Think Localization, Not Nationalization

Here is an article I wrote on 12/28/2002 for another forum.

Capitalism is simply working with capital as a tool. It is a neutral tool. Capitalism does not create anything. People create everything. What appears to be a nasty source of communism (capitalism) is actually "corporatism". Corporations are artificial beings without souls, conscience or concern for anything except themselves - just like the ego. Corporatism is the root of communism (selfishness masquerading as altruism). Corporations were originally designed to be a tool for capitalism. A business can raise capital (public participation) in the ownership and direction of the corporation (theoretically). But those of raw ambition and little conscience have seized the reins of these corporations and have made them into tools of personal gratification instead of service. God gives. People and/or organizations that give by way of providing service and products (at reasonable prices) are in conformity with "God gives". Those that manipulate tools for self aggrandizement (selfishly) and without regard for "rhythmically balanced interchange" are what you refer too. Let us be careful in our labeling (assignment of meanings).

Labeling: People (egos) like to label (judge, assign value). This makes it easier to engage in inhuman activities. The Nazis did not round up and kill individuals. They rounded up and killed "Jews". The dictators of Russia didn't kill individuals. They rounded up and killed "Jews", "Polish", "terrorists" and "dissidents".

http://www.rense.com/general33/gov.htm

Russell puts it this way: "The way to be a creative individual [awakened] is to know that each person is an inseparable extension of the One Individual [God]. Never lose sight of that for a moment. Do not pray morning, noon and night at timed intervals. Let your prayers be continuous, from moment to moment. To know God is to be God." The Message of the Divine Iliad, page 106-107

When we know each individual is an extension of God, just as we ourselves are, we will stop labeling and killing them/ourselves.

Ever been to a store - ANY store - capitalism in action. Some years ago I spent some time vending at a Flea Market. Not to just sell odds and ends but to make money. One needs as much capital as one can get to make it work - same for any business. Fascinating experience! (Every person would benefit by such an adventure.) Same for my current business of producing or buying books and reselling them. Takes capital. There are tens of millions of "little" people using capitalism all over the world to earn a living. Most of these people are fair and honest in their endeavors. These countless unwashed feed, clothe and hire the vast bulk of humanity.

We can use your term Free Enterprise. That'll work too. Buying and selling. Takes capital to buy even if that capital is only a few dollars for a sack of potatoes that then get resold a pound at a time off a push cart in a flea market by some under-capitalized poor yet enterprising person.

These large monolithic international corporations use some principles of capitalism as a basis of operation. But it is not capitalism that is at fault. Monopoly, greed and vicious hording of resources mixed in with legal and political manipulations go way beyond anything remotely descriptive of capitalism. Capitalism is a tool to render service or produce products. That's it. The abhorrent aspects are brought in by egoic fear and uncontrolled desire for power and control. These negative motivations and manners of misusing capitalism have nothing to do with capitalism per se. These negative motivations and actions are overt abuses of a beautiful and powerful system of giving and regiving which is in accord with the Law of One, Law of Love and Law of Life.

Real business is based on service. Which means rendering wanted service or products to those seeking same. This becomes and win-win scenario. What has been going on on Wall Street et al is not business based on service but business based on greed and self-serving. We cannot give everything away (stupidity, communism) and expect to survive. We cannot take everything from everyone as that likewise leads to self-destruction. Capitalism is the practice of using capital (money, resources, labor, knowledge) to render service or products. Offer to people what they want and they will offer you what you want. Take and be taken from which is what we are seeing destroying the world right now. As inflation (taking value from others) increases we will see this dog eat dog scenario become truly horrific....

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/85404

the NEW LOCAL ORDER. It's got legs. Run with it.

"What I see this as is an attack on localization. I find it silly to believe that we can solve our problems by putting them up on a larger scale, by “modernizing” industries which has always led to the destruction of smaller businesses at the hands of government intervention, and many other ways through government involvement. By discouraging local and community involvement, we have lost the key to what makes an economy great. Strong growth doesn’t mean a thing on its own in the short-term. Rather, it is strong, sustainable, honest growth that capitalism aims to create. I think the easiest, most efficient, and most sustainable way to achieve this is through local economies and community involvement. Whether it be with politics, economics, or business, it is the personal interaction that makes a strong system."
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Couldn't agree more.

What made this country great were people with a better mouse trap and the neighbors and friends who were willing to invest in that better mouse trap.

All large businesses started at the local level and now most of them have taken those businesses overseas along with American jobs.

So instead of crying over spilled milk. Americans need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and start new businesses. And those who are not so inclined can help by investing in local small businesses and by only buying American made goods.

Everyone can do their part in pulling this country back together. We don't need to depend on government and banks, all we need to do is believe in ourselves and our fellow Americans.

Invest in America and start at the local level.

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What you're talking about has a name ... subsidiarity ... which means that whatever can be done on the local level should be done there. Subsidiarity is not capitalism, however. The Catholic Church subscribes to it and has written much about it as being the fairest way to govern people and assure everyone a decent job opportunity.

The central banks and Wall Street are the problem. So much has been said about the Fed that I won't say more now. However, no one seems to realize that we would be 100% better off without Wall Street. Imagine, people who wanted to invest would do their own research to find firms or start ups that needed funding. What would be better than investing in a company in or near your own town that employed local people? There would be numerous benefits to the entire community as well as safeguards for the investor, not the least of which is first hand knowledge of the company and its managers.

Perhaps, without Wall Street, the supranational mega corporations which care only about themselves would shrivel up and blow away ... their only advantage is that they can gobble up or crush their competition and pass the costs onto us. Besides, shipping is a huge cost of doing business anymore. so, while local labor might cost more, some money would be saved on transportation if goods were produced locally.

The very reason that capitalism will always be doomed to failure is that the greediest capitalists quickly discover that they can create advantages for themselves by controlling politicians and manipulating people. A centralized republican form of government is a patsy for takeover by people with money and power ... all you have to do is offer people free this and free that and they'll bite. The guy who runs on a ticket of hard work, prudence, thriftiness, etc. doesn't get the vote when everything the other guy is offering is "free."

The US Constitution, much as it makes people's hearts thump, is a very flawed document. It enshrines religious indifferentism ... which destroys morality. For well over 150 years, immoral men have ignored the Constitution when convenient, while ramming totally unconstitutional "laws" down our throats for their own aggrandizement. Another amendment needed is a restriction on how many media outlets one person can own. I think that most media ownership should be local as well.

Facing reality is the first step to fixing the problem.

become a local capitalist.