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The Social Dividend

Objections to the Social Dividend

63. Social Dividends will cause inflation! etc.” But they exclude themselves as not counting
Inflation means that prices increase. Social Divi- among the lazy. It is the others they worry about; the
dends are not included in establishing retail prices. population whom they scorn.
Therefore prices should not increase. 67. This will lead to political corruption!
If the amount of money was increased, without To the contrary, the Social Dividend would help
taking production into consideration, demand might put an end to corruption. By giving everyone access
surpass the production capacity. In this case, prices to basic goods, society would be at the service of all
would tend to increase due to a lack of products. With of its members, not only the favoured few.
a Social Dividend, prices would decrease since sales 68. What do you tell those who cry out: “Down with
would be increased. capitalism!”
Social Credit offers a financial system that is sim- They cry out because they own nothing and they
ple but complete. It eliminates all causes of inflation by are angry at those who own something. If they them-
having money reflect reality precisely. selves were capitalists, they would act differently.
Dr. Bryan Monahan, Chairman of the Social Credit Should we get rid of critics? Of course not.
Secretariat, and a close associate of Douglas, claimed
that the conflict between progress and the search for There is something better we can do and that is to
full employment was at the root of inflation. make everyone a capitalist. We must recognize the fact
that each individual is entitled to a share of the com-
64. Will Social Dividends not make people lazy? monly-owned capital. If the commonly-owned capital
This objection has been refuted time and time were acknowledged and gave its owners an income,
again. It does not hold up. Would anyone leave a job everyone would be a capitalist, including socialists!
to settle for a Dividend when it only comprised a por- Everyone would enjoy a good measure of freedom;
tion of their total income? the same measure enjoyed by folk who have money
Laziness is a vice. Money was not designed as a in their pocket which allows them to accept work that
weapon against vice. suits them and turn down work which is not suitable.
It is not necessary to be actively employed to 69. Will this not cause taxes to go up?
share with and to care for others. People who do not understand Social Credit can-
65. What do you tell the moralists who say there is not understand how a Social Dividend would be dis-
no such thing as a free lunch? tributed without an increase in taxes.
We can answer by asking if the sun receives a pay- Today, any money that comes from the govern-
check to heat and light up the solar system. Does the ment in the form of a child tax credit, old age security
moon draw a salary relative to the size of its crescent? and social security comes from taxation.
Do rivers get paid according to the height of their Money is created, but not created soundly. Money
waterfalls? Nothing for nothing? Does an infant in his is created by banks as debt and so taxation is inevit-
crib have a right to nothing? Would we say the sick able. Under a Social Credit system we would still use
and elderly have a right to nothing? figures as money but it would be free of debt. All new
On that count, Our Lord should never have multi- money would be based on the country’s productive
plied the bread and fishes and committed the “crime” capacity.
of distributing them free of charge. In the Lord’s Pray- 70. Why has this Social Credit system not been ap-
er, we would not recite the words: “Give us this day plied thus far?
our daily bread”. Instead, the Lord would have told us
to earn our daily bread. It is because Social Credit is not known and under-
stood. Mankind has been hypnotized with a Jansenist
66. But people will not want to work anymore! economic philosophy maintained by financial powers
Shareholders who receive their dividends show and by those who wish to dominate others.
no less interest for their enterprises. When they work 71. Even if it were good, would Social Credit not be-
in the factory they own, do they become lazy if they come dangerous if left in the hands of an oppres-
receive a dividend on top of their wages? sive government?
It would be idiotic to think so. They know that only Social Credit is not likely to become a danger-
an increase in the volume or quality of their prod- ous tool in the hands of an oppressive government.
ucts will increase their dividends. They will therefore Social Credit will not replace the banking monopoly
double their efforts at work. by a state-run monopoly. Government will not create
Critics might argue: “This is welfare, it will make money at will and for its own purposes.
people lazy, people will not want to work anymore, Social Credit would model the workings of the u

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