What now?

Maybe it is because I am at that stage of life often termed (politely) as being of “advanced years”, I tend to look at what is going on around me with a different outlook.

There seems to be a great deal of “hot air” being expended on what to do about the economy, as if the “Economy” was the beginning and end of life. I know that I have mentioned this before in other posts but it is necessary for all to acknowledge that the “Economy” is not some esoteric, alien “thing” somewhere out there. The economy IS the people - the citizens of this Country create the Economy with their labour.  

Money is not self-emergent, it doesn’t arise by itself.

Without PEOPLE there would be no money and no economy. There is an old Roger Whittaker song– one called “From the people to the people”, and the lyrics certainly apply today:

“You take it from the people, you give it to the people. 

Its people who reap and people who sow.

You work with the people or you gotta go.”

These words express very well my philosophy. It is PEOPLE who are of paramount importance. Not MONEY. Not the ECONOMY.  Not the BUDGET. It is people – without people there would be no money and therefor no economy, and by default no need for a budget (in surplus or otherwise) or for a treasurer.

So it’s PEOPLE, stupid! People. Look after people!

The problem, in my opinion, is that what is termed the “middle class” is being hollowed out. The divide between the rich and poor is getting wider. The rich are getting richer with the top 1% owning the wealth of the bottom 70%. These are Australian figures but are typical of a world-wide trend. 

The best solution (in my humble opinion) is not to reduce the rate of income tax to the wealthy but to increase it and so provide a better income distribution via a Negative Income Tax- For people who do not earn enough to pay tax (or earn below the minimum wage or some other agreed amount) their income would be supplemented to arrive at the agreed amount or the minimum wage. Everyone, working or not, would be obliged to lodge a tax return and any supplement would be “refunded” via the ATO, similar to the process for a normal tax refund.

More money in the pockets of those with a low-income means they will spend more. This gives rise to what is termed the “multiplier effect”. In Australia this is about 5. This means that for every additional dollar spent the “economy” benefits by 5 dollars. Retail trade in particular would get a boost – more money spent, more employment, more taxation revenue … etc.

To me it’s a no brainer. Increase the “dole” and everyone will benefit. 

It’s not the Economy, stupid – it’s people!

Homelessness in any society is a measure of its Moral Compass and Social Conscience. In Australia, where I live, the latest figures provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2011, record that there were 105 237 homeless people (49 out of every 10 000 people in the country). In the Northern Territory this reaches the staggering figure of 700 in every 10 000! This astonishing number reflects the very poor status of the Original People of Australia - the Aboriginal. We should hang our heads in shame.

In the USA – the wealthiest country in the world – on any night in January 2013 the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported there were 610 042 homeless people (19 out of every 10 000 people in the country). According to the Walking Shield website that caters for Native Americans there were 90 000 Native American families that were homeless - using the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 2003 figures. This is now 2014 and, with respect, I suggest that there will not have been much improvement since 2003.

These figures – statistics – are an appalling indictment of the way current economic theory and capitalism are disconnected from “real” life.

Everyone is worried about the “economy” but they forget or ignore the fact that the “economy” would not exist without people. People ARE the economy. Look after people – pay them a liveable wage – and the economy will prosper. The low paid will have more money to spend after the essentials have been catered for. This is both the ethical and the morally correct thing to do.

The “multiplier effect” is, I understand, something like 1.5 – for every $1 in increased basic wage (for the low paid) there is a $1.50 benefit for the “economy”; increased spending power, increased taxes for governments, reduced requirement for social security benefits and generally better health and well-being for the recipients. This is the “churn” effect that money has - what goes around comes around and then some!

I remind my one loyal reader that over one hundred years ago Henry Ford said that every worker should be paid enough to buy what he makes!

It is not the “economy”, stupid – it is people!!