NationStates Jolt Archive

After serious deliberation the Citizens Assembly in accordance with Commonarch Amara Cruon have decided to move towards a new form of economy. Rising Income Through Cybernetic Homeostasis.

As a first step we are introducing a Productive Citizen Income Guarantee for all citizens, this will replace the department of welfare, basic unemployment, and parts of Social Security. To receive this income a person must either be disabled, retired, or do some basic productive activity volunteerism, raise children, work, participate in educational activities, for a small amount of time each week. This income guarantee will be delivered from the department of taxation. (A basic income guarantee requires about a 38% tax rate). We have 55%-- this is income redistribution.

Furthermore, a renewability and sustainability tax credit will be created, this will be a payment from money garnered from our increasingly powerful renewable energy, managed forestry, and recycling industries. The more sustainable and long term the economy becomes the higher the payment.

We are also offering a reward for replacing menial and dangerous labor with cybernetics and robotics. We will offer $1 million per proven technology up to a total of $10 billion dollars to help cybernize the economy. All producible ideas will be accepted. This includes foreign input. Later we will introduce a program to free up human labor.

Our Final Encyclopedia is finished. We now have a new universal AI system of information for all citizens consisting of the complete UN library and the knowledge of Intracircumcordei and the Commonalitarianism. We will be opening public learning centers in each of our cities as a major educational push to educate all citizens. We wish to prepare our citizens for the new knowledge, cybernetic, ecological, and sustainable economy.

We need foreign citizens to help open new frontiers. Our economy is booming. Help us build new deep ocean cities. Five new deep ocean cities have been built. Our three asteroid factories are booming. We have hollowed out three new 2 kilometer asteroids from our mining operations and wish to turn them into working colonies.

We need men and women to help build these colonies to expand into space. Our Liftport Elevators are running full tilt sending material up to space. Our Space Junk Super Colony is growing.

We need ideas for cybernation, skilled men and women to help colonize space and the deep ocean. We are seeking new technology and ideas to help rebuild our economy. Feel free to make suggestions.

We realize this will cause massive social upheaval. Our riot police are on full alert. The Citizens Police Corps has instituted a broken windows policy. We have readied for massive civil unrest. The National Guard is on alert.

The Department of Mental Hygiene is preparing to take over many of the problems which the welfare and social services department handled previously-- child abuse, mental problems, and other problems.

In several cities major rallies occurred against the initiative to change the economy. Many of the right wing syndicalists were angry. They had preferred a Negative Income Tax to a Basic Income Guarantee. There were major marches occurring. In protest there was a riot in beauty Arcology, where several policemen and syndicalists died. This led to further protests. A number of the protesters disappeared into the prison system. The riot police were angry. Slogans like support our police appeared in many communities along with anti-syndicalist messages. Some syndicalist groups went underground. The more middle ground syndicalists and the left syndicalists stayed in the open keeping a public debate. A Ohyayian cooperative supporting the changes was bombed by unknown parties.

The union groups were divided, many were happy to see the Basic Income Guarantee, their jobs were fast disappearing with automation and they did not see a future in manufacturing jobs. They were happy to get the chance to retrain to do something else. Others wanted to keep their jobs at all costs.

One of the major problems being faced was that it was increasingly impossible with the new technologies being developed to employ everyone. First all the jobs in McFishies disappeared with robotic autovendors, then the supermarkets required less and less labor with robotic packers, shelvers, and cashiers. The new initiative put lots of people out of jobs who did menial labor. Robotic cleaners swept floors, self cleaning carpets and desks were developed. Less people were needed to run the sewers, garbage trucks, dumps, fire houses and other dangerous activities. The worker capitalist cooperatives, registered syndicates, public private consortiums, and partnerships needed a way to hold things together. Even more technical jobs were facing robotization. By 2040 it was predicted that most jobs would be replaced by robots.

Many people had mixed feelings, what were they going to do. They had too much time on their hands. A lot were simply happy to have free time to on their hands to pursue their own goals. There was a new boom in the arts with many people being free to devote their time to artistic pursuits.

More people poured into the prisons with the broken windows policing. This satisfied the Ming Commercial House which ran the prisons but scared the civil libertarians in society. The Ming Commercial House had managed to turn the prisons into a profitable venture for them. A debate occurred about what to do with all the people who were now unemployed.

Also the mental hospitals and rehabilitation centers began to fill up with people who could not manage their money properly or their lives under the new system. Many turned to excessive drug and alcohol use. They were used to being hand held and having their lives controlled by bureaucracy. This raised the cost of government considerably for a while.


Many took advantage of the new educational opportunities available to them, these were mainly younger workers, however it displaced a lot of the older workers who had mixed feelings. They were guaranteed a livable pension, but many were at loose ends.

With nowhere to go and the space colonies opening as well as the deep ocean cities, younger and middle aged men and women retrained and headed for space and the deep oceans. Not all made it. But even those who didn't developed advanced technical skills.

With the incredible social unrest and the boom in new ideas, an intellectual and social renaissance was occurring.

Today an assassination attempt was made against the Commonarch by a violent man. We are not sure where he came from. He was originally a janitor in a small dockyard. His job was replaced by robots. He blew himself up killing two secret service men. The Commonarch was not injured. However, the explosion was caught on television.

Many of the unemployed have taken to the streets. Increasingly, there are squatters in some of the outlying buildings and barges. People are claiming they do not have to pay rent. Although, they collect a paycheck, they do not have enough to do.

Our prisons are filled to capacity. The mental institutions are overflowing. We need a better solution for this problem. We have considered sending them to work in deep ocean cities, in the kelp farms. We may even pardon some of the more skilled workers and send them to work in deep space...

Many of the service unions have collapsed. The change has strengthened the unions with strong advanced skills.

The poorer districts are rioting. Lots of poor people with a pension and nothing to do leaves problems. Where they normally would have been forced into a 9-5 job. Some are claiming that they are not receiving enough benefits under the new system. They are letting out their pent up anger.

We have had to revoke a large number of guest worker passes because of the increase in robotics. Many of the immigrants are stunned, they came here for a job with growing possibilities, now they have a pension and nowhere to go. Some are heading home. There are immigrant marches demonstrating the fact they are being left out.

Many people are happy with their new status. More cybernation has occurred. Menial labor has for the most part been eliminated as a source of income except for maintaining robots.

There has been some inflation effecting the worth of the basic income guarantee. It is still enough for housing, clothes, and food.

A lot of people are thrilled to move to the new frontiers. They have a better future.

The middle class is becoming more educated. They have more opportunities. Many are becoming educated in the new technologies.

The police have rounded up the rioters. They had to let several barges burnout before they could retake them. The intense rage was very hard to stop. Apparently a new drug called "Flash" had been spread throughout some of the neighborhoods, it made people attracted to fire, and flickering light. We have had to set up temporary camps on small islands to deal with the overflow of the prisons.

A consortium of wealthy individuals has stepped forward to fund several projects. Brill Grates head of Dynamic Motors PPC, says "This rioting has got to stop. People need stuff to do until everything calms down." I am putting $10 billion dollars of my philanthropic money into hiring people to rebuild our neighborhoods from the ground up. Something needs to be done with these destroyed areas. The Ecotechnic institute starts the reforest our islands campaign, so far $2 billion dollars in private money has been put into a major reforestation initiative which will hire people to reforest and maintain several small islands in the Commonalitarianism.

As a competitive measure, Mimi Ohyay another billionaire-- offers to pay a ticket to any low income individual who wishes to head to the ocean cities or asteroids. She is offering 10 million tickets. She says, "I wish these rioters would just leave, there is plenty of open space. Get them out of here."

There has been a boom in the hiring of security guards by the rich and middle class to keep away robbers and other criminals. Many people are worried that they will be robbed or get into trouble with so many people on the streets.

Industry steps forward. Cruon Commercial House, RFS-- Registered Family Syndicate, has opened several deep water kelp farms. They need workers. They are taking up some of the prison contracts from Ming Commercial House and are willing to take a lot of the rioters. They also are advertising for solar technicians to help build a giant new solar power satellite.

As a measure to increase the availability of jobs new transport methods have been created. There is a continuous running system of transport submersibles from the surface to the underwater ocean cities which are opening up. This will allow more people to take jobs in the underwater cities. Also a new submersible rail line is opening up between Mariana Township, Lobster City, and Cousteau City. Building the new transport methods will hire a lot of people.

We are extending our rail lines in our current cities to better cover the industrial areas so people will be able to get to jobs more easily. For transport to the empty asteroids, we have introduced a new cheaper method. It is a reusable life support capsule, the user takes hiberzine for the trip and is revived at their destination.

The right is opening a campaign to have Amara Cruon removed from office. She is causing too much instability. Says Conrad Reicher, "We need stability, a chance for our families to adjust, too much change is happening too quickly. We have a mad woman in office." We are gathering the necessary signatures of the population to put her on a ballot for removal from office."

Mass demonstrations, this time peaceful are occurring. Placards are appearing "Enough is Enough." "No More Change." The syndicalist right is blending in with the crowds of people occassionally leading a few more violent incidents. Many of the unionists on the left from the service unions are joining them who saw their unions collapse. About 1/3 of the population is currently supporting this movement.

OOC: Cybernized, eh? Dr. Who fan perhaps?

ICness:

Abstract

Social problems stemming from
Cyber-Industrialisation in
Commonalitarianism


An investigation into the problems of industrialisation revealed by the recent incidents in Commonalitarianism, comparison with other employment policies, and contrast with the C’tan policies in this area. The investigation follows a Zetetic Social Commentary methodology using […]

Richard Seran MSc.
IY B372, June Tenth

[…]

And so by studying the methods, we see the contrast in which a greater concern for citizens in Commonalitarianism ultimately has a more negative short-term effect than anticipated. While retaining sentient-oversight laws ultimately produces de-motivation, it does lessen the de-motivational factors, creating a short-term patch that allows a society to reorganise at a slower pace allowing for adjustment. Similarly, a fast, command adjustment may not take into account the later market desire for lower-technology manufacturing of ‘hand made’ products causing an upsurge in employment in the primary and secondary industries [manufacturing especially], though not, in most instances³² to pre-singularity levels.

The decline in tertiary industries in Commonalitarianism is also difficult to reconcile with known trends, and it should be an interesting subject of further inquiry to determine the degree to which the decline of human tertiary industry in Commonalitarianism is the result of top down command of the economy acting without the mandate of the masses. While the level of menial labour in tertiary industry is generally bound to drop (unless, as in our own country, guest-workers are employed by dint of greater affluence in this sector) the decline of retail appears positively astounding.

[…]

It is known that various C’tan companies are preparing to submit proposals to the government of Commonalitarianism in order to gain the lucrative rewards of assisting in this automation programme;

[…]

While some people [esp. Campbell et al.] have criticized the reforms of Commonalitarianism as ‘Socialism in a suit’ I would suggest that they more accurately represent an example of the post-scarcity path that follows from a more socialist economy than the observed paths in most highly developed nations which tend to stem from Capitalism and its relatives.

Some Social Analysis-- Professor Alex Ohyes, School of Media and Political Studies, Beauty Arcology.

The problems we are experiencing are not economic per se, but problems with massive social displacement. We suddenly have a large number of people choosing to take a Basic Income Guarantee. This means a huge number of people are suddenly free. Most people automatically assume this would be beneficial in the short term. It is not. Long term it would be beneficial.

Suddenly the police have a massive amount of people who are free who would have been active in other pursuits. Unfortunately, we did not rework our justice system assuming that it would just work under new conditions. This leads to a much greater amount of arrests because suddenly police can see and track large numbers of unbusy people.

The second factor is that most people in a worker capitalism society-- a different form of capitalism based on cooperatives, direct stock ownership of companies by employees, partnerships, syndicates, and public private consortiums base their social values on being "employed in a continuous manner".

To be given a free form livelihood causes social displacement, while most people will react positively, a significant number of people in their initial reaction will be confused and angry-- turning to alcoholism, drugs, and other "mental problems." This is an unaddressed concern in most RICH literature. The mental institutions will fill up.

The third problem which we would face would be another social issue which matches with economics-- see earlier times the Weimar Republic, the Hippie Era United States, the Paris Communes, the social riots in France in the late twentieth century. A sudden freedom to act up by the lower and middle classes with rising incomes and a dearth of free education. The classic problem of letting out pent up creative energies is often destructive in nature. This often occurs after a rise in income in previous decades.

Luckily we have a strong base to work from, we are not the Weimar Republic so our society will remain intact.

With robotics retail became more and more electronicized. It was possible to buy attachments that allowed people to order clothing directly from home with a body scanner, the roboticization further eliminated the number of positions in stores. It took many less people to run a retail establishment.

However, a number of retail establishments maintained the personal touch. People preferred to talk to people when shopping. Shopping also served a social function, there were still small bakers, fruit shops and similar establishments because of these considerations. Also many people simply preferred people made goods and organic products. It seemed to preserve their sense of well being.

Economic Policy Institute, Boris Cruonis, Ph.D.

The fundamental question we are facing today is one of post scarcity where it is possible to fully take care of every citizen in a common manner. Not only is it possible to take care of every citizens needs, it is possible to replace almost all work with robotics, artifical intelligence, and cybernetics.

The citizens of the Commonalitarianism need to decide what form our economy take in the future. Do we choose to have a service based economy based on serving a few very wealthy elites where the majority of people form services for the very rich, or do we have a more equitable based "knowledge economy". The concept of the "New Economy", a capitalistic style knowledge economy was tried in the 1990s, but failed due to its unrealistic expectations, and its inability to meet the production of goods with continuously rising incomes. The underlying ideology was too flawed to continue.

This leaves the elite in the Commonalitarianism in a predicament, a purely service based economy will be fundamentally limited. Also the social mores in the Commonalitarianism liberal ecotopian worker based would eventually lead to revolutionary change. Like the change from monarchy to constitutional monarchy, it was decided that before revolution occurred a peaceful transition be attempted. We do not want to experience the second French revolution when it reached full post scarcity. Nor do we want to watch as our country split up as a nation, the Beltway can attest to this.

Every post scarcity economy is based on the falsehood of money which is basically a construct based on producible goods and ideas. We are facing fundamental questions that neither left nor right can answer in a clear manner, because it attacks the underlying social consensus. Answers from either a left or right viewpoint are being examined.

Note: I am making this all up as I go along feel free to criticize my rubbish if you want. This is an alternate history and alternate timeline.