My Country Is Called Earth Read Online Free PDF Page A

overpopulation.
    “A few asked the next logical question, ‘Is it necessary that millions of men and women remain idle or in minimum wage or part-time jobs simply because the present system has no room for them? Perhaps it is time for a democratic capitalism, where all are guaranteed a slice of the economic pie.’
    “The free marketeers argued that the old capitalism had provided the high standard of living the people of America, Japan, and Western Europe had enjoyed before, and to throw it out would be foolish. They said if people would be patient just a little longer the world would enter a glorious age of prosperity and opportunity generated by technology, free trade, and global growth.
    “The proponents of a democratic capitalism answered, ‘High-tech is fine if it doesn’t eliminate your job. Free trade forces the American worker to compete with low-wage workers in foreign lands. And the world cannot afford more growth dictated by greed—we must start thinking in terms of economics that can be sustained. Therefore, we intend to form self-supporting communities that will be accountable for what they do to the earth. These communities will represent a second economy, with their own farms, businesses, and workshops.’
    “The communities, now called communes or villages, began with the homeless, the unemployed, and individuals who wanted a slower, simpler life more in touch with the earth and their natural rhythms. The village life was harsh at first, but for many it was still an improvement over their prior lives of poverty and hopelessness.
    “These villages served another valuable purpose. They gave people a sense of community again: a feeling of belonging, of being part of something bigger than themselves, and of responsibility to others.”
    “What was happening in the rest of the world at this time?”
    “How does that expression go? The rich were getting richer, and the poor were getting poorer. As more nations adopted free market systems, and as global trade expanded, the tendency of capitalism to enrich the wealthiest members of society at the expense of the poorest was enhanced. Poverty was also increasing because of declining manufacturing employment in the developed nations and population growth, environmental degradation, and flight to the cities in the developing nations.”
    Exellon seemed to get distracted for a moment, then he resumed: “Isn’t it ironic that the President who had been known as the champion of capitalism actually hastened its end? The waves of borrowing he set in motion and his free trade policies accelerated the abuses of nature, consolidations of wealth, and economic hardships that result from unregulated private enterprise. The consequence was that men were pushed to the edge sooner than if he had not been elected President.”
    I couldn’t wait any longer—I had to find out about the federal debt. I asked, “What was done about all the money the government had borrowed?”
    “In the first decade of the twenty-first century the interest payments on the debt surpassed the income tax revenues. The United States was essentially bankrupt and the dollar was no longer considered a hard currency. The situation left us with two choices. The first was for the United States to stop honoring its debt. The second was to print trillions of dollars to make the debt worthless. It was decided the second option was unacceptable: Hyperinflation is a tough monster to slay once it is allowed to breathe.”
    “So the U.S. defaulted on its debt?”
    “We compromised. A courageous President announced that the federal government would begin balancing its budget immediately, and it would no longer pay interest on the national debt. Over a period of about forty years, all government obligations were paid off at face value. The decision to cut spending forced the federal government to return power to the local level, where it belonged.”
     
     
    Thursday, July 2, 2076
     
    I found Exellon