their own lobbying group and environmentalists to take care of nature.  As capitalism goes, the trickle down method sucks.  It doesn't work for anyone but the people who are supposed to allow money to trickle down.  Thus, the super rich will be concentrating a huge majority of tax dollars into their private pockets.  They will then have a nice PR group make wonderful claims that they are saving the world.  But how else could this look?



This situation is very similar to our monetary system.  Private banks create money and lend it to people as the economy grows.  As more debt is created, banks earn more interest.  An alternative to this is allowing the government to create money and spend it into existence, eliminating the debt based system.  As a result, public infrastructure would be bolstered beyond belief.  Imagine a responsible central bank recognizing when it's time for the economy to grow, and then putting more money into the economy by hiring more teachers and subsidizing the creation of fuel cell recharge stations along all highways. 



If emissions taxes were collected by governments, rather than Goldman Sachs, how many more teachers could be hired?  How many fuel cell and electric cars could be put on the roads?  If the point of collecting these taxes is to give mother earth a rest and minimize our production of CO2, than it is crucial that every single dollar collected (and be assured the aggregate amounts will be enormous) be spent on greening our world. 



Brian Landever

CLICK THE LINK!!!



You'll be amazed and enlightened with entertaining info on animal farming!





http://www.themeatrix1.com/