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Little Free Press #52 - Utopia now possible
1
Little Free Press
2714 1st Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55408 USA
#52 Reprinting Permissible "food for thought since 1969"
F R E E
UTOPIA NOW POSSIBLE
A revolutionary breakthrough in employee motivation may be
forthcoming by making jobs so attractive, interesting and enjoyable
that employees will work without pay. These volunteers will be
attracted by good working conditions, the latest in fine tools,
machines and technology, such as; robots, computers and satellite
communication systems. Volunteerism would eliminate the "monetary
cost" of production which in turn would permit all products and
services to be distributed free of charge, thus allowing people to
work without pay and enabling industry to provide the marvelous
technologies and tools. Work would then become a privilege instead of
a duty.
This Priceless Economic System would cause the following
departments to become unnecessary:
1. Payroll
2. Sales
3. Advertising
4. Credit
5. Banking
6. Insurance
7. Legal & Tax
8. Much Accounting
9. Much Administration
This would make tremendous savings in resources and energy and
free more than 16 million people for useful work.
People leaving these unnecessary jobs could volunteer for any
jobs they liked and receive free on-the-job training and begin to
learn and produce immediately.
Volunteers take more responsibility to do better work and create
better working environments for themselves. Instead of working
because one "had to" and hating it, people would work because they
desired to. Then employees could enjoy their work in creative ways
without pressure to make profits.
People who own the raw materials would then have no need for
money because everything would be free for everyone. Their employees
would be distributing their raw materials free of charge as would all
employees in industry and on farms.
Stockholders would have no need for money nor any reason for
worries about inflation, depression or stockmarket-ulcers.
Because everything would be free there would be no reason to
steal. 94% of the people in prison and jails1 are there for
stealing. Priceless economics would end 94% of the need for:
1. 4,052 jails and prisons
2. 630,000 lawyers and judges
3. 1,267,000 guards and police
4. 412,000 prisoners
Thus giving us 2,170,460 more people to help with the essential
____________________
1 Statistical Abstract of the US. 1985; American Prisons & Jails,
1980, Vol.3; Handbook of Labor Statistics, 1983, Dept of Labor.
2
work.
There would no longer be a reason to starve or revolt when
everything is free. Malnutrition would become a thing of the past
when land is used to feed people instead of for "cash crops."
Because there would no longer be a "profit" in starting wars,
there wouldn't be a need for defense or military, thus releasing:
1. 223.3 billion dollars worth of resources each year.
2. 4.1 million active military personnel, direct-hire civilians and
defense related workers.
When the unnecessary departments are discontinued we could stop
producing the supplies these departments had been consuming, i.e.,
this would lower the demand for:
1. office buildings
2. office machines
3. supplies
4. furniture
5. fixtures
6. electricity
7. fuel, etc.
This would save millions of human work-hours and billions of tons
of raw materials.
Savings in check-out clerks, cashiers and cash registers alone
would be fantastic.
With no monetary cost for labor, rent, energy and machines, all
factory waste materials could be reclaimed, processed and recycled --
instead of polluting the environment. With free labor, the farmers
would all be able to practice organic farming methods and produce more
nutritious food and halt their pollution.
There would be no inducement to rush new products into the
market. They could be thoroughly tested to get all the bugs out and
be sure they were safe and that their wastes could be reclaimed.
With priceless economics there wouldn't be a reason for special
interest groups to suppress cheaper energy sources, more efficient
production and distribution methods and machines which used less or
cheaper fuels.
With priceless economics there wouldn't be a profit in designing
planned obsolescence and planned deterioration into products. Instead
products would be designed for utility, long life, efficiency, beauty,
safety and be trouble-free and easy to repair with universal parts.
Work would take on a new meaning. It would become an art and
employees would all become artists doing creative things to make their
products or services better and the process more enjoyable.
People would no longer resist automation and robots because these
machines would be employed to do the dangerous and boring work. This
would further reduce human working hours.
We may discover the fact that we have very little or no need for
government, thereby saving most of the nearly trillion dollar budget
and freeing 14.8 million more people for essential work. The few
useful services which government now performs are:
1. postal service
2. fire departments
3. sewer and water
4. highways
5. forestry
6. parks, etc.
These departments could function more efficiently without
bureaucratic and political interference and without budget
limitations.
People would no longer have:
1. money worries
3
2. credit problems
3. rent or mortgage payments
4. unemployment
5. taxes
6. recessions
There would be no need for TV commercials and war fear-mongering.
This will reduce stress and restore hope and confidence. There would
be an abundance of good food for everyone and much more free time to
enjoy ones family and friends. Happy people get along better. People
could then cooperate instead of compete and create a synergy which
would yield more health, creativity, efficiency and happiness.
There would no longer be a reason to create make-work projects.
There is plenty of important work which needs to be done.
Without the stresses of the Profit System people could enjoy
working with the neat fantastic tools, machines and computers which
industry provides. Work would then become a place that people could
go to enjoy themselves, to gain satisfaction in creating beautiful
products or services and enjoy the camaraderie that would be shared.
Work could become our most treasured recreation.
We have what it takes to produce abundance:
1. resources2
2. labor
3. skills
4. machines
5. factories
6. land3
With an abundance of top quality products which were free, there
would be no reason to take too much. Too much, is a burden and free
things are not status symbols.
Competing companies could then cooperate to produce the best
products they could mutually design -- cooperation being more
efficient than competition.
The "Law of Supply and Demand" would function more efficiently
when we work to fill the demand, rather than attempt to create the
demand.
This Motivation Revolution would work best on a world-wide scale
because ALL the world's people would be far better off with this new
system. Underdeveloped nations could then develop as quickly as they
desired, with free guidance from advanced nations if they wished it.
If we are able to increase the life of durable goods (cars for
example) to only twice their present useful life, that alone would
reduce the consumption of resources for durable goods by 50% and
reduce working hours for their production by half.
When the 38 million people now engaged in the above mentioned
non-essential jobs; enter essential employment they will greatly
reduce the working hours for everyone -- or, they will greatly expand
certain fields, such as; research and development, reclamation of
factory waste products, cleaning up the environment, working on
organic farms, the space program and/or -- they may prefer to slow
down the pace of all work to have more time to enjoy the journey
through life.
Priceless economics would create an almost Utopian atmosphere by
eliminating 7 of the world`s greatest problems:
1. war
2. pollution
____________________
2 Buckminister Fuller's "World Game" findings.
3 There are 7.28 acres of food-growable land per person in the world.
FAO Production Yearbook, 1981, Vol. 35, By Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations.
4
3. starvation
4. stealing
5. taxes
6. money worries
7. government
"Giving" produces better feelings than "selling." Getting
something for "free" produces better feelings than parting with money.
(Who can resist a Giver?) Being part of the work force which creates
this near Utopia would be an Honor. Thus, we would pass something on
to our children and grandchildren that future generations would be
grateful for and remember us by, instead of the wars, pollution and
starvation that our parents left for us. Some say that people don't
deserve Utopia, but if people create it -- they will deserve it!
TO END WARS & POLLUTION AND BEGIN UTOPIA:
First--I think our job right now is to get the word out and get
everyone talking and arguing about the Priceless Economic System.
Second--I think after everyone understands Priceless Economics
they can set a date to all stop taking pay and begin giving all
products and services free of charge.
"Progress is a matter of trying new ideas. For example, try --
not beating your head against a brick wall, for a change. See how you
like that."
7/20/85 Ernest Mann
Statement of Purpose:
The Little Free Press is dedicated to the idea that we solve
problems by first finding the primary cause of the problem and then
focus on making changes in their area of "cause", instead of fiddling
with layer upon layer of laws aimed at slowing-down the destruction
(symptoms) i.e., finding and replacing the destructive motive with a
life supportive motive.
To encourage the discovery and use of one's individual POWER
rather than giving it to a leader.
Perhaps the essence of the LFP focus is in the area of total
freedom and access to abundance for each individual.
We might call this UTOPIA. "What the mind can conceive, it can
create."
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The LFP is FREE, except please enclose 25 cents for postage in
the U.S. for each issue you desire. Little Free Press, 2714 1st
Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55408
NO COPYRIGHT
If you can relate to these ideas, please make copies of this
issue and pass them around.
About the author:
The author was in business in Minneapolis for 22 years. He
gained enough knowledge in economics to retire at the age of 42 in
1969. Since then he has had the space to observe economics from a
different perspective and the time to travel, read, observe, discuss,
think, evaluate and form his own conclusions about the economic
system, life and individual freedom which he presents in his
newsletter, the Little Free Press. He distributes this free of charge
(except for postage).
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