A wage slave is any person (regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political party) who is confronted with the choice of accepting a job or starving. It’s anyone who lacks the resources to take care of themselves and their family without selling the most productive hours of their day/week/month/life to someone else in exchange for a buck.
So how do you know if you’re a wage slave? Do you thank God when it’s Friday? Do you prefer weekends over weekdays? Would you stop working if working stopped paying your wage or salary? Do you regret that someone else has purchased and now owns a high percentage of your life? Do you wish your necessities were all covered by your monthly dividend income?
If you answered yes to any of these questions you are undoubtedly a 21st-century wage slave who’s picking cotton on a 21st-century plantation and working for someone who values you as little more than a means to a buck as opposed to a fully functioning human being.
Most of us are Wage Slaves
But please don’t be insulted if you’ve discovered that you’re a wage slave. Most of us are economically enslaved by a system that privileges a few at the expense of the many. You’re absolutely the rule and not the exception. Most people, if they’re able, to tell the truth, dislike their jobs as well as their bosses. But they feel trapped. They have little choice other than to continue working as long as they want to eat and have a roof overhead. Great choice!
Then here in the USA many of us celebrate our freedom. Many of us celebrate our political democracy, a government of, by, and for the people. Many think that slavery is a thing of the past, and if you work hard and play by the rules you’ll win in the American meritocracy.
But if you spend 8 hours a day, and 40 (or more) hours a week, working in an autocracy, a workplace dictatorship, are you really free? If 1% of the population owns and controls most of the wealth as well as the entire political system, do we really have a political democracy? Do you actually believe that America is even remotely close to being a meritocracy? If so, good luck!
So How Can We End Wage Slavery in the USA?
So the question becomes, how can we end systematic wage slavery here in the USA? In that light, consider the following FACTS. On average, the American economy grows at the rate of $4 Trillion Dollars annually. That translates into about $12,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. But generally speaking, the beneficiaries of this annual growth are limited to those people who can afford to buy the stocks, bonds, real estate, and tech developments that account for this growth.
90% Lack the Opportunity
More specifically we’re talking about less than 10% of Americans who have the means to take advantage of this relatively predictable growth, and 90% who lack the opportunity to participate. Thus, we now have a 21st-century wealth gap that is wider and more toxic than any time since the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression which followed in its wake.
To make matters worse, this was the case long before the current pandemic-oriented economic crisis raised its ugly head. In response to millions of workers losing their incomes and healthcare due to the virus, the Federal government has increased unemployment benefits for several months, and issued so-called “stimulus checks ($1,200)” to millions of people in an effort to artificially jump-start demand and to prevent the ship of state from sinking into oblivion.
Unpalatable But Necessary Steps
In taking these unpalatable but necessary steps the government has significantly increased the already massive debt load, which means it’s a short-term, not a long-term solution. The hope of course is to artificially resuscitate demand, which in turn should recreate jobs and get the people back to work, and lead us all back to where we were before the virus struck.
The problem is that, even before the virus struck, we the people were not in a very good place. Even before the virus erupted over half of all Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford a $500 bump in the road without having to borrow money in order to pay for it. Things are dramatically worse than they were several months ago before the virus. But the place we were is still not the place to which we the people are longing to return. So, what can we do?
The $4 Trillion Dollar Idea That Creates No Debt!
In that light let’s recall that on average, the American economy grows at the rate of $4 trillion dollars annually. Once again, that translates into about $12,000 annually for every man, woman, and child in America. But the beneficiaries of this annual growth are those who can afford to buy stocks, bonds real estate, and new technology. This generally excludes us the people.
The question I want to raise here is, how can we make sure the average American citizen has systematic access to the ownership side of the economy, where most of the wealth is being generated? How can the average Joe gain access to that $4 trillion dollars-worth of predictable growth in order to generate a second stream of investment income, while eliminating the fear and instability that so many Americans suffer from in today’s incredibly imbalanced economy?
Paying “We the People” to Pull Together…
Consider the following scenario…
• What if the Federal Reserve, through local banks…
• issued $12,000 of FULLY INSURED CAPITAL CREDIT loans
• at 0% interest
• to be repaid with future earnings from pre-tax, dividend dollars, not personal savings
• to every American citizen annually
• along with the stipulation that these funds could only be used to purchase shares of new and transferred capital assets that were predicted to generate enough future profits to pay for the purchase of these assets and to create a predictable, stabilizing, residual income for its owners?
This strategy, known as Capital Homesteading, would cost American taxpayers NOTHING. It creates NO GOVERNMENT DEBT! And it creates NO CONSUMER DEBT! And, rather than government debt-backed currency, the purchase would be backed (collateralized) by real, productive, private-sector assets.
And it wouldn’t be inflationary. All created funds would instantly be backed (collateralized) by the full value of private sector assets that citizens would receive fully insured loans in order to purchase. Citizens would actually be purchasing newly issued, full dividend payout, voting shares of companies that need new capital assets in order to grow.
What this strategy would do, however, is give every American citizen equal access to the ownership side of the American economy, where most of our nations’ wealth is being generated. In the long run, it would democratize the free market economy, end poverty, stabilize family life, balance the budget, and pay off our massive and ever-growing national debt, etc.
So for example, by age10 every child would have had $120,000 invested on their behalf and paying dividends. By age 18 well over $200,000 would have been invested and be generating dividends that would easily pay for a debt-free college education.
In this moment of political division and strife Capital Homesteading literally pays all Americans to pull together, at the same time, in the same direction, towards the same goals! It translates mere political talk (such as…we’re all in this together) into real-life, results-driven action!
It Systematically Counteracts Concentrated Wealth!
Over time, each American citizen will accumulate more equity, more residual income, and benefit from their investment income in a way that only the wealthy can today. As the result, the need for federally backed social safety net programs (i.e. social security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps) will gradually fade into the sunset. More people will be able to pay taxes, which in turn decreases the load on those among us who still pay taxes. It systematically counteracts and impedes concentrated wealth as it gradually democratizes America’s free-market economy!
Today’s Crisis Wouldn’t Be a Crisis
If the Obama administration, the GW Bush administration, or the Clinton administration, etc. had implemented Capital Homesteading, today’s COVOD 19/Unemployment crisis would not be a crisis. We the people could afford to stay at home and still have sufficient income to weather a much less severe storm. Trump has had the same opportunity for over 3 years now but shows no interest in actually making America great again. Joe Biden? How about you?
Capital Homesteading In Detail
I confess this commentary has been a generalized portrait in dire need of more detail. So, for a full and detailed explanation of how this strategy could be implemented, go to CESJ.ORG and check out the concept that Dr. Norman Kurland calls the CAPITAL HOMESTEADING ACT. It’s an ingenious idea whose time is long overdue. And it’s one very good thing that could actually come to fruition as the result of this horrific COVID 19 crisis.
Addendum…
UBI vs. Capital Homesteading Comparison
Stimulus checks are effectively a short-term form of Universal Basic Income (UBI), an idea which has been advocated by among others, former presidential hopeful and serial entrepreneur Andrew Yang, as well as Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Elon Musk of Tesla. Although the suggested annual amount of money issued ($12,000 annually) is the same as Capital Homesteading, that’s where the similarity ends. Check out the differences.
- Since it issues insured capital credit loans that are paid back via pre-tax future earnings, and can only be used to buy wealth-producing capital assets, Capital Homesteading creates NO GOVERNMENT DEBT and NO CONSUMER DEBT! UBI and stimulus checks create government debt that will eventually be paid back by we the people (not the 1% who are spectacular at avoiding taxes) in the form of higher taxes.
- Capital Homesteading systematically creates universal capital ownership opportunity and access to the means of acquiring wealth-producing capital assets. UBI does not.
- Capital Homesteading systematically finances predictable and sustainable growth of the economy. UBI does not.
- Capital Homesteading systematically enables individual citizens to become economically empowered and liberated through capital ownership. UBI does not.
- Capital Homesteading systematically enables citizens to become economically independent of the government. UBI does not.
- Capital Homesteading systematically generates mass purchasing power through ever-broadening citizen ownership of income-producing capital. UBI does not.
- Capital Homesteading systematically creates new owners of advanced technologies and green growth assets UBI does not.
- Capital Homesteading systematically creates a growing tax base to pay the costs of government, thereby eliminating deficit spending and eventually paying off the currently massive government debt. UBI does not.
- UBI/Stimulus checks are simple and immediate. That’s their strength.
- Capital Homesteading requires some time (usually a number of years) in order for benefits to accumulate. That’s why UBI should start immediately and be phased out over time in favor of Capital Homesteading.
