rocket guide to money and the economy
TRANSCRIPT
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"Fortheloveofmoneyistherootofallevil"
(1Timothy6:10)
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Rocket Sc i ent i sts Gu ideT M
to Money and the Economy
Accumulation and Debt
By
DR.MICHAEL SHARP
www.michaelsharp.org
Cover and Illustration
LAURAVAN [email protected]
Lightning Path Press
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Published by Lighting Path Press
St Albert, Alberta. Canada
www.lightningpathpress.com
2009 by Michael Sharp.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission
Distributed by Ingram
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sharp, Michael, 1963-
The rocket scientist's guide to money and the economy : accumulation and debt / by Michael Sharp.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-897455-11-1 (alk. paper)
1. Money. 2. Saving and investment. 3. Debt. I. Title.
HG221.S537 2009
332.4--dc22
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Contents
Life,TheUniverseandEverything....................................................................................................................... 6
TheNatureofMoney.......................................................................................................................................... 7
TheEconomy................................................................................................................................................... 8
TheSourceofMoney..................................................................................................................................... 10
TheValueofMoney...................................................................................................................................... 11
ProblemswithMoney....................................................................................................................................... 12
General.......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Accumulation................................................................................................................................................. 12
TheFall........................................................................................................................................................... 14
Power............................................................................................................................................................. 14
APrivateParty............................................................................................................................................... 16
TheTruth?..................................................................................................................................................... 18
SocialClass..................................................................................................................................................... 20
TheReport..................................................................................................................................................... 21
Intelligentsia.................................................................................................................................................. 22
Indoctrination................................................................................................................................................ 24
Education....................................................................................................................................................... 26
Taxation......................................................................................................................................................... 27
Progress............................................................................................................................................................. 29
ProductDifferentiation.................................................................................................................................. 30
Distortion....................................................................................................................................................... 31
MetalandRock.............................................................................................................................................. 33
Crisis................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Debt............................................................................................................................................................... 39
Index...................................................................................................................................................................... 46
Endnotes................................................................................................................................................................ 47
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THEROCKETSCIENTISTSGUIDETOMONEY
ANDTHEECONOMY:ACCUMULATIONANDDEBT
LIFE,THEUNIVERSEAND EVERYTHING
Money,money,money,money.
Moneymakestheworldgoround.
Whatstheproblemwithmoney?
Well,moneyistherootofallevil,orsowearetold.
Itisthebaneofourexistence.
Itisthesourceofourdespair.
Itsbad,andthatsthebottomline.
Money,money,money.
Asaspiritualwriter,itsatoughtopictobroach.IliketomaketheclaimthatImaworldteacher,iyousee.I
teachaboutSpirit,God,andconsciousnessandImaketheclaimthatwhatIteachisthetruth(andthatswith
acapitalT).Itsnotthatfarout.Justabouteverywriterorteacheroutthere,exceptmaybethewishywashy
postmodernists,willmakesomeclaimtotruth.Nobigdeal.Butforsomereason,assoonasIsayImaworld
teacher,assoonasIstarttoteachaboutGodandSpirit,peoplestarttosaythingslikeOh,youreaspiritual
teacherandyouteachaboutGodandSpirit.Well,shouldntyoumakeyourstuffavailableforfree?Afterall,
youcantchargeforsomethingasbasicasspiritualtruthright?
Thequestionalwaysbothersmeandsetsupabitofaconflict.
Iagreewiththesentiment.
TheinformationthatIprovideshouldbeaccessibletoeveryonewhowantsit.
But,shoulditbefree?
Personally,Idontthinkso.
Havingspentthousandsandthousandsofhourswriting, itseemskindofdisrespectfuland insensitivetoask
someonesomethinglikethat.Youdontgouptothebakerofyourdailybreadandsay,handyourstuffover
BubcauseImentitled,doya?
Ofcoursenot!
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Todothatwouldnotonlydishonouranddisrespecttheirlabour,butitwouldbeinsensitivetothefactthatin
thiswesternworldyoucannotdoanythingwithoutmoney,youcanteveneat. Imean,Iliveinanicehouse,
butIcantgrowfoodonitbecauseIcouldntaffordayardbigenoughtogrowfood.Andwhatsworse,Icant
evenbarteriimyservices.HowamIgoingtobartermyEnglishwritingsandbooksforbananasgrownbyaLatin
Americanworker,orclothessewninaChinesefactory?
Youseetheproblem.
IfIdontmakemoneyfromtheworkIdo(whichistowriteusefulspiritualbooks),myfamilyandIdonteat.In
thisdayandage,weallneedmoneytosurvive.
Still,likeIsaid,Idoagreewiththebasicsentiment.
Thebottomlineis,everybodythatwantstobuymybooksshouldhavethemoneytheyneedtodoso.
But,theproblemisnotthattheinformationisnotfree,andtheproblemisnotmoneyitself.
In
fact
it
is
exactly
the
opposite.
Theproblemisnothavingmoney.Theproblem is thatdespite the fact thatwe (andby we Imean thepeopleof thisearth)have amazing
technologyandamazingproductivepotential,noteverybodyonthisearthcanaffordthemodestfeeIcharge
formyeBooksandconsideringhowlittleImaskingformyeBooks(basicallyacouplebucksapiece),thatsa
crimeanditsacrimethatgoeswaybeyondthedesiretohavespiritualinformationavailablefree.Imean,its
notjustbookswecantafford. Alotofpeopleonthisearthdontevenhavethemoneytheyneedtobuyfood
anddecentshelterandbecauseofthat,alotofchildrenonthisearthgohungryandstarve,andthatsmost
definitelyacrime.iii
Soyousee,theproblemisnotmoneyperse.Theproblemisnothavingmoneyandtherightquestionis,Whydosomanypeoplelackthecashtheyneedtobuythethingsthattheyneedonthisearth?
THENATUREOFMONEY
Well,
the
lack
of
cash
in
the
pockets
of
the
people
is
not
for
reasons
that
you
might
think.
However,
in
order
to
understandwhysomanypeopledonthavethemoneytheyneed,wefirsthavetounderstandthenatureof
money.
Andwhatsthenatureofmoney?
Well,thatseasy.
Letusstartbysayingthatmoneyisnotthepaperitsprintedon.
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Moneyisnotgold,itsnotsilver,itsnotplatinum,anditsnotthoseshinylittlerocksthatpeopleputontheir
fingersandattachtotheirearlobestomakeothersgoallooh!andaah!andstufflikethat.
Moneyisnotaconcretethingatall. Infact,whenyouthinkaboutit,moneyissimplyanidea,anditsanidea
that,despitewhatsomepeoplemightwantyoutothink,isnotthathardtounderstand.
Itssimplereally.
Whenyouboilitrightdowntoessence,moneyrepresentstime.Time ismoney they say and thats totally true, though there is a bit more to it than that. Money does
representtime,butnotalltypesoftime. Moneyhasaveryspecificreferenceandthatisworktime.iv
Moneyrepresentsworktime.
Itsobvious,right?
Youworkanhouryougetpaidforanhour.
Ifyoustandaroundanddonothing,moneydoesntfallfromthesky.
Moneyisworktime.
Butofcourse,eventhatsnotwhollyspecified.Whileitstruethatmoneydoesrepresentworktime,itsalso
truethatmoneydoesntjustrepresentworktime.Moneyrepresentsaveryspecifictypeoflabour.Thefactis,
Idontgetpaidmoney forworking inmyback yard. Ionlygetpaidmoneywhen Imdoing something for
somebodyelse.WhenIdosomethingorbuildsomethingorprovideaservicethatsomebodyelsefindsuseful,thenIgetmoneyinexchange.AlthoughImightfantasizeaboutit,youarenotgoingtogivemeasinglepenny
forworkinginmygardengrowingflowersformykitchentable.However,Imightbeabletoconvinceyouto
givemeafewpenniesforaflowerIvegrownforyourkitchentable.
Ifyoupaintthewallsofmyhouse,Illgiveyou40dollarsforeveryhouryouwork.
Youseehowthatworks?
Money,money,money.
Thedefinitionofmoneyisthis:
Moneyrepresentstimespentworkingforsomeoneelse.And ifwedefinetimespentworkingforsomeone
elseaslabourtime,thenwecansay:Money=LabourTime
THEECONOMY
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Now,whilethewholemoney=labourtimethingmightnotbethatobvioustoyouatthispoint,butitwillbe
inamoment.Togetabetterideaofwhatmoneyisallabout;allwehavetodoistakealookatmoneyinan
economy.v
Andwhatisaneconomy?
Well, an economy is basically the formal exchange of money and, since money = labour, an economy is
basicallytheformalexchangeoflabour(i.e.timespentworkingforsomeoneelsewiththeexpectationoffair
exchange).
Simple.
Whenever two ormore people get together and do something for each other in exchange for something
(usuallymoney),youhaveaneconomy.
Nowofcourse,therearedifferenttypesofeconomiesandnotalleconomiesneedmoneytofunction.Inour
modernworldtheofficialeconomy,vithatistheeconomythatisrecorded,monitored,andfiercelypolicedbythoseinpower,doesusemoney.However,beneaththatofficialeconomythereareothereconomies.Thereis
theundergroundeconomy,forexample.Theundergroundeconomy isalsoamonetizedeconomy,but its
notrecordedandtaxedliketheofficialeconomy.Alongsidetheundergroundmarketeconomythereisalsothe
informal economy.viiWhen I traded a complete setofmybooks to a youngmanwhohelped to clean thewindowsinmyhouse,therewasanexchangeoflabour,butitwasntmonetized.Itwasbarter.Thepointhere
thoughisnottogointodetailaboutthedifferenttypesofeconomiesbuttosimplypointoutthataneconomy
basicallyinvolvestheexchangeoflabourpower.Whetherthatlabourisrepresentedbymoneyorbarter,oris
recordedornot,isirrelevant.Thepointis,aneconomyinvolvestheexchangeoflabour.
We
can
see
this
quite
clearly
if
we
simplify
things
and
look
at
an
economy
of,
say,
one
thousand
people.
In
this
simpleeconomyofone thousandpeople,everybodydoessomethinguseful forsomebodyelse.Oneperson
playsguitar,anothersings,anotherbuildshouses,onerunsafarm,anotherisintocomputers,anotherbakes
bread,anotherprocessesanimals,andsoon.Theyallhaveaskill(orskills),theyallhavethingstheylovetodo,
andtheyallgetupeverydayandapplythoseskills intheirdaily life. Inoursmalleconomyofonethousand
people,each individualhassomespecializedtalentsandabilitiesandtheybringthesetalentsandabilitiesto
theircommunity,andthatsgreatbecausenoteverybodyisthesame.Noteverybodylikestobuildthings,not
everybody likestositalldayandwrite,noteverybody likesanimals,andsoon. Butthatsokbecause inan
economy,wecanallexchangewitheachotherforthingsthatwecantotherwisedoourselves.
Andhowdowedothat?
Howdoweexchangeourlabour?
Well,asIsaidabove,wecandothatwithbarterorwecandothatwithmoney.Barter(i.e.Ibuildyouahouse,
yougivemea lifetimesupplyofhamburgers) isfineasfaras itgoes,but itsquite limitedbecausebarter is
neitherefficientnorflexible.Maybethelocalcarpenterisavegetarianandifso,howisthemeatpackergoing
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togetahousebuiltwhentheonlythinghehastoexchangeisasubstancethatcausesthecarpentertoretch
uncontrollably(i.e.deadmeat)?
Youseetheproblem.
Entermoney.
Money,money,money.
Moneyisanimprovementoverasystemofbarterbecauseitabstractslabour.Whentheeconomyisbasedatleastpartlyonmoney(i.e.partlymonetized),thenyouroptionsforexchangeareexpanded.Moneybasically
createsamorefluidandefficientsystemof labourexchange. Insteadofpayingthecarpenter indeadmeat,
themeatpackernowpaysincashwhichthecarpentercanthenusetobuywholesomeveggies.Itsawinwin
situation.Themeatpackerbenefitsbecausenowhe canexchangewith the carpentereven thoughhehas
nothingofinteresttobarter.Thecarpenteralsobenefits.Forhim,moneyisbettersincehecantakethatand
buywhateverhewants.Hecanbuyfood,hecanbuyanewcar,atool,orwhatever.Inthissensemoneycan
beseenasaneconomic lubricantor likeblood in thebody.Asameasureof labourpower, itsimplymakes
economicexchangemoreefficientandfluid.
Moneygiveslifetothesocialfabric.
So,thereyouhaveit.
Moneyissimplyabstractedlabour.
Moneyallowsustoexchangelabourpowerwitheachotherinanefficientandfluidway.
Putthisway,moneyhardlyseemsliketherootofallevilassomanypeopleliketothink.
THESOURCEOFMONEY
So, ifmoneyislabour,andiftheeconomy isnothingmorethanawaytoexchange labour,thenwheredoes
moneycomefrom?
Well,itdoesntappearoutofthinair;butitsalsonotthathardtounderstand. Moneycomesintobeingina
twostepprocess.First,somebodymakesit.Ifitspapermoney,weputpaperthroughapresswithspecialinksandsoon. If itsmetalmoney,westamp itwitha logoandsomenumbers.Thenweagreeonavalueand,importanttonote,whateveryoureusingformoney,whetheritbeitgoldorleadorstone,itdoesntmatter.
Allthats important isthatthepeoplewhoare involvedagreethatthispieceofpaperorthat lumpofmetal
representsacertainamountoflabourtime,i.e.thatithasacertainvalue,andthatsallthereistoit.Onceyou
agreethatyouaregoingtoabstractlabourandpouritintosomekindofsymbol,allyouneedisasymbolto
attachitto,andgeneralagreementaboutthevalueofthesymbol,andthereyouhaveit.
Itsallaquestionofconcordance.
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IfIhandyouapieceofbluepaperandtellyouitsworthonethousandlabourunits(assumingonelabourunit
isonehouroflabour)andyouagree,thenwereinbusiness.
THEVALUEOFMONEY
I suppose thequestion thatarisesnow is,howdowedetermine the valueofmoney?That is,howdowe
determinehowmuchlabourpowerisrepresentedbyourinstrumentsofexchange?Wellobviously,whatever
itisweareusingasaninstrumenttoconveyvalue,thevalueisntintrinsictotheinstrument.Thatis,apieceof
paper isntautomaticallyworthonethousand labourunits.Thatmuch isglaringlyobviouswhen itcomesto
something like paper money. A small piece of offwhite paper, printed in a huge mill, with automated
machinery,ateconomiesofscale, isprobablyworthsomething intheorderof .001cents.Thesamecanbe
saidofotherinstrumentsofexchange,likethegold,silver,anddiamondsthathavebeenmadetoholdvalueoverthecenturies.Nomatterwhatanybodytellsyou,goldhasnointrinsicvalue.Ithasasmalllabourvalue,viii
which isthe totalamountof labourthatwent intoextracting it,but itsworthlessoverandabovethat. It is
onlywhenweagreethatgold,paper,shinywhiterocks,orwhateverareworthsomethingmorethatthese
thingstakeonamonetaryvalueoverandabovethevalueofthelabourthatwentintoprocessingthem.Andhowdoweagree thatsomethinghasavalueoverandabove its labourvalue?Well, lets leave that
questionforlaterandinsteadfocusonthesimplevalueofmoneyquestion.
So,howdoweaddvaluetomoney?
Well,although therearepeoplewhowouldhave youbelieve such, itsnotblackmagicand itsnot rocket
science. Asnotedabove,theactuallabourvalueofmoneyisderivedsimplyfromtheamountoflabourthat
we(andbyweImeanthoseinvolvedintheexchange)agreeitrepresents.
Andhowdowedeterminethevalueofmoney?
Well, its not random, letme tell you that. The value ofmoney is basically determined in relation to the
amountoflabourbeingexchangedinaneconomy.Iknowitmightsoundcomplicated,butitsnot.
Itworkslikethis.
Say,forexample,youhaveasmalleconomyofonehundredpeopleandyouwanttomonetize(i.e.addmoney
in away that displaces barter as a primary form of exchange) that economy.Howmuchmoneywill you
introduce?Well,youwanttointroduceexactlyasmuchmoneyaswillrepresentthetotallabouroutputofthe
onehundredpeopleintheeconomy.Forexample,ifyoumeasureeachhourof labourasoneunitof labour
(onedollar/unit=onehouroflabour),andifmostpeopleworkfourhoursaday,sevendaysaweek,thenin
ordertofullymonetizeourlittleeconomywewouldhavetointroduceaboutonethousandfourhundredand
sixty(i.e.4x365=1,460)unitsofmoneyperpersonperyeartorepresentanentireyearsworthofthelabour
of your small society. For our small economy of one hundred people, that would amount to about one
hundredandfortysixthousandunits(1,450x100=145,000)ofmoneycirculatingintheeconomy.
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As for individualpiecesofmoney, their value isdetermined in relation to the total valueofmoney in the
economy.Assumingyourestartingfreshandwithnohistoryofinflation,howmuchan individualpieceof
money isworthwould depend onwhat fraction of the total it represented. You could, if youwanted to,
circulate therequiredonehundredand forty five thousandunitsofmoney inoursmalleconomyusing145
thousanddollarbills;inthatcase,eachbillwouldbeworthonethousandlabourunits.Or,youcouldbreakit
upandcirculateitas145,000onedollarbills;inthatcaseeachbillwouldbeworthadollar. Oryoucoulddoa
combination,inwhichcaseyoudhavetostampthebillssopeoplewouldknowthevalueofeach.Regardless,
thevalueoftheindividualbillsisonlymeaningfulinrelationtothetotallabouroutputinaneconomy.Inotherwords,inordertodeterminethevalueofmoneyinaneconomy,youhavetolookattheamountoflabourin
economyasawhole,andthendividetheamountofmoneyintothat.
PROBLEMSWITHMONEY
GENERAL
As noted above, there are a lot of benefits to a monetized economy; however, there are also potential
problems.Forexample,incomplexeconomiesitcanbehardtodeterminetheexactlabourvalueofsomething
and thereforehard todetermineexactlyhowmuch topay forasingle item.Forexample, itseasy toknow
howmucha loafofbread costs.Say, for the sakeofargument, thatabakerwitha smallovenbakesnine
loavesofbreadinthreehoursincludingcleanup.Inthatcase,andassumingonehouroflabourisequivalent
tooneunitofmoney,eachloafofbreadwillbeworthabout.33unitsofmoney(itworksouttoaboutthree
loavesanhouroflabour)pluswhatevertheflourandyeastandbutterandheatcost.However,itsnotsoeasy
to determine how much labour goes into a computer chip. There is design, engineering, manufacture,
distribution, sales, and so on. To be totally fair to everyone involved, all the labour that goes into the
manufactureofachipmustbefactoredintotheactualcostofthechip.ThatsacomplexequationthatIwould
thinkcanonlybeestimated.
In addition to theproblemof estimating the amountofmoney tobepaid for items, theremay alsobe a
problemwithselfregulation.Maybepeoplewillnotworktherequiredhoursforthemoneygiventothemto
representtheirlabourpower.Maybepeoplewillgettenthousandlabourunitsofmoneyforayearoflabour,
butonlyworkfivethousandhours.Thismightbeespeciallytrueofyoungadultswhomaybemoreinterested
inpartyingandboinkingthanworkingandcontributingtosociety.Theproblemhowever is likelyminorand
relativelyinsignificantinanemotionallyandspirituallymaturesocietyandcouldprobablybesolvedsimplyby
revisingoursocializationprocessandemphasizingthetruemeaningofmoney(i.e.asacontainerforlabour),
theneedformutualcontributiontothecommongood,gratitudeforwhatothersdoforyou,etc.
Notrocketscience.
ACCUMULATION
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Nowassimpleastheproblemsofdeterminingthepriceofcommoditiesandmotivatingpeopletocontribute
mightbe,thereisabiggerproblemwithmoneythatisnotsoeasytodealwithandthatcauseshugeproblems
anddistortionsinthegeneralfabricoflifeinourlittleglobalcommunity,andthatisaccumulation.
Andwhatisaccumulation?
Well,accumulationbasicallyreferstothepracticeofaccumulating labourpower. Inconcreteterms it isthe
practiceoftakingsomebodyslabourand,forexample,puttingitontheshelfinyourhouse.
Nothingwrongwiththat,right?
Wealldoit,right?
WhenIwenttoSouthAfricawithmyfamily,weboughtalotofhandicraftsfromtheartisansdownthere. We
exchangedourmoneyfortheirlabour(i.e.thehandicraftthattheyhadcreated),andthenweputtheirlabour
onthewallsofourhouse. Althoughtheartefactsinourbookshelflooklikeartisticobjects,reallywhatweve
doneisaccumulatelabour.
Itisnicetosurroundyourselfwithfineworksofartandhandicrafts.
Thereisnothingwrongwiththat,aslongastheexchangewasfair.
Of course, some things are easier to accumulate than others and, by the same token, some things are
impossibletoaccumulate.Mywifecantaccumulatethemassagesshegets,forexample,andmyhousecan
onlycontainsomanyelephantcarvingsandtribalmasksbeforeitstartstolookclutteredandmessy,orIhave
tobuyshelvesandstorage. Itcanbedone,butitsdifficultandthisdifficultyofaccumulatinglabourgenerally
makesaccumulationanonissueinsocietiesbasedonbarter.ixYouworkforwhatyouneed,accumulateafew
thingstomakeyourlifemorepleasant,anditdoesntgomuchfartherthanthat.Inabartersociety,thereisa
builtin limitation.Theres reallynopoint inaccumulatingbread,orhammers,or computers,orhandicrafts
beyondacertainpoint.
Ah,butinamonetizedeconomy,itisadifferentstory.Inamonetizedeconomy,thereisnosuchbuiltinlimit
toaccumulation. In fact, inamonetizedeconomy,you
canaccumulateasmuchlabourpowerasyouwant.You
can print a thousanddollar bill, a million dollar bill, a
billiondollarbill,itjustdoesntmatter.Sincethevalueof
money (i.e. the amount of labour it represents) in a
monetizedeconomy is symbolic andbasedon a simple
act of agreement rather than a reciprocal exchange of
goods,youcanaccumulateasmuch labour (i.e.money)
as youwant.As long as somebody believes you that a
thousand dollar bill is worth so many units of labour,
youresettogo.
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Butwhywouldyouwanttodosomethingassillyasthat?
THEFALL
Well,inordertounderstandwhyyoudwanttoaccumulatemoney,youhavetounderstandsomethingabout
thenatureandpossibilitiesinherentinaccumulatedlabourpowerandthebestwaytounderstandthatiswith
alittlestory.
Letusimaginethatoneday,sometimeafterthemonetizationofoursmalleconomy,somebodygetstheidea
tochargejustalittlebitmorefortheirlabourthanisstrictlyfair.Forexample,insteadofcharging.33labour
unitsforaloafofbread(theactuallabourcostofthebread),thebaker(letscallhimJoe)nowstartstocharge
.66units(twicetherealcost),or.99units(threetimestherealcost),orwhatever.Joesurmisesthat itsnot
much really, and it doesnt seem like its going to hurt anything, or anyone, so whats the harm with
accumulatingalittleextralabour?
Whatstheproblemwithtakingalittleprofitforoneself?heaskshimself.
Wellasitturnsout,itisabigproblem.
In fact, it isa worldendingproblemx;however, that isnot immediatelyapparentwhen themachine isjust
startingup. Ittakesawhiletoshowup,so letsskipaheadandtakea lookatJoeayear latertoseewhats
happenedwithhisplantoaccumulate.
Itsnotdifficulttoimagine.
Afterayearofchargingmorethanthetrue labourvalueofhisbreadJoewillhaveaccumulatedabunchof
extralabour.
Howmuch?
Well,ifhechargesthreetimestheactuallabourcostforhisbread,attheendoftheyearheisgoingtohave
accumulated twice as much labour as he actually put into his business. If a typical person expends one
thousandfivehundredunitsayearthenJoe,havingchargedeverybodytriplethecostofthebreadwilbein
theblackbysomethreethousandlabourunits,insteadofhavingabalanceclosetozeroattheendoftheyear
asheshould.
Wow!
Thatsverycoolforthebakeranditsevencoolerwhenyourealizewhathecandowithallthataccumulatedlabour.
POWER
Andonceagain,itisnotrocketscience.
Takeagoodlookatthatdollarbillinyourwallet.
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Rememberthenatureofmoney.
Moneyisacontainerforlabourandwhenitsaccumulated,moneyhastheabilitytocommand(i.e.buy)other
peopleslabour.
Pauseandthinkaboutitforamoment,becausethisextramoneygivesourbakermananincredibleamountof
real,palpable,andmeasurablepower. Really,thepossibilitiesareendlessforournewlywealthybakerman.
With the extra three thousand units of labour he can do whatever he wants. He can take an extended
vacation,hecanhaveabiggerhousemadeforhimself,hecanevenemployahousecleanertocleanhishome,
oranassistanttodohisbakingforhimsohenolongerhastowork!
Now,howcoolisthat?!
And,sincethemoneyinhispocketrepresentsabstractlabourtime,aslongashecanfindsomeonewillingto
workforthecash,Joecandowhateverhewants.xi
Moreimportantly,hecandomorethananybodyelsearoundhim.
Henowhaspowerthatothersdonothave.Itsbrilliant,thinksJoewhenhepausesatyearendaccountingtoconsiderthebenefitsandethicsofitall.
He looksup fromhisbooks,he looksaroundat theworld,andhe realizes,he isnowabitdifferent from
everybodyelsearoundhim. Becausehethoughttochargealittleextraforhisbread,attheendofayearhe
nowhaspowerandcapabilitythatnooneelsehas.
Butisthatwrong,heaskshimself.
Nobodyseemstohavegottenhurtand,asfarashecansee,nothingseemstohavechangedinthewider
society.
Sowhatstheharm,hedecides.
Really,hesays tohimself,theonlyproblem that Ihavenow ishow touse thisextra labourpower. Joe
thinksaboutitandaftersomeconsiderationhedecidestospendtheextralabourunitshehasaccumulatedon
abeautifulmansion,twicethesizeofalltheotherhousesaroundhim,onthetopofalocalhill,overlookinghis
littlecommunity.Ofcourse,itsnotsomethinghecouldhavedoneayearearlier.Beforehestartedhis little
accumulationexperiment,hewouldnthavehad themoney topay for theextramaterials, labour time,or
extraeffortrequiredtohaulthematerialsupthehill.
Butnowhecan!
Now Joesgot thecashandsonowhebuildsabeautifulhouseon the topof thehilland that iswhenhis
communitystartstonotice.
Thatiswhenthequestionsstart.
HeyMr.bakerman,whatthehecksgoingon?askhisfriends.
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Andhowdidyoumanagetobuildthatbighouse?
Andthatstopshiminhistracks.
Nowhesgotachoice.
Whatshegoingtodo?
Ishegoingtocomecleanandrevealthe(real)secrettohissuccessorishegoingtohidethetruthsothathe
cankeepaccumulatinglabour?Hethinksaboutcomingcleanbuttobehonestwithhimself,hedoesntlikethe
implications.He figures if he comes clean, thejig is up and his free ride is over. After all, nobody in his
communityisgoingtostandbyand lethimoverchargeforhisbread.Notonlythat,buthesuspectsthathis
communitywillbealittlepissedathim.Heck,theymayevendemandrestitutionandthatwouldsuck,thinks
Joethebaker.Payingbackthreethousandunitsoflabourwouldmeanhedhavetoworktripletimeoverthe
nextyear.
Still,hethinks,despitetheirquestionsnoharmhascomefromit.
Everythingisstillworkinganddespitesomeminorgrumbling,everybodyisstillhappy.
SowhatifIvegotabiggerhousethaneverybodyelse?heasks.
Whereistheharminthat?
APRIVATEPARTY
So,whatdoesJoedo?
Well,hecantdonothing.
Everybodyinhiscommunityisaskingquestionsandhehastorespondtothem.However,insteadofissuinga
publicannouncement likeheshould, insteadof talking toeverybodyatonceandrevealing thesecret tohissuccess,insteadofdoingtherightthing,hetellshiscommunityhedrathertalktoonlyafewpeopleatfirst.
Itscomplicatedandhardtoexplain,hesaystohisfellowcommunitymembers,so,ifyoudontmind,itwill
beeasierifItalktoafewpeopleatfirstandafterthattheycanreporttoyou.
Andofcourse,nobodyseesaproblemwiththis.
MembersofthecommunitythinkthatifJoesaysitiscomplicatedandheneedssomespacetoexplain,then
thatisOK.
Everybodytrustseveryoneelseinthissocietyandsonobodyraisesanyconcerns.
Andso,thatswhatJoedoes.
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Onenightheinvitesafewcarefullychosenpeople
overforaveryspecialdinnerparty.He invitesthe
carpenter(whomhepaidextratobuildhishouse)
and a few of his closest friends over for a
sumptuousand luxuriousdinnerandhesparesno
expense. He takes a few thousand of those
accumulated labourunitsandhehiresanarmyto
throw a party like no party that has ever been
thrownbefore.Itsimpressiveandmagnificentand
when itsover,Joeandhisfriendssitdowntothe
finest cognac. There is idle chitchat while Joe
patientlywaitsforthewarmglowfromthecognac
tospreadthroughthebodyandmindofeachofhis
guestsandthen,afterasuitableperiodhaspassed,hestandsupandoffersatoast.
Mydearfriends,heexclaims.itisanhonourandaprivilegetosharetheseblessingswithyoutonight.
Ithasbeenawonderfulmeal,impeccablecompany,and Iamhappierthan Ihaveeverbeen inmy life,he
says.
Everybodynodsinenthusiasticagreement.
Butnowweshouldgetdowntobusiness,heexclaimsseriously.
Mydearfriends,hesays,ifIcouldtellyouhowyoucouldhaveamansionlikemine,andmakeeverynighta
nightlikethis,wouldyoubeinterested?
Hisfriendsgetexcited.
Ofcourse,theysay,thatiswhywearehere,tofindouthowyoudidthis.
Yes,Joesaysnodding,andIwilltellyou.
Butyouknow,thisonlyworksifyoukeepitasecret!
Atthisstatementapalpableshockgoesthroughtheroom.
Thereisabuzzofdiscussionandpuzzledlooks.Thepeoplesittingintheroomhaveneverbeenaskedtokeep
asecretbefore,sotheyarejustifiablyalittlewaryaboutit.TheystarttoraisequestionsandconcernsbutJoe
raises his hand, smiles, poursmore cognac into their glasses, and assures them there is nothing toworry
about.
Nobodygetsharmed,hesays.
Everybodywins!heexclaimsashenodshisheadenthusiastically.
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AndIcanproveit,hesays.
Butittookmeayeartofigureitoutandsoitsgoingtotakeyouayearaswell,hesays.
Youwillhavetotryitforayear,andthenyouwillunderstand.
Caneveryonedothat?heasks.
Hekeeps theglasses fullashis close friendsdiscuss the issue.They raise someobjections, really relatively
minor,whichJoecounters,andbytheendofitnoneofthemcanseewhattheharmwouldbe.
Thebakerisright,theysay.
Nobadthingsseemtohavecomefromthis,andwhowouldntwanttohavepartieslikethisallthetime.
So,theyshakehands,toastthemselves,congratulatethemselves,andsitdowntoplan.
Theyagree.
Theywontsayanythingandtheylltryitforayear.
Afterall,everybodytrustsJoe.
Heistheirfriendandhehasassuredthemitisawinwinsituation.
THETRUTH?
Theonlyproblemisthepeopleatthebottomofthehillareexpectingareport.
Itwasthereasonfortheparty,andsotheyhavetodosomething.
Butwhat?
Whatarewegoingtotellalltheotherswhowerenotinvited!?Joeasks.
Everybodyagrees,itsaproblemthattheycannotignore.So,theyconsiderthisproblemforquitesometime
untilfinallythecarpenterjumpsupandsaysexcitedly,Iknow,Iknow,Iknow!!!
Welltellthemthetruth!hesays.
Therearepuzzledlooks.
Wellsayweneedtostudytheproblem!hesays.
Wellsayweneedtowaitayear,dosomeresearch,andhaveacloserlook.
Anditstrue,isntit?hesays,Thatisexactlywhatwearedoing!
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Andofcourseeveryoneagrees,itisexactlywhattheyaredoingandsotheyjotdownsomenotes,picktheir
best public speaker, set a date, and call the community together to reveal the results of their private
discussion.
Itsverythrillingforthecommunityatthebottomofthehill.
Everybodyexpectsthetruthtoberevealed.
Everybody expects to learn the great secret to Joes wealth and so all the people and all their children
congregateinthetownsquareexcitedbywhatisabouttobeannounced.
Thespeakerclimbsthepodium...
Helooksoutoverthegatheredcrowdandsmiles.
Peopleofourcommunity,intonesthespeaker,Joehasstumbleduponthesecrettogreatprosperity.
Thebakerhasfoundawaytomakemoney.
Thecrowdhushesandallfacesturntothespeakeratonce.
Unfortunately,saysthespeaker,itiscomplicatedandnotwellunderstood.
Wehavebeenstudyingitandwebelieveitisacombinationoftherelativefluctuationofcommodityindexes,
plustheincreaseinconstantpricingofgoodsandservicesonthemarketexchange,overandabovethecostof
theinputsasopposedtotheoutputs,intonesthespeakerinamonotonevoice.
Thecrowdlooksconfused.
Itistheresultofthedeindexingofcommoditypricinginrelationtothecostofinputsandlabour,hesaysin
anefforttoexplain.
Thecrowdlooksbaffled.
Thespeakersolemnlynodshishead.
Yes,hesays,itiscomplicated.
But,hesaysthumpinghischest,weshallfigureitout.
WehavestartedaninstitutethatwewillcallTheInstituteofFiduciaryInvestigation,orjustTheInstitutefor
shortheproclaims,andforthegoodofthecommunity,weshalllabourdayandnightuntilwediscoverthe
inneressenceofthiscomplicatedprocessandwhenweunderstand,weshallsharewithyousothatwewillall
benefitfromthiswonderfulnewwayofmakingmoney.
Weshallreporttoyouinexactlyoneyear,hesaysquickly,raisinghishandstoavoidtheemergingquestions,
andturnstostepdownfromthepodium.
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Nowofcourse,thereisabitofconfusion.
Everybodywasexpectingananswertothequestionhowwasthebakerabletocreateamansion,butthey
didnt get that. All they gotwas a promise of future revelations. Still,what the speaker had said seemed
reasonableenough.Afterlisteningtothespeakertrytoexplainthings,itcertainlydidsoundlikeacomplicated
process,sowhynot?
Everybodyinthecommunitytrustedeachotherandsothepeopleatthebottomofthehillhadnoreasonto
distrustorquestionwhatthespeakerhadsaid.Theyacceptedtheexplanationingoodfaithandtheyallwent
homequietlytowaitforthereport.Inthemeantime,theboyswhohadbeenatJoesspecialpartygradually
start,atthebehestofthebakerman,toraisetheirprices.
SOCIALCLASS
Andofcourse,assoonastheboysfromthetopofthehillstarttoraisetheirprices,theinevitablehappens.
Afteronlyayearofsubtleaccumulation,alltheboysfromtheoriginalpartyhavebuiltfancyhousesontopof
thehillrightalongsidetheirbakerfriend.
Itsgreat,theytellthemselvesatoneoftheirnowweeklyspecialmeetings.
Andwhatsevenbetter,theysay,Joewasright.
Despitethefactthatwehaveallmovedupthehillandarenowlivinginbetterhouses,eatingfinefood,and
drinking finewine, theeconomy is stillworkingproperlyandnothinguntoward seems tohavehappened,
theytellthemselves.
Unlessofcourseyouincludethefactthatsocietynowseemstobedividedintotwodistinctgroupsofpeople
withdifferentinterestsanddifferentlifestyles.
Thedividinglinesareobvious.
Therearethefamiliesatthetopofthehillwiththeirbighousesandtheirlavishparties,andthentherearethe
familiesatthebottom.
Butthathardlyseemssignificant,atleasttothepeopleatthetopofthehill.
Whatsthebigdealanyway,theysaytothemselves.
Everybodysstillhappytheytellthemselves.
Butreally,howwouldtheyknow?Bytheendofthesecondyearthepeopleatthetopofthehilldontsocialize
toomuchwiththepeopleatthebottomofthehillanymore.Theyhavetheirownprivatemeetingsandtheir
ownprivatefunctionsandthetwogroupsjustdontseemtofittogetherwellanymore.
Itsmostlyaquestionofincomeandcomfort.
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Thepeopleatthebottomofthehillsimplycantkeepupwiththelavishextravaganceofthepeopleatthetop
ofthehill. Comparedtotheirformerfriendsatthetopofthehill,theyarepoorandtheyfeeluncomfortable
beingaroundtheextravagance.
And,iftruthbetold,theyarenotaltogetherhappyaboutthat.
Indeed,ifthetruthbetold,theyarestartingtogetalittlegrumpy.
Allthosefancyhousesandextravagantpartiesareaconstantremindertothemthattheydidntgetananswer
totheirquestionaboutthebakershouse.Alltheygotwasapromiseand,inthemidstofthatpromise,allthey
areseeingisfurthersocialdifferentiation.
Andthatsnotright,saythepeopleatthebottomofthehill.
Andyouknow,theyarentshyaboutshowingtheirdispleasure,oraskingdifficultquestionswheneverthey
meetupwithoneofthefamiliesfromthetopofthehill.
What
happened
at
that
first
party,
they
say
and
how
come
you
are
up
there
with
the
baker
now?
Whats going on!? they say as their voices get louder and louder. And it goes without saying that this
discontentanddispleasuremakesthepeopleatthetopofthehillalittleuncomfortable.
ThankgoodnessforTheInstitutethough.
Everybodyagrees!
Thereportisalmostdue.
Surelytherewillbesomesatisfactioninthat.
THEREPORT
Sadlyhowever,whenthereportisfinallyreleased,thereisnosatisfactiontobefound.Thebasicproblemis,
nobody seems to be able to understand it. The report is so full ofjargon and terminology, horseshit and
gobbledygook that it is a thousand times more confusing than the original speech was. It is positively
obfuscatoryandbythetenthpage,anybodyreadingithasbecomevirtuallyunconsciousoutofsheerboredom
andconfusion.Thismeans, Isuppose, that thosewhowrote thereportcouldbreatheasighof relief,since
theywouldnothavetoansweranydifficultquestionsfromthepeople.Howcanyouformulatequestionson
materialthatisinscrutable?
However,itisnotallgobbledygook.Insertedatthebeginningofthereportisaonepageexecutivesummary,andthewritingthereisasclearasabellonChristmasdaycallingustoawakentotheChristinside.
Theproblemismultifaceted,saysthesummary.
Thesituationsarecomplex.
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Thevariablesareindeterminate.
Morestudywillbeneeded,concludestheexecutivesummary.
INTELLIGENTSIA
Nowof course, ifyouareoneof thosepeopleat thebottomof thehill reading the reportandhoping for
satisfaction,youwouldlikelyfindithardtohideyourdisappointment,confusion,andanger. Afterallacouple
ofyearshavepassedandtheonlythingthatseemstobehappeningisthatthepeopleatthetopofthehillare
gettingricher,moreextravagant,andmorelavishallthetime.
Frankly,itsalittlehardtostomach.
Still,mostpeopleatthebottomofthehillsimplybitethebulletandgobacktowork.Afterall,theytrustthe
peopleatTheInstitutewhentheysaytheyareworkingontheproblem.Whatelsewouldtheybedoing?
Still,afewofthepeopleatthebottomofthehilldontgocalmlybacktowork.
Afewareunhappyaboutthewholethingandtheyfrown,grumble,complain,andaskquestionslikewhats
goingon?andwhy is it takingso long?andif theydontknowwhatsgoingon,whyaresomanynew
mansionsbeingbuilt?Andofcourseallthesequestions,andallthatanger,makethefamiliesatthetopofthe
hillalittlenervous.
Itwasclearlystatedinthereport,saythenervousfamiliesthatmorestudyisneeded.
Sowhyaretheygettingallagitated?theyaskindignantly.
Whycanttheywaitlikeeveryoneelse?
Forthepeopleatthetopofthehill,theagitatorsareadefiniteproblemandsomethingclearlyhastobedone.
Theycantjustlettheagitatorskeepagitating.
Thatwouldbeamistake.
Thepeopleatthetopofthehillcanseethatastheagitatorsagitate,othersarebecomingagitatedaswell.
Theagitationisgrowingandifleftunchecked
Well
Whoknowswhere thatmight leadandso theboyscallaspecialmeetingof theirBoysclub todiscuss the
problem. Asusual,afterabutlerservesadinnerof finewineand food, thechairman (i.e. Joe)standsand
says
Mosthonourableanddignifiedgentlemenoftheinnermostcircleofilluminatedbackscratchers,wehavea
problem.
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Asyouknow,thereportdidnotprovidesatisfactionorclarity,saysJoe.
Theproblemismultifaceted,hesaysechoingtheconclusionsofthereport.
Thesituationsarecomplex.
Thevariablesindeterminate.
Obviously,hesays,morestudy isneededbutunfortunately,somepeoplefromthebottomofthehilldo
notseemtounderstandthat.
Butwhatcanwedo?Joeasks.
UntilTheInstitutereachesapointofclarity,therearenoanswersandtherecanbenosatisfaction.
Still,saysJoe,thepeopleatthebottomofthehillarehavingahardtimeunderstandingandacceptingthis.
Theyareagitatingforimmediateanswers,andtheirdiscontentgrowseveryday,hesays.
Andwhoknowswherethatmightleadhisvoicetrailsoff.
ButIhaveaproposal,quipsthebaker.
Ihaveapossiblesolution,hesaysnoddinghishead.
Thoseagitatorshesayspausingforeffect.
Theoneswhoarentsatisfiedwiththereport...hecontinues..
Theonesgettingeverybodyelseagitated
Ibelieve,saysJoe,thattheyaresimplyalittlesmarterthaneveryoneelse.
Henodsandsmiles.
Andyouknow,saysJoe,ashiseyesscanthefacesofthegathereddignitaries,wecouldusepeoplelikethat
tohelpoutatTheInstitute!
Wecoulduse theirbrainpowerandhopefully,witha littledirection, they canhelpbring clarity,hesays
smiling.
Andofcourse,everyoneagrees.
Itisabrilliantidea.
The agitators want answers, so why not coopt them and put them into a position where it is their
responsibilitytoprovidethem.
Itwillsatisfytheagitators,saysJoe,anditwillremovetheirinfluencefromthebottomofthehill.
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Theonlyproblemis,saysthebaker,howtogetthemtoTheInstitute?
Whywouldtheyaddtheirvoicetosomethingtheyalreadyseeasproblematic?
ButJoehasananswerforthat.
Welldowhatwealwaysdo,hesays,welljusttellthemthetruth.
Welltellthemthatweneedtheirhelp.
Welltellthemthatwehaventbeenabletobringclarity.
Welltellthemwerejustabunchofdimwittedbusinesspeopleandweneedtheir intellectualprowessto
savetheday.
Howcantheysaynotothat?asksJoe.
Andjusttosweetenthedeal,hesays,wellgivethemasmallbonus.
Wellpaythemalittlemorethanthepeopleatthebottom.
Givethematasteofwhatitslike,saidJoe.
Nottoomuchthough.
Wedontwantthemasneighboursatthetopofthehill,hesaid.
Itstoocrowdedasitis.
Butthereslotsofspaceinthemiddle,hesayscheerfully,sowellhelpthemgetsetupthere.
Itsanoffertheywontbeabletorefuse,concludesJoenoddinghishead.
Andsothelettersgoout,thebonusesareoffered,andtheagitatorsandtheirfamiliespackuptheirbagsand
begintheshorttrekuptoemploymentatTheInstitute,andlifeatthemiddleofthehill.
INDOCTRINATION
Now, when the new intelligentsia arrive at The Institute there is, of course, a magnificent ceremony of
welcome. There is finewine, there is gourmet food, and there is a charismatic keynote speaker, hired to
addressthenewcomersandsetthetonefortheworktheywouldcarryout.Wheneverybodyhasfilledtheir
bellieswithfinewineandfood,thespeakerclimbsthepodiumandsaystotheassembledguests
HonouredguestsThankyouforcoming.
Thankyouforacceptingourinvitation.
Thankyouforagreeingtohelpus.
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Fortwoyearswehavestruggledsaysthespeaker.
Fortwoyearswehavelabouredintothenight,shesays.
Wehavecollecteddata
Wehavepouredovercharts
Wehaveanalysedpatterns
Butstillwelackclarity.shesaidshakingherhead.
Butnowwearehopeful.shesayssmilingbroadlyandraisingherhandstowardstheaudience.
Nowyouarehereandnowweareconfident.
Withyourhelp,wewillbringclarity.
Withyourfineminds,andyourdeepmotivationfortruth,wewillsucceedshedeclares.
But first, says the speaker, there must be a period of
study.
Acoupleofyearsatthemost,shesaysraisingherhandsto
fend off the questions that start to percolate through the
assembledguests.
Itisnecessary,nodsthespeaker.
We have laboured for two years, she says, and in that
timewehavemademuchprogress.
We have developed new ideas and discovered new
concepts and these ideas and concepts inform our studies
andhelpuscommunicateourfindings.
But, she says, there aremany new concepts and it is a
complicated language and therefore you, our honoured
guests,mustlearntospeakthatlanguage.
Nosenseinreinventingthewheel,shesmilesandshrugs.
Andofcourse,thehonouredguestsagree.
Whywouldtheynot?
Afterall,theymightbealittleunhappywiththeperformanceofTheInstitute,butthatiswhattheyarehere
for.Theyareheretohelp.Beyondthat,theytrustthegoodfaithoftheircolleaguesandagreethatitwillbe
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mostefficientiftheybuildonwhathasgonebefore.Therefore,theywillenteraperiodofstudyandlearnthe
languageandtheconceptsusedatTheInstitute.So,withthedecisionmadetheyfinishtheirmeal,drinktheir
wine, and shuffle off to bed in order that theywill be bright and fresh for their first day of study in the
morning.
EDUCATION
Whentheywakeupthenextday,theystudy.
Andthedayafterthat,theystudy.
Andthedayafterthat,theystudy.
AndfortwoyearstheystudyandinthattimetheylearnhowtothinkandtalkjustlikeTheInstitutefounders.
AndwhenthefoundersofTheInstitutearesatisfiedthattheagitatorswillthinkandtalkjustlikethem,they
setthemtowork.
Andthenewprofessionalslabourintothenight.
Theycollectdata
Theyporeovercharts...
Theyanalysepatterns
butattheendofeachdaytheystilllackclarity.
Somethingisalwaysmissing.
Somethingjustdoesntfit.
Still,theyworkdiligentlywithintheconceptualframeworkprovidedbyTheInstitute,andeveryonceinawhile
theyissueareport.And,sincethenewcomershavelearnedtothinkandtalklikethefoundersofTheInstitute,
the report always says basically the same thing. Amidst all the specializedjargon, technical concepts, and
economichoaxuspokeusthatseemtogetmorecomplicatedeveryyear,andwhichnobodyatthebottom
ofthehillcaneverunderstand,thereportalwayssays...
Itiscomplicated,andmorestudyisneeded.
Andofcourse,everytimethepeopleatthebottomofthehillhearthat,theyareverydisappointed.
ButthatisOK.
Thepeopleatthebottomofthehillknowthatthebestmindstheyhavetoofferareworkingontheproblem
and they believe that if anybody can do it, they can do it. So, for the most part, they bury their
disappointment, trust theircomrades,andgoback toworkwhile thepeopleat the topof thehillcontinue
theiraccumulationexperiment.
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Andofcourse,itisntallwineandrosesforthepeopleatthetopofthehill.
Eachyear,wheneverTheInstitutereportisreleased,therearealwaysafewpeopleatthebottomthatcannot
hidetheirdisappointment.
But thatwasOK toobecauseeach year thepeople at the topof thehill scout thepeopleat thebottom,
identifying the agitators, and inviting them to work at The Institute. It is a perfect system and it works
brilliantlyuntilonedayTheInstitutegrowstoobigandthefinancialstrainonthepeopleatthetopofthehill
becomestoomuchandonthatday,Joecallsaspecialmeeting.
TAXATION
Most illustrious and honoured brothers, he says, I call you here today because of a problem that is
emerging.
Upuntilnowwehave,asabenefittothepeople
Andoutofkindnessofourhearts
fundedTheInstitute.
Ithasallbeenoutofourownpockets,hesayswithvoicerising.
Andthathasworked,hesays.
ButnowTheInstituteisgrowinganditscostsareincreasingandwecannolongeraffordthiskindnessonour
own,hesays.
Ofcourse,hesays,laughing,gettingridofTheInstituteorscalingbackoperationsisnotanoption.
NotonlydoesTheInstituteprovideuswithinvaluableyearlyreports,hesays,butitprovidesagreatplace
toputpeoplewhoarenthappylivingatthebottom.
Still,saysJoe,somethingmustbedonetorelieveusofthecostwhileensuringThe Institutecontinuesto
function,saysthebaker.
Helooksaroundattheanxiousfaces.
However,hesays,donotworry.
IbelieveIhaveasolution.
Weshallgetthepeopleatthebottomofthehilltopayforithesayssmilingbroadly.
Afterall,hesays,TheInstituteservesthemandnotus.
We, he says spreading his arms to encompass the wealth that surrounds them all, do not need The
Institute.
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Andasalways,smilesthebaker,welljusttellthemthetruth.
Andofcourse,uponhearinghisexplanation,everyoneagreesandsotheyhirethebestpublicspeakermoney
canbuyandcallanassemblyofthepeopleatthebottomofthehill.
Thespeakerclimbsthepodiumandspeaks...
Thesearetimesofgreatpotential,heintones.
Thesearetimesofgreatpromise.
Look,saysthespeakerashepointstothemansionsattopofthehill,atwhatispossiblewithindustryand
fortitude.
Look,hesayspointingtoTheInstitute,attheworkthatwearedoingtobringthatpotentialtoyou.
Heraiseshishandstotheaudienceasifpushingsomeoneaway.
Butthereisnoneedtothankus,thespeakersays.
Wedothisnotforgratitudeorprestigebutbecauseyouareourbrothersandsisters.
But,hesays,wecannolongerdoitalone.
EachyearTheInstitutehasgrownandeachyearthecostbecomesmoreunbearableforus.
Weneedyourhelp,hesaysreachingouthispalmstothepeople.
Itwontbemuch,heshakeshishead.
Justafewpenniesaweek.
Youllbarelyfeel itand ifyouwant,saysthespeaker,youcanalwaysmake itupbyworkinga littleextra
eachweek.
Andofcourse,everybodyatthebottomofthehillagrees.
Whywouldtheynot?
Theytrustthepeopleatthetopofthehill.
TheytrustthepeopleatTheInstitute.
Theyhaveeyes.
Theycanseewhatisgoingon.
ThepeopleatthetopofthehillarepayingforTheInstituteoutoftheirownpocketsandthepeopleatThe
Instituteareworkinghardtobringclarity,prosperity,andprogresstoallpeople.
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Thepeopleatthebottomofthehillagree,thepeopleatthetopofthehillshouldnotbemadetoshoulderthe
burdenthemselves.
Itisonlyfairthattheycontribute.
Andifitmeansworkingafewextrahoursaweek,saythepeopleatthebottomofthehill,thensurelythis
isasmallpricetopayforthebenefitsthatwilleventuallyaccrue.
Andsotheyagree,andwiththatthepeopleatthetopofthehillcreateamanagingbody,whichtheycalla
government,andthisgovernmentischargedwithtaxingthepeopleatthebottomofthehillinordertofund
thenowpublicinstitute.Andthepeopleatthetopofthehillrejoice,fortheyunderstandthatnowthatthefundingofTheInstituteis
linkedtothelabourofthemasses,TheInstitutecannowgrowwithoutbounds.
Whichisexactlywhatitdoes.
Every
year
The
Institute
releases
a
new
report.
Everyyeartherearenewagitators.
EveryyearTheInstituteexpands.
Atfirstitiseconomics,adisciplinedesignedtohelpunderstandtheeconomy.
Thenitisengineering,adisciplinedesignedtoincreaseproductionexpertise.
Thenitisphilosophy,adisciplinedesignedtohelpunderstandwhytheworldisdividedbetweenthoseatthe
top,andthoseatthebottom.
Thenitishistory,adisciplinedesignedtotellthestoryfromtheperspectiveofthoseatthetopofthehill.
Thenitisreligion,adisciplinedesignedtoprovidejustification.
Then it is psychology, to control the workers and keep them docile and pretty soon The Institute is
everywhere,which isgreatbecausewithThe Instituteoperating tomanagediscontentandprovideobscure
explanations,everythingisworkingfantastically.And,witheverythingworkingsowell,theboysatthetopof
thehillnowhavetimetodealwithotherissuesbesidessystemmaintenanceandso,finally,theyturntheirfull
attentiontothethingtheylovethemost.
PROGRESS
Accumulation!
Onedayatameeting,afteraparticularlylavishdinner,Joethebakerstandsandspeaks.
DidntItellyou?hesaysraisinghisglassforatoast.
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DidntIsay?
Nobodyhasbeenharmed,hesmileswithgreatsatisfaction.
Infact,Joesays,quitetheoppositehasoccurred.
Lookaroundyouatthechangeswehavebrought!
Wethepeopleatthetopofthehillhavecreatedabetterworld!heexclaimsdramatically.
Ourhomesarethepinnacleofarchitecturalinnovation,hesays.
Ourgardensarethesummitofcreativityandbeauty.
AndTheInstitute,hesays,isourcrowningglory.
CongratulationstoallofusJoesaysraisinghisglassandtoastingtheroom.
Congratulations!hecries.
Wethepeoplehavebroughtprogresstothisworld.
Hepausesforamomentandthenbeginstospeakslowly.
But,saysJoe,wecandomore.
Withenoughresources,wecanimproveeverything.
Withenoughresources,wecanleadthisworldtoutopia.
Wecouldbringanewworldorderthatwouldbringprogressandincreaseourwealthandprosperityamillion
fold,hesays.
Andallweneedisthemoneytodoit,heconcludes.
PRODUCTDIFFERENTIATION
AndIknowhowwecandoit,Joesays.
Iknowhowwecanfundutopia.
Allwehave todo is increase the rateof extraction, and Ihave found away todo that, says thebaker
triumphantly.
Insteadofmakingonlyonekindofbread,hesays,insteadofmakingonlythefinestbreadthatIamcapable
ofmaking,Icanmakeacheaperbreadwithcheaperingredientsandlesscareandattention,andIcansellthat
tothepeopleatthebottomofthehill.
IfIdothis,hesays,IwillsavemoneyoningredientsandlabourandthereforeIwillaccumulatemore.
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Helooksaroundtheroomattheattentive,smilingfaces.
Theresmore,hecontinues.
IcanalsomakespecialbreadwiththefinestingredientsandthemostcareandattentionandIcansellthat
specialbreadtothepeoplehigherupthehillforapremium,saysJoe.
Insteadofthreetimesthecost,Icouldsellitforfive.
Andyes,hesaysanticipatingtheirquestions,theywillbuyitwhenItellthemitisspecial.
Butofcourse,saysthebaker,thereisaslightproblem.
Whenthepeopleatthebottomofthehillcomeintotheshopandfindtheycanonlyaffordthecheapbread,
theywillprobablygrumbleandcomplain,saysthebaker.
Andofcourse,saysthebaker,weknowwherethatleads.
But,saysJoesmiling,Ihavelearned,thatinordertocurtailtheirgrumbling,Isimplyneedtotellthemthe
truth.
WhentheycomplainIwilltellthem,thisisthepricethatyouhavetopayforprogressandthatwillquieten
themdownbecausenobodycanargueagainstprogress.
Andofcourse,saysthebaker,Illtellthemitisallintheirhandsanyway.
Iftheyworkalittleharder
Iftheypinchtheirpennies
Iftheysavetheirmoney
Thentheytoowillbeabletoaffordthespecialbread.
Thebakerlooksaroundtheroomsmiling.
Inthenameofprogress?heasksraisinghisglass.
Inthenameofprogress!cryhisbrothersastheytoastthebakerandquafftheirwine.
DISTORTION
Andso,inthenameofprogress,thepeopleatthetopofthehillbegintolookforwaystoincreasetheirrateof
accumulation.Andtheydontstopwithproductdifferentiation. Afterall,thegoalisprogressandthemore
efficienttheycanmakeaccumulation,themoreprogressthereis.So,eachweektheymeetwithoneanother
andsharetheirideasformoreefficientaccumulation.Oneweektheycomeupwithplannedobsolescenceandproduct lifecycle. Insteadofdesigningproducts to last, thosewho cangetawaywith itdesignproducts tobreak,orgooutof fashionaftera suitableperiodof time. In thisway theyensure that consumers,as the
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peopleatthebottomofthehillhavecometobeknown,aretiedconstantlyintoproductpurchase.Ofcourse,
plannedobsolescenceandproduct lifecyclemeansthepeopleatthebottomofthehillhavetoworkharder
and longer inordertofundThe Institute,buythespecialbread,replacewornoutproducts,andaffordeach
years new fashions. And it alsomeans an expanding strain on the resources of Mother Earth as shoddy
consumergoodsandbrokenproductssaturatethelandfillsanddevourresources.ButthesethingssaysJoe,
aresmallpricestopayforprogress,andsotheycontinue.
Oneweektheycomeupwithanideatolowerlabourcostsbypayingpeopleatthebottomofthehilllessforthework they do.Of course, this isnt a very popular idea amongst the people at the bottom of the hill
becauseitrequiresthem,theirspouses,andsometimeseventheirchildrentoworkharderandlongerjustto
getby.However,thepeopleatthetopofthehillarepersistentandinthenameofprogresstheyfindways
to force the issue.Theydeskill labour, tie theworkers toassembly lines, keepdemand for keyprofessions
lowerbyrestrictingaccesstoeducation,andevenusechildlabourincountrieswheretheycangetawaywith
it.Andofcourse,thepeopleatthetoprecognizetheunpleasantnatureofthesethings,butthereisalwaysa
pricetobepaidforprogress,theytellthemselves,andsotheycontinue.
Oneweek,thepeopleatthetopnoticethatalotofpeopleatthebottomofthehillarestillusingtheinformal
economy toexchange labourbybarter.They thinkabout thisandconcludethat this isabad thingbecause
when people barter it is impossible to accumulate labour, and when they cant accumulate, there is no
progress. So, the people at the top of the hill decide that bartering should be reduced and eventually
eliminated.Ofcourse,thepeopleatthebottomresist.Intheireyesbarterhasalwaysbeenalegitimateform
oftradeandtogiveitupwouldputthematafurtherdisadvantage. Butthepeopleatthetopofthehillare
persistentand,inthenameofprogress,eventuallyfindawaytoreducebarter.WiththehelpofTheInstitute,
theycommissionareportthatsaysthatactivityoutsideofthemaineconomyisdetrimentaltotheprogressof
thenation. Theytheninstructthegovernmenttobegincountingallformsofeconomicactivity.Finally,they
reorganizeproduction.Insteadofhavingsmall,locallyselfsufficienteconomieswhereinformalexchangeand
barteriseasyandnatural,theyforceaseparationofproductionandmakewholecountriesspecializeinsingle
productlines.Theygrowbananasinonecountry,buildcarsinanother,getgrainfromathird,andsoon.Itis
brilliant. Inagloballydispersedmarketplacewhere yougetyour food from farmerswho live thousandsof
milesaway,barterbecomesimpossible,andlifebecomesprecarious.
Andso,inthenameofprogress,onitgoes.Eachweek,theboysfromthetopofthehill,meettodiscusshow
tobringprogresstotheworld,andeveryonce inawhilesomeonecomesupwithanewandbetterwayto
makeprogress.Andthroughallthis,thepeopleatthebottomofthehillworkharderandharderjusttryingto
keep
up.
But
that,
say
the
people
at
the
top
of
the
hill,
is
the
price
we
pay
for
progress.
But
then,
one
day,
aproblembeginstoemerge,andtheproblemismoney. Asitturnsout,alltheeffortthattheboysatthetop
ofthehillareputtingintodevelopingefficientwaystocreateprogressiscreatinganuncomfortablyrapidflow
ofcash.
Theproblemis,itiscollectinginfilthyandmouldypiles.
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Itisridiculous,nottomentionugly,dirty,andunsanitaryandinitiallytheboysatthetopofthehilldontknow
whattodo.So,theycallaspecialmeetingtodiscusstheproblemand,tomakealongstoryshort,theyfinda
bettercontainerfortheirmoney.
METALANDROCK
Itisthestonemasonwhofiguresitout.
One day, at one of their special, private meetings, the
stonemason sheepishly raises his hand and says to the
assembled brothers, I think Imighthave a solution toour
problemwithmoney.
Hecallsthemintoacircle.
Hebeckonsthemtolookashereachesintohispockettopull
out
a
beautiful
gold
ring
with
a
huge
shiny
rock
in
it.
Heshowsitaroundtheroomashebeginstoexplain,About
sixmonthsagomycashflowwassuchthatInolongerhadto
workforaliving(pausewhilethemembersoftheclubraise
their glasses and congratulate his hard work and good
fortune).
ButIwasbored,hesays,andIneededsomethingtofillmytime.
So,beingastonemasonbytrade, Istartedtoplaywithrocksandmetalsand Idiscoveredthat theseshiny
rockscouldbecutintothesebeautifulsparklydiamondshapes.
And,saysthestonemason,IdiscoveredthatIcouldtakethissoftmetalandbenditandshapeit.
And,saysthestonemasonasheraisesthediamondringintriumph,IdiscoveredthatIcouldcombinethe
two.
Everybodyadmirestherockinhisfingers.
Itsnotmuchwork,hesays,butitdoestakeasteadyhand.
Andlookhowprettyitis,hesays.
Andisntthismuchbetterthanapileofmoney?heasks.
Andofcourseeveryoneagrees.
Itismuchprettierthanapileofmoney.
Buthowdoesthissolvetheproblemofmoney?somebodyasks.
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Well,saysthestonemasonwithasmile,itslikethis
Wecanstoreasmuchaccumulatedlabourintooneoftheselittlemetalwrappedrocksaswewant!
Remember,thevalueofpapermoneyismerelyaquestionofagreementandsowecanstoretens,hundreds,
eventhousandsoflabourunitsintoindividualbills.
Thereisnolimit!hesays.
Andsoitiswiththisprettyring!
Allwehavetodoisagreeonavalue...thestonemasonsvoicetrailsoff.
Asthestonemasonfinishestalking,thereissilence.
Browsarefurrowedandfrownsappearonsomeofthefaces.
Abuzzofdiscussionarisesandafterafewminutes,smilesbegintoemerge.
Somebodywhispers,itisbrilliant.
Buttherearequestions.
Whatwillwedowiththemoneythatwestore?asksone.
Andhowwillweagreeonaprice?asksanother.
Thestonemasonsmilesandraiseshishands.
Ihaveanticipatedthesequestionsandconsideredasolution,hesayswithsatisfaction.
Asforwhattodowithallthecash,wecanbuildacentralstorehouseorbankandwecanstorethemoney
there.
Asfordeterminingthevalueofourgoldanddiamonds,hesays,wecanappointourmosttrustedbrothers
toacouncilandtheycandeterminetheprice.Thiscouncil,thiscartelifyouwish,willtellus,acaratofweightisequaltoonemillionlabourunits.andwe
willagreeandaslongasweagree,hesayswithasmile,wereinbusiness.
The
brothers
consider
this
for
a
moment
and
they
all
have
to
admit,
it
sounds
pretty
good.
In
fact,
they
can
not
seeanydownsideandsotheydecidetodo it.Theycreateabank,theycreateapreciousstonesandmetals
cartel,andthestonemasongetstoworkcreatingbeautifulandextravagantwaystostoreaccumulatedlabour.
Problemsolvedand,backtobusiness!
Thepeopleatthetopofthehillcontinuetheirdriveforaccumulation,distortionspileup,andthepeopleat
thebottomofthehillworkharderandharderjusttogetby.Itseemslikeaperfectarrangementanditworks
beautifully,accordingtothepeopleatthetopofthehill,untiloneday,outoftheblue,thereisacrisis.
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CRISIS
Andwhenthatcrisishits,itisadoozy!
Allofasudden,forthefirsttimeever,peopleatthebottomofhillareoutofwork,andnotinthefancypants
leisuredwayof thoseat the topof thehill,but inaplainolcantbuyenough toeat, lose thehouseand
homesortofway.
Whenthishappens,itisatotalsurprise.
Onedaytheeconomyisworking,thenextdayitisnt.
Onedaypeopleareexchanginggoodsandservices,thenextdaytheyarent.
AndIwontlietoyouhere,asthiscrisishitsitishugeandugly.
Peoplesuffer.
Childrenstarve.
Peopledieandsadly,nobodyatthebottomofthehillunderstandswhyitishappeningtothem.
Butthepeopleatthetopofthehill,theyunderstand.Theycanseetheproblemasclearlyasthediamondson
theirfingers.Overthecourseoftheirlittleexperiment,thepeopleatthetopofthehillhaveaccumulatedso
much money that they have literally siphoned off all the lifeblood (i.e. cash) from the economy and
unemploymentistheobviousresult.(duh!).
Ifnobodyhasmoneytobuythethingstheyneedbecauseallthemoneyhasbeensuckedoutoftheeconomy
bythepeopleatthetopofthehill,andifoverspecialisationhasmadebarterimpossible,howarepeoplegoing
tobeabletoselltheirgoodsandservices?
Theansweris,theycannot.
Thebottom line is, ifyoukeepextractingmoneyoutofaneconomyyouaregraduallytakingawaypeoples
abilitytoexchangetheirlabour.
Ifyoudothatforlongenough
oraggressivelyenough
andifyoudontputbackwhatyouvetakenout
Thenmassunemployment,recession,andeventuallyeconomicdepressionsetsin.
Itislogical.
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It is inevitable and because the ability to barter has been taken away from their economy, potentially
catastrophic. Millions, even billions, could starve and there is simply nothing, short of ending the little
accumulationexperiment,andgivingitallback,thatanybodycandotostopit.
Dontbelieveme?
Letstryalittlethoughtexperiment.
Imagineforamomentasmalleconomyoftenpeople.
Now, imagine thateachof these tenpeoplehasonehundreddollarsand that theyuse thoseonehundred
dollarstoexchangetheirlabourwith.
Nowimagine,thatoneday,oneofthem,letscallhimFred,startstoextractmoneyoutoftheeconomyalittle
bitatatime.
Maybehedoesitbytaxation.
Maybehedoesitbyprofit.
Maybehejustmusclespeopleintoit.
How the extraction happens doesntmatter because the end result is always the same. Sooner or later,
dependingonhowaggressivelythemoneyisextracted,peoplewillnolongerbeabletoexchangetheirlabour
becausenobodywillhaveanymoneylefttouseforexchange.
Allotherthingsbeingequal,(i.e.ifFreddoesnothingtoputthemoneybackintotheeconomy)atsomepoint
Fred isgoing tohaveallthemoney,andeverybodyelse isgoingtobeunemployed (i.e.unabletoexchangetheirlabour),unlesstheyareluckyenoughtoworkforFred.
AndwhatdoesFreddoatthatpoint?
HowdoesFredsolvetheeconomiccrisis?
Wellreally,theonlythingFredcandoatthatpointisgivethemoneyback.
The pure and undiluted truth is, if Fred wants to avoid all the nasty human suffering that attends
unemploymentandrecessioninaneconomythathessuckeddryofitsverylifeblood,heputsallthemoney
thatheextractedbackintocirculationsothatpeoplehavetheresourcestheyneedtoexchangetheirlabour.
Itistherightthingtodo.
Nothingelsewillsolvetheproblem.
Nowofcourse,hedoesnthavetodothis.
Ifhewants,hecanconvincehimselfthatthemoneybelongstohim,orthathehasworkedhardforit,orthat
hedeservesitbecauseheissuperior,orclear,orwhatever.However,ifFreddecidestokeepthemoneyand
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maintainhisprivilege,thenthebestthinghecandoisprovidebandaidsolutions.Ultimately,unlesshestarts
todotheright thing,unlesshestopssucking the lifebloodoutoftheeconomy,nothinghedoes isgoing to
preventgeneralsystemicfailureanddeath.
Andifhedoesntmakethatchange?
Ifhedecidesnottodotherightthing?
Well,letslookatsomeoftheoptionsourfriendFredhasthen,shallwe?
OneoptionthatFredhasistodonothing.Afterall,Fredhaslotsofmoneyandcanbuywhateverheneedsto
survive.Notonlythat,butafterawhilepeoplewillbesodesperatethattheywillworkforpeanuts(thereby
extendingFredsbuyingpower)justtohaveenoughtofeedtheirfamilies.Butreally,thatapproachcanonly
betakensofar.Slowdeathbystarvationdoesntgooverwellwithlargegroupsofheavilyarmedpeople.
JustasktheFrenchAristocracy.
If
he
keeps
all
the
money
for
himself
to
the
point
where
the
only
thing
thats
left
to
eat
is
cake,
the
people
are
going toeventuallybesohardup,and their families in suchdistress, that theywillbuildaguillotine inhis
honour.
Chopchop!
Andofcourse,thatsamistakehewontmaketwice.
So,whatdoeshedo?
Well,ifyoucanimaginethatyoureFred,andyouwanttoavoidlosingyourheadoverthewholething,youd
havetoputsomemoneyback.
Atacertainpointitcantbeavoided.
Ofcourse,givingitbackhastobedonecautiously.
Imean,youcantjustgiveitback.
Youcantjustgouptothepeopleinyoureconomyandsayhereitis,startagain.Ifyoudidthat,peoplewould
immediatelystarttowonderwhytheyweregivingittoyouinthefirstplace,andmaybelearntorefusetogo
alongwithyourextractionactivities,therebyputtinganendtoyourprivilege,butavoidingthechroniccycleof
sufferingcausedbyyourgreediness.
Hmmm....
Therefore, ifFredwants tomaintainhis little secret,hehas to finda sneakyway toput themoneyhes
stolenbackintotheeconomy,withoutitlookinglikehesgivingitback.Thankfully,theresafewwayshecan
do that thatwont tipoff thepopulation as to thenatureof thebeast.One iswar, theother ismoney
lending.Welllookatlendingfirst.
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Nowonegreatwaytoputmoneybackintotheeconomy,therebyreducingunemployment,withoutgivingthe
realsecretaway,istolendit.
Ifyoulendit,whilesayingthisismineandyouhavetopayitback,thentheillusionthatthemoneyisyours
ismaintained,andyoustillgettoinsertamuchneededtransfusionintothesystem.Butitisnotapermanent
solution,especiallywhenyourereallygreedyaboutitandchargeinterestontop.
Consider:
Afterextractingallthemoneyfromtheeconomy,andputtingtheeconomyintocardiacarrest,Fredgoesupto
allthepeopleinhiscountryandsaysheyeverybody,Icanhelp.Illlendeachofyouahundreddollarssoyou
can get your businesses going again (general cheers and applause) as long as you pay me back with
interest,hesays.
Illgiveyouahundredbucks,andyoullpaymebackonehundredandten.
[puzzledlooks].
Butwhyinterest?thepeopleask.
Well,saysFred,IfigurethatsinceImlettingyouusemymoney,Immakingahugesacrificebecausewhile
youareusingmymoneytoputyourselvesbacktowork,Iwontbeabletoenjoyitmyself.
Soitsonlyfair,hesays,thatIgetsomethinginreturn.
Andso,becausetheyhavenootherchoice,thepeopleagree.
Anditdoesseemtomakesense.
Anditdoesseemtowork.
Fredlendsouthismoney,bloodisbackintheveinsof
theeconomy,andeverybodyisbacktoworkagain.
Unfortunately however, the new found circulatory
healthdoesntlastverylongatall.
In fact, economic ruin happens once again, in about
halfasmuchtimeasitdidbefore.
Theproblem?
Fredhasgothisfangs intotheeconomicbloodstream
intwowaysnow.
On the one hand he is still engaged in his regular
extractive activities, thereby slowly draining the fluid
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outofthebody,whileontheotherhandhesgettingloanANDinterestpaymentsaswell.
You can see theproblem,and thepredictableoutcome. Fred isnowextractingmoney from theeconomy
twiceasfastasbeforesonow,collapseoccursinhalfthetime,butwithonecriticaldifference.EvenafterFred
hasextractedall themoney from theeconomy, thebalance sheet isnot zero! That is,evenwhenall the
moneyisbackinFredshands,becauseFredlentmoneyatinterest,thepeoplestillowehimmoney.
DEBT
Fredhasdiscoveredtheperversityofdebt,anditsaproblem.
Itisaproblemfortheotherninepeoplewhoarefaced,forthefirsttimeever,withthegrindingabsurdityof
debtanditisaproblemforFredbecauseatthispoint,andeventhoughtheeconomyiscollapsingandpeopleare suffering, Fredhasbecome very reluctant to lendoutmoreofhismoney to save thepeoplewho aresuffering.
Why?
Well,hesnotstupid.
Hesalreadycomeupshortonhislastloan,andhecanseethateverybodyisnowbroke,soitwouldbekindof
dumbtostartlendingmoneytopeoplewhocantpayitback.YoucouldsayFredhaslostconfidenceinthe
peoplesabilitytopayhimback;hehaslostconfidenceintheeconomy.
Itisabitofaquandary.
EventhoughFreddoesntwanttolendanymoremoneybecauseheknowsforcertainhellnevergetit(and
the interest)back.Heknowshesgottodosomethingotherwisethepeoplewillgethungry,desperate,and
maybeevenviolent.Andthatwouldruinhisbreakfast.
Sowhatdoeshedo?Well,whentheeconomyisincrisisandFredhaslostconfidence,therearebasicallytwo
thingshecando.Hecaneitherignoretheproblemandletthepeoplesuffer,orhecanjumpstarttheeconomy
byputtingmoneybackintoit.
Inordertoseethismoreclearly,letusexpandthisthoughtexperimentabitsothatweimagineFredtobein
controlofanational,orevenglobal,economy.
If he ignores the problem, hes going to need to use force and indoctrination to keep the people down
otherwisetheylldowhatstarvingpeopledoeverywhere.Theywillriseupandtakewhattheyneedtosurvive.
Of course, hes not going to call it force and indoctrination. That wouldjust leave people bitter and
unwilling to work. Instead, hell probably call it keeping the peace, security, education, and cinematicentertainment.Andofcourse,hellgivethemallsortsofreasonswhytheyhavetoputupwithit.Maybehellblowuponeofhisownbuildings,orputadozenpolicedramasontelevisionconvincingthemoftheneedfor
security.Ormaybehellscarethemwithtalesofhorrorinthenight.Howeverhedoesit,theoutcomewillbe
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the same.When thepeople start looking athimwithhungry eyes, all the surveillance, police, armies and
technologyhesgatheredunderhiscontrolcanbeeasilyusedtosuppresstheanxiousandagitatedpopulation.
Andthisapproachwillwork,toapoint.
However,asthoseFrenchmenwithguillotinesdemonstrated,Fredcancallouslydisregardthesufferingofthe
masses for only so long before it all ends in tragedy.xii So, no matter how much he might want to keep
everything for himself, at some point hes going to be forced to initiate a transfusion, and possibly a
defibrillation,ofthedonor.
Andhowdoeshedothat?
Well,sinceFredwontevenconsidertherightthingandjustgivethemoneyback,andsinceFred istheonly
onewithmoneytolend,FredbasicallyhastorestoreFredsconfidenceinthepeoplesabilitytopayFredback,
sothatFredwillfeelcomfortableenoughwithhisreturnoninvestmentforhimtolendagain.
AndhowisFredgoingtorestorehisownconfidenceand,ergo,hiswillingnesstolend?
Well, there are number of tried and tested things that Fred can do to help restore his confidence in the
economy, thereby giving himself the freedom to lend again. One of the things he can do is reset the
economy.Hedoesthis,simplybylettingtheeconomycollapse,andthenrepossessingallthethingsthatare
his. Fred reasons itout like this.Whenpeopleborrowedmoney fromhim, theywentaheadandbought
somethings(housesforshelter,carstogettowork,foodfortheirfamilies,etc.)thattheyneededtosurvive
andthrive.Sincetheydidntpayhimallhismoneyback,Fredreasonsthatallthethingstheyboughtwithhis
moneynowbelong tohim.So,he takeswhatshisandclears thedebt thisway.Gettinghismoneyback,
through therepossessionofgoodsboughtwithhismoney,basicallyrestoresFredswillingness to lend. Its
ugly
though,
especially
when
children
are
involved,
since
it
leaves
the
people
in
the
horrible
position
of
having
tostartalloverfromthebottomagainbutcestlavie,right?
Now, the second thing Fred can do to stave off economic collapse is to printmoney and let it enter the
economy.Printingmoremoney isagreatwaytostaveoffeconomiccollapsebecause itbasicallymakesthe
essential(inaneconomysubjecttoconstantaccumulationoflabour)processoftransfusion(i.e.puttingback
thatwhichhasbeendrainedaway)apermanentthing.Ofcourse,justasFredisnotgoingtogiveawayhisown
money,whenhestartstheprintingpresseshesnotgoingtojustgiveawaythefreshminteither.xiiiJustgiving
themoney awaywould lead to inflation and the steadydevaluation of hismoney.xiv So to avoid that, hechargesinterestonthenewmoneyaswell.
Howmuchinterest?
Well,letsjustsayitisnotanexactscience.
Itisabitofaguessinggame,really.
If interest ratesare too low, this leads to lostopportunityxvand (more importantly) inflation.On theother
hand, if interestratesaretoohigh,extractionand loanpaymentscripple theeconomy tooquickly.So,Fred
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triestocreateabalancepointkeepingbothinflation(causedbytheentranceofnewmoneyintotheeconomy)
andunemployment(causedbylackofmoney)toreasonablelevels.
Anddoesitwork?
Well,sortof.
Connectingtheeconomicbodyuptoapermanent,interestbearingcashintravenous(IV)xvidoesstaveoffthe
inevitable economic collapse caused by the extractive and lending activities of Fred, but only for a time.
Eventuallydebtbuildsup,Fredlosesconfidence,andthemoneyflowstops.Inasmalleconomy,theprocessis
totally obvious. However in a huge economy, it is less obvious. In a huge economy typically what would
happenisdebtwouldpileupinoneortwoareasoftheeconomy,acorrectionwouldcome(i.e.debtwould
pileuptothepointwherepeoplecouldntpaybackthemoney),Fredwouldpanic,theeconomicintravenous
(IV)wouldbeshutoff,businessesinthatsectorwouldcollapse,peoplewouldbethrownoutofwork,andso
on. At that point Fred would reset that sector of the economy by repossessing assets until he was
comfortableto lendagainatwhichpointhed lendagainuntildebtbuiltupsomewhereelseandthewhole
thingwouldhappenagain.
Andisthisabadthing?
Wellifyouareoneoftheonesthatloseeverythingasaresultofthereset,thenyesitisabadthingandit
doesnt takemuch imagination to figureoutwhy. You lose yourhouse, your childrengohungry, your self
esteem takesahit,your family fallsapart,and lifebecomesagrindhouseofpainandstress.On theother
hand,Fredbenefits.Fromhisperspective,recession(i.e.theresetcausedbyFredsextractiveactivity)brings
anecessary financialcorrection thatallowshimtorecouphis investment,returnhimself toconfidence,and
raisethevalueofhismoneywhichhasprobablytakenahitasaresultofinflation.ItisallgoodforFredwho
probablythinksthatiftheworstthinghehastodealwithiscyclicalrecessions,xviiheshappy.Unfortunately,
cyclicalrecession isnottheworstthingthatFredhastodealwith.Whilehe iscelebratinghisgoodfortune,
recessive criseshappenwithmoreandmore frequency,growdeeperanddeeper,andbecomeharderand
hardertogetoutof.
Theproblem,asalways,isdebt.
Thethingyouhavetorememberis,Fredisalwayslendingmoneyatinterestandextractingmoneyatprofit
sonomatterwhat Fred does to putmoney back into the economy,whether its a bailoutor a stimulus
package or a tax break orwhatever, debt (i.e. the owing of your labour power to someone else) always
accumulates.ItstartslikealittlecanceroustumourthatFredcanmanagewithabandaidortwo,butitgrows
andgrowsandgrowsandunlessFredoutlawsinterestandgivesthemoneyback,thereisreallynothingFred
candotostopthecatastrophiccollapseofhiseconomicsystem.Eventually,mayberightnow,maybeinthree
orfouryears,apointisgoingtocomewhendebtissobadandsopervasivethatnothingthatFredcandowill
restoreFredsconfidence in theeconomyandwhen thatpointcomes thedominoeswill falland theentire
economywillgointofullscalecardiacarrest.
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Andthefunnythingis,Fredknowsthis.Becauseofhisprivilegedvantagepoint,hecansee itcomingbetter
than anybody and he knows that when it happens, people are going to experience incredible hardship,
unemployment, long termdeprivation, starvation, and slow, grindingdeath,whichperhaps explains Freds
affinityformilitarytechnology,security,armedforces,RFID,andthingslikethat.Ofcourse,hesnotgoingto
usethatstuffifhedoesnthaveto.Fredsnotabadguyafterall.Butitdoesmakehimsleepbetterknowing
itsthereifheneedsit.
So,whenthetimecomesandtheeconomygoesintocompletecardiacarrest,whatisFredgoingtodo?
Well,asalways,Fredhasachoice.
Ontheonehand,Fredcanwakeupandseethetwistednatureofthesystemhesbeenlivingwith,giveback
themoney,outlawaccumulationandinterest,andallowthecountrytolivehappilyeverafter.Ifhedoesthis,
thenwe canall sing forhesajollygood fellowandgodance in the streetsbecause if Fredmakes that
choice, itwillmeanapermanentend topovertyandsufferingand theglobalemergenceofshambhalaand
utopia.
Ontheotherhand,Fredcouldcontinueintheoldwaysandtrytohangontohismoney. Ifhedoesthat,things
willjustgetworse. AsIalreadysaid,itwillbelikeadominochain.Whenitfinallycomes,thecollapsewillbe
rapid and dramatic and therewill be nothing Fred can do to stop it. Itwill start in a single sectorof the
consumereconomywithanormalrecession.However,becausetherestoftheeconomyissomiredindebt,
therecessionwillnotstayconfinedtoasinglesector.Evenalittledropoffinsaleswilltriggerbankruptcyand
default inothersectors,panickingFred intoshuttingoff the IV,andwhenthathappens,thewholechainof
dominoeswillfallrattlingdownwithdisastrousconsequencesforthemajorityofpeopleinFredseconomy.It
willbe sobad thatnoamountof surveillanceand indoctrinationwillcalm theagitatedmassesandat that
pointFred is,onceagain,onlygoing tohave twochoices.Helleitherhave to comecleananddo the right
thing,orhellhavetogotowar.
Whywar?
Well,aspeople likeFreddiscovereda long timeago,war isagreatway to channelaggressionandpullan
economyoutofeconomicdepression.NotonlydoeswarallowFredtoinjectmucho$$$intotheeconomyina
waythatdoesntgivehisprecioussecretaway,butitalsoallowshimtochanneltheaggressionoftheyoung,
ablebodied, andpotentiallydangerousmen.He calls somebody evil and then sends all theablebodied
youngmenoutofthecountrytofighttheevil.
Simple!
Andofcourse,werenottalkingaboutalittlewarhere.
Atthepointoftotaleconomiccollapse,Fredisgoingtoneedarealwar,aglobalwar,withgadjillionsofdollars
in military spending leading to bajillions of dollars in economic offshoots into the economy to solve the
problemandthatmeans,ofcourse,thata lotof innocentpeoplearegoingtodie.Ofcourse,Fredneedsan
enemytofight.Butthatseasy.Aftercenturiesofindoctrination,theworldissodividedupbyreligion,byskin
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colour,bynation,bygender,byculture,andbyregion thatstartingaglobalwar isassimpleasdroppinga
singlenuclearbomb.
So,whatareyougoingtodo?
Well,Ipersonallydontrecommendyousitaroundanddonothing.
Even if the next world war does manage to solve our global economic crisis by remonetizing the global
economy,were rapidly reaching a planetary environmentalwall. Ifwe dont fix the numerous ecological,
psychological,political,andsocialdistortionsthatarecausedbythelunaticfringeleadingthislunaticeconomic
systemwelivein,humanitywontsurvivetodoitagain.Andbesidesthat,werenotfightingwithsticksand
stonesanymore.With the typeof technology that canbedeployed to killwith thesedays,and the global
interconnectednessthatthreatenstounifytheplanet,billionscoulddiebeforeFredregainshisconfidence.
Ialsodontrecommendguillotinesandviolence.Thatneverreallyworkedanywaybecause,aswehaveseen,if
you killone Fred,anew Fred comesalong to takehisplace.Andbesides, theold saying is true: violence
begetsviolence.Youcantrepairabrokenworldbyusingrepressivestrategies.
Ialsodontrecommendyoustandaroundwaitingforabigalienshiptotakeyouaway intothesky,oryour
Sirianbrotherstocomefixtheproblemsonthisearth.IknowsomepeopleouttherearedoingthatbutIm
tellingyounow,thataintgonnahappen.Trustmeonthisone.IfthealienhighcommanderoftheAnnunaki
fleetwas speaking to you rightnow,hedbe saying exactlywhat Im saying to youwhich is, this is your
problemandyouhavetofixitbeforewecanhelpyou.Sogettoit.
Finally, Idonotrecommendyoustandaroundwaitingforthesaviourtocomeandsaveyourbutteither.I
havenodoubtatallthat ifthesaviourwasstanding infrontofyouandspeakingtoyourightnow,hedbe
telling
you
exactly
what
I
am
telling
you
which
is,
you
are
a
powerful
co
creator
and
brilliant
spark
of
the
divinecreatorGod,andyouhavethepowerwithinyoutochangethisworld.Allyouhavetodo iswakeup,
takeyourpowerback,andlearnhowtouseit.
Isupposethough,intheend,itsyourchoice.
Youcanmakeupsomeexcuseandsitaroundwaiting forFredtodotherightthing,oryoucanrealize that
aftersomuch indoctrination,war, fighting,division,depression,andsufferingyouhavegot to takematters
intoyourownhands.Ifyourchoiceisnumberone,thenthebestyoucandoishopethatwhatIvetoldyou
today is not true. However, if you want to do number two, I recommend you visit me at
http://www.michaelsharp.org/
where
I
can
help
you
get
started
on
the
awakening
and
empowerment
part
of
thesolution.Keepanopenmindthough.Remember,ImaspiritualauthorsoanysolutionsIhavetoofferfor
thismesswecallplanetearthwillbespiritualsolutions.Ifyouthinkyourereadyforthat,thenbyallmeans,
dropbyforavisitandletsseewhatthereistosee.
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OnreachingJerusalem,Jesusenteredthetempleareaandbegandrivingoutthosewhowerebuyingand selling there.Heoverturned the tablesof themoneychangersand thebenchesof thosesellingdoves,andwouldnotallowanyonetocarrymerchandisethroughthetemplecourts. Andashetaughtthem,hesaid,"Isitnotwritten:Myhousewillbecalledahouseofprayerforallnations?Butyouhavemadeitadenofrobbers."Thechiefpriestsandtheteachersofthelawheardthisandbeganlookingforawaytokillhim,fortheyfearedhim,becausethewholecrowdwasamazedathisteaching.Mark11:1518.
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Pleasefeelfreetopostthisdocumentonyourwebsiteorblogasaservicetoyourreaders.
Alinktohttp://www.michaelsharp.orgwouldbeappreciated,butisnotnecessary.
Pleasedonoteditthedocumentorremovenotices.
Ifyoureadthiseconomictreatiseonlineasafreeebook,
andwouldliketoprovideafairexchangefort