Politics and Government

The world of nanotechnology demonstrates that the ancient Greek Science for Ethical Ends holds a crucial survival message for modern humanity. 21st Century Moral Jurisprudence Law, based upon Immanuel Kant’s definition of aesthetics, as art appreciation theory, has no present practical scientific ethical content. However, aesthetics and ethics link together, through a process known as quantum entanglement, where they function together within the world of quantum nano biotechnology. Aristotle’s harmonic ethical knowledge to guide a science about ennobling government, for the health of the universe, has been given practical validation with the discovery of a new rigorous chemistry embracing the ancient ethical science.Historically, when a lack of ethics caused one state to threaten another, order from chaos in the form of a disciplined command structure for defense, meant the difference between enslavement or prosperity. A systematic use of natural resources, relying upon a control of state economic wealth, both for the purpose of aggression and defence occurred. Religious and political appeals to aesthetic emotions, about pride, honour, glory or sacrifice, were fused into daily conduct, to instil a common purpose for both aggression and defence. Today, a more real process of obtaining order from chaos is about aesthetics linking with the process of ethical creative thought, through quantum entanglement, to produce a new medical nanotechnology science to guide ennobling global government.The scientific research by the 18th Century logician Immanuel Kant and its relevance to our understanding of ethics, is now seen as a crucial issue for the survival of civilisation. This crucial discovery belongs to the fractal logic now upholding the quantum biological chemistry of the New Florentine Renaissance Project.The Project’s directors, Professor Paolo Manzelli and Professor Massimo Pregnolato, awarded the Georgio Napolitano Medal on behalf of the Republic of Italy for establishing the quantum biology chemistry of the New Renaissance, now have dramatic evidence from the Humanities about the global importance of their work. The growing influential international mindset of such organisations as the Telesio- Galilei Academy of Science, London, has recognised the importance of the New Florentine Renaissance. By breaking free from the yoke of the 20th Century entropic world-view, the Academy’s vast range of scientific and academic scholars is able to appreciate the vital association between the new Renaissance chemistry and the Florentine New Measurement of Humanity Project.The three 1996 Nobel Laureates had used the logic of the engineer Buckminster Fuller to establish their Fullerene Chemistry as a base for their medical life science institute called C Sixty Inc. Harvard University’s Novartis Professor Amy Edmondson, internationally known for her contributions to aesthetic reasoning within the corporate sector, had published that Buckminster Fuller had derived his crucial synergistic energy concepts from the mathematical writings of the Greek philosopher Plato. Accordingly, the Science-Art Centre in Australia, renamed the chemistry as Platonic-Fullerene Chemistry. This was to help the public to feel better equipped to understand about the new rebirth of the lost Classical Greek life-science, The Science for Ethical Ends.From the perspective of this new chemistry, the morality, aesthetics and ethics that the philosopher Immanuel Kant associated with law, politics and society is more easily explainable. We can remember, that during the 18th Century, people were beginning to associate electricity with spiritual reality. We can imagine the mindset of Immanuel Kant, the scientist, who held that ethics was about an infinite God-like evolution of consciousness based upon electromagnetic principles. There is a direct link between Kant’s work and Buckmister Fuller’s synergistic science of life principles. Fuller derived his work from Plato’s mathematics about ethical spiritual godlike optical engineering principles. The new rigorous medical chemistry can guide us politically toward the discovery of new futuristic technologies to ensure the betterment of the global human condition. The sooner this human survival ethic bears the approval of International Red Cross, the better.The public is becoming aware of a vast confusion of legal opinion associated with modern global economic rationalism. The earth’s environment is being polluted and serious threats to the health and well-being of the global community are occurring, seemingly without practical solutions. Because of the new Platonic-Fullerene Chemistry, it is reasonable to re-examine the ethics associated with Hans Christian Oersted’s discovery of electromagnetism linked with Kant’s philosophy of science, as outlined in the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science of 1786. We can now successfully change the various relevant research methodologies used up until the present time, where Kant’s Aesthetics, the theory of art appreciation, came to influence today’s inadequate moral and ethical jurisprudence policies of corporations and governments.The new rigorous Platonic-Fullerene Chemistry is consistent with the discovery last century of Sir Isaac Newton’s unpublished Heresy Papers, in which Newton expressed his certain conviction that the mechanical description of the universe is balanced by a natural, more profound philosophy, based upon the same physics principles that upheld both Plato and Fuller’s ethical world-views. This was given credence when the NASA Astrophysics High Energy Division Library, published argument that the Classical Greek life-science world-view is based upon infinite fractal harmonic geometrical logic. Such logic is in complete contradiction to the entropic logic upholding global economic rationalism. Newton’s unpublished papers can no longer be classified as belonging to a criminally insane mind, brought about by breathing mercurial fumes within his alchemy laboratory.We can see immediately why Kant’s Aesthetics, art appreciation theory, was incorrectly used within the global corporate sector to construct endless complex policies to guide fair business models to optimize perpetual commercial activity, in the mistaken belief that they were serving the interests of global society. Kant’s ethics were based upon the concept that they belonged to the infinite evolution of a God-like consciousness, leading to the concept of Perpetual Peace on earth. The only logic that can accommodate such a concept belongs to infinite fractal geometrical logic, but that concept is simply not permissible within present entropic global economic rationalism.Global economic rationalism, being totally governed by the logic upholding the 20th Century’s unbalanced entropic chemistry, automatically forbids such ethics to exist. The governing law of universal entropy demands the eventual extinction of all life in the universe and therefore, accepted modern life-sciences can only be about species moving toward extinction. This superstitious religious Dark Age mentality prevails in the face of the 21st Century discovery of Platonic-Fullerene quantum biological chemistry. In general, the Perpetual Peace belonging to the holographic engineering principles of the Science for Ethical Ends cannot even be the subject of transparent critical debate within our universities. Meanwhile, the unbalanced Aesthetic Jurisprudence governing global economic rationalism can only accelerate the prime destructive directive of our entropic physics and chemistry.Kant’s Aesthetics is defined as the theory of art appreciation. A beautiful painting of majestic waterfalls, represents seeing beauty within the process of materialistic decay. Kant’s ethics were about Plato’s spiritual optics associated with evolving consciousness. By using special 3-D glasses we can see that some artists over the centuries unconsciously depicted fractal logic holographic images within their paintings. Kant had been forbidden by Church authorities to allude to that now proven evolving optical sense perception. Such optical evidence can readily be linked to the discovery of the Molecule of Emotion in 1972 by Dr Candace Pert. That molecule evolves by the process of increasing the speed of its molecular movement, a principle of physics belonging to Sir Isaac Newton’s heretical, but balanced world-view and also much earlier in history, to the Platonic Science for Ethical Ends.A difference between aesthetics and ethics in terms of an understanding of the second law of thermodynamics, which forbids infinite electromagnetic life-science ethics to exist, became evident in the early 20th Century. Maria Montessori is listed in TIME Magazine’s Century of Science, as the greatest scientist of 1907. Her research into how electromagnetism influenced evolutionary creativity in young children was critical of Einstein’s understanding of the second law of thermodynamics, by referring to it as the greed energy law.Montessori’s colleague, Tielhard de Chardin, argued that their electromagnetic Golden Gates to the future could only open for all people at the same time and not for any chosen race or privileged few. In direct contrast, her financial supporters, Graham Alexander Bell and President Woodrow Wilson, used Charles Darwin’s life-science, based upon the second law of thermodynamics, to guide the American Darwinian Eugenics political program. During the 1930s, many states in the U.S. had eugenics laws, with those in California being used as a base for eugenics legislation under the dictatorship of Adolph Hitler. Ethics certainly cannot exist within an entropic Nazi culture, nor can it exist within the culture of entropic global economic rationalism.The six essays compiled through 1976 to 1994,by the Max Planck Institute’s Astrophysicist Peter Kafka, entitled The Principle of Creation and the Global Acceleration Crisis, predicted the 21st Century global economic collapse. Professor Kafka referred to the second law as being a diabolical worship of the ancient god of chaos, Diabolos. In the last paragraph, Kafka writes that when the situation becomes too ugly and becomes unbearable, people will understand that strange attractors are near.Beautiful attractors belong to the fractal thought processes providing aesthetic emotional response to beauty within the world of material entropic decay. Strange attractors function within the quantum entanglement process, where aesthetic emotion allows for cerebral electromagnetic pattern recognition to provide rational ethical knowledge belonging to the Platonic Science for Ethical Ends. This evolving life-science wisdom was Sir Isaac Newton’s more profound natural philosophy to balance entropic decay. His linking of evolutionary information carried by light in association with gravity, is now relevant to quantum biology.The search for new technologies associated with the balancing of entropic chemistry with the Platonic-Fullerene chemistry is generating a vast melting pot of new ideas to help toward establishing a sustainable future for global humanity. The extent of such ideas promotes an optimism that the grave problems threatening humanity can be surmounted by linking the two chemistries to embrace both the material and the holographic (spiritual) environment. From these ideas it becomes clear that an inadequate and ignorant political understanding about the role that carbon plays in the living process is now endangering global human survival. Global climate change, as a life science, cannot be linked to the infinite fractal logic functioning of a rain-cloud, because Einstein’s understanding of the second law of thermodynamics, as the Premier law of all of science, being finite, prohibits it.The properties of light passing through the liquid crystal construction of the cellular membrane into Buckminster Fullerene carbon nanotubes, to constantly enfold protein patterning in the DNAin order to to fulfil an infinite universal fractal guidence, has been nano-photographed, but such evidence remains classified as a political no go zone within the floundering obsolete World educational system. This is because, evidence demonstrating a life-science association with Kant’s ethics is automatically considered to be inconceivable within its linited world-view. For example, the Australian Government certainly exhibits genuine feelings of aesthetic compassion but owing to its entropic hostility, cannot link it to any practical ethical principles associated with the functioning of carbon within the new nanotechnology chemistry.The issue of gaining a better understanding of the biological properties of Fullerene carbon is a crucial one. As the Australian Government teeters on the brink of collapse over its decision to impose a carbon tax, the public is beginning to realise that both it and the opposition are not at all conversant with the role that carbon actually plays within the now rapidly changing global environment. In Australia, university advisors on that subject, labouring within the confines of a totally entropic culture, have little knowledge about the new balancing Fullerene chemistry, let alone its rigorous physics association with the Platonic Science for Ethical Ends.In 1984 the Science-Art Research Centre’s Bio-Aestheticist, the late Dr George Robert Cockburn, Royal fellow of Medicine (London) published a book correcting Immanuel Kant’s Aesthetics, entitled A Bio-Aesthetic Key to Creative Physics and Art. In 200, the Artist-author Christopher Degenhardt, published a Review of the book, revealing that Cockburn had reached the same conclusion that the 19th Century mathematician Bernard Bolzano made in his Theory of Science, when he also corrected Immanuel Kant’s Aesthetics. Bolzano identified the infinite bio-properties of the strange attractor, which gives credence to Kant’s concept that ethics was about an infinite evolution of consciousness, as was later proposed by the Nobel laureate in medicine, Svent- Gyoergyi.Chris Degenhardt was presented with the Centre’s 2009 Cockburn Memorial Award, for his discovery and later published essays about the new Florentine quantum biology chemistry’s association with the properties of carbon activity functioning contrary to the entropic worldview. The April May 2011 issue of Cosmos Magazine quotes a statement by the journalist Rachel Ehrenberg, who refers to the bizarre world of carbon nanotubes. She writes “that they appear to break laws of physics, behave in ways chemistry can’t explain and could be a new source of power”.The physicist, Dr Paul Taylor, recently returned from an exploration trip along the Amazon River, to research ancient biochar technolgy, organised with Dr Paul Widman, former Co- Chair of the United Nations University Millennium Project’s Australasian Node, to hold a Black Carbon Research Workshop. This took place at the Science-Art Centre’s Castle on The Hill in Australia, near Mt Warning in the Tweed Valley of New South Wales during April 2011. Paul Taylor, editor and co-author of the book The Biochar Revolution, with contributions from 18 Biochar experts and authors, spoke about the lost secret of the ancient Amazon Indian’s Terra Pretta or Black Earth agricultural successes, described by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana during the 16th Century. Paul Wildman, economics advisor to the Science-Art Centre, interested in the properties of black carbon nanotube biochar food supply objectives, spoke about the concept of Earth Jurisprudence, in which our economic system as well as our legal system must be reformed to protect basic human rights, in particular a guarantee of a ethically sustainable food supply.The Director of the Sustainability Research Institute of Australia, the engineer Dudley Leggett, argued that the work of Alan Turing, who cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code and has been recognised as the father of computer science, provided the basis for a better understanding of the value of biochar in agriculture. He pointed out that in 1952 Turing published The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis, describing how biological systems can self organise and showed that the wonders of creation are present in natural code form. Leggett explained that Turing had proposed that a complex balancing code existed in nature, acting beyond the limitations of entropic reality and that Turing’s research methodology might be applied to break such a code for the benefit of the global human condition.Dr Wildman, familiar with Aristotle’s ethical medical-political science, argued, that it was impossible to obtain research funding about such ideas within the Australian entropic world-view. He proposed that an alternative hands-on endeavour, which he referred to as a ‘Bush Mechanics’ approach, should be employed. Working with one of the authors of the book The Biochar Revolution, Char Master Dolph Cooke, they had established a practical Biochar enterprise at Mebbin Springs in Northern New South Wales.In conclusion, this essay attempts to stimulate scientific research within the Humanities, which embraces the great adventure of rigorous guidance from the Florentine quantum biology discoveries. Plato pointed out, that, without a sure knowledge of the engineering principles of spiritual (holographic) optics, all other engineering philosophies are barbaric and lead to warfare. To make matters even worse, the innate ‘evil’ associated with such an entropic philosophic culture was held to lead to the emergence of the destructive property of unformed matter from within the physical atom. Hence, Buckminster Fuller’s warning in his book titled Utopia of Oblivion.© Professor Robert Pope

This paper was prepared in order to outline key factors, and the writer’s perspective, of the current economic situation in the U.S., and provide a potential solution that might improve that condition. This potential solution offers a method to reinvigorate spending activities among individual citizens; increases the workforce; allows for a small reduction in the cost of government; and provides the argument necessary to shift the current tax burden, with no opposition.One may claim the solution offered can be viewed as a “Keynesian economics” approach to addressing the ills of the economy. However, that approach has been proven, historically, to be a practical one. Government intervention is desirable, expected and – in view of a clear lack of alternative actions – necessary as the catalyst for recovery. However, this does not mean wholesale government spending. Our current economic situation requires austerity measures as well – and government must take that lead also. This solution therefore proposes that government, as the provider of leadership in the reinvigoration of the economy, is the only viable approach.SituationThe U.S. economy is faced with a basic problem; simply put, there is not enough money flowing – which is causing a near shutdown of the economy. Shrinking markets, no real growth in the economy, uncertainty, restricted lending, high unemployment, economic problems in Europe, national debt, and a severe downturn in the traditional business sectors that have, in the past, driven our economic prosperity, have all caused a severe drought in the availability and free flow of funds throughout the economy. When combined with the need of government to receive revenue, and in turn use that revenue to stimulate activity, we face a difficult and challenging environment.In the past, the ability and willingness of government to provide this economic “spark” was all that was needed to jump start an economy in this condition. Without that ability, government is left searching for that jump start without further exacerbating an already tenuous situation. History tells us that the business sector, alone or as the “lead” in this effort, is not a realistic possibility. With a current unemployment rate in the 8.0% – 8.6 % range, the private sector cannot support the hiring of additional workers to reduce that rate to an acceptable level. Not even a relaxation of regulations by government or the reduction of business taxes can provide this sector with the ability to turn the tide. What is the one simple reason? It takes consumers – the buying public – to create the demand that leads to business expansion. The current level of unemployment in the U.S., the disastrous conditions in Europe and the inevitable slowing of the economies of stronger countries like China and India – in total – do not support the type of consumer spending environment needed to generate and sustain U.S. business expansion.In addition, we know that this unemployment rate does not accurately capture those unemployed individuals who would like to be employed but, did not file an unemployment claim in the last 30 days. That number is more likely in the 15% -17% range. The principles of free enterprise strongly encourage the drive for profits but, they also encourage survival – not an altruistic desire to help the overall economy. Business expansion, automation upgrades, even new product development is curtailed… if not completely placed on indefinite hold. In this environment, businesses instinctively wait, reduce to minimum effort to survive, and essentially conserve cash in order to hold out until the economy improves. Consequently, the wait is still for government to take the lead.As it turns out, the business sector is finding that it actually has the ability to operate with a smaller labor force because automation upgrades do reduce the need for humans. Thus, businesses are not realizing a dire need to increase staff sizes – and the associated costs.Exacerbating the problem are the spending habits of individuals and families in this environment, which is very similar to businesses. Given the economic climate, currently employed individuals and families retreat as well. The same uncertainty and fear that businesses and investors possess are held by these individuals – further reducing the amount of money flowing through the economy. They just do not spend, because they are fearful that they might need it tomorrow. They see the foreclosures in their neighborhoods, they see the market indicators dropping, they read the news about the conditions in Europe, and they stop spending freely.Ignoring the approximately 22-24 million “real” unemployed worker population, or the true affect on our economy as result of the European economic condition is unproductive and unrealistic. The unemployment rate of 8.0% – 8.6% is both unrealistic in its true reflection of those out of work and it is misleading because, even with some adjustment, it does not reflect the seasonal employment surge from the holiday season – and this will bear out to be true as we see the future jobs figures in March, April, and beyond. At the very best, job growth is not at a volume or pace that will turn the economy around in the short term – which should be the only realistic goal. Likewise, decoupling is not feasible. Every M.B.A. student since the 1970′s understands that we have been a world economy for decades and that cannot change quickly. Even China will begin to show signs of weakness in the face of a globally weak economy. Even if it were possible, the U.S. economy, perhaps combined with China and India, cannot support the sustainment or growth of U.S. businesses. We comprise somewhere in the neighborhood of one fifth of the world’s consumer spending, therefore, our ability and willingness to spend must be present for the U.S. economy, and the world’s economy, to rebound. We are truly the world leader.The question becomes, where does government find the resources to provide this leadership? This white paper provides a potential solution. The premise of this solution is partially built on the resources that the government currently has in abundance – the federal government workforce and the policy tools it has at its disposal. It is also built on the belief that a compromise can be reached politically, if each party can present a plan to their constituencies that reflect an equal sacrifice for all – and not a perceived contribution of one over the other. This political compromise will allow both parties to sell this solution without damaging their position – which is the basis of the current partisan disagreement. Shared pain is acceptable – selective pain will not sell. And finally, it is built on the unemployed, potential workforce – and what we know about that population.SolutionGovernment Sector
The current federal government workforce is slightly over 2 million – excluding the military. There is obviously a strong desire to resist any further reductions to that workforce because of the damage it will do to the economy. More people out of work is not what the economy needs. Government historically understands that the basic hiring of more individuals into the workforce is, in itself, a stimulus. But without the funds to do so, that is currently not an option. A change in a fundamental premise of our work requirements can provide this ability to hire. One must fully consider this possibility – and the entire argument – before dismissing it as a potential solution.A temporary reduction of the standard workweek to 36 hours will free up funds to use to reduce the debt, shrink the annual cost of government, and allow for hiring of new workers. The 36 hour change is proposed so that it will allow for those currently working both a 4/10 work week and a 5/8 work week – the two most common weekly work schedules. Now consider this situation: Out of the current federal workforce, approximately 2 million work one of the two weekly schedules mentioned. For every nine “5/8″ and “4/10″ workers the government gains the hours needed to hire one new employee (4 hours deducted from 9 workers = 36 hours, or enough to hire one additional worker). The savings from the 10th worker reduces the overall cost of government, and provides savings to retire the national debt. In addition, there are other possible uses of these savings that will be discussed later in this paper as well as the opportunity – in limited situations – to simply not hire the 11th worker, thus creating more savings.As for the productivity affect on the workforce, it would be negligible considering that a supervisor of 10 workers currently producing 400 labor hours during a typical week will now have 11 workers producing 396. Flex time is already a standard practice in the workforce; therefore, the supervision of more people, with flexible schedules would result in virtually no productivity change given the overall work unit loss of 4 labor hours.In effect, government will get larger in manpower, but smaller in cost. Of course this represents a sacrifice in income (10%) to those employees losing hours but, as I will discuss later, it will be a shared sacrifice and it is, and will appear to be, a viable alternative to those employees, given that total job loss is also a very real future possibility in the absence of such a strategy.Although the possibility for mandating this change down to state and local governments does not exist, the feasibility and the options that it offers, should be enough to encourage those governments to follow suit. In addition, there are ways to strongly urge these changes through other political means available to the federal government and its leadership.Please note, this practice of hour reduction is already being employed by some local and state governments. However, they are reactionary measures, stop-gap measures. They are utilized and viewed as a way of closing the deficit gap between current revenue and current costs – as opposed to a component part of a much broader economic recovery strategy. This is a lost opportunity.Given the relatively small numbers that this effort will affect in government alone, this approach – on its own – is clearly not intended to address the employment needs of those unemployed in the entire U.S., but, it is intended to represent the lead in that effort. The private sector will have to support that greater re-employment effort.Private Sector
Of course there are fewer options available to government to encourage the private sector to adopt this new option, but the most powerful incentive, legislation to provide temporary tax relief, should and would provide the necessary encouragement. I will not propose a type or amount because that is a political decision and an accounting decision based on the practical affect on tax revenue and is beyond my ability with the limited information I have access to. However, the point is clear – an incentive of this type can encourage a more widespread use of this strategy and it will encourage the employment of more workers.For the business sector, it will provide a financial motivation. This is a feasible incentive in line with their profit goals and it provides a visible appearance that they are doing their part to reinvigorate the economy through hiring.Incentives will also encourage the movement of workers back on the “official rolls” – which in turn would be an increase in income tax revenue to the government. Of course this suggests that an illegal activity is occurring now and, although I cannot support this suggestion factually, it seems fairly obvious that a good number of businesses are utilizing the labor of workers who are not officially carried “on the books”. This practice is reducing the impact on payrolls, and allows these workers to continue to receive unemployment compensation. It is a “win-win” for the employer and the employee, but it prevents the collection of income taxes and further drains the availability of unemployment benefits. Incentives that encourage hiring, will lessen, if not totally eliminate this practice.But the main point here is that, in the absence of practical, viable incentives, the business sector will resort to practices that benefit them and allow them to survive and be profitable – to the exclusion of all other factors. This is not an anti-capitalism statement but rather an accepted behavior under the free enterprise system. A business must first survive before anything else is possible – therefore a business will do whatever it must to survive. Consequently, the adoption and utilization of such a practice will most likely be detrimental to efforts made by the government to raise revenues. Be they illegal, borderline, or loopholes, a void in directing the behavior of businesses in a way that benefits the economy as a whole will cause a proliferation of such individual business and business sector actions. This is the worst environment for uncoordinated action in the business community, but, survival will encourage and demand it – unless government leads and directs this effort.The Top 1%
This group has, to date, been in the center of discussion as a source of needed tax revenue. The resistance has been largely based on an argument that they should not be asked to do more than any other taxpayer simply because they have been successful. This economic recovery strategy, however, leaves them as the only group not visibly and actively involved in making a sacrifice to help improve the economy. When faced with this possibility, even the most ardent opposition would reconsider their position. Politically, they would lose the current support that they have, and would have to accept an increase in their tax burden that would be seen as commensurate with the sacrifice in income made by all other working Americans.OutcomeAs previously explained, the goal of this strategy is to stimulate the economy. The principle methodology evolves around a temporary reduction in the work week, accompanied by new hires. The rationale for this methodology is based on the spending requirements that we know will exist for newly re-employed workers. The current crisis has caused millions of individuals and families to become delinquent in payments on taxes, mortgages, car payments, insurance, credit cards, utilities and a host of other household expenses.If a realistic view is applied to the current unemployment condition in America, the real number of those unemployed long and short term is somewhere in the 24 million range if you assume the “real” percentage of unemployed is in the 15-17% range. This percentage represents the “U-6″ unemployment rate as opposed to the more often used “U-3″ rate. For the purpose of this paper, it is assumed that the employment of 18 million of these individuals is a target that will reintroduce sufficient spending in the economy. At a median net wage of $27,000 (Social Security Administration, 2010), this represents nearly $500 billion in additional payroll for the public and private sector. This additional income is the targeted amount that is needed, and will be spent by the newly employed.Those who are newly employed and re-employed must spend vigorously to catch up on their mounting debt. These expenditures represent the burst of monetary flow that is needed to restart the economy. It essentially takes a little from those who are currently holding tightly to their reserves, and redistribute it into the hands of those who must spend. Every business sector would benefit from the “new” purchasing power introduced by this new group of customers, and governments at all levels will realize an increase in tax revenue.There are several keys to realizing this outcome:
• accepting the “out-of-the-box” thinking in reducing the traditional work week,
• convincing individuals that a real, shared sacrifice by those currently in the workforce and those richest individuals is ultimately in their best interest,
• creating a suitable incentive to encourage all levels of government and the private sector to duplicate the strategy and,
• moving as quickly as possible to implement all components of the strategy on a large scale because partial implementation will not show the impact needed to cause the economic change desired.ChallengesThe challenges are numerous, varied, and for the most part, obvious. I will attempt to note several challenges that I recognize, with full understanding that this paper does not speak to all that might arise.Politically, the ability to gain collective acceptance of the strategy is critical and necessary. That point will not be discussed in great detail in this paper but, it does require mention. This challenge includes the initial introduction to key stakeholders, and the more official announcement to the country. How the strategy is presented is of equal importance to what is implemented.Operationally, the current work week for most organizations, be it government or private, are “hard wired” into an automated payroll/time and attendance system. Although a change to the standard hours for straight pay versus overtime hours requires a technical solution, it is not an insurmountable barrier. Most systems in place today allow for temporary changes to individual and group timekeeping. In addition, work schedules will have to be recreated to allow the necessary service coverage in order to maintain normal operating hours. Again a management challenge – but not a daunting one – especially given the series of staff reductions experienced over the past few years by almost all employers.Another operational challenge is the consideration of retirement and other related benefit calculations. Although changes to the work week and all connected issues can be forced on the work force, it might be in the best interest of a successful implementation to continue the calculation of retirement based on the assumption that every 36 hour week is equivalent to a 40 hour week for retirement purposes. Another option is to consider it equal to 40 hours for retirement if the employee completes an additional four hours per week providing an acceptable public volunteer service, for example in a local public school. Regardless of the solution, retirement, vacation time accumulation, and sick time accumulation will need review and possible adjustment.Contractually (and legally), some union and other employment agreements may require amendment if a guaranteed minimum is stated as an agreed upon item. I am not sufficiently knowledgeable in labor law to speak to this challenge but I believe it may arise. It is not unreasonable to assume that a court challenge or ruling may result or even be required for implementation. But this may not be a bad thing. It may, in fact, afford government the opportunity to renegotiate the benefits package that is currently a significant cost.There are volumes of federal and state labor law, and there have been historical attempts, since the implementation of our current labor laws, to reduce the work week. The U.S. Supreme Court has even ruled on it. In addition, at least one bill, in the past, has made it through the U.S. Senate but failed in the House. However, a cursory review of labor law suggests that most of it protects employees from the establishment of more than a 40 hour week/8 hour day – not less. Finally, several states have already either implemented or are investigating a reduced work week. Given this environment, the overall economic situation, and the already lower comparable work weeks of most developed nations,, this is the ideal condition to reconsider this item – at least a change with a short-term sunset.A more practical challenge involves the issue of setting a “floor” for this strategy. With nearly two-thirds of the workforce earning $27,000 or less in net wages it makes little sense to cut the hours of every potential worker. Some exceptions should be made. For example, the strategy would do more harm than good if applied to a person making minimum wage. A 10% reduction in hours for this person would put their annual wages dangerously close to the poverty level. Consequently, some occupations – and perhaps some industries – should be exempt from implementing this strategy. At the very least they should consider a lower reduction in work hours.ConclusionThe current climate affords decision makers very few options. The nation’s sudden loss of wealth has caused a severe shortage of currency available to flow through the economy. In addition, the government’s ability to push reinvigorating funds into the economy has been severely hampered by the associated loss in revenue. This is largely due to the loss of taxpayers and other taxable entities that contribute to that source of government income.The private sector cannot reverse this course alone, because it needs consumer spending to do so. We already know that this is not occurring and will not be occurring, on its own, in the near future. And, additional revenue gained abroad is not a realistic possibility because of the even more severely reduced purchasing power of the international consumer market as well as the associated strengthening of the dollar against foreign currencies. And ultimately, the private sector is not designed, focused or motivated to address the needs of the country.Under these circumstances, one of the few options available is re-distribution of wages into the hands of those who are forced, by their circumstances, to spend quickly and substantially when the opportunity presents itself. That opportunity will come only when they are employed and re-employed. The need of the re-employed population to spend is clear and unquestionable – they must move to quickly reduce mounting debt. This influx of payments to debt holders, utilities, etc., combined with the newly hired employees’ ability to purchase goods and services – previously gone without – will provide the stimulus necessary to reinvigorate the economy. This strategy accomplishes that desired goal.In addition, it presents a sufficient argument to reduce any opposition to the additional taxation of those who can most afford it – the ultra wealthy. Witnessing the sacrifice of the middle class will force any opposition to higher taxation for the ultra wealthy to wilt. They will be forced to join in and provide their part to the effort.What should be clear to all is that the current conditions are, in fact, a moment in time of a continuous downward spiral. If a strategy such as this is not implemented, it will lead to a further reduction in wealth and more uncertainty and fear. This will result in a tighter hold on spending by those who still have that ability, and ultimately the need for further reductions in the size of the current public and private workforce – an evolution that we can no longer withstand.The final argument is that none of the components of this strategy are new, nor are they unique. All have been implemented or considered, at different times in our country’s history, as an approach in reversing a sluggish or stagnant economy. The New Deal had a government led stimulation of the economy – principally through hiring – as its foundation. Increasing tax revenue by taxing a specific population deemed more capable than others to withstand such an increase has been done numerous times. In most of those instances, the increased revenues were, in turn, used to create a healthier economic climate for the nation as a whole. Cutting staff hours and reducing salaries is also a previously used strategy to reduce costs; thus, preventing a more drastic and destructive widespread layoff. State level governments and the private sector are currently utilizing this strategy. As an example, California has over 1.5 million workers who are still employed only because of their continued work at reduced hours. And finally, the consideration of a nationwide change to the standard work week of 40 hours has been undertaken in our past – by both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate -albeit never implemented. Nonetheless, several states have implemented (in addition to the example), or are considering, this very strategy today.Perhaps the most inviting aspect of the overall approach is that it can have a “sunset” if tied to achievable and measurable goals. Most, if not all, components are linked to the two major domestic issues that government faces – federal spending and the deficit. If the strategy is implemented under the condition that it is tied to a target reduction in those two areas, the strategy becomes even more acceptable, success more measurable, and a timeline more transparent.The unique aspect of this combined strategy is that the conditions we are currently experiencing suggest and support the use of all three principle components in unison. There exists a population of taxpayers that can clearly absorb a tax increase – without significant impact to their lifestyles – that other taxable categories cannot. There also exists a need to reduce the annual cost and the accumulated debt of the federal government – but an achievement of this through workforce reductions would be further detrimental to the broader economy. And, there exists a need to re-employ a large segment of the eligible workforce.Each of these conditions can be resolved through the implementation of the component parts but, the implementation of them in concert. No one component will address the overall picture but, a coordinated strategy possesses the synergy necessary to reverse the present conditions. Make no mistake about it, the present condition is a crisis. Regardless of attempts to frame this in a political way, it is an economic issue. It must be resolved in those terms or it will devastate all other structures – be they political, social, or financial.A close examination of this strategy will reveal its use of opposing notions:
• national debt reduction can occur concurrently with business tax breaks;
• government can cut costs while increasing its workforce;
• cutting labor hours can lead to an expanded economy.
It is actually possible – under a particular scenario – to raise taxes, cut taxes, increase the size of the workforce, reduce government spending and expand the economy. Government led fiscal expansion can coexist with austerity, and long term debt reduction needs can be achieved along with short term stimulus. As uncoordinated actions it cannot work – but as part of a broad, articulated strategy, it can.Basically, we have to radically rethink how we operate in this challenging environment. The thought should no longer be how we can do more with less people, but rather how we can employ more people with the amount of labor hours government and the business sector have at their disposal. The solution is tied to the number of people employed – not the number of people employed at 40 hours per week. Every effort should be made to achieve that end – even through the sacrifice of hours for the existing workforce and higher taxes for a small segment of taxpayers.