Guest Post: Socialocracy and StarTrek

There is a great duality which man has been forced to wear, I feel it is this generations purpose to remove said mask. The problem is as simple as this: People will naturally think and act and express choice, when his ability to do so are removed via institutions, the social fabric begins to crumble. Even simpler still would be the parable of the fish: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. As man's natural abilities are subtly removed, and the fabric crumbles slowly, and the corrupt elements can begin to control the ignorant and polarized populace. Technology is the bridge to a brighter future, but the end goal is still shrouded, and without a know final destination, the path will lead nowhere.

So where is the final destination? What tools are at our disposal to use? Who can help us? How do you spread the message? When do you spread the message?

The most important piece of this puzzle is where is the destination. When thinking about the future, what resources can we draw upon which have been assimilated into the collective unconscious? Have there ever been a widely accepted author/philosopher who has written of harmony within a technological society, without the depression of a dystopia? Some widely read men who gave visions of the future which can be crossed off of the list as the endings are typically of Hobbes- nasty, brutish and short: Orwell, Bradbury, Huxley, Hebert, Vonnegut. Who then is left? Roddenberry. This might seem like an odd choice, and he cannot lay claim to having authored the entire universe of Star Trek, but I doubt someone as prolific, positive or prescient has ever impacted culture as he has. This will not be an argument for worshiping at the altar of Star Trek, only a guide as to what might be, as Roddenberry and Star Trek left many questions remain unanswered on about how to get there.

So why am I claiming that humanity should look to Star Trek and the Federation as answers? If you have watched any of the shows or movies, there are several things which lay claim to the source of harmony on the planet. Perhaps the most obvious piece of evidence, in light of our current global financial crisis is that "There is no money in the 23rd century" James T. Kirk. - Star Trek IV. While this is an admirable goal, how do you get there, when there exist $240 Trillion in financial instruments? Will the problems be solved by the supply siders (J.M. Keynes) or the Austrian school on the demand side? This is a false choice, and does not represent a complete picture of economic thought. Participatory economics is a young, and yet to mature branch of economic thought which has positives and negatives. Using computing power it surmised to match aggregate demand with aggregate supply on a near-time basis. The system lacks the needed and necessary for of governance, but there have been short lived examplesof governments attempting planning at this level. There has been some minor musings into how it would fit into the world of Star Trek, which we might add as a guide point in the unknown space between here and the future. As with math, with any two points one can draw a straight line, and the vehicles we need to travel that line exist! Time Banking is an exceptional way to guard against the devaluation of an hours labor, foster community, but does not solve the issues of consumption or production of goods on any level.

The issue surrounding production and consumption of goods and materials lie in the at the very core of arguments for capitalism, socialism and every other method of allocating resources. In the end the balance of micro and macroeconomic equilibriums should satisfy needs, but does it make people happy. As humans we are very bad at determining what makes us happy, but my wife will tell you that buying clothes makes her happy. So if on a Microeconomic level consumption equates to happiness, and most Advertising firms know this, why is not the US the happiest place on earth? Why are there no parallels to be found in a Macroeconomic environment? Consider Amazon's wish list. Is this information useful in forecasting demand? Is it even utilized? Would a studying a democratic workplace such as SEMCO and building upon its principals help solve some of these problems? How fast can technology be disseminated to solve issues of resource use, renewal, depletion, efficiency? Can the Metropolis quandary ever be solved?

by Ben M.

A99

Socialocracy Continued

As the above link will show, people are starting to both understand and think about what they can do about this feeling of unjustness. What I am trying to develop is the where, in the words of the inimitable Steve Jobs, "the hockey puck is going." It seems to me that to just bring down the oligarchs of finance is not enough. It is just a battle. Yes it is a very important battle but it is just a tactic. In order for the war to be won we must have a strategy and a goal.

That is why I have come up with Socialocracy.

It is far time that we, in the United States, end this dual oligarchy of Republican and Democrat. I have seen and read so many times where people would immediately dismiss the other because of their preference for the label. This only serves the master and keeps the peasant fighting and distracted amongst themselves. What is needed is a non-co-opted third party to emerge. The Tea-Party was a start but failed immediately once it decided it needed to align with Republicans. It was quickly co-opted by the powers in that party. Of course, any progressive or democrat immediately hated them and called them racist.

The master won that battle.

What Socialocracy does is cut through the tendrils that keep the dual system intact. Not unlike a binary star system. Socialocracy cuts this tendril like a hot knife through butter, easily and without much effort.

The core tenet of Socialocracy is that regulation is pushed to the people. Enforcement will move back to the judicial system. Yet even the judicial system will be under the regulatory purview of the people.

Let us take a favorite pet peeve of mine, law. In the corrupted state of Illinois, one has to go to law school to even take the bar exam. This, the land of Lincoln! With this rule alone, would Lincoln have ever become the great, statist, fascist president? Of course not, but then again, that might have been a good thing.

Now before all you people declare me a racist, remember, slavery was abolished in almost all countries without a civil war. But then again, was it really slavery? Or was it economics? Anyway, I digress.

The point being is why couldn't I just study on my own and pass the bar exam. Heck, I think I would be more impressed and ready to give a lawyer my business who did study and pass it on his own. This shows dedication, discipline and heart.

But no! That would not do. The state and their institutions need to "control" and of course need to enslave via debt. How much would it cost to go to law school? And, supposedly, if I wanted to get a job at a "prestigious" law school, I would have to go to a really expensive law school. Thereby enslaving me with student loans of which the bankers and the state say I can go bankrupt on and would have to pay off till I die.

Obviously this is corrupt. Now some would say, this ensures that they are prepared. Then what is the bar exam for?

In a Socialocracy, enabled by the Internet. We have a very equitable solution. Let the market rate and publish! This type of governance can only be possible with the easy dissemination of information. The Internet makes this possible. This is like fractals in math. Without computers, fractals would never have become the science they are now.

We seem to have no problem understanding the effect of technology on things and science, but when it comes to governance, everyone seems to become blind. However, the free anarchic marketplace has created solutions that clearly work, i.e. YELP.

Now we just need to realize that the opportunity for a new renaissance stares us in our soul. Again, thanks to a completely free system, at least for now, of the Internet.

This also disproves the notion of anarchy and in a strange way entropy.

That is it for now.