- we do appear to have the same ultimate goal, which is why, no doubt, we can continue to talk. But I myself am completely convinced that this money creation stuff is *the key* to getting rid of the capitalist dystopia - everything they do revolves around money, and allowing the banks to create and control the money is the key to everything. If you do not believe this, I would be curious to learn why you do not see any fault with the current money creation system.
I'll just say what I hope is obvious: that I have significant disagreements with your thesis doesnt mean that I see no fault with the current money creation system.
If what you really mean is that I think we can do radical reforms that challenge capitalism and better peoples lives, while still living with the current moneary system [reforemed but not torn down].... yes, we can. In fact, we must.
But thats the end point [more or less driven by what we have to do], not a starting point.
The thing is, to me, once you understand the money creation process, the theft of literally trillions of dollars is so obvious that I think even the average pretty apathetic Cdn citizen might be galvanized to action if they understood this - and also it is so obvious that the national debt is so unnecessary, that claiming the necessity of dismantling our country in the name of this unnecessary debt is also an obvious and blatant lie that can be used to expose these people completely for the criminals they are.
I'm more than skeptical of all agendas that begin with "if/when people understand _____ ...." Even analysese I agree with, let alone ones I dont.
People can beleive as me. Believe as you. Even more of them are going to be inclined to flat out irrational conspiracy theories of how we're being robbed.
All that is required is a common "this doesnt work for me /us." That is all we will get to work with, and all that is necessary.
And just on a persoanl practical level, you might think that our experiences over the decades would make one rather gun shy of subtextual formulations that are variations of: "when people understand ________ , it can only be obvious that blank, and hopefully this will galvanize them to action."
Now virtually everyone recognizes that the third part is highly contingent- 'hopefully this will galvanize them to action'. And when it doesnt and we are of course disspointed [again].... this is where the failure is seen. And that analysis, as far as it goes, might extend back to the failure of people to 'understand'.
But the failure is in the whole doomed formulation- the three parts and how interdependent they are.
David, your idea of reform from within the monetary system is exactly correct, I believe...except that it is not reachable without the prior dismantling of all capitalist institutions. Which places your "solutions" up there with the second coming.
I dont entirely agree with George on this. But close enough. And totally on the part that the "reform" of the monetary system being advocated requires or would amount to the abolishing of capitalism.
So there's a basic cognitive dissonance in saying things like 'there's no reason the Bank of Canada cant just issue money for program X.... after all, they let the banks do the same thing on our dime.'
We are still a LONG way from getting started on what can be done within the parameters of the system more or less as it is. You know, all those things on the economic and social program front that we are held back about because the NDP "doent have the guts" to talk about them.
Now you may think that such efforts, when and if they get underway, will be doomed unless the fundamental power of the system is at least "understood" if not challenged. And to a point, I agree.
But first we have to go there. Let alone we are not even in pre-'go there' yet. The main point, is that we'll talk about that when we get there.
Plenty of us can and should talk about it before we getting there. But positing that is necessary that people first 'understand' [what we dont yet agree on].... or that if it isnt necessary, that it is the key to 'waking people up'.... that is the road of sorrows and failure we've down more than enough already.