From: Tq9@p8W.com   
      
   Welcome to another edition of PROUT Gems.  In this issue:   
   ** The return of the Authoritarian Right and a proposal for Economic   
   Decentralisation   
   ** Economic democracy   
   ** Decentralized economy   
   ** Automation: doom or boon?   
   ** POLITICIANS   
      
   Democracy is not real without economic democracy for all.  This issue again   
   covers the importance of economic democracy which should be the platform of   
   all progressive and humanistic social change movements.  Without that   
   platform, the perpetuation of economic centralisation in the hands of either   
   Corporate Capitalism or State Capitalism (communism) will persist.  The   
   future of humanity cannot rely on the immoral forces behind these systems to   
   take society forward.  Deprivation of others of their due as human beings is   
   immoral and both Corporate Capitalism and Communism have that mentality.   
      
   Regards   
      
   Dharma   
      
      
   ** The return of the Authoritarian Right and a proposal for Economic   
   Decentralisation   
   -Prout Research Institute   
      
   According to the doctrine of laissez-faire (unfettered) capitalism to which   
   Bush Jnr subscribes, the way to avoid economic slumps or recessions is to   
   give maximum encouragement to the rich and super-rich to keep the economy   
   going strong. The theory goes that once the economy is going well, a hidden   
   hand redistributes the wealth to the poor. The real question is, does this   
   invisible hand really exist?   
      
   In 'Tone Poem' by Midnight Oil (Moginie, Garrett) it is appropriately   
   described as:   
      
   invisible hand clutching at the throat   
   statistical sham an emperor's rags its sad   
   because equality's the only plea green fields are burning   
   the reefs on fire and bellies are swollen they're hurting   
   a willing victim I don't think so   
   we won't be pinned against the wall   
   there is no slogan that can feed you   
      
   The question now arises: What are the alternatives?  The central problem is   
   the existence of a capitalist mode of production and its inherent   
   exploitative contradictions (alienation, materialism, unemployment,   
   homelessness, strengthening of racism and patriarchy and destruction of   
   ecology, etc).   
      
   Liberal politics essentially harbour illusions.  Many simply seek to retain   
   the concept of selfish pleasure without a proper psychological consideration   
   of higher human needs.  Liberal Democracy is based on economic and political   
   centralisation.  Political Liberal Democracy is seen to have won the day   
   through its representative style of governance. Few people have questioned   
   its integrity until recently. Today if we ask the sections of any society,   
   who are disadvantaged or left behind in economic prosperity, they are not   
   enthusiastic about the supposed advantages of Liberal Democracy. And in the   
   developing countries, where the gap between rich and poor has grown even   
   more, people are desperate.   
      
   The main problems of political democracy are party politics and high   
   election advertising expenditure that requires backing from Big Capital.   
   Most people vote for the party and not the candidate and electors depend on   
   wealthy backers to pay for campaign adverts.  So it is clear that   
   capitalists favour Liberal Democracy as they can bribe, intimidate and   
   manipulate the people and those who they elect through money power. Liberal   
   Democracy promises peace, equality and prosperity, in reality it puts the   
   common people at the mercy of Big Capital, and they spend the best part of   
   lives working for pitiful wages.   
      
   According to Prout there are several prerequisites for a proper democratic   
   system and these include:   
    - politicians of a high moral character who seriously study the ethical   
   dimensions of their decisions   
    - thorough education of voters which creates a high social consciousness   
   (of social, economic and political issues)   
      
   People are fed up with false promises, they want real Democracy, Economic   
   Democracy, where they can really control their lives!   
      
   Economic Democracy requires economic decentralisation.  This is based on a   
   Co-operative mode of production and distribution together with an   
   anti-nationalist and pro-universalist outlook. Universalism stands for love   
   for all, not just human existence but for all life and the natural world, it   
   is also about celebrating the diversity of life. Something only given lip   
   service to in materialist conceptions of society.   
      
   Political power can remain centralised and economic power is decentralised.   
   Political power is with ethical politicians and economic power is with the   
   local population. The main work of the people with political power is to   
   remove all the   
   political obstacles that prevent the peoples' economic needs being met. Due   
   to the limits of physical wealth on this planet, a system like Economic   
   Democracy will ensure that this wealth is rationally distributed. While   
   there is room for those who work harder to enjoy higher wages, there should   
   never be a situation like there is today, in the USA for example, where 5%   
   of the population owns 95% of the wealth.   
      
   Therefore under Economic Democracy, production is for consumption rather   
   than for profit. This guarantees basic necessities for all, like education,   
   health, and proper housing. Capitalists would never agree to economic   
   decentralisation, as they would lose their control over production and   
   distribution and thus control of surplus value profit. And likewise, the old   
   communists, as in the previous USSR, would never have supported economic   
   decentralisation for the same reason. Their communist system was really a   
   kind of State Capitalism.   
      
   Economic decentralisation means developing the local industry.  Under an   
   Economic Democratic system, the Constitution of every country must guarantee   
   the minimum requirements of people (which will be progressive and increase   
   with time) including food, clothing, housing, education and health care.   
   This will be accomplished by full employment because all will have adequate   
   and increasing purchasing capacity, which will in turn make the society more   
   dynamic and unleash the potentiality of the people and make economic   
   decentralisation more and more innovative.   
      
   The local Co-operative system will ensure that proper planning and the   
   reinvestment of surplus profits (through wages, bonuses, dividends to   
   shareholder-workers) will keep the economy dynamic and growing. The surplus   
   profits should not get monopolised by small elites within that locality or   
   from outside, which is the real reason behind a stagnated economy. Economic   
   Democracy is also the best system for protection of the environment and   
   animals. As production is for consumption and not for excessive profits,   
   more consideration will go into preserving the ecological balance.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)