We respectfully desire to introduce you to Socioeconomic Democracy, an advanced socioeconomic system which can and eventually will significantly help to realize your, and eventually all humanity's, legitimate thirst for universal justice, democracy, peace and well being. We commit to being available to you for any assistance, clarification, further general development, and specific application you may desire and request.
The purpose of this Introduction to the work of the Center for the Study of Democratic Societies is twofold. First, it is to inform (or acknowledge agreement with) you that there are indeed rational, just, democratic, and peacefully realizable solutions to the world’s increasingly painful, unjust and unnecessary societal problems. Secondly, it is to invite you to participate in the democratic resolution of these unnecessary interlinked problems.
As John Kenneth Galbraith laconically observed, “The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” Yet the mishmash of conventional views, both amateur(ish) and professional(ish), is increasingly being seen and acknowledged to be the root cause of society’s needless and costly pain.
The incompatible clamor for reduction of national, state, regional and municipal monetary debt, while insisting upon the provision of increased necessary governmental services for the already rich or hapless poor; the demand for reduced local crime and killings with “cost-saving” and "deficit-reduction" police layoffs, while tolerating/advocating increased global crime and killings with mercenary/military-industrial buildup; the plethora of unearned bonuses of nearsighted Banksters and brutal bludgeoning of necessary Budgets; the crescendo of cries for “unregulated” personal profit possibilities attempting to drown out the chorus seeking safe working conditions in dangerous, life-threatening and life-killing employment; the demand for more jobs, while neglecting the onslaught of economically efficient (and profitable, for whom?) technological advancement; the truly sad yet farcical salary conflicts between private and public sector wage earners, unionized or otherwise, surreptitiously encouraged by the economically comfortable who, equipped with "theoretically justifying economics texts" care about the welfare of neither; the increasingly familiar statistic that the “top” 1% of most any population controls more wealth than the “bottom” 90%, serving as a point of pride for a non-thinking citizenry of a laudably self-interested society espousing a contempt for a meaningful minimum wage; the increasing quibble between those who claim raising the retirement age and those who suggest reducing the retirement age can "help" solve the “lack of jobs” problem, while neither side considers either the advancement in automation or the rape and reduction in natural resources, the impossibility of unlimited growth on a limited planet, so-called "Offshoring" of both jobs and personal/corporate profits; unconscionable Empires; unconscious politicians and on and on, all add to the confusion and deadly conflict of humanity.
Unexpected (by some) or otherwise (by others), and certainly right on cue, the enigmatic (to some) and perfectly understandable (to others), global #OWS respectfully and emphatically presents the necessity and inevitability of Fundamental Global Change.
Clear and unambiguous definition of these and numerous other critical matters is, of course, essential, if meaningful progress is to be realized. The definition of Socioeconomic Democracy, an advanced, fundamentally just and democratic socioeconomic system follows. It is on the basis of this definition of Socioeconomic Democracy that a straightforward politico-socio-economic Platform can be and has been articulated. It is further the case that this Democratic Socioeconomic Platform has been adopted by a presently existing political party and is now being considered for adoption by numerous other peacefully progressive political parties about the globe.
Socioeconomic Democracy is a theoretically consistent and practically implementable socioeconomic system wherein there exist both some form and amount of locally appropriate Universally Guaranteed Personal Income and some form and amount of locally appropriate Maximum Allowable Personal Wealth, with both the lower bound on personal material poverty and the upper bound on personal material wealth set and adjusted democratically by all participants of that democratic society.
As described at length elsewhere, Socioeconomic Democracy both creates economic incentive and provides necessary monetary funds to cause significant reduction in an almost surprisingly diverse array of unnecessary yet painful and deadly individual, societal and global problems. These problems are produced by currently inadequate, inaccurate and/or inconsistent assumptions, theories and practices of contemporary economics and politics. These unnecessary problems can be eliminated by a thoughtful and resolute application of meaningful democracy.
These intimately intertwined problems include (but are by no means limited to) those familiar ones associated with: automation, computerization and robotization; budget deficits and national debts; bureaucracy; maltreatment of children; crime and punishment; development, sustainable or otherwise; ecology, environment, resources and pollution; education; the elderly; farcical "free-market" fantasies, the feminine majority; inflation; international conflict; intranational conflict; involuntary employment; involuntary unemployment; labor strife and strikes; sick medical and health care; military metamorphosis; natural disasters; pay justice; planned obsolescence; political participation; poverty; racism; sexism; untamed technologies; and the General Welfare.
Memorably expressing his mixed emotions regarding the troubling topic, Sir Winston did indeed observe "[T]hat democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried." From Aeons before Churchill to this day, humans and their ancestors have grappled with the virtues and vices of tyrannies and "class warfare" imposed by individual dictators, small groups of elites, sizable minorities and large majorities.
A successfully functioning Democracy requires, by definition, at least a majority of informed and thoughtful citizens participating in the political process in a wide variety of ways, ranging from essential theoretical developments to myriad practical activities. Those interested in contributing, in any sense, to the further development and realization of the ideas and benefits presented here, which are applicable throughout the world, are urged to get in contact with us, when you are ready. We further wish to reiterate our desire and determination to collaborate with all other individuals and organizations committed to all the other necessary aspects of the general survival and healthy developmental challenge confronting the human race.
The following are a few relevant links connecting to material describing the evolution and exposition of the theory and practice of Socioeconomic Democracy:
1) Center for the Study of Democratic Societies
http://www.CenterSDS.com
2) Socioeconomic Democracy: An Advanced Socioeconomic System
http://www.centersds.com/thebook.htm
3) “A Democratic Socioeconomic Platform, in search of a Democratic Political Party”
http://www.centersds.com/dsep.html
4) “Socioeconomic Democracy: A Nonkilling, Life-Affirming and Enhancing Psycho-Politico-Socio-Economic System”
Global Nonkilling Working Paper #4|2010
http://www.nonkilling.org/node/20
5) “Socioeconomic Democracy: A Nonkilling, Life-Affirming and Enhancing Psycho-Politico-Socio-Economic System”
Also appearing in PelicanWeb’s Journal of Sustainable Development
http://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv06n10page2robleygeorge.html
6) A list of the historical development of the ideas of Socioeconomic Democracy, as presented by this writer, starting in 1968, is available at
http://www.centersds.com/biblio.htm
7) A Biography of this writer is available at
http://www.centersds.com/bio.htm
