Technocracy Inc.

FOR THE ECONOMY OF NORTH AMERICA

By the late Lila S. Wagner, Technocrat, in 1997

• Complete economic security for every man, woman, and child from birth to death;
• Complete health care;
• Modern, energy-efficient housing for all;
• Education to the full extent of each individual's ability;
• Viable mass transit;
• Employment for all who are able to work and care for those who cannot; and
• Careful stewardship of the Continent's natural resources and environment.

A system which could distribute abundance and satisfy the conditions listed above would need these features:

1. Government must register continuously the energy converted in the total day-to-day operation of the Continent, both plant construction and maintenance, as well as the energy converted in the production of goods and services for personal consumption by the population.
2. By registering the energy converted, it would be possible to maintain a continuous inventory and to balance production with consumption, eliminating both scarcity of any one commodity and unnecessary resource depletion due to overproduction of some other.
3. This inventory could provide information as to the type of goods and services produced, where and how much had been used in order to give replacement information, and could, if desired, identify the user.
4. It must distribute goods and services to every member of the population, giving each individual citizen the widest possible choice in consuming his share of the Continental physical wealth.
5. It must guarantee that each individual's consuming power be his, or hers, alone, much as a Social Security number is assigned to each individual, and is not to be transferred to anyone else.

On each of these counts, money fails to meet the requirement for distributing abundance.

a. It is not a measure of energy converted, or of production or consumption of goods and services.

b. It can be transferred from one person to another, a fact which could deprive some citizens of their share of abundance, besides making fraud and bribery possible

c. It can be stashed away. In this connection, it must be noted that any obstruction in a flow line, even at the consuming end, will eventually shut the line down; hence, money will not keep production moving evenly.

On all counts, money does not meet the requirements of a medium of distribution of abundance.

The mechanism that does meet the requirements is the energy degraded in the production of goods and services.  This energy loss constitutes the physical cost of production and can be stated in units of work (ergs or kwh) or in units of heat (kg calories or Btus.).  We can, therefore, measure quite accurately the energy lost in any given industrial process, as well as the total physical cost of operating the Continent.

After subtracting the energy required to operate the Continent as a whole – new plant and maintenance thereof, roaads, housing, hospitals, schools, local transport, continental transport, communications, education, child care, and maintenance of public institutions – the remainder would be shared equally by all adult citizens in tthe form of personal energy credits.  In the U.S. alone, in 1992, more than 81 quadrillion Btus were consumed, with 62 quadrillion being used for overall operating, leaving 19 quadrillion to be consumed by the personal needs of the population.  That should supply every North American with his favorite personal items, all else being supplied as a right of citizenship.

Keep in mind: to be consumed.  Since there is a definite limit to the amount of goods and services one individual can consume, it is both reasonable and efficient to issue equal numbers of personal energy units to each adult, male and female alike.  It is anticipated that the number will be greater than anyone can reasonably use before the units expire, at which time new units would be issued.  These energy credits would be usable only by the person to whom they are issued; no one else could "cash" them. Since everyone would have his own plentiful supply, there would be no point in transferring credits to any other person – or stealing someone else's!

HOW WILL SOCIETY BE ORGANIZED IN A TECHNOCRACY "TECHNATE"?

First, realize that it will take years, even decades, to overcome the thought-patterns and habits that have been the norm in the Price System. The urge to acquire things in order to gain recognition must give way to a desire to excel in one's chosen field of endeavor. Whole new complexes of energy-efficient housing interspersed with green areas and local cultural facilities must take the place of the millions of units of substandard housing and the decaying infrastructure which exist today. Taxes and monetary debt will be unknown. Crimes involving property – 95% of all crime – will no longer be a problem. Disparity between rich and poor will vanish and, with it, eventually, racism, sexism, classism, ageism – most of today's troubles.

Can we do a global makeover? Not until we have put our own house (read Continent) in order. To bite off more than we can chew is a sure prescription for failure. When things are running smoothly in North America, then we can invite young people from other countries to come and observe what can be adapted to their situation.

After The Period Of Transition Is Over, the children born into the Technate will enjoy lifetime economic security and education to age 25, as a right of citizenship. At 25, after being exposed to the many careers available, they will choose the one best suited to their talents for their life's work – a work life that will last probably 20 years of 4-day weeks of 4-hour days with 78 days continuous vacation each year. At about age 45 then, they will retire at full compensation, free to travel, enjoy a hobby, study, whatever.

Re: "PERFECT STORM 2030," subheading "BIOFUELS," see Page 6, last paragraph: Prof. Beddington says he is optimistic that scientists can come up with solutions to the problems. He is encouraged by signs that politicians are listening to scientific advice?? When Katrina devastated New Orleans, politics was responsible. Now, when a "Worldwide Civilization-Ending Event" arrives, will politics damn us all or will intelligence be in charge?) The following will explain the difference between "Government by Science" vs "Politics as usual".

In a public lecture Howard Scott delivered in Chicago about 1938 at Engineer's Hall, he went into some detail on the concepts of Authority and Responsibility.

Authority is as considered, defined, and practiced from the start of the Price System's power holders — political "power" (kings, dictators, presidents, governors, prime ministers, revolutionary councils, etc.), that is, those empowered to make and establish and enforce politicies — the decision makers.

Responsibility, on the other hand, is relegated/delegated to those who have the functional duty to carry out the policy decisions set by those in "authority" to perform — the engineers, teachers, farm and industry workers, technicians, nurses, generals/admirals (told who to make war against), soldiers (who, in turn, carry out orders from the generals), et al.

One of the fundamental rules of the game of the Price System throughout the world, regardless of which variation, such as feudalism, capitalism, fascism, socialism, etc., is to keep authority separate from responsibility. This is to be expected, since under a Price System its politico-economic decisions have to be made in terms of monetary-price-debt factors and/or the arbitrary legalized control over masses of people, and only politico/financial leaders can do this.

In the functionally interdisciplinary Technocracy, for the first time in human history anywhere, authority and responsibility will be one — integrated from the top down at every level; in other words, when you make a decision (whether you are a chief engineer or a telephone lineman, etc., you have to carry it out; it is your responsibility). You have to know what you are doing — the competence necessary for a functional governance, a functional society, including interdisciplinary decisioning with other sequences.