Page 13 - Michael Journal March 2020
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imports add to the wealth of a nation.
                  Like a tripod, Social Credit                   A nation’s wealth is reduced by the consumption
                   rests on three principles:                of goods, “wear and tear”, a decrease in population
                                                             and the export of goods.
                       Money would be issued by                  The total increase in wealth, minus the total re-
                       society (without interest)            duction, yields the net enrichment for a given period.
                       A dividend would be                       The true enrichment in real wealth must be ex-
                       issued to every citizen               pressed by an equivalent amount of purchasing
                       A compensated discount                power, if production is to reach consumers.
                       would be made to retailers                            A Dividend to all
                                                                 Social Credit endorses the periodic distribution of
                                                             a Dividend to all citizens from birth to death without
        through a future decrease in retail prices.          exceptions or conditions.
            Consumer needs must give production its direc-       The Dividend will be equivalent to the minimum
        tion and producers must not be permitted to create   that each citizen can expect to receive as a co-owner
        bogus needs through advertising. Under Social Cred-  of a well-organized society that has an abundant pro-
        it, all new money will be injected directly into con-  duction at its disposal. It is also the most direct way
        sumption. From the start, what is produced will be   of ensuring that everyone receive their due share of
        decided by consumers.                                the nation’s production. Modern societies can guar-
            Money will thus gradually be restored as a tool   antee both a Dividend to all and wages to the workers
        of service rather than a weapon of domination. It will   Consider the Dividend to be a return on the “com-
        assume its rightful role as a mechanism of distribu-  monly owned capital” which is shared by all members
        tion and will cease being the end goal of production.   of an organized society. The amount of the Dividend
             Teaching aspect of a sound system               remains to be determined, but in a nation in which

            Setting the  economic system on  the correct     production exceeds the population’s needs, it should
                                                             minimally provide for basic necessities while provid-
        course by applying the Social Credit proposals will   ing ample reward to those who partake in work.
        neither  eliminate  human  passions  nor  their  nega-
        tive  consequences.  A  well-ordered  system  teaches   Price Adjustment (or Compensated Discount)
        and supports goodwill and prevents exploitation of       Social Credit advocates that an equilibrium pre-
        others. A disordered system, on the other hand, ac-  vails  between  the  total  retail  prices  of  consumer
        centuates  passions,  smothers  goodwill  and  creates   goods  and  total  purchasing  power.  A  discount,  or
        despair. Privation caused because essential goods    Price Adjustment, would be applied to retail prices.
        cannot be accessed lays a foundation for subversive   The amount would be determined by the ratio of total
        ideas.                                               purchasing power to total production costs. The sta-
            In the realm of politics and economics, Social   tistics for a particular period would be calculated by
        Credit  is  the  most  effective  weapon  to  curtail  both   the National Credit Office and form the basis for a dis-
        communism and anarchy because it advocates for       count for the period that followed.
        the economic security of all members of society          For example, if during a given month total pro-
        while respecting personal freedom.                   duction, as expressed by retail prices, was $10 billion
                  Money created by society                   and if during the same period all purchases totalled
            Social Credit entrusts the social management of   $8 billion, the Price Adjustment would be $2 billion, or
                                                             20 percent. Consumers would pay a total of $8 billion
        money and credit to a National Credit Office that is   for  $10  billion  of  products.  Production  would  have
        responsible to the peoples’ representatives in gov-  succeeded in reaching its goal. Producers would pro-
        ernment.
                                                             ceed to obtain from the National Credit Office the $2
            The National Credit Office would keep an account   billion (20%) not received from buyers.
        of production and consumption from which it would        The  Price  Adjustment  mechanism  favours  con-
        determine the country’s real capital  assets, or  Real   sumers but also benefits producers by facilitating the
        Credit. These assets would be the basis for Financial   sale of products that could otherwise remain unsold.
        Credit.                                              Reduced prices mean that retailers and producers
            A nation’s assets are comprised of natural resour-  would sell more goods. In response, the Credit Of-
        ces, the various means of production and its people.   fice would require that profit margins have limits. The
            The production of the different types of capital   net effect would be that production would be encour-
        and consumer goods, an increase in population and    aged and inflation discouraged. v
                                                                                                                           Louis Even

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