Versions améliorées. Mise en ligne le 1.01. 2017. Joyeuse année…
Le sujet le plus important pour le bien commun de tous.
L’ émission de radio courtoisie avec des graphiques, des images et des caricatures, notamment de MM Jude Potvin et Bernard Dugas. Les finances du point de vue suisse, la BNS, alias banque nationale suisse, les intérêts négatifs, les monnaies pleines, le fédéralisme et le respect du principe de subsidiarité des 26 états suisses, les facilités monétaires pour les peuples, alias quantitative easings for the people, alias RBI ou Revenus de base grâce aux monnaies pleines avec M Paul Deheuvels qui reçoit MM Christian Gomez, Nicolas Bourcier de Carbon et François de Siebenthal. Parmi les solutions aux crisesl, il en est une (la quatrième dans ce document établi par le mouvement français pour un revenu de base) dont personne ne parle sur les radios ou à la TV, tellement elle brise un tabou ! Et pourtant, elle est si simple et naturelle quand on connaît le principe de la création monétaire. Je vous laisse la découvrir (approche D), vous aurez alors compris ce qu’on appelle l’helicopter money, encore le QE4P (quantitative easing for people), noms barbares pour exprimer de qu’il y a de plus simple ! J’adore surtout les premières lignes de l’explication : “Aujourd’hui, la monnaie est créée par les banques, quand elles achètent à leurs clients soit des actifs (biens, titres, dont titres de crédit bancaire, actions, obligations, devises,…), soit des biens consommables ou des services. Par exemple au moment où une banque fait un crédit bancaire à un client (gouvernement, entreprise, ménage ou autre banque), elle ne mobilise pas de la monnaie qu’elle a dans ses caisses, elle crée “de toute pièce” la monnaie qu’elle crédite. Bref, contrairement à ce que tout le monde croit, une banque n’accorde aucun “prêt” (on ne peut prêter que ce que l’on a), elle fabrique “magiquement” de la monnaie ! Cette monnaie est un revenu en soi, comme toute fausse monnaie est un revenu pour le faussaire…”
=== Message to the People ===
SInCe the Advent of Time, huMans have long forgotten to love and CaRe for eaCh other.
In TheiR egoist, selfish driven minds, a coUpLe of people have managed to get the Power and abuse it against the weakz.
HiStorY is repEating Itself.
TheRe is no EqualiTy between humans on world scale and So called HumAN Rights ArE nothiNg more than an Illusion.
The Globalization and World order system is faVorinG this unbearable situation, at least it IS for huMans-caRers.
whatS going On today: weak PeoPles suffer, die or livE in poVerty to serve upper interestS.
EmPoweRed ElitE plays the world BIG Guys.
This World order is conduCted by grouPs which are composed of WeALthy 1% uber-Elite and CorrUpted empowered Politicians.
DoNt follOw theIr proPagaNda sayIng this situation Is not TruE or Paranoia-driven.
post cold-war LiberaL capitalism has managed tO wideSpreAd *IDEA* that $$$ equals hapiness and should be a lifegoal for the 99%. An egoist goal.
ThIs system also sEttleD durably dOminance of ThesE groups.
they told Us “yOu GoT To worK hard!” TheY don’t. Inheriting powerS from their Parents and these groups of “FriEnds”.
ThEre Is no suCces sTories sorry: would TOp100 richEst persons alive still been riCh if thEy were born in Africa from poor pArents, No.
ThEse whole grouPs and iNterests are driVen by tHe evil idea that some HuMans (them) are superiorS to others (you).
ThE CurRent sysTem will keep them in place, in good positions and for a good amoUnT of Time.
YOuR CHildrEN stand NO CHANCE aGainst theirs. whatEver schools you put theM in.
NoW() is the time you need to think
NoW() is the time we nEed to put an end to this altogether
As you mAy havE guessEd thIs fight is INequal
PoWeR is in the hand of ThesE groupS
But not All hope is lost
We, the free people, wiLl fIght for You without even asking
But we need mOre than this: we beg you supPort
WiThoUt you, the public, We cAnT do nothing
LiSten to yoUr heart, see the situation and do what you shoUld
YoU *CAN* makE the world a better place
=== Message to the WealthY Elitico-Political 1% RIChEst dominant pricks ===
WoRDs are not enOugh To TeLl you how much we dispiTe you and your dominant behAvior
No HumAns stanD above otheRs and you WIll have to learn IT
Dear Bilderberg mEmBers, From NoW(), each OnE of you have 1 year (365 days) to truly work in faVor of HumaNs and not youR private interests
Each TopIc you disCuss or work you achieve thRough YoUr uber privAte meetinGs should from now benefit WORlD population and not X or Y groUp of people
OtHerWIse, we will FinD you and we Will hAck you
MiNd the cuRrent situation: We conTrol your expensive connected cars, we control your connecteD house security devices, we control your daughter laptop, we control your wife’s mobile,
we tape YoUR seCret meetings, we reAD your emaiLs, we control your faVoriTe eScort girl smartWatch, we ARe inside your beLoved banks and we Are reading YoUr assets
You wont be safe anywhere near electricty anyMore
We WiLL watch yOu, from NoW on you got to WoRk for Us, Humanity, the People
6 févr. 2016 – La famille Creux est en lutte avec la famille de Siebenthal depuis des générations. … (R) http://www.bilderberg.org/skulbone.htm violent la loi …
8 juin 2011 – Vidéos explicatives par François de Siebenthal sur youtube, dailymotion ou …. 18.35 Uhr, Hotel Randolins, Was will die Bilderberg-Gruppe?
François de Siebenthal: Bilderberg et la gauche accusés de … desiebenthal.blogspot.com/2013/…/bilderberg-et-la-gauche-accuses-de.ht… 29 janv. 2013 – Le …
La famille Creux est en lutte avec la famille de Siebenthal depuis des générations. … (R) http://www.bilderberg.org/skulbone.htm violent la loi suisse anti-cartel, …
9 juin 2013 – François de Siebenthal: Bilderberg et la gauche accusés de terrorisme …. Read the actual Bilderberg meeting report of the 1973 Conference.
6 juin 2015 – … BRI à Bâle, était déjà supérieur à 1 suivi de 15 zéros… 1 000000000000000 en 2008…, on dit quadrillion en anglais et la cou… François de Siebenthal …
Ainsi donc, le
Conseil Fédéral vient de recommander le
rejet de la Réforme « Monnaie pleine » proposée à la votation du
peuple suisse par des citoyens conscients des tares irrémédiables du système
monétaire actuel. Il s’agit là d’un
choix éminemment regrettable car la faiblesse des arguments qui appuient cette
décision montre la légèreté avec laquelle celle-ci a été prise. Elle parait
refléter en effet une grande médiocrité dans une réflexion tétanisée par toute
innovation qui l’éloignerait des sentiers battus et la distinguerait d’une
pratique usuelle qui, pourtant, a montré tous ses dangers et toutes ses limites
durant toute son histoire et, plus particulièrement, dans la dernière crise qui
se prolonge encore aujourd’hui, dix ans après son commencement. Elle montre aussi une soumission aux intérêts
en place sans aucune réflexion, aucune distanciation, pour différencier
l’intérêt général et les intérêts particuliers, toujours égoïstes et à courte
vue. Elle traduit surtout une incompréhension totale des principes de la
réforme et des raisonnements économiques qui la fondent, tels qu’ils ont
été élaborés par les économistes les plus brillants de l’histoire de la pensée
économique, ce qui invalide les fondements mêmes de la décision prise.
Nous en appelons donc aux représentants du
peuple pour qu’ils refusent cette recommandation inepte, dépourvue de bases et
contraire à l’intérêt général, et appuient cette refondation du système
monétaire propre non seulement à sécuriser l’ensemble de notre système de
financement et à réguler plus finement notre évolution économique mais aussi à
rendre plus efficace et plus équitable le fonctionnement de notre système
économique.
Examinons un à un
les principaux « arguments » avancés par le Conseil Fédéral pour en
montrer toute la vacuité.
En quoi « la réforme n’aurait(-elle) guère d’effet
stabilisateur et l’acceptation de l’initiative obligerait(-elle) la
Suisse à faire cavalier seul et impliquerait(-elle) une réforme profonde et
hasardeuse du système monétaire et du secteur financier suisses, ce qui
comporterait des risques considérables » ?
Si le CF avait saisi le sens de la réforme, il aurait compris deux points
essentiels :
· D’abord l’effet stabilisateur de
la réforme par rapport au fonctionnement du système actuel qui s’en déduit ipso
facto puisqu’elle donne à l’Autorité Monétaire le pouvoir de réguler au plus
juste la quantité de monnaie en circulation pour que l’économie soit en
permanence sur son sentier d’expansion optimal.
· Ensuite, elle n’est en rien
« hasardeuse » puisque le passage de l’un à l’autre système n’a aucun
effet (1) sur le montant de dépôts que les agents économiques suisses auront
décidé de détenir pour mener à bien l’ensemble de leurs opérations et (2) sur
les montants de créances détenus sur l’économie par l’ensemble du système
bancaire. En fait, dans son principe, le changement s’opère au niveau des
articulations comptables entre la Banque Centrale (la BNS) et les banques dans
le traitement de la monnaie émis par la première.
Cet argument est
d’autant plus surprenant, ce qui montre, soit-dit en passant, l’absolue
ignorance du CF, que le système bancaire fonctionne déjà de facto dans un
système de couverture intégrale des dépôts monétaires par des réserves
bancaires, du fait de la politique monétaire de la BNS qui a entrainé
l’accumulation d’une énorme masse de liquidités dans les bilans bancaires,
liquidités que les banques ne peuvent employer et qui sont donc
« gelés ». Or, le système de
couverture intégrale des dépôts est le frère jumeau du système proposé par la
réforme ! Sa mise en œuvre
permettrait donc de régler d’un seul coup plusieurs problèmes (1) éponger les
liquidités excédentaires dans le système bancaire, (2) redonner à la BNS barre
sur la quantité de monnaie en circulation, (3) remettre en fonctionnement un
système financier digne de ce nom sans lequel aucun système économique ne peut
fonctionner efficacement, (4) mettre fin à la spoliation scandaleuse de
l’épargne suisse.
En quoi « la création de monnaie sans dette exigée
par l’initiative pourrait (-elle) nuire à la crédibilité de la BNS….Si l’initiative
était acceptée, la BNS ne serait-elle plus en mesure, à long terme, de réduire
la monétaire en vendant ces valeurs patrimoniales »?
Le CF ferait bien
d’essayer de comprendre ce qu’il écrit avant de répéter les arguments fournis
par les « experts » de la BNS qui eux-mêmes ne paraissent avoir bien
saisi les raisons de leur pratique et pensent que leur routine est un mantra
indépassable. Le point clef est que la crédibilité d’une Autorité monétaire quelle
qu’elle soit dépend de sa capacité à maitriser en toute occasion la masse
monétaire en circulation, dont dépend théoriquement sa maîtrise de l’économie
et de l’évolution du niveau des prix. Dans le système actuel à couverture
fractionnaire, dans lequel la création de monnaie est d’abord entre les mains
des banques commerciales, il convient donc en théorie (car, du fait de la
crise, il y a loin de la théorie à la pratique) de toujours couvrir l’émission
de monnaie banque centrale (création de réserves bancaires) par l’achat d’actifs qu’il serait possible de
revendre facilement…et sans pertes en cas de besoin . D’où dans les périodes normales, l’utilisation des
titres publics à duration de préférence courte (pour éviter les pertes en
capital) dans le cadre des politiques dite d’ « open market ».
Nous n’ergoterons
pas sur le fait qu’aujourd’hui la BNS « gage » sa création de
liquidité bancaire par des achats de devises qu’elle réinvestit en obligations
étrangères et en ….actions , subissant ainsi un triple risque dû aux
variations des taux de change, des taux d’intérêt et des marchés
boursiers ( !) source des pertes et profits aléatoires qu’elle
affiche régulièrement… Nous n’ergoterons pas non plus sur le fait que,
poursuivant des objectifs de change (hier explicitement, aujourd’hui implicitement),
elle a totalement perdu le contrôle des agrégats monétaires qui, aujourd’hui,
atteignent des niveaux astronomiques eu égard au montant du PIB nominal. Il suffit de rappeler que, même dans des
situations plus « normales », elle n’a pas non plus le contrôle des
agrégats monétaires car, dans un système de crédit bancaire à réserves
fractionnaires, ce sont les banques qui créent la monnaie en circulation dans
le cadre de leurs opérations de crédit, la Banque Centrale ne pouvant en
dernière instance que ratifier cette dernière en offrant les réserves bancaires
requises. Son seul instrument disponible est précisément de jouer sur le coût
de ces réserves, ce qui est souvent inopérant dans un climat d’euphorie ou du
fait des interactions avec les mouvements de capitaux internationaux.
Par rapport à un
tel « système », dont les dysfonctionnements sont patents en toutes
circonstances, la réforme monétaire
proposée apporte des solutions indiscutables.
· En situation de taux de change
flexible, la politique monétaire est strictement indépendante. La réforme
permet de réguler aussi finement que possible la masse monétaire en
circulation, à la hausse comme à la baisse, à travers une interaction
automatique entre la politique monétaire et les impulsions budgétaires ainsi
que la les interventions usuelles de l’open-market.
· En situation de fixation d’un taux
de change objectif, la situation devient plus complexe puisque l’action sur le
marché des changes peut perturber la
régulation monétaire. Mais, finalement, celle-ci est moins complexe que dans le
système actuel, car il est possible de neutraliser par des instruments adéquats
toute injection de monnaie inopportune.
En quoi, dans le cadre de la réforme monétaire, « la
BNS serait(-elle) davantage l’objet des convoitises politiques » et, plus
largement, de tous les groupes d’intérêt ?
Bien entendu, les
sous-entendus suggérés par le CF au sujet des interférences politiques qui
pourraient influer sur les orientations de la politique monétaire n’ont
aucunement lieu d’être. En effet, les grands principaux guidant celle-ci
seraient inscrits dans la Constitution et
la BNS devrait rendre compte de son action devant le parlement, comme le
fait le Federal Reserve Board chaque année devant le Congrès.
Dans une structure
politique de type suisse, aucun parti ne pourrait pousser la BNS à des
politiques monétaires laxistes pour en tirer un quelconque profit électoral et, en tout cas pas plus
qu’aujourd’hui quand des mouvements critiquent les actions de la Banque
centrale.
Par ailleurs, les
interventions de groupes d’intérêt ont bien plus de raisons d’intervenir dans la situation actuelle pour
peser sur l’orientation des taux d’intérêt ou des taux de change ou influer sur
les décisions en matière de politique prudentielle.
En quoi, la réforme aurait-elle toutes les conséquences
négatives énumérées comme dans un catalogue d’idées reçues toutes aussi
injustifiées et vides de sens économique les unes que les autres ?
Répertorions-les :
1- « La réforme monétaire pourrait réduire considérablement le champ
d’activité des banques, puisque ces dernières n’auraient plus le droit de
financer l’octroi de crédits par des dépôts à vue…. »
Précisons pour le CF les principes de base de
la création monétaire : en « finançant » un crédit par un dépôt
à vue, une banque ne lève pas une ressource sur le marché mais émet une dette
sur elle-même qui va circuler, permettant au bénéficiaire du crédit (et à la
banque elle-même à travers l’intérêt qu’elle prélève) de prélever sur la
production existante sans y avoir contribué, ce que de grands économistes
(Maurice Allais, Prix Nobel 1988) ont comparé à l’activité de faux-monnayeurs.
Ce qui est très différent d’un financement par l’épargne courante dans lequel
il y a transfert (et non création) de pouvoir d’achat.
Dans le cadre de la
réforme, aucun agent privé (les banques) ne peut plus créer de la monnaie
ex-nihilo en générant ainsi un profit pour lui-même du fait d’un privilège octroyé au détriment
de la collectivité. Mais, les banques ne voient pas restreindre leur activité :
· Le niveau des créances inscrites à
leur bilan, et donc leurs revenus, ne varie pas ;
· Simplement, pour les nouvelles
opérations, elles devront, comme elles le font déjà pour une large part de
leurs opérations, faire appel à des ressources d’épargne de tous types (dépôts,
titres de créance négociables) et de toutes échéances pour pouvoir les reprêter
en y prélevant une marge rémunérant leur service d’intermédiation.
Aujourd’hui, les banques sont créatrices de monnaie et
intermédiaires financiers. La réforme a
pour but que la première fonction, la création de monnaie, revienne, avec ses
bénéfices, à la collectivité suisse et que les banques soient ramenées à ce
qu’elles n’auraient jamais dû jamais cesser d’être : des intermédiaires
financiers collectant l’épargne et la
redistribuant.
2- « Les banques seraient par conséquent obligées de recourir à
d’autres sources de financement, éventuellement plus risquées »
Il s’agit ici d’une des assertions les plus
sottes du message fédéral qui peut montrer en fait l’existence de deux
problèmes :
· Soit une incompréhension totale
des mécanismes sur lesquels le CF prétend donner son avis, auquel cas elle
signale une incompétence rare et c’est d’une extrême gravité:
– Comment un débiteur (la banque)
peut-il être en risque sur son créancier (le déposant ou le prêteur en général)
? Selon le sens commun, il s’agit dans
tous les cas du contraire……(!)
– Est-il possible que le CF ne
comprenne pas que la source de financement la plus risquée pour une banque est
celle qui est la plus liquide, donc celle qui peut être retirée à tout moment
par son détenteur (le déposant à vue), et que c’est pour cela que, précisément,
il faut que la puissance publique l’assure( !) ?
· Soit, par l’emploi d’adjectifs
comme « risquées » , le CF cherche-t-il simplement à instiller la
peur du changement chez des parlementaires et des citoyens qui auraient du mal
à saisir les principes de la réforme et les bénéfices que la collectivité
pourrait en tirer, auquel cas c’est l’ensemble du message qui serait vicié par
la volonté de recourir non à des raisonnements rationnels mais à des réactions
émotionnelles.
3- En quoi « la réforme augmenterait (-elle) le coût du trafic des
paiements pour les clients ?
Il s’agit ici d’une
pure pétition de principe sans aucune démonstration. La gestion des moyens de paiements est, dans
toutes les banques, une ligne-métier à part entière avec ses recettes, ses
coûts, sa profitabilité. Par son incidence, la réforme obligerait les banques à
une compétition accrue entre elles dans ce domaine et ouvrirait le marché à de
nouveaux concurrents venus d’autres horizons (Fintechs, grands opérateurs de
l’internet, des télécommunications….), ce qui ne pourrait avoir pour
conséquence qu’une réduction drastique du coût d’utilisation des moyens de
paiement. Encore un argument sans valeur et aisément retournable.
4- En quoi « les banques de petite taille, qui réalisent une grande
partie de leurs revenus grâce aux opérations d’intérêts, seraient
particulièrement touchées par l’augmentation des coûts ?
Cette assertion du
CF peut se juger à deux niveaux, tous deux dommageables pour sa crédibilité.
· Premier niveau : l’incompréhension de ce
qu’est la création monétaire.
Bien entendu, les banques privées (Gestion de
fortune) n’entrent pas dans le champ de la réforme car elles ne gèrent aucun
moyen de paiement et les opérations dites « lombard » continueront
comme auparavant car il s’agit de prêts gagés réalisés sur ressources
d’épargne.
Quant au petites banques commerciales, elles ne gèrent,
chacune, qu’une part très minoritaire des moyens de paiements. Une banque dont les dépôts à vue ne
représentent que x% (disons 2%) des dépôts à vue sait que les crédits non
couverts par des ressources stables qu’elle peut offrir sont limités car pour
tout 100 de dépôts créés ex-nihilo elle
subira 98 de sorties de son circuit qu’elle devra financer en empruntant sur le
marché monétaire alors que les lignes de crédit dont elle dispose auprès des
autres banques sont limitées. Sa création monétaire sera donc limitée aux retombées
de la création monétaire des grandes banques, n’offrant de crédit qu’en liaison
avec le montant de ses réserves à la BNS et, pour son expansion, elle
s’efforcera d’attirer les dépôts stables, c’est-à-dire les dépôts d’épargne.
Dans les deux cas, elle se comporte déjà, approximativement, selon les
principes de la réforme et, qui plus est, celle-ci la confortera en égalisant
les conditions de la concurrence avec les grandes banques.
Encore une fois, le CF manque complètement sa cible.
· Deuxième niveau : Une incompréhension des
bénéfices liés la création monétaire
En avançant l’argument que la réforme monétaire
réduirait les bénéfices des petites banques,
il est possible de supposer que le CF pense qu’il en est de même pour
les plus grandes. Il y a donc bien des
bénéfices liés à la création monétaire. Le problème est qu’il ne s’interroge
pas, par ignorance ou par cynisme, sur la justification de ces bénéfices.
Pourquoi les bénéfices de la création monétaire iraient-ils à des opérateurs
privés alors que « battre monnaie » a toujours été dans l’histoire un
privilège régalien par excellence.
Pourquoi les banques bénéficient-elles de ce privilège ? En n’y répondant pas et en considérant qu’il
s’agit d’un « fait de nature », le CF montre bien qu’il arbitre par
principe en faveur d’intérêts particuliers au détriment de ceux de la
collectivité. Une décision lourde de conséquences.
5- En quoi « si la demande de crédits ne pouvait être satisfaite à
l’aide d’autres sources de financement, la BNS devrait (-elle) consentir des
prêts aux banques » ?
Apparemment, les notions du CF en matière de
macro-économie sont assez nébuleuses, pour ne pas dire inexistantes. Essayons
de remettre de l’ordre dans les idées de ce dernier sur un des points les plus
essentiels de la macro-économie : l’équilibre épargne-investissement.
· Cas d’une économie en situation de
plein emploi : Dans ce cas si la demande
de crédits excédait l’offre d’épargne, cela signifierait que l’économie
serait en déséquilibre (trop d’injection de monnaie ou tendance à la
déthésaurisation) et qu’il ne faudrait surtout pas que la BNS intervienne pour
que la hausse des taux d’intérêt fasse son œuvre.
· Cas d’une économie en situation de
sous-emploi : Dans ce cas, une situation d’ »insuffisance
d’épargne » ne pourrait résulter que d’une propension trop forte à
thésauriser et, donc, la BNS serait bien inspirer de nouveaux moyens de
paiement par toutes les voies possibles, y compris en offrant par adjudication
des ressources aux banques.
Si l’idée du CF est
de suggérer que la réforme pourrait raréfier le crédit aux entreprises, en
particulier aux PME, et aux ménages, elle est particulièrement mal venue :
– Le crédit aux entreprises, a
fortiori aux TPE-PME, représentent une part extrêmement faible des bilans
bancaires
– Pour les ménages, le crédit à la
consommation est quasiment inexistant et
s’il s’agit du crédit hypothécaire, tout financement autre que sur ressources à
long terme ne peut qu’engendrer la spéculation et la hausse des prix ( ce qui
est malheureusement le cas)
Dans le cadre de la réforme, il n’y aucun risque de
raréfaction du crédit au niveau global : tout volume du crédit
compatible avec l’équilibre économique général de plein emploi sera
nécessairement financé.
5b– En quoi, « le volume des crédits serait
(-il) en partie géré de manière centralisée par la BNS » ?
En aucun cas bien sûr. Et cette assertion, qu’elle soit
mal informée ou mal intentionnée, vise
simplement à instiller dans l’esprit du lecteur/citoyen que la réforme
débouchera sur un monstre bureaucratique, sorte de « Gosplan » à la
mode suisse. Rien n’est plus faux.
Si le CF avait des connaissances plus approfondies, il
saurait que, même dans le système actuel, le rôle de la Banque Centrale est
d’essayer de contrôler la masse monétaire en modifiant la distribution de
crédit des banques puisque ce sont eux qui créent la monnaie…..Et, elle le fait
par des interventions sur le marché monétaire par des injections ou des
retraits de liquidités. Apparemment, le
CF n’a jusqu’à présent jamais accusé la BNS de gérer le crédit par voie
bureaucratique.
Dans le cadre de la réforme, si la BNS a à intervenir,
elle le fera pareillement à travers des variations de la liquidité de
l’économie, selon la voie qui lui paraitra la plus adéquate au moment de son action,
mais jamais en interférant avec le processus de distribution du crédit qui
restera dans sa totalité entre les mains des banques. Où se trouve le monstre
bureaucratique si ce n’est dans l’imagination très orientée des membres du
CF ?
******
Pour justifier son refus, le Conseil Fédéral termine son
message par une autojustification des
mesures prises pour renforcer les banques, satisfait de suivre les directives
dictées par d’autres, en l’occurrence les directives dite « Bâle 3 »,
comme ses prédécesseurs le furent pour « Bâle 1 » avec son
célèbre « ratio Cooke » ou avec « Bâle 2 » et son beaucoup
plus éphémère « ratio Mc Donough », avant que de nouvelles crises ne
viennent doucher les espoirs de réforme d’un système monétaire irrémédiablement
vicié. Ce faisant, il en oublie tout
esprit critique et préfère passer sous silence les questions essentielles
que pose le nouveau système réglementaire et prudentiel, par exemple les
questions suivantes :
– Qu’est-ce qui prouve que le niveau
actuel de capital (capital « dur » et « contingent »), pour
banques systémiques et autres, est
suffisant alors que des experts d’une envergure au moins comparable à celles des concepteurs de
« Bâle3 » le contestent sur la base d’arguments extrêmement forts[1] ?
– Compte tenu des phénomènes
d’interconnections et de contagion qui caractérisent le fonctionnement bancaire[2],
qu’est-ce qui prouve que les Etats, et donc les citoyens/contribuables, seront
protégés dans le cas de l’effondrement de banques systémiques, du type Deutsche
Bank ?
– Qu’est-ce qui prouve que le coût
global de fonctionnement n’est pas
insupportablement élevé alors que, pour tenter de contrôler un système
monétaire et bancaire éminemment instable, les mécanismes de régulation,
réglementaires et prudentiels, ont été multipliés avec tous les appareils
bureaucratiques, externes et internes aux banques, requis ?
– Qu’est-ce qui prouve que le
nouveau système, qui lie le montant des créances détenues au bilan, donc les
crédits à l’économie, au niveau du
capital, assurera une alimentation optimale du système économique en monnaie et
en crédit pour la maintenir sur un sentier de croissance équilibré ?
– Qu’est-ce qui prouve que le
fonctionnement du nouveau système ne discriminera pas massivement toutes les entreprises non classifiées dans
les catégories « Investment grade », c’est-à-dire l’écrasante
majorité des entreprises, a fortiori les TPE/PME, dont le financement sera le
plus couteux en termes de capital ?
– Qu’est-ce qui prouve que tous les
dispositifs prudentiels visant certains secteurs, le secteur de
l’investissement résidentiel et non résidentiel en particulier, n’entraineront
pas des effets pervers dans l’allocation du capital du système économique,
altérant son efficacité et donc sa productivité à court/moyen/long terme ?
………
En fait, le réquisitoire qui pourrait être construit
contre le système actuel et toutes les mesures prises pour le sauvegarder
serait autrement plus consistant et argumenté que celui péniblement élaboré par
le Conseil Fédéral
***************
En conclusion, l’analyse du message du Conseil Fédéral
montre qu’il n’y a pas un seul, nous disons bien un seul, argument
avancé par lui pour rejeter la réforme « monnaie pleine », qui puisse
résister à un examen un tant soit peu approfondi. Ils sont tous le fruit de raisonnements
fondés sur l’ignorance des mécanismes économiques et/ou sur la mauvaise foi vis-à-vis d’une réforme
qui dérange parce qu’elle est incomprise et vue comme mettant en cause des
intérêts particuliers bien représentés au Conseil Fédéral. Ce faisant, le CF montre avec clarté qu’il
entend arbitrer ceux-ci contre l’intérêt général. Et, les raisons qu’ils
donnent pour justifier son action en vue d’assurer la stabilité du système
bancaire, outre qu’elles renforcent en creux tous les arguments avancés par les
partisans de la réforme, montrent son souci majeur : Ne pas se différencier
des autres pour s’absoudre de sa responsabilité propre en la dissolvant dans la
responsabilité collective. Qu’importe l’erreur pourvu que l’on puisse la
justifier par un aveuglement collectif, comme ce fut le cas en 2008…. C’est
donc aux citoyens suisses de se montrer à la hauteur de leur responsabilité
historique en ramenant leurs dirigeants sur la voie de l’honneur et de la
recherche du bien commun. Or, la monnaie est le bien commun par excellence et
il est temps que sa maitrise revienne au peuple suisse.
Christian Gomez, Docteur en Sciences économiques, ancien universitaire, ancien banquier (ex-CEO-Suisse d’une grande banque internationale) :
« En matière monétaire et financière, il faut changer de paradigme. Ne plus se contenter de réformes parcellaires, toujours plus coûteuses et toujours aussi inefficaces. Il faut attaquer le noeud central du problème: les mécanismes de création monétaire, ce que fait la réforme de la monnaie pleine. En redonnant à la Suisse sa pleine souveraineté monétaire, elle protège ses citoyens contre les crises financières et économiques et leur redonne tous les bénéfices liés au pouvoir de “battre monnaie”. »
CG/Réponse CF/21-11-16/Draft 1
[1]Anat Admanti, Martin Hellwig : The
Bankers’New clothes, What’s wrong with banking and what to do about it, 2013,
Princeton University Press, 412 pages
[2]Hal S Scott : Connectedness and Contagion,
Protecting the Financial System from Panics,
2016, MIT Press, 440 pages
Les finances du point de vue suisse, la BNS, alias banque nationale suisse, les intérêts négatifs, les monnaies pleines, le fédéralisme et le respect du principe de subsidiarité des 26 états suisses, les facilités monétaires pour les peuples, alias quantitative easings for the people, alias RBI ou Revenus de base grâce aux monnaies pleines
Pour une vision du monde inspirée de la Révélation
Cloisonnés dans leurs discipline et bridés par leurs théories, les hommes de science parviennent souvent mal à entrevoir le sens de leurs recherches. De plus en plus, c’est de sens que le monde a besoin en ce début de millénaire, anxieux qu’il est de savoir où le mènent des découvertes toujours plus perfectionnées et plus dangereuses. Le sens seul permet de s’élever jusqu’à la contemplation d’un ordre intégrant toutes les vérités, lesquelles se tiennent et s’appellent mutuellement.
De même que l’ingénieur connaît le mieux le fonctionnement de l’objet qu’il a conçu, ainsi qui est le plus à même de nous renseigner sur l’Univers, sur son contenu et sur la loi qui le régit, sinon son créateur ? En imposant d’étudier la nature, les sociétés et leur histoire comme si Dieu n’existait pas, un laïcisme mal compris a privé les chercheurs des lumières les plus hautes, donc les plus utiles en définitive. Alors que des hypothèses extravagantes ont droit de cité, on refuse d’office, avant même de les examiner, les précieuses indications laissées par l’Esprit Saint dans le texte le plus vénéré de l’histoire humaine.
Il y a là un préjugé aussi antiscientifique dans son fondement que stérilisant pour la science elle-même et dévalorisant pour la Religion.
Le C.E.P. se propose, tout à l’inverse, de coordonner les différentes sciences, considérées sans œillères idéologiques réductrices, mais de le faire à la lumière des vérités révélées, afin de rétablir ainsi un pont nécessaire entre la Science et la Foi. http://le-cep.org/
15 avr. 2016 – Ils ont acheté des titres de la Banque nationale suisse (BNS) pour agir. … Ce Genevois est un des animateurs du collectif AAA+ (un clin d’œil …
Manifestement, la BNS n’est pas à l’écoute des citoyens actionnaires. Dans cette ambiance, nous pouvons passer beaucoup de temps et d’énergie à faire …
18 avr. 2016 – La BNS n’a donc que faire de la loi sur la transparence qui dit ceci: … La motion 7 du collectif AAA+ rappelle aux dirigeants de la BNS son …
BNS Banque Nationale Suisse- Schweizerische Nationalbank.JPG ….. La collectif AAA+ joue au démineur en posant posant des questions et en utilisant le droit …
29 avr. 2016 – Débat entre Blaise Rossellat, membre du collectif AAA+, et François … de trois réformes de la Banque nationale suisse (BNS) proposées dans …
11 sept. 2016 – Action de AAA+ assemblée des actionnaires actifs positifs –http://www.aaapositifs.ch ( plus de 40 personnes actionnaires) auprès de la banque …
6 oct. 2016 – Pour une nouvelle BNS, devenez membres. AAA+ Association des. Actionnaires Actifs Positifs STATUTS ARTICLE I Nom, durée et siège de l’Association : Sous la
11 sept. 2016 – BNS, AAA+ et monnaies-pleines internationales. Action de AAA+ assemblée des actionnaires actifs positifs – http://www.aaapositifs.ch ( plus de 40 personnes …
Les finances du point de vue suisse, la BNS, alias banque nationale suisse, les intérêts négatifs, les monnaies pleines, le fédéralisme et le respect du principe de subsidiarité des 26 états suisses, les facilités monétaires pour les peuples, alias quantitative easings for the people, alias RBI ou Revenus de base grâce aux monnaies pleines avec M Paul Deheuvels qui reçoit MM Christian Gomez, Nicolas Bourcier de Carbon et François de Siebenthal. https://youtu.be/X8KMR6F5qFA.
Parmi les solutions aux crisesl, il en est une (la quatrième dans ce document établi par le mouvement français pour un revenu de base) dont personne ne parle sur les radios ou à la TV, tellement elle brise un tabou !
Et pourtant, elle est si simple et naturelle quand on connaît le principe de la création monétaire.
Je vous laisse la découvrir (approche D), vous aurez alors compris ce qu’on appelle l’helicopter money, encore le QE4P (quantitative easing for people), noms barbares pour exprimer de qu’il y a de plus simple !
J’adore surtout les premières lignes de l’explication : “Aujourd’hui, la monnaie est créée par les banques, quand elles achètent à leurs clients soit des actifs (biens, titres, dont titres de crédit bancaire, actions, obligations, devises,…), soit des biens consommables ou des services. Par exemple au moment où une banque fait un crédit bancaire à un client (gouvernement, entreprise, ménage ou autre banque), elle ne mobilise pas de la monnaie qu’elle a dans ses caisses, elle crée “de toute pièce” la monnaie qu’elle crédite. Bref, contrairement à ce que tout le monde croit, une banque n’accorde aucun “prêt” (on ne peut prêter que ce que l’on a), elle fabrique “magiquement” de la monnaie !
Cette monnaie est un revenu en soi, comme toute fausse monnaie est un revenu pour le faussaire…”
C’est pas formidable ca ?… De savoir que non seulement la solution existe, mais qu’elle serait salutaire, y compris pour la planète (au lieu de financer des centrales nucléaires qui risquent de nous péter à la gueule, on financerait nous-mêmes des fermes éoliennes et photovoltaïques, par exemple !) ?
Alors pourquoi tout le monde fait semblant de ne pas savoir ???
Gérard Foucher ?? Pourquoi es-tu pratiquement le seul à en parler ??
15 avr. 2016 – Ils ont acheté des titres de la Banque nationale suisse (BNS) pour agir. … Ce Genevois est un des animateurs du collectif AAA+ (un clin d’œil …
Manifestement, la BNS n’est pas à l’écoute des citoyens actionnaires. Dans cette ambiance, nous pouvons passer beaucoup de temps et d’énergie à faire …
18 avr. 2016 – La BNS n’a donc que faire de la loi sur la transparence qui dit ceci: … La motion 7 du collectif AAA+ rappelle aux dirigeants de la BNS son …
BNS Banque Nationale Suisse- Schweizerische Nationalbank.JPG ….. La collectif AAA+ joue au démineur en posant posant des questions et en utilisant le droit …
29 avr. 2016 – Débat entre Blaise Rossellat, membre du collectif AAA+, et François … de trois réformes de la Banque nationale suisse (BNS) proposées dans …
11 sept. 2016 – Action de AAA+ assemblée des actionnaires actifs positifs –http://www.aaapositifs.ch ( plus de 40 personnes actionnaires) auprès de la banque …
6 oct. 2016 – Pour une nouvelle BNS, devenez membres. AAA+ Association des. Actionnaires Actifs Positifs STATUTS ARTICLE I Nom, durée et siège de l’Association : Sous la
11 sept. 2016 – BNS, AAA+ et monnaies-pleines internationales. Action de AAA+ assemblée des actionnaires actifs positifs – http://www.aaapositifs.ch ( plus de 40 personnes …
How to explain with simple games how better is social credit compared to gift, barter and the actual banking systems…
Speaches, lectures and workshops were or are given by all participants, among others by a Cardinal ( 3 times ), many Bishops ( more than 70 from most continents) and Priests ( nearly 200 ), Mlle Thérèse Tardiff, Marcelle Caya, directresses, + Mme Diane Boucher + , Mary Ward for translations, MM Marcel Lefevre, director, Alain Pilote, the main Professor, Yves Jaques, Renault Laillier, Yves Potvin, Benoît Ouellet, Family Carlos Reyes of Ecuador, François de Siebenthal, and all pilgrims are interacting with all participants giving lectures, workshops etc…
Sadly Jeremy Lee passed away on 28 April 2012. He was a great and free thinking man. RIP+
Venue:
We fetch you at the airport. Rougemont is located 50 km east of Montreal, on Highway 112, between Marieville and Saint-Césaire
1101, Principale St. Rougemont, QC Canada – J0L 1M0
The next free training session at the Social Credit and the social doctrine of the Church will take place in Rougemont in Canada in French with instant translation in English, Spanish and Polish, from 27 April to 7 May 2017, followed by our Jericho Rougemont in Canada A week of adoration of 8 to 14 May 2017. ——————————– ————————————————- week of study; translation in French and Spanish, Polish at request. 15 juillet au 21 juillet at Rougemont in Canada 2017 19 juillet : Pilgrimage 22 juillet : Apostolate 23 juillet : 4th Sunday —————————————————————- Session d’étude en francais à Rougemont au Canada 21 septembre au 28 septembre 2017 24 septembre- pèlerinage 29 septembre : apostolat
International Congrès in 4 languages at Rougemont in Canada 30 septembre 1er & 2 octobre 2017
If concepts are not right, the words are wrong, and if the words are wrong, works cannot be achieved.
Confucius This prophetic mail was sent in April 2008, copy for you
More and more robots and computers will produce most of the goods. less and less human will be necessary to produce what is neccesary to live, the problem is how to distribute the money to buy all goods on the market ?
Do not accept a centralized system, go the swiss way. Small is beautiful.
Say no to more taxes.
Robert A. Heinlein described a Social Credit economy in his first novel, For Us, the Living (published in 2003, but apparently written ca. 1939). (Beyond This Horizon describes a similar system, but in less detail.) The society in the book uses a method to prevent inflation: the government makes a deal with business owners. Instead of increasing prices, they cut prices, and the government (or the Bank of the United States) pays them the difference after seeing their sales receipts. Like the guaranteed income or heritage checks, this money comes out of the inkwell. In the future, the government no longer uses taxation to fund itself. The characters point out that present “fractional reserve” law allows banks to create money (by loaning out many times more money than they have on hand), while in Heinlein’s future society only the US government can create US currency. Robert Anton Wilson proposed another form of Social Credit. His plan aimed to end wage slavery, and began by offering a reward to any worker who designed him-or-herself out of a job. The guaranteed income (or, in the Schrödinger’s Cat Trilogy, a lesser reward to all other workers who “lose” their jobs to innovation) would prevent starvation. This income would consist of “trade aids” which would lose numerical value with the passage of time. This official reduction in value would encourage spending and (although Wilson does not state this explicitly) limit price inflation. Elsewhere, Wilson attributed this strategy to Silvio Gesell, who also suggested the government encourage small communities to experiment with alternate economic models. If one of these enclaves seemed especially successful, the country could copy their model in place of Gesell’s own plan.
Howtoapplynow SocialCreditlocally
A simple system to exchange goods and services How you can open an interest-free bank with the use of simple cards
français
In an age where the use of the microchip and the fall of the US $ are becoming real threats, this is certainly a way in which one could exchange goods and services without having to bow down to the use of this microchip and centralism.
A simple bank
I will now just to teach you howto open a local bank using SocialCredit principles. It is very easy to do and everyone can do it.
Already in past history, small, local banks in Switzerland were established by farmers. The banker is a farmer, the bank is in a farm house, the customers are farmers, and the owners of the bank were and are farmers. These little banks, put together in Switzerland, make up the third largest Swiss bank actually in operation with the best ratio and the best management because the costs are very low. These little banks can also be found in Austria and some other countries.
The tragedy of debt money
You know that money is created in the form of debts with interest rates, and you know that the theory of SocialCredit is true, and that interest kills and put all the stress, all the psychological problems, suicides, alcoholism, drugs, children at home without the parents because the father and the mother are both working.
Now, with our system, you can imagine that a system without interest rates will save a lot of money. It will save at least three hours every day for each one of you, it will cut the prices by half, and it will give the houses 77% more space because the interest rates are taking a lot of productivity in the whole world.
Where to start
SocialCredit is the answer to the real needs, the basic needs of these poor countries. After having listened to the people, we tell them that we have something that can help them. It is not a magic wand that will give them paradise on earth, but it is a system that will guarantee each individual an access to the basic necessities of life and allow the poorest countries to make use of their resources to help their own population.
The main thing is to look for the Kingdom of Christ and His justice: “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (Matthew 6:33.) This is really what we are doing here with this local exchange system; we are dealing with justice, the justice of God. Work for justice, and everything else will follow!
A Christian coin
I would like to show the 5-franc coin that is currently in circulation in Switzerland. (See picture above.) On one side, one can see the Swiss cross, which represents the Kingdom of Christ, and on the other side, social justice is represented by William Tell, the Swiss national hero and liberator of the poor and of the oppressed. On the edge, one can read these Latin words: “Dominus providebit — God will provide”, which specifically refers to the verse of the Gospel of Matthew mentioned above.
In all our meetings to organize local interest-free banks, we need to remind people that God does provide, that He is indeed very generous. In the Philippines, for example, they can raise three crops of corn. If you take one seed of corn, this seed will give you three stalks which will give you around 200 seeds. So if one gives you 200, then ten gives you 2,000; one hundred then gives you 20,000. Three crops per year (20,000 X 3) yields 60,000%. And the banker will probably give you 6%. This means that God is indeed generous.
There are fish in the sea you can fish. With the earth, you can till, and the earth is very generous. You know that the earth could feed many times the world’s population. It is not a problem of food but a problem of distribution. Then it is important to remember how the earth is generous and that there is enough room for everybody on this earth.
In Switzerland, as I told you, this system of small banks is working. There is also another system in place: a parallel money called “wir”, the German noun signifying “we” in English. see www.wir.ch This involves a notion of community. This money has bee in existence since the 1933, created during the crisis, and it is working very well. It is parallel money. Few know about this money. Switzerland, the poorest country in the world as far as natural resources are concerned, is one of the richest countries in the world because of its organization of small banks and this kind of parallel money.
Usury is condemned by the Church
You know too that the Church, the Catholic Church, has always condemned the charging of interest on the loan of money, calling it usury. As a matter of fact, the social doctrine of the Church, which supplies principles of justice to be applied in human activities, is probably, amongst all the teachings of the Church, the part that is the least known. And the least known part of this social doctrine, the best kept secret, is certainly the encyclical letter Vix Pervenit, issued in 1745 by Pope Benedict XIV, and addressed to the Bishops of Italy, about contracts, and in which usury, or money-lending at interest, is clearly condemned. In 1836, Pope Gregory XVI extended this encyclical to the whole Church. The text of this encyclical was destroyed in many countries of the world just to hide this most well-kept secret of the social doctrine of the Church. see www.pervenit.com
What you need to start a bank
The principle is the same as in the tale of “The Money Myth Exploded”: an account is created for each member of the community
To establish a local debt-free bank is very easy. You just need small sheets of paper or small booklets, which we will call the accounts, and a general ledger. In fact, we will do exactly like the five people in the tale of Salvation Island (The Money Myth Exploded), who realized they can create their own money. (See n. 17.)
The following system will therefore allow any community or village to make financially possible what is physically possible in that community, that is to say, to create as much money as they need to exchange goods and services. Just like in the tale of “The Money Myth”, you can first use a blackboard and a chalk to explain the system to the people gathered in front of you, who wish to be part of this local bank and exchange system.
Then you distribute to each member of the community a small card, which will be their bank account. (See Figure 1, a blank card.) You can use any bookkeeping card, small enough so it can be put in your pocket, in your purse. This will be the money and, at the same time, the way to create local money without interest. It is very important to state: without interest!
Figure 1 — Blank card
You can write on the card some basic personal information: your name, your address, your card number (which is the same as your bank account number), your birth date and signature. The signature proves that you are the owner of this card; even if you lose it, nobody else can use it, for as you will see later, your signature is required on the cards — yours and that of the person with whom you are exchanging goods or services — every time you make a transaction.
The first thing to do after these cards are distributed is to give numbers to the people. That means that everyone that is in the room should be allocated a number, one after the other. The first row can have the number 1, 2, 3, and so on. Everyone says the next number in sequence and everyone writes his number on his card. One person in charge of the ledger for the community writes all the names in the ledger with the corresponding account number. This will be your bank account number. It is like a football team — you give a number to everyone, and this number matches the name on the card.
Depending of the level of development in the community, you can add your phone number and e-mail address, if applicable. You can also mention your trade (present occupation) and other jobs you could do or services you could offer. This information can be used if one wants to create a catalogue of all the goods and services offered in the community. On the back of the card, there is the address and phone number of the local bank.
Now, in the other columns, you have the date, the reason of the transaction, a column to show the money you spend (money out of your account), the account number and signature of the person with whom you are transacting, and a column for the money coming in to you. You can see that this is very simple.
An illustration
Figure 2 — Tom Smith’s card
Now to understand better how it works, we have an example you can look at. (Figure 2, Tom Smith’s card.) The first amount written down on your card will be an effective implementation of SocialCredit: a social dividend, given periodically (once a month) to every member of the community, representing their common heritage in the wealth of the community (progress, life in society, natural resources). This amount is to be determined by the community, and must cover the basic necessities of life. So, on the first line, you see a date, the reason (a dividend), nothing in the money-out column (you draw a line; it is money that you receive, not money that you spend), the number and signature of the person giving you that money (in this case, the signature of the local bank or its director, and for the sake of the example, the number “0” was allocated to the bank.) And on the last column, money in, $100 is inscribed. The bank has given you a dividend of $100. This transaction has also been inscribed in the ledger of the bank.
Now on the second line, let us suppose that Tom Smith wants to buy from Paul Jones 50 kilos of apples, for a cost of $50. So you have the date of the transaction, the reason (purchase of apples), the amount you spent ($50), the number and signature of Paul Jones who sold you the apples (Paul Jones, for the sake of this example, was allocated account number 2.) Paul Jones signs his name on your card, and you sign your name on his card.
Figure 3 — Paul Jones’ card
Every transaction always involves two cards, therefore two signatures. So, a purchase for you on your card, will be a sale for the other person involved in the transaction on the other card. If you look at Paul Jones’ card (Figure 3), the reason of the transaction will be “sale of 50 kilos of apples”), and the $50 will be written in the column of the money-in, not the money-out. And Tom Smith’s signature will appear at the end of the line.
Now, let us suppose Paul Jones has a chair that needs to be fixed. He knows that Tom Smith is a carpenter. He goes to see him, and Tom Smith agrees to do the job for $10. So you will have on both cards the reason of the transaction (chair fixed), with the amount ($10) written on each card — as money that comes in, on one card, and money that comes out, on the other. And the examples could go on and on.
This system is presented to the people for the first time during the meeting for the foundation of the local bank. The best thing for you now is to train yourself with such a card. When the cards are distributed, you put your name on the card — you do not need to put all the other details. And you make transactions with your neighbours. You buy and you sell. And you will see that you have now in your hand the same money-creation system that the banks have; they do the same in computers and ledger books in accounts in banks, but it is without interest that you do your transactions.
Now train yourself for a while with your neighbours on howto create local money. This period is very important, and you will need to give at least 30 minutes for this training period, until everyone in the room has understood. It is very important! In the Philippines, the young people went to the old people to teach them, some of them not even being able to read or write. But they were able to understand the system because it is only figures. Even if they do not know howto write letters, they know howto write numbers.
You have a contract every time you create money. You have, at the same time, the proof of a contract, a commitment with the signature, and the numberto double check the signature.
You are in control
And you control the system. Money creation is under your control and under that of your local community. You know each other and you can create as much money as it is necessary for your needs. So what is physically possible is now financially possible. Your community will never lack money.
This system you have now used is the same system that the banks use to create money, but you control it! And you control it without interest! It is very cheap. It is efficient. You can create any amount of money according to the available production and services. You can exchange any number or kind of goods and services. And you are in control. You own the money-creation system.
And it is even better than a bank note because you have your name on it. If you lose your card, someone will phone you telling you he found your money. And this person who finds your money can do nothing with your money because your signature is needed. It is really your money.
You cannot dispossess someone who has lost his money. If the money (the card) is destroyed by fire or other means, you can reconstruct a card using information from other cards. All cards are consolidated in the local bank ledger. This means that if your bank card is destroyed, you can reconstruct your bank card with the accounts of the others because the other cards have your card number for every operation they did with you. You can rebuild your accounting books and reclaim your assets; an even better method than the actual system with bank notes. And you have, naturally, no interest. This means every transaction will be cheaper in the community because, today, interest rates kill people.
To own a bank
But to be the owner of a bank, this bank needs to have a management. This banks needs to have auditors. Then we now need to have people who are willing and ready to act as managers, and willing and ready to act as auditors. So now I ask you, who will volunteer to act as managers of the bank and auditors of the bank? I need at least three managers (a director, a secretary, and a treasurer) and two auditors (who verify once in a while the bookkeeping of the bank). Now, those who are willing to be and to act as the management of this local bank owned by the local community, please come in front of the room.”
It is the community that chooses the people who will be on the board of the bank, people they can trust and who have enough skills to do the job.
To be the bank manager of the local bank is very easy: your only task is to be in charge of the bank ledger and the local creation of money.
The prices
t is now important to put in writing equitable prices for basic goods and services of the area. This is to be decided by the general assembly. It is also extremely important to put in writing how the profits will be divided within the community, because this bank can create money as any other bank and will create money to allocate investments for the production of goods. Thus the people, when they have a lot of pluses (money in) on their cards, can invest those pluses in projects, and those projects will give more abundant production. So it must be put in writing how the profits of this abundance will be distributed. This way, the people will be more eager to share.
When there is no usury, the producers are very happy because, in those countries, usury can climb up to 1,000% per year. That makes 20% a week. And because we now have a local banking system without usury, without interest rates, everybody is happy, and everybody can share more. Now all this money will not go to the usurer who was doing nothing except taking 1,000% per year.
It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, and with this system, there is less the notion of money being in your pocket. This way, you love your money less because it is really just a means tofacilitate exchanges. You can exchange any goods, any services. You cannot as easily love a paper which is really just your handwriting and the signatures of the others. It is not as easy to love this piece of paper as bullion of gold or coins or bank notes. It is really a way to avoid this love of money which is the root of all evils.
A ruler to create money
This card, this system also gives you the ruler to create money. Just as you have a ruler to measure meters or feet, you have a ruler now to create the money necessary for local community life. With this system, you can allocate money for the basic needs of the poorest. The dividend has to be accepted by the general assembly. Normally we recommend giving a dividend at least equal to the amount necessary to cover the basic needs for the life of the poorest, the sick, the old people present.
Spread the news
We are looking for people to go all over the world to spread this good news. This good news makes the poorer richer. This also makes local development possible. This too allows the poor to have as much money as they need for the physical needs of the local community. It is really a tool for liberation.
And His Justice needs the spirit of all 5 Jubilees, all 7 days, 7 months, 7 weeks, 7 years and all 7×7 years, …
Subprime crisis, a systemic crisis : how to reform the whole system before a massive failure of most currencies?
Is really more centralization and more power to less people earning more millions $ at the expanse of more and more poors the solution ?
What are the roots of the problems ?
Do you find good that a few individuals can earn salaries above US $ one billion per year…( sic, with all bonuses, incentives, stock options…), one hundred million, 20 millions and so on, when others are dying of hunger ?
While large financial assets are growing exponentially and in a continuous manner, debts will increase even much more. It is the responsibility of the working population to generate interest and accumulated interest. This creation takes place directly in purchases – Helmut Creutz, estimates that 40% of the price of consumer goods, at least, are now hidden interests – and in the form of taxes.
The real cost of the interest on public utilities is above 1’000 % ( sic, one thousand per cent)
Even central and local government must provide debt service continuously paying interest and accumulated interest. This development requires an exponential growth of the economy and constantly leads to new crises.
One author, Hermann Kendel from Berlin, describes in detail the propensity to the crisis and the various attempts to moderate. In doing so, he mentioned other consequences of the system of accumulated interest, including the ongoing crisis in the Third World and ecological disaster.
We must work several hours every day to cope with those hidden costs, we have houses 77 % more expansive or smaller, food is twice the price, everything costs too much. 99,9999999 % of the population has to pay those crazy bonuses in New-York to the happy few shylocks…
The US $ has now a value of only 1 swiss franc, from four francs ( 4,47) in 1948, and it will continue to go down. Small is beautiful and Switzerland is very decentralized, we have even the wir system, a private money system. see www.wir.ch
What are they offering ? what “solutions” in one year time ?
Remember, the FED is a private organization, created just before Christmas 1913, the 23th December ( most politicians were already gone to buy presents for their families…), to pass discretly a law to rackett the poorer, at a very high cost, human lifes, wars, revolutions, terrorism.
They create the roots of most troubles.
All the economy is based on loans with interests. Created by a few happy at the cost of more and more poors who are dying.
What are the costs of such a system ? Alcool, drug, psy, depressions, cancers, divorces, abortions, wars, crisis, unemployment…
The main points of the Bush administration’s plan to change financial regulation is more centralization and higher costs to the poorer: — Expand the role of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets to include the entire financial sector and not just financial markets. BIG BROTHER WILL WATCH YOU… — Create a new federal commission at very high costs, the Mortgage Origination Commission, to develop uniform, minimum licensing standards for mortgage market participants. — Move the Office of Thrift Supervision, which regulates thrift institutions to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates banks. — Merge the functions of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission into the Securities and Exchange Commission to create one new agency to provide unified oversight of the futures and securities industries at very high centralized costs. — Establish an Office of National Insurance within the Treasury Department to regulate those in the insurance industry who want to operate under an new optional federal charter, to make more paperwork. — Divide and conquer centrally. Work to establish as a long-term goal three major regulators: the Federal Reserve as a “market stability regulator”; a “prudential financial regulator” to take over the functions of five separate banking regulators; and a “business conduct regulator” to regulate business conduct and consumer protection.
Solutions:
We need urgently to put a real and true sytem close to the people. We need to recover our responsabilities. The only way is local systems, easy to understand and to control. Act now, join and improve all local initiatives, be the salt of the earth.
We need urgently the revival of the encyclical Vix pervenit to fight against all forms of usury and put Christ in the center of the economy. France has offered a Statue of the Liberty. We launch a general auction to offer a statue of the Responsability to USA, to be built at ground zero for instance.
Kennedy was killed by crooks because he was trying to implement globally this new economy with his order 11110.
23 And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and settlers with Me.
1 Timothy 6:10
King James Bible
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Estimated Income: $1.5 billion – $2 billion John Arnold City: Houston Firm: Centaurus Energy Age: 33 In a clash of the titans that is likely to be remembered for years to come,John Arnold took on Amaranth’s Brian Hunter last year in a battle over the direction of natural-gas prices. Hunter, the bull, got the horns when prices — along with his ability to trade out of the supremely dark corner into which he had painted himself — weakened in the summer. Arnold, formerly of Enron, squeezed his foe like a laundress wringing out a wet tube sock. In the end,Arnold and his team of 10 traders — including right- hand man Michael Maggi and natural-gas guru Bill Perkins — walked away from the dustpile with a mountain of cash. Amaranth was wiped off the map. Arnold claimed the bulk of the profits. He guided Centaurus to gaudy returns (on an estimated $2billion in assets) of 317 percent before fees. Apart from one “lousy”year (only 178 per- cent in 2005), the fund has always finished above 200 per- centsince inception in 2002. Centaurus’s fee structure is 3-and-30. About half the fund is Arnold’s own money. He is the sole owner of the firm. And — good gosh almighty, what a year — he even got hitched to a beautiful Houston lawyer. “Last year, it all came down to natural gas,” says one trader familiar with Arnold’s bonanza. “Some people had one idea about what it would do; others backed a different scenario. The bottom line is that a whole lot of money changed hands. When you start hearing from other traders that people are selling bonds just to meet margin, that’s when you know that some positions are too big and it’s all over.” Arnold declined to comment on our income estimates, as did Centaurus’s Perkins, though Perkins shared his views on why a trading bounty is such a beautiful thing. “You ask a big CEO what he makes, and it’s a huge number, but it’s all tied up in stock and options. Traders get paid in cash. It’s liquid. It’s real. You can go, ‘Here, look,’ and slap someone across the face with it.” Given Arnold’s record 2006 — the largest sum, we believe, anyone has ever earned in one year — a slap like that just might land someone in intensive care.
James Simons City: East Setauket, New York Firm: Renaissance Technologies Corp. Age: 68 Simons is out of control. In 2006, the Long Islander’s $5.7 billion Medallion fund — perhaps the most successful black-box strategy in history and certainly, at 5-and-44, among the priciest — returned a heady 40 percent. Meanwhile, his Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund, already among the largest in the world since launching in August 2005, produced a 15 percent return. He and his 200 or so employees — many of them Ph.D’s who in another era would have worked for NASA — are rocketing to the industry stratosphere. Simons, himself an MIT grad who began his career as a mathematician and Defense Department codebreaker during the Vietnam War, is now using his fortune to support autism research and to stand up for inner-city math teachers. When we did the math on Simons’s earnings, meanwhile, we nearly fell over.
Estimated Income: $1 billion–$1.5 billion Eddie Lampert City: Greenwich, Connecticut Firm: ESL Investments Age: 44 Lampert has put himself firmly in the pantheon of great buyout-fund managers thanks to his proclivity for making correct bets on unloved companies. His bargain-bin pickup of Kmart a few years ago, followed by a smart Sears parlay, continued to play out (on paper, at least) in 2006. Lampert appears to be turning Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) into a Berkshire Hathaway clone, and the market is loving it, pushing the stock up more than 40 percent last year. Lampert’s portfolio is brimming with SHLD, generating more than $2 billion in paper gains. We’ve struggled with the question of whether Lampert is actually a trader; his lines of enterprise — retail, real estate, private equity, long-term investment — are blurry. But what’s clear is that this former Goldman Sachs intern is making money hand over fist.
T. Boone Pickens City: Dallas Firm: BP Capital Age: 78 The world’s biggest oil bull may have gotten gored in late 2006 and early 2007 as crude prices slipped, but that slide didn’t last long. Besides, his prudent bearish play on natural gas in the fall of ’06 was more than enough to fuel his energy-futures and derivatives fund to a startling 98 percent return. “Most of our money came from shorting natural-gas futures,” says Dick Grant, BP’s CFO. The firm’s total assets, across two main funds, are around $3.6 billion, 45 percent of it Pickens’s own money. Grant wouldn’t confirm Pickens’s take, but if our estimate isn’t pretty close, we’ll build Oklahoma State a new football stadium.
Estimated Income: $1 billion+ Stevie Cohen City: Stamford, Connecticut Firm: SAC Capital Advisors Age: 50 Despite some fairly sinister media coverage of allegations stemming from a lawsuit brought by Biovail, Cohen remains one of the most powerful forces in equity trading and is still the man every sell-side sales guy on the planet wants to serve; his Death Star of a hedge-fund operation flirted with $11 billion in assets at the end of last year. We first heard that Cohen banked around $800 million in 2006 — a plenty good year as is. But as we dug for further information, we discovered that his fee-revenue pool, based on calculations and some reasonable assumptions, easily surpassed $2 billion and might even have edged up near $3 billion, with all his big funds up more than 30 percent. Of course, we don’t know for certain that his monster kitty came in at more than $2 billion. And we can’t automatically assume that he took half for himself. But it’s a good hunch.
Estimated Income: $800–$900 million Stephen Feinberg City: New York Firm: Cerberus Capital Management Age: 47 Feinbergs’s Cerberus assets under management, a mix of hedge and buyout funds, exceed a staggering $22 billion. Without splitting hairs, we’ll simply say Feinberg more than holds his own among trading icons. Besides, who doesn’t straddle the line between private equity and trading these days? The Cerberus International fund, with around $5 billion, scorched in 2006, returning around 21 percent. Feinberg’s victory over KKR in the GMAC deal was the stuff of financing legend, while his BAWAG bailout was another cool-handed move by this Drexel alum.
Estimated Income: $700–$800 million Paul Tudor Jones City: Greenwich, Connecticut Firm: Tudor Investment Corp. Age: 53 From his humble beginnings as a cotton-futures trader, Jones has grown his hedge-fund empire to more than $15 billion. Meanwhile, his annual Robin Hood Foundation charity event (which last year raised $48 million in a single night) has become so large it’s now held at the Javits Center. Jones still personally manages his global fund, which has around $5 billion. That fund (with an off-the-top fee of 4 percent of assets and a 23 percent cut of profits) had a rather pedestrian 11 percent return last year. But take into account that as majority owner of the firm he gets a healthy portion of the revenues from the other funds and that he has a substantial amount of his own money invested, then factor in a prop-trading vehicle that reportedly generates hundreds of millions more, and . . . well, vertigo ensues.
Bruce Kovner City: New York Firm: Caxton Associates Age: 62 A Macro trader’s macro trader, Kovner returned to form in 2006 following three consecutive years of single-digit returns. The Caxton Global Investments fund, with more than $7 billion, returned around 12 percent. This well-known music lover (and neoconservative), who last year gave the Juilliard School his vast collection of original sheet music from the likes of Beethoven and Mozart, conducts a multi-strategy symphony of portfolio stewardship incorporating stocks, currencies and commodities.
Estimated Income: $600–$700 million Israel Englander City: New York Firm: Millennium Management Age: 58 The man known as “Izzy” has a hand in the positions taken on at Millennium, which has $9 billion in assets. The Millennium Capital fund brought home a 17 percent gain in 2006, besting most of its peers. Commanding a 20 percent cut of profits, the Brooklyn-reared Englander — who dropped out of the MBA program at New York University, got his start on the floor of the American Stock Exchange, became tangled up in the Ivan Boesky scandal and started Millennium in 1989 with $35 million — truly cleaned up last year. His performance, in other words, made a rounding error of his roughly $30 million payment tied to the December 2005 settlement of mutual-fund market-timing charges brought against him by the SEC.
David Shaw City: New York Firm: D.E. Shaw & Co. Age: 55 Lording over one of the biggest quantitative hedge funds ever created, Shaw is a trading legend who casts an equally substantial shadow in private equity. A former computer-science professor at Columbia, Shaw relies upon computer-generated investment strategies aiming to capitalize on market anomalies. These methods remain a mystery, but with $29 billion under management, a 3-and-30 fee structure and impressive returns, Shaw’s earning power, it’s safe to say, is seldom rivaled.
* http://www.reinventingmoney.com * Margrit Kennedy: Why Do We Need Monetary Innovation? (pdf, 20 Seiten) * Helmut Creutz: The Money Syndrome * 2000: Werner Onken: A Market Economy without Capitalism * 2000: Eiichi Morino: A Story of Robinson Crusoe (by Silvio Gesell) as a Manga * 1998: Jürgen Probst: Aberrations of an interest-based economy * 1995: Erhard Glötzl: The How and Why of a New Monetary System * 1995: Margrit Kennedy: Interest and Inflation Free Money * 1990: Dieter Suhr: The Neutral Money Network * 1941: Vincent C. Vickers: Economic Tribulation * 1934: Michael Unterguggenberger: The End Results of The Woergl Experiment * 1933: Irving Fisher: Stamp Scrip * 1920 (?): Silvio Gesell: Natural Economic Order (Link http://www.systemfehler.de/en/ )
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The Debt Brake
Chancellor Angela Merkel confronts growing criticism for her one-sided emphasis on cutting expenditures of the state as a recipe for the troubled situation in Greece and other Southern countries of the Euro-zone. The most successful blogger in France on contemporary economic processes, Paul Jorion, called her fiscal pact, vulgo “debt brake” a “blague de potache” or “schoolboy prank” (and here again in German) and the Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz calls it suicidal for Europe.
Every now and then Mrs Merkel refers to the example of a Swabian housewife who reliably and responsibly keeps her house in order. A clue for the rationale behind might be found in the “Song of the Bell” by the poet Friedrich Schiller (being born in Swabia himself) more than 200 years ago:
… And inside rules The prudent housewife, The mother of children, And wisely reigns In the domestic circle, And teaches the girls, And guides the boys, And stirs without end The industrious hands, And multiplies the gains With orderly mind…
By the way, Mrs Merkel here also follows her mentor, the former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who expressed his basic understanding of economics with words like: “What is right for an individual household, can not be wrong for the state’s budget.” Of course, he is right, this is pretty well applicable to the state’s administration and to any individual business, but it cannot serve as a guideline when facing the complex interplay in a national economy with millions of individual enterprises and households. This requires a more profound knowledge of how to harmonize the millionfold different wishes and aspirations on a basis of fairness and justice. But as a business economist doesn’t see the forest because of the many trees, the national economist sees the forest but cannot distinguish individual trees. They are living on different planets.
Dirk Müller, an investment consultant and stock broker, managed to break a taboo in the public discussion in Germany by introducing the problem of compound interest in mainstream media. He gives a neat explanation why the restricted view of a Swabian housewife, i.e. the managerial-economics of entrepreneurs, of the state or any other individual participant in the economy, cannot account for macroeconomic interrelations. He points at the total indebtedness and its root cause in national economies. Business Management vs. Macroeconomy
The trouble is, that debtors, who manage to repay their loans, repay it to the bank where they got it from. The banks in turn credit the repayment plus interest to the accounts of the owners. Multi-millionaires and billionaires, even if they wanted to use their money for consumption, would simply be unable to spend it all. Thus, the monetary assets remain in the system and the banks have to find new debtors who are creditworthy enough to earn the interest, which the banks owe to the owners of monetary assets. In the long run, this becomes more and more difficult as monetary assets and the respective debts grow. Therefore, the banks increasingly turned to speculation in order to gain the necessary means for servicing the monetary assets. For that purpose they have also invented obscure new financial instruments. To put it short: the total indebtedness remains in the system and increases, regardless of individual debtors repaying their debt. Banks which suffered from losses in speculation, called for bailouts only in order to maintain liability towards their obligees.
The following graph is taken from The Money Syndrome. The figures here are a bit more accurate than the ones Dirk gave in his talk. The orange column represents the average annual income of an employee or household, while the greenish column represents the per capita share of the total indebtedness.
In the fifties an average citizen had to pay 6% for interest in prices and taxes and for private loans. This share of his income went on top of the monetary assets of some creditors. And at the same time it increased the total of indebtedness, because the banks which collected these interest payments had to find new creditworthy debtors. In the mid-seventies the debt share had already doubled and so did the interest burden which then amounted to 13% of an average household income. In 2000 the interest share doubled again to 28% and today the share amounts to over 40%. Note, that all interest payments only increase the indebtedness which again leads to an increase of interest demands. This happens with accelerated speed. It’s a vicious circle, which finally and inexorably leads to a collapse of the whole system. Ask the economic experts what this system is good for! And the Swabian housewife may “wisely reign in the domestic circle” but she doesn’t know what’s going on outside and how her inside reign is getting affected despite her diligent care. Every Homogeneous Region Needs a Suitable Currency
In the following video Dirk Müller points at another important factor, which the Euro doesn’t account for and more or less cripples the members of the Euro-zone because of a basic flaw in the Euro system.
It is a fact, that nations dispose of different economic capacities. The reasons for that are manifold. It depends on disposable resources, developed infrastructure, communication and traffic facilities, efficient administration, skilled craftsmen, social structure, education, culture a.s.o. Such differences cannot only be observed between nations, but also in various regions within a nation. Germany for instance is a federation of 16 states. Dirk Müller’s example referred to the difference between the poor Saarland and the rich Baden-Württemberg. In larger states like Bavaria such a difference can also be observed between the poorer North and the richer South of Bavaria. The established practice to deal with these differences is a transfer of payment from the richer states to the poorer ones. This is feasible because these more or less autonomous 16 states are politically united and the differences are bearable. And yet, these transfers are a constant source of conflicts between states, which have to be negotiated once and again to find a compromise. Just recently the chief minister of Bavaria moaned about “too high” transfer payments to other states. The effect of these transfers is quite similar to the effect of development aid to Third World countries, where these financial infusions create a dependency on the helper and often keep them in a persistent state of vegetating and doesn’t allow them to achieve real autonomy. Besides, the existing money system has a strong tendency to concentrate in hotspots and the subsidies soon flow off again to those concentration spots – via industrial conglomerates, large international corporations, international trade chains a.s.o. Countries, which have to deal with this predicament again and again, are often referred to as a bottomless pit. Particularly rural areas everywhere in the world are suffering from money drainage, which commonly is blamed upon “globalisation”. But that’s a misunderstanding. The world’s money system is outdated. It was devised at a time when our ancestors wanted to explore and conquer a world, the size and extension of which they had no idea. The age-old core of the money system remained unchanged, although we know the limits of our world today. We have to acknowledge these limits in order to get beyond them and find a sustainable way of life. This is impossible with an obsolete money system and a stubborn belief that this system could go on for ever.
Marek Belka, the Governor of the Polish Central Bank just recently came up with a proposal for Greece’s dilemma (Financial Times Germany). Greece’s problem with the Euro is: it cannot be adjusted to its economic capacity, i.e. devaluated. He therefore suggests a dual currency system for Greece: the savings of citizens would be deposited in banks with the stable Euro, while the internal currency, issued by the state, would be used in the real economy. Wages and salaries would then be paid with a heavily devaluated special “Euro”(?). The proposal of Chief Macroeconomist Thomas Mayer of the Deutsche Bank (in English). goes in a similar direction: a heavily devaluated parallel currency (“Geuro”) as a temporary measure. These two proposals and some others imply, that, after a transitory period, Greece could go back to “normal”, resume the Euro and the compound interest system… and everything would be fine then? A Europe of Autonomous Currency Regions…
Greece may be blamed for a chaotic administration of its economy, but it is not responsible for the weak design of the Euro system, which can not integrate heterogeneous economies unless they converge in a set of economic parameters. It is designed for a homogenous economy and may well serve for a country like Germany, but it cannot account for the special features of a multitude of European economies. Even the Deutschmark could not account for the different conditions in all regions and required transfer payments from the stronger parts to the weaker ones. Germany’s “transfer union” is a patchwork solution and cannot serve as a model on a European level, because the differences between nations are much greater.
Christian Gelleri and Thomas Mayer are the initiators of the “Chiemgauer” (please note: the Chief Macroeconomist of the Deutsche Bank and the “Chiemgauer” initiator Thomas Mayer incidentally share the same name but not the same identity), a regional currency in Southern Bavaria. It was founded in 2003 and so far it’s the most successful Regio project in Germany, which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2013. The initiators submitted a proposal that could not only Greece’s economy get back to work, but could be a first step to overcome the outdated money system and open the perspective of an economic order that meets the needs of today and a long future. They have elaborated their proposal in a working paper which can be downloaded as a PDF-file in English, German, French, Portuguese and last not least in Greek from Eurorettung.org (translations in more languages are planned). The original idea of the Regio was to strengthen the regional economy and to protect it against the drainage of Euros. The Chiemgauer is therefore endowed with a circulation incentive as most other Regio initiatives in Germany which keeps it running and sustains the robustness of the regional economy. The Regios are devised as complementary currencies which do not aim at replacing the Euro, but as an additional instrument which allows more autonomy to homogeneous regions. These homogeneous regions may be of different size, roughly speaking within a range of 3 to 15 million or so households. As a complementary currency Regios could everywhere in Europe (or the world) enhance the autonomy and robustness of the respective region. And a Europe of economically robust regions would result in a robust European economy. … and the Euro as a Supraregional Currency
By no means should the Euro be abandoned! No one in the Euro-zone wants to get rid of the advantages it offers, the Greeks don’t want it and no one else. Currently, the Euro has dramatically lost attractivity and at present no one would like to join the Euro-zone. The Euro system might regain attractivity, if it opened perspectives for overcoming an outdated currency design. Provided the Regio idea spreads all over Europe, the Euro might become the roof over all these currency regions. The Euro would then become a stable supranational or rather supraregional currency unit defined as a standard of reference.
John Maynard Keynes submitted such a proposal for an international clearing union at the legendary international conference in Bretton Woods 1944. It was turned down, though, by the US-American White plan, which favoured the US Dollar as an international key or reference currency. But a national currency is not a good idea for a reference currency. In a way it was advantageous for the USA, if a huge foreign trade deficit can be called an advantage.
Keynes devised the “Bancor” as a supranational currency and one of its major tasks should have been to watch the trade balance between nations and, if necessary, to impose pressure on those whose foreign trade accounts are seriously imbalanced or for too long a time. The advantage of a supraregional currency unit is, that imbalances don’t have to be cleared (although it is possible) on a bilateral basis between peer regions but only between each member with the clearing union. Some of the tasks Keynes had described for the international clearing union, have been realised by the IMF.
If the Euro assumed the role of a reference currency, then each member region would have a suitable exchange rate to the Euro. In the case of changing economic conditions, the exchange rate of the Regio could easily be adjusted accordingly, while the Euro remained stable. This would give the regions a cushion, a certain flexibility and they wouldn’t be compelled to comply with an externally predetermined economic standard of performance. Enterprises which export their products to other regions and travelers through Europe could use the Euro as a means of payment as they do today without having to worry about regional exchange rates. Mainstream Economics – an Outdated System
Economics is not a natural science, but is usually understood as a part of social sciences. Although social sciences focus on different phenomena or take a different point of view, they also have to account for relevant natural laws and cannot simply ignore them. An apt metaphor for the complex economic processes in a live community might be the metabolism of living beings. Metabolism describes the biochemical changes of matter for building the body’s own components, for gaining thermal and kinetic energy, for abandoning faecal matter and by coordinating these cyclic processes through information feedback via the nervous system. Economy might be seen as an extension of individual metabolism to regional, national or even global size, the possible performance of which surpasses the capacity of an individual.
Alas, today’s economic science cannot provide a basis for the organisation of a sound economy. A conspicuous example for the incompetence of economics is the LTCM (Long-Term Capital Management), founded in 1994. The hedge fund worked with theories that were elaborated by two professors, Robert C. Merton and Myron Scholes, who received the Nobel Prize 1997 “… for a new method to determine the value of derivatives.” In its heydays the hedge fund commanded more than 100 billion USD in assets and showed a return on investments of over 40%(!) per annum. Then the Russian Financial Crisis occurred, and Russian Government Bonds, which the LTCM held as security, lost their value. At the end of 1998, the Fed organised a bailout with a number of business partners of LTCM in order to avoid a wider collapse of financial institutions in the US and beyond. Some time later the French Nobel laureate Maurice Allais was asked, what was going wrong, where had Merton and Scholes made a mistake in their calculations? And Allais answered: “The mathematic equations were perfect, there was no mistake. Reality was wrong!” Note the irony in the statement: reality should submit to economists’ fancies?
Many years ago, Congressman Ron Paul once asked Alan Greenspan, then Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, “What is money?” Greenspan quite frankly admitted, “I don’t know. But we are working on it.” Money, which we are using today, is primarily issued on the security of the state’s treasury bonds, i.e. on the promise to repay it some time in the future. But that day may never come, as John Kenneth Galbraith pointed out:
“In numerous years following the war, the Federal Government ran a heavy surplus. It could not, however, pay off its debt, retire its securities, because to do so meant there would be no bonds to back the national bank notes. To pay off the debt was to destroy the money supply.”
What information does a money carry, that is issued on a vage promise which will never be delivered? It invites all sorts of speculations about its value and this is happening as long as idle money is roaming around on the globe with the effect, that Keynes so aptly described:
“Speculators may do no harm as bubbles on a steady stream of enterprise. But the position is serious when enterprise becomes the bubble on a whirlpool of speculation.”
The information of money at the moment of issuance is in direct contradistinction to the money that is circulating in the realm of real economy. Someone who accepts money for a work done is then entitled to claim equivalent goods or services that are offered in the market. This is the comprehensible information of money circulating in the real economy and it is maintained at every change of hands. However, the circulating money, too, does not account for the loss in the market, as long as it is held idle. This is where thermodynamics comes into play to compensate for this loss and keep the economy running.
Thermodynamics is a special branch of physics. Historically, it emerged in the beginning of the 19th century as a new approach to deal with energy conditions, transformation from one kind of energy to another or changes of energy states. At the beginning of the 20th century it gained increased relevance in fundamental scientific research, quantum physics, chemistry and biology. Entropy is also applied in information theory and social sciences.
Silvio Gesell, Rudolf Steiner and J.M. Keynes probably had not studied thermodynamics, but they must have had an intuitive insight when talking about “rusting money” (Gesell), “ageing money” (Steiner) or “demurrage fee on liquidity” (Keynes). The circulation incentive in today’s regional currencies accounts for a natural law described in thermodynamics and could therefore become a feasible and smooth transition from an outdated money system to one that can really meet the global challenge. A more detailed explanation of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and its application in economics would go beyond the scope of this article. But it will come in one of the next articles. A New Europe?
There is a tale in Greek mythology about the daughter of a Phoenician king who was seduced by Zeus in the disguise of a bull. Her name was Europa. A whole continent inherited this name. Yet this is just a symbol for the rich heritage of arts, science, philosophy, drama, which shaped the culture of this continent from its cradle onwards. More than 2500 years ago the Greeks invented the phonetic alphabet, from which the Latin and Cyrillic letters were derived. At around that time a cultural revolution happened, which is associated with the names of outstanding personalities still well known: Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes for mathematics and natural science, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle for philosophy, in order to mention just a few examples. The Greek dramas dealt with themes of universal relevance and are still an inspiration in our time. The theme of Sophokles’ “Antigone”, for instance, is the conflict between the law of a ruler and individual human dignity and conscience. Another of his dramas is the famous “Oedipus”, which deals with the seemingly inescapable consequences of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The modern French multi-talent Jean Cocteau elaborated this theme in his adaptation of the Oedipus saga and gave it the title “La machine infernale” (The Infernal Machine). And last but not least, the ideas for the shaping of a peaceful human society – democracy – originated in ancient Greece. The contribution of Greece’s most excellent minds to the making of this continent and their influence far beyond cannot be over-estimated. And there can be no doubt that Greece is an indispensable part of Europe.
Today, Greece is in serious troubles. Moneywise. It’s staggering along the brim of insolvency and needs urgent help. The rest of the euro-zone is alarmed, because it sees the euro-currency at stake. This goes even so far, that Ben Bernanke, President of the Federal Reserve Board, paints a gloomy picture: if Greece’s problem is not solved, this might have devastating effects on the world’s economy as a whole. The flap of a butterfly that triggers a storm. Greece’s administration may be somewhat inefficient and maybe even corrupt to some extent, but this is a minor part of the problem. The concern of the affected neighbours in the euro-zone is the stability of the euro. Their dilemma is quite aptly described in the satirical YouTube-video:
Clarke and Dawe – European Debt Crisis
Although this is quite a funny dialogue, one’s laughter might get stuck in the throat by the end. The crucial question in this video was: how do broke economies get the money for the bailout of other broke economies? And there was no answer to this question. Are all European states broke? How about Germany, which has taken the lead in negotiating the Greek problem within the triad involved: the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund and European Commission? After all, Germany is still enjoying an AAA from rating agencies. Can this be called a broke economy? Well, we have to differentiate between the real economy and the state represented by its administration. The rating agencies evaluate only financial instruments like treasury bonds issued by the state. In the case of these treasury bonds (a rather euphemistic term, more appropriate would be: debenture bond) the condition of the real economy plays a role in rating, too. At the moment Germany’s economy booms, the state will collect high tax revenues and is therefore deemed capable of servicing its debts. That seemingly justifies a triple A rating.
The thing looks different if we consider the stock of debts. Within 60 years the German state has been piling up debts amounting to 2 trillion or 2,000 billion euros. The servicing of these debts, i.e. interest payments, swallows about one fourth of the annual federal tax revenues. It’s the second largest item in the budget, tendency rising. A few months ago – the state’s debts amounted to 1.8 trillion euros – I have then tried to find out how long it would take and how much it would have to pay, in case Germany would seriously consider to get rid of its debts. I applied the annuity calculation at a fixed repayment rate. The monthly amount for servicing the debts is 4.5 billion euros at an assumed interest rate of 3% (actually it is 3.4%). Since this amount only services the debts, the monthly rate must be higher if the debt is to be reduced, let’s say, 4.6 billion euros. It would then take 125 years to clear the debts and the repaid amount would be about 3.5 times as large as the actual debt sum. Until today the tax-payer was not charged with the servicing costs, because the state made its payments by taking on new debts. That’s how the indebtedness has accrued during the past 6 decades. But this time the tax-payer would have to be directly charged with additional 4.6 bn. per month apart from the normal tax load. Alas, in the meantime the monthly rate for merely servicing the debts has gone up to 5.7 bn. And the state is taking on new loans in order to hide the fact, that it is bankrupt since decades and to make the tax-payer feel as if everything was fine.
Over-indebtedness is a worldwide phenomenon, virtually all states are suffering from this predicament. And even though governments know that this problem has to be solved, no one has a solid plan for getting rid of debts much less is anything effectively done about it. A similar predicament arises from the same structural mismanagement in nuclear power plants. Since 30 years they are producing thousands of tons of radioactive waste without having solid plans for its treatment. And while a sensible solution for the problem is postponed and postponed and postponed the piles of radioactive waste are growing bigger and bigger and increase the danger of accidental or deliberate (e.g. by terrorists) pollution. The same structural pattern of behaviour applies to the financial sector of national economies.
The mechanism for the accelerated growth of indebtedness and corresponding monetary assets – a veritable infernal machine – is described in full detail in “The Money Syndrome” by Helmut Creutz.
Now, Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s Minister of Finance, tries to involve private creditors for tinkering an emergency parachute (“Rettungsschirm”*) for Greece. At first glance it seems a sound idea to have creditors waive a part of their claims. After all, some of these creditors have made good profits at the cost of the Greek state. The trouble is, they can’t be made to do so, because there is no law to compel them. They can only be asked to give some of their profits back on a voluntary basis. So, who should ask the creditors and who of the creditors should be asked? Private banks may be among the profiteers, but their main task is to administer the funds of their clients and to play a role as mediators between creditors and debtors. They are obliged to their clients, in particular to the creditors. But they know who the big winners are and they could ask them. Would they? I don’t know, but let’s have a look where the big winners could be found.
Firstly, in contrast to a widespread misconception, we must understand that as consumers we all pay interest even though we have not taken a loan at all. Loans are an important tool for investment and for overcoming temporary liquidity shortages in the economy. The state is not the only debtor in the economy but the largest debtor and the only one who pays interest by taking on new debts and never repays its debt. Private entrepreneurs repay their debts and calculate all arising expenses into the price for their produce including accruing interest. Therefore all consumer prices contain an interest share that may vary within a broad range between 10 to 70 per cent depending on the amount of capital employed for production. On average today’s consumer prices include an interest share of at least 40 per cent.
The following graph is taken from the book “The Money Syndrome“. It shows the market participants divided into 10 groups according to their disposable income and the amount they are using for consumption per year (the green columns). The orange columns indicate the interest payments hidden in consumer prices and the blue columns show average interest returns that the members of the respective groups receive from owning an interest bearing asset.
The following graph is an extraction of the above figure and shows the balance of interest payments and interest yields. The balance of group 9 is almost even. The members of this group own interest bearing assets worth at least 450,000 euros, which yield as much interest returns as they pay while annually spending 50,000 euros for consumption. All lower groups have smaller assets the returns from which don’t suffice to compensate for the losses in consumption. Therefore, their balance is negative. Only group 10 has a positive balance and collects what the majority of market participants (groups 1 to 9) lose in this game. The growing gap between rich and poor is often referred to in the public discussion, but no one ever asks how it is caused. At any rate, primarily the creditors in group 10 should be asked to contribute to the emergency parachute for Greece, because they are the winners in the game.
This system of compound interest is the basic mechanism for redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich. Mathematically, compound interest is an exponential function, which inexorably leads to a crash of the financial system. Nothing can be done to prevent this crash. All measures that had been taken in the current financial crisis only served and still serves to uphold the existing system. It’s not a matter of doubting the willingness of responsible politicians to try their hardest for finding a solution to the Greek dilemma. They are trying to do so on the premises of current economic thinking. And whatever measures they may come up with on these premises will not prevent a devastating outcome, because it is based on the ignorance of a systemic flaw. The thinking of the majority of economists is conditioned in an obsolete view of how the economy works and they cultivate a blindness for the fundamental flaw in the system. This led Dr. A. Bartlett, a physicist, to the conclusion: “The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”
I found at least the statement of a well-known German banker, Josef Ackermann, chairman of the board of the Deutsche Bank. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ, June 30, 2009) he made a statement, which may give a hint as to the direction in which to look for a better system.
Ackermann: Conventional theories are essentially based on a static model of equilibrium, in which all transactions occur simultaneously – i.e. time does not play a role. Money only appears as a kind of veil over the real economic activity, but doesn’t have a relevant impact. Similar things can be said about portfolio-theoretical and monetaristic approaches…
FAZ: These theories make a bet without considering time, so to speak.
Ackermann: If processes are considered in time – e.g. money can be spent only after being earned -, this leads to different conclusions. Then money and the creation of money play a central role. Until today this has been neglected in conventional models. Not at last the current financial crisis has shown, that the effects of the money sphere on the real economy are still insufficiently investigated.
Hans Eichel, a former Minister of Finance in Germany, was once asked by a pupil: „How does money come into existence?“ His concise answer is in perfect accordance with the established practice: „We borrow money from ourselves and we pay it back to ourselves.“ This doesn’t really answer the question, though, because the one, from whom I borrow money, should have it already, otherwise borrowing would be futile. So, where does money really come from?
The established conception of money rests upon the belief, that the market participants of a national economy have a potential to create values out of nothing by performing labour. That’s the state’s treasure. In order to excavate this treasure, the state issues “treasury bonds”, whereupon the central bank issues money, which starts and supports the economic process, i.e. the seizure of the treasure. However, treasury bonds of the state are only backed by a promise for future actualization. While the market participants incessantly create values and sustain the economic process, the state (i.e. its administration) goes on issuing promise after promise and fails to fulfil its promises until it finally loses trustworthiness and goes bankrupt. Usually, the state is blamed then of having lived beyond its means. But that’s not true, the normal citizens are not to be blamed for the bad job of their representatives, the politicians. This is what happened in Greece now. In this respect Greece’s economic fate maybe considered as an omen and sooner or later all states which are based on this monetary conception, i.e. virtually all states of the world, are going to run into the same trap. Ben Bernanke might be right. But it’s not Greece which causes a disaster of such a dimension. Instead, a tremendous worldwide tension has built up from the inherent systemic flaw of the system as never before in history, which only needs to be triggered by a butterfly’s flap in order to crash.
Let’s have a closer look now at Ackermann’s suggested alternative: “money can be spent only after being earned”. This is fully compliant with the everyday experience of the vast majority of market participants, who accept money as remuneration for accomplished work, which in turn entitles them to purchase equivalent services or goods that are offered in the market. The conception does away with promises, it has nothing to do with credit or debenture bonds, but acknowledges and documents what actually exists, here and now. And Eichel’s answer to the pupil’s question would sound quite differently, too: “We acknowledge each other’s performances, document them with the useful tool called money and exchange goods and services with it.” This ties money to actual processes, while Eichel’s original answer is a circular argument which ignores any link to the real economy. In contrast to the established practice where money is “backed” by debts, money would then be backed by actual goods and services that are offered in the market for sale.
Ackermann’s complaint about neglected investigations into the impact of the financial sphere on the real economy concerns the credit and interest system. In a situation, when the economy is in a boom cycle, banks generously grant credits to companies and consumers, because it’s quite likely that credits get repaid inclusive interest payments, although in such a situation the demand for credits is lower. But the granting of credits and engaging in investments is their main business and of course they are trying to partake in the situation. In bust cycles, however, banks become parsimonious and meticulously investigate the applicants’ ability to repay. The banks’ behaviour is pro-cyclic, i.e. they support a booming economy and they obstruct it in a bust cycle. This is not in favour of a sustainable economy and has a lot to do with the interest system and also with the state’s indebtedness. Interest has to be paid, no matter in what a condition the economy is. After all, this is the law and it’s a man-made law. And interest rates are always positive, even if the economy cannot earn enough to pay for them. Therefore, in a recession, the state is required to take over the idle capital by taking on debts in order to boost the economy. After all, the state enjoys a high degree of creditworthiness and is (was) deemed unable to go bankrupt. This keeps interest rates in a positive range, even though and particularly in a saturated economy they should be allowed to decline in market conformity to zero or temporarily even below zero. Thus, the state itself gets under pressure for increasingly being unable in the long run to reduce its debts in an orderly way. A state at the brim of insolvency like Greece, being classified as C by rating agencies would have to pay interest at an usurious rate of around 20% which would eventually destroy not only the state but the economy as well.
This is the special feature of our established capitalist system, which Heiner Geißler, social politician of the Christian Democrats, has concisely characterized: “Capitalism is theft endorsed by the state.” His associate of the CDU, Angela Merkel, in negotiating the “emergency parachute” for Greece and possible other members of the EU with experts of the IMF, ECB and European Commission, did so with the declared intent to go to the roots of the problem. That was a slightly immoderate statement, though, considering the outcome of these negotiations. The “emergency parachute” or by its official term “European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF)” is still far away from the roots of the problem. Thorough investigations into the impact of the financial sphere on the real economy are still badly needed and long overdue.
The Greeks cannot be blamed for having invented the interest system. They can even refer to one of their outstanding ancestors, Aristotle, who clearly described the nature of interest:
“Money was intended to be used in exchange, but not to increase at interest. And this term interest, which means the birth of money from money, is applied to the breeding of money because the offspring resembles the parent. Wherefore of all modes of getting wealth this is the most unnatural.” (I.1258b4 – Wikiquote: Aristotle)
I have met Cassandra the other day and she, being a well-known figure in Greek mythology, too, said with a gloomy look in her eyes and a voice pregnant with meaning: “Capitalism is doomed!”
I know. But who would listen to her and give birth to an insight?
If you are interested in obtaining a print copy of “The Money Syndrome. Towards a Market Economy Free from Crises” by Helmut Creutz, please go to this website:
Interview with Helmut Creutz on the English edition of his book, The Money Syndrome
What do readers learn in The Money Syndrome that they do not read in standard economics books?
Readers learn everything essential about money and its functions. You might wonder why that should be of interest to you. You might say that you deal with money on a daily basis, and that there is nothing left for you to learn. Yet, most of us do not grasp the problematic effects of our contemporary money system. Above all, it is the aim of the book to educate readers about the systematic flaws of a monetary system that operates with permanently positive interest rates. And that is something you do not normally read about in standard economic textbooks or magazines. By the way, an economist classified The Money Syndrome as a standard work immediately after its release in Germany. Anyway, while reading the book, you will learn in detail that: Financial assets accumulate exponentially as a consequence of the compound interest effect. The indebtedness of private and public households and the economy must grow correspondingly, as financial assets must flow back into the economy as credit. Interest flows grow similarly in the course of escalating financial asset and debt accumulation. However, financial assets are unequally distributed. Consequently, the escalating interest flows reallocate capital from those parts of the population that pay more interest than they receive to those that receive more than they pay. The divide between the rich and poor widens. Economists and politicians only regard economic growth as a solution to prevent the divide between the rich and the poor from widening. However, given the finite resources of this planet, constant economic growth – demanding a perpetual increase of production and consumption – is ecologically unsustainable. Above all, The Money Syndrome not only provides an in-depth analysis of the negative effects of constantly positive interest rates, but also presents a solution: Stabilize the monetary flow by introducing carrying costs to money, as argued by Silvio Gesell.
How did you come up with the idea of writing the The Money Syndrome?
I have been active in environmental and peace initiatives since the 1970s. Back then, I was already looking for reasons why politicians and economists demand constant economic growth despite its devastating consequences. In 1980, a reader of my books gave me a hint. He claimed that underlying processes in our monetary system explain why we ‘need’ perpetual growth. Initially, I was very skeptical. However, trying to show the reader that he was mistaken, I actually discovered that plenty of statistical evidence suggested that he was right! In 1984, I published my first research results in the “Journal for Social Economy” (“Zeitschrift für Sozialökonomie“). One year later, I published a more detailed account of my findings in the article “Growth Till Self-Destruction” (“Wachstum bis zur Selbstzerstörung“). Further research and specification of my ideas led to the first edition of The Money Syndrome in Germany in 1993. Since then, the edition has been revised and translated into several different languages. The work for the French publication was finalized in 2008.
What surprised you the most while researching and writing The Money Syndrome?
Examining statistical series, I was very surprised about the developments in the real economy compared to the expansion of financial assets and debts. Capital and debts grow exponentially; that is, much faster than the real economy. However, this has profound social implications. You can read about that in more detail in the book. I was also very surprised that, in the standard economic textbooks I’ve read, very few economists have dealt with the topic. Actually, Keynes was the only mainstream economist I found who discussed the negative effects of our monetary and interest system in any depth. Interestingly, Keynes based his statements on findings by the economic maverick Silvio Gesell. Gesell had already written about the deficiencies of our monetary system 100 years ago! Nonetheless, university professors were not concerned with the redistribution of capital through positive interest rates. That situation has changed a little bit. For example, Professor Jürgen Kremer has recently proven my assertions with the help of long-term calculation models.
What do you expect from the English edition of the book?
I hope that social activists, environmentalists, and economists will gain new insights when reading the book. My work illustrates that systematic errors inherent in our monetary system prevail. These must be removed to effectively promote social justice and environmental sustainability. Next, I hope that The Money Syndrome will contribute to the discussion about ways to promote interest rates oscillating around 0%. Such a discussion was launched last year by professors such as Greg Mankiw from Harvard and Willem Buiter from the London School of Economics. In saturated economies, 0% interest rates are not only necessary to stabilize economic activity, but also to prevent a further accumulation of capital and explosion of debts due to the compound interest effect. In short, I hope that the book will help spread the knowledge about how economic stability, social justice, and peace in this world are essentially threatened by systematic errors in our monetary system. Our future survival requires that we recognize this mistake and correct it!
to our homepage dedicated to the work of Helmut Creutz about the basics of our monetary system. I’m happy to announce that the English edition of THE MONEY SYNDROME is now available. The German version of this book “Das Geldsyndrom” was first published in 1993 after twelve years of research that the author Helmut Creutz had undertaken. Since then thousands of readers got acquainted with his findings and the book became an indispensable work of reference for all those, who are convinced that our economic system should be thoroughly reviewed and reformed.
THE MONEY SYNDROME mainly deals with the German national economy since the end of World War II with a few side glances at other national economies. The English speaking reader might consider the emphasis on the German situation a disadvantage of the book. And yet there is another aspect which might make it worthwhile to have a closer look at Germany’s economic development.
In 1948 the German economy virtually started at point zero. There was little left, that could be used as a basis for the reconstruction of the country. It was mainly based on the strong willingness of its inhabitants to get back as soon as possible to a decent and worthwhile lifestyle. The economic development went through an “economic miracle” during the 1960ies until the mid-seventies when the first signs of a saturated economy appeared. The development of Germany’s economy was straight and clear, there have been no major deviations from the capitalist way despite an accent on social market economy and it managed to become one of the leading industrial nations.
The rise and fall of the German economy during the past 60 years is the textbook story of a capitalist society.
The presented material in THE MONEY SYNDROME – economic figures, tables, graphs and charts – allow the distinction of the various stages a capitalist economy is going through. On the example of Germany’s economy the effects and their causes become clear, which in a less comprehensive development of other economies may not be identified as precisely as in the German example, because the various phenomena are associated with assumptions or ideological convictions that may lead astray.
Today we are facing a financial crisis the dimension of which surpasses everything that has been known up to now. We are looking in the abyss of unprecedented squalor and corruption on the one side and on the other side sheer helplessness and fear. It’s time to go to the very roots of economic activity and remember what economy should actually be: a solid basis for a sound culture that respects human rights and dignity and facilitates prudent dealings with the natural environment on planet earth. The “real existing” socialism and capitalism have failed to provide this basis.
THE MONEY SYNDROME offers uncountable stimulations for a genuine new thinking.
I certainly hope that advancing technology eliminates more “jobs”–that is what it is designed to do, i.e., replace labour with non-labour factors of production. The purpose of economics is to produce goods and services as, when and where required or desired–with maximum efficiency and minimal inconvenience for all concerned–not to create work. Life is more than bread alone.
The problem is widespread adherence to a Puritanical philosophy that demands human effort as a qualifier for partaking in consumption. This is totally irrational if non-labour factors are increasingly the source of produced wealth. We have demonstrated the capacity to produce evermore vast and varied goods and services. They were meant to be accessed and used by consumers to the extent desired. To the extent that there is a surfeit we should be able to revert to leisure.
Conventional industrial cost-accountancy as it interacts with the issue and cancellation of credit by the banks results in a growing deficiency of effective consumer purchasing-power compared with financial costs and prices in each costing cycle. Increasingly we resort to financial debt as an inflationary mortgage upon future production in order to make the system “work”. The more the replacement of labour by technology, the greater the disparity between prices and incomes. This requires us to engage in more and more production to earn the incomes required to purchase not current but past production. Even endless production of war materials is insufficient to “fill the gap” and consumer must resort even more to debt in order to claim the products of industry. Those individuals displaced from financially remunerative activity cannot qualify for loans. We have a phenomenal capacity to produce but live in world of want, waste and destruction.
Obviously we require a mechanism to distribute goods and services and if wages, salaries and dividends are insufficient then they must be supplemented by an additional form of income that does not form a claim against future earnings. We need a system of National (Consumer) Dividends and Compensated (Retail) Prices, financed not by debt but merely by withdrawals from an actuarially determined National Credit Account, being an estimated evaluation of the real credit of the nation, i.e., all of the real assets which if used for production would result in the creation of prices. The NCA would always be growing as all new capital assets were being credited to it.
The late British engineer Major Clifford Hugh Douglas anticipated all of these problems–which are actually untold blessings if properly considered–as early as 1918 and continued expostulating on the subject until 1951 in various books, pamphlets, addresses, broadcasts and journals. Because he challenged the fraudulent claim of the banking system to actual ownership of the financial credits which they issue as debt to monetize the real credit of the community–although they do not create the real wealth of society–his ideas were widely suppressed.
La prédilection des templiers pour l’octogone est bien connue…
888 ans……..
Les 8 jours de pénitence que doit subir un Templier fautif même d’une faute vénielle. Les 8 sacrements que recevaient les Templiers. Les 8 angles de la croix pattée et alésée. Les 8 articles du serment prêté par le futur Templier.
Le Huitième sacrement, appelé dès le IVe siècle “sacrement du frère” par saint Augustin, est la racine et l’aboutissement des sept autres. Il est présence de Dieu parmi les hommes à l’occasion de tout geste gratuit d’amour, d’aumône et de miséricorde accompli à l’égard de l’autre, et surtout à l’égard des plus faibles et des plus méprisés ( not. les embryons).
Il est réellement universel, et c’est en fin de compte par rapport à lui seul que Dieu reconnaîtra ceux qui auront cru en lui :
“En vérité je vous le dis, ce que vous avez fait au plus petit de mes frères, c’est à moi que vous l’avez fait” (Mt 25, 40).
Ce huitième sacrement ne s’administre pas comme les autres, à partir d’un pouvoir ; il relève d’une manière d’être qui est don absolu de soi, car Dieu ne se distribue qu’à travers les hommes qui se distribuent eux-mêmes gratuitement et sans compter.
Mais ce 8ème commandement se rencontre aussi dans l’architecture des Temples et des commanderies, sous la forme des églises et chapelles octogonales qui sont la trace des Templiers…
Voici pourquoi, les vrais fonts baptismaux, comme les premiers baptistères, qui nous rendent tous prêtres, prophètes et rois, sont octogonaux ( voir notamment les églises de Poitiers, Fréjus, Aix-en-Provence, Ravenne, etc.).
Par l’octogone christique, on passe du monde profane et terrestre (représenté par le carré de la rosace de la Cathédrale de Lausanne) au monde sacré et céleste (représenté par le cercle ou le dôme).
C’est ce rôle que jouent les églises et chapelles templières.
8 qui complète le 7 + 1, est celui de l’équilibre cosmique, car c’est le nombre des quatre points cardinaux et des quatre directions intermédiaires ouvertes urbi et orbi…
L’octogone et l’obélisque dans la cour ouverte au monde du Vatican.
Le 8 a une nature mariale et est le symbole couché de l’infini. Mais surtout le 8, succédant aux 7 jours de la Création, représente le « passage » à une autre vie, une renaissance et une résurrection.
Exemple de témoignage, le château du Mont dans les Pouilles en Italie par Frédéric II de Hohenstauffen…
Notons encore que le 8 est le symbole du jugement de l’Agneau de notamment Gotland et de l’art gothique, comme l’indique l’Apocalypse, du juste et du Christ considéré, à l’instar de Melchisédech, comme la figure du « Roi de justice » ou du « Roi du Monde ».
Les templiers mettaient un béret quand ils n’étaient pas au combat.
VEUILLEZ TRANSFÉRER CETTE IMPORTANTE INFORMATION AUPRÈS DE VOS CORRESPONDANTS,
TANTL’ENFANT à NAÎTRE EST DE PLUS EN PLUS Menacé
DANS LE SEIN MATERNEL ET DANS LES LABORATOIRES ( fivete, GPA, pma, etc…)
ET PARTICIPER à LA PROCHAINE
MARCHE POUR LA VIE LE 22 JANVIER 2017 à PARIS
MESSE A L´OCCASION DE LA FÊTE DES SAINTS INNOCENTS
28 DÉCEMBRE 2016
Vous êtes invité par notamment le nouvel ordre réhabilitédu Temple de Jérusalem , les Croisés du Sacré Cœur et Monsieur le Chanoine Trauchessec,
le mercredi 28 décembre en la fête des Saints Innocents au
Sanctuaire Saint Joseph du Saint Sauveur à Chantemerle-les-Blés dans la Drôme.
10 h 00 GRAND MESSE
célébrée pour les enfants non nés en réparation du « crime abominable » de l’avortement, selon les propres termes du concile œcuménique Vatican II,
suivie de la vénération des reliques des Saints Innocents, du renouvellement ou de l’engagement des parrainages spirituels pour les enfants à naître menacés de mort dans le sein maternel,
de la bénédiction des Croix apportées par chacun, de la procession à Notre-Dame de la Colline et de l’érection des Croix.
Pour plus de renseignements : 04 75 31 10 38 ou 04 90 20 08 70 ou 00 41 21 616 88 88
Alliance VITA vous invite à un nouveau cycle de formation sur 4 soirées, les lundis 9, 16, 23 et 30 janvier 2017. Ouverte à tous, cette formation est en direct et en visioconférence depuis Paris dans plus de 100 villes en France, en Suisse et à l’étranger.
Pour cette année, la formation propose un passage de la politique vers la BIOpolitique, une politique au service de la vie.
En effet, l’enjeu clé des années à venir est la place de l’homme dans la société. Le thème « Fonder la Biopolitique » permet de s’interroger sur :
♦ Qu’est-ce qui fonde la dignité de l’Homme ?
♦ En quoi notre regard sur l’embryon fonde-t-il notre regard sur l’humanité ?
♦ Quelle est la place de la famille dans le paysage politique ?
♦ Comment vivrait le corps social si le corps humain était dépassé par la technique ?
Pour rendre possibles des options biopolitiques humaines, les seules dignes de l’homme, il faut prendre le temps de se former pour agir ensuite de façon ajustée. C’est le but de ces quatre soirées, qui permettront à chacun de réfléchir et de prendre position personnellement face aux défis humanitaires, politiques et culturels à relever.
Renseignements complémentaires et inscriptions : ici
Voici 888 ans qu’aura été reconnue par le concile de Troyes une milice appelée les Pauvres Chevaliers du Christ et du Temple de Salomon, plus connus sous le nom des TEMPLIERS.
Ce vendredi 13 janvier 2017 ( sic, un vendredi 13, clin d’oeil…) sera une date spéciale pour les chrétiens férus d’histoire chrétienne. Ouverture du concile de Troyes.
Ce concile est convoqué par le pape Honorius II à la demande d’Hugues de Payns, pour reconnaître officiellement l’Ordre du Temple, dont la règle, rédigée par Saint Bernard, est approuvée par le concile. L’ordre des Templiers a été fondé dix ans avant, sous l’impulsion du chevalier Hugues de Payns, à partir d’une milice appelée les Pauvres Chevaliers du Christ et du Temple de Salomon. Le roi de Jérusalem, Baudouin II, avait alors logé les premiers chevaliers sur l’ancien temple de Salomon, duquel ils tirent leur nom.
Il y aura 888 ans qu’aura été reconnue par le concile de Troyes en 1129 la règle d’ une milice appelée les Pauvres Chevaliers du Christ et du Temple de Salomon, plus connus sous le nom des TEMPLIERS.
Ce 13 janvier 1129, la mobilisation est forte. Sous l’autorité du légat pontifical Mathieu d’Albano – représentant du pape – sont réunis notamment les plus importants prélats des provinces ecclésiastiques de Sens et de Reims : les archevêques (Reims et Sens), les évêques (Chartres, Soissons, Paris, Troyes, Orléans, Châlons, Laon, Beauvais), les abbés (Clairvaux, Cîteaux, Vézelay, Pontigny, Trois-Fontaines, Saint-Denis de Reims, Saint-Étienne de Dijon et Molesme).
Quelques laïcs sont aussi présents, notamment : le comte de Champagne Thibaud II avec son sénéchal André de Baudement, ainsi que le comte de Nevers, Guillaume II.
Elle œuvra pendant les XIIe et XIIIe siècles à l’accompagnement et à la protection des pèlerins pour Jérusalem dans le contexte de la guerre sainte et des croisades, participa activement aux batailles qui eurent lieu lors des croisades et de la Reconquête ibérique. Afin de mener à bien ses missions et notamment d’en assurer le financement, elle constitua à travers l’Europe chrétienne d’Occident et à partir de dons fonciers, un réseau de monastères appelés commanderies.
Cette activité soutenue fit de l’ordre un interlocuteur financier privilégié des puissances de l’époque, le menant même à effectuer des transactions sans but lucratif avec certains rois ou à avoir la garde de trésors royaux.
Après la perte définitive de la Terre sainte consécutive au siège de Saint-Jean-d’Acre de 1291 ( année de la fondation de la Confédération helvétique avec le pacte fédéral rédigé dans un excellent latin, Confédération héritière de son esprit et de ses découvertes spirituelles, religieuses, culturelles et notamment financières ), l’ordre fut victime de la lutte entre la papauté et le roi de France, Philippe le Bel. Il fut dissous par le pape Clément V le 13 mars 1312 à la suite d’un procès en hérésie, procès révisé notamment par le Pape Benoît XVI. Jacques de Molay, … Grand Maître de l’Ordre, fut exécuté en mars 1314 sur un bûcher dressé sur l’île aux Juifs à Paris.
LA RÉHABILITATION DES TEMPLIERS
Il y a BIENTÔT 10 ans, le Vatican lavait les Templiers de toute accusation d’hérésie et du coup réhabilitait l’Ordre. Ce qui longtemps fut appelé légende, redevient réalité. Mais que savons-nous de cet ordre ancien réputé dans la construction de Cathédrales gothiques, comme Notre Dame de Paris ?
Rome, Jeudi 25 octobre 2007, coup de théâtre, une nouvelle publication lave les Templiers de toute accusation d’hérésie : le Vatican réhabilite l’Ordre. Ce qui longtemps fut appelé légende, redevient réalité.
L’histoire conte qu’en l’an 1119, neuf chevaliers français, dévots, religieux et craignant Dieu, se présentèrent au roi de Jérusalem Baudouin II. Ils lui révélèrent qu’ils avaient formé le dessein de s’établir en communauté et de protéger des larrons et des meurtriers les pèlerins ; et de garder les routes publiques. Comme l’emplacement de leur communauté était au lieu même de l’ancien Temple de Salomon, le nom leur fut donné de Chevaliers du Temple ou Templiers.
C’est ainsi que débuta la belle légende de l’Ordre religieux et militaire du Temple qui devait marquer toute la chrétienté de son empreinte et qui s’acheva sur le bûcher du 19 mars 1314 où le Roi Philippe le Bel fit brûler le dernier Grand Maître, Jaques de Molay.
Pour le Vatican, le motif principal de la publication des fac-similés des parchemins consiste à éclaircir les circonstances qui ont mené le pape Clément V à laver les Templiers du soupçon d’hérésie. Le pape avait certes suspendu l’Ordre, mais sans le dissoudre.
On sait que le procès s’est déroulé dans un climat de tensions politiques entre le pape et le roi de France, Philippe le Bel.
Engagé dans une dispendieuse guerre contre l’Angleterre, Philippe le Bel avait grandement besoin d’argent. À la fin des croisades où les chrétiens étaient contraints de quitter la terre sainte, les Templiers regagnèrent l’Europe, précisément la France d’où ils sont partis. Ils possédaient des richesses immenses, augmentées par les biens issus du travail de leurs commanderies (bétail, agriculture…). Mais en plus de cela, ils possédaient une puissance militaire équivalente à quinze mille hommes dont mille cinq cents chevaliers tous dévoués au pape. Une telle force ne pouvait que se révéler gênante pour le pouvoir en place engagé à guerrier contre les anglais.
Pour s’emparer des biens des Templiers, le roi avait mis en œuvre une stratégie de discrédit qui aboutit à l’accusation d’hérésie. Recourant à la torture, le roi réussit à obtenir des confessions sur des rites initiatiques qui auraient été pratiqués dans l’Ordre.
Au Concile de Vienne qui se tint le 16 octobre 1311 au sein de la cathédrale Saint-Maurice, Philippe le Bel fit pression sur le pape et obtint, par la bulle Vox in excelso, l’abolition de l’ordre.
C’est Philippe le Bel qui fut le grand gagnant dans cette affaire. La chute de l’ordre lui permit de renflouer les caisses de l’Etat dont le déficit aurait alors été comblé après plusieurs années.
Quant à Clément V, ancien archevêque de Bordeaux, comme les italiens de l’époque avaient un fort ressentiment contre un pape français, il finit par s’installer à Avignon en 1309, inaugurant ainsi, sur une résidence qui se voulait temporaire, la lignée des papes d’Avignon jusqu’en 1403.
La fin de ces deux souverains français sera attribuée à ce que la légende désignera par la malédiction des Templiers :
« Lorsqu’il monte sur le bûcher, le grand maître des Templiers, Jacques de Molay, lance, le 19 mars 1314 : « Clément, juge inique et cruel bourreau, je t’ajourne à comparaître dans quarante jours, devant le tribunal du souverain juge ». Quarante jours plus tard, le pape Clément V meurt à Roquemaure (Gard), et le 29 novembre 1314, Philippe IV le Bel meurt à son tour ».
La fin tragique des Templiers a contribué à générer des légendes à leur sujet. Celles-ci vont des rumeurs au sujet de leur association avec le Saint-Graal, jusqu’aux interrogations à propos de leurs liens éventuels avec les francs-maçons. De plus, certains groupements ou sociétés secrètes, tels que le Prieuré de Sion, la Rose-Croix ou encore certaines sectes, telles que l’Ordre du Temple solaire ou l’Ordo Templi Orientis, se réclameront par la suite de l’ordre, affirmant leur filiation en s’appuyant sur une pseudo-survivance de l’ordre ou en usurpant l’habit templier et en reprenant certains rites.
Avec la réhabilitation des Templiers, c’est un autre travail qui s’ouvre devant nous. Il faudra dissocier l’Ordre de ses fausses filiations et rétablir la vérité historique de chaque groupe.
Paul Nzinga N’ditu,
Rome, le 30 octobre 2007
Combien y a-t-il de Béatitudes évangéliques et quelles sont-elles ?
Il y a huit Béatitudes évangéliques :
1 Bienheureux les pauvres en esprit, car le royaume des cieux leur appartient.
2 Bienheureux les doux, car ils posséderont la terre.
3 Bienheureux ceux qui pleurent, car ils seront consolés.
4 Bienheureux ceux qui ont faim et soif de la justice, car ils seront rassasiés.
5 Bienheureux les miséricordieux, car ils trouveront miséricorde.
6 Bienheureux les coeurs purs, car ils verront Dieu.
7 Bienheureux les pacifiques, parce qu’ils seront appelés enfants de Dieu.
8 Bienheureux ceux qui souffrent persécution pour l’amour de la justice, car le royaume des cieux leur appartient.
Pourquoi Jésus-Christ nous a-t-il proposé les Béatitudes ?
Jésus-Christ nous a proposé les Béatitudes pour nous faire détester les maximes du monde et pour nous inviter à aimer et pratiquer les maximes de son Evangile.
Quels sont ceux que le monde appelle bienheureux ?
Le monde appelle bienheureux ceux qui ont en abondance les richesses et les honneurs, ceux qui vivent dans les délices et qui n’ont aucune occasion de souffrir.
Qu’est-ce que les pauvres en esprit que Jésus-Christ appelle bienheureux ?
Les pauvres en esprit, selon l’Evangile, sont ceux qui ont le coeur détaché des richesses :
en faisant un bon usage, s’ils les possèdent
ne les recherchant pas avec sollicitude, s’ils en sont privés
en souffrant la perte avec résignation, si elles leur sont enlevées.
Qu’est-ce que les doux ?
Les doux sont ceux qui traitent le prochain avec douceur, souffrent avec patience ses défauts et les torts qu’ils en éprouvent, sans querelle, ressentiment ou vengeance.
Qui sont ceux qui pleurent et cependant sont appelés bienheureux ?
Ceux qui pleurent et cependant sont appelés bienheureux sont ceux ;
qui souffrent avec résignation les tribulations,
qui s’affligent à cause des péchés commis,
des maux, et des scandales qu’on voit dans le monde,
de l’éloignement du paradis et du danger de le perdre.
Qui sont ceux qui ont faim et soif de la justice ?
Ceux qui ont faim et soif de la justice sont ceux qui désirent ardemment de croître toujours davantage dans la grâce divine et l’exercice des oeuvres bonnes et vertueuses.
Qui sont les miséricordieux ?
Les miséricordieux sont ceux qui :
aiment leur prochain en Dieu et pour Dieu,
ont compassion de ses misères spirituelles et corporelles,
et tâchent de le soulager selon leurs forces et leur état.
Qui sont les coeurs purs ?
Les coeurs purs sont ceux qui :
n’ont aucune affection au péché et s’en tiennent éloignés,
et qui fuient surtout toute sorte d’impureté.
Qui sont les pacifiques ?
Les pacifiques sont ceux qui :
conservent la paix avec le prochain et avec eux-mêmes,
et qui tâchent de mettre la paix entre ceux qui sont divisés.
Qui sont ceux qui souffrent persécution pour l’amour de la justice ?
Ceux qui souffrent persécution par amour de la justice sont ceux qui supportent avec patience les moqueries, les blâmes et les persécutions à cause de la foi et de la loi de Jésus-Christ.
Que signifient les diverses récompenses promises par Jésus-Christ dans les Béatitudes ?
Les diverses récompenses promises par Jésus-Christ dans les Béatitudes signifient toutes, sous divers noms, la gloire éternelle.
Les Béatitudes nous procurent-elles seulement la gloire éternelle du paradis ?
Les Béatitudes ne nous procurent pas seulement la gloire éternelle du paradis, elles sont encore les moyens de rendre notre vie aussi heureuse qu’il est possible ici-bas.
Ceux qui suivent les Béatitudes n’en reçoivent-ils pas déjà quelque récompense en cette vie ?
Si, certainement, ceux qui suivent les Béatitudes en reçoivent déjà quelque récompense même en cette vie, parce qu’ils jouissent déjà d’une paix et d’un contentement intimes qui sont le principe, bien qu’encore imparfait, de la félicité éternelle.
Ceux qui suivent les maximes du monde peuvent-ils se dire heureux ?
Non, ceux qui suivent les maximes du monde ne sont pas heureux, parce qu’ils n’ont pas la vraie paix de l’âme et qu’ils courent le danger d’être damnés.
…
Nos dirigeants discréditent cet ordre de moines soldats au service de la démocratie locale participative de l’époque médiévale organisée par les Bénédictins depuis l’an 500 au Mont Cassin puis après 900 depuis Cluny, Clairvaux, Citeaux et voir en Suisse l’abbaye d’Einsiedeln qui organisa le développement de la ville de Zurich. J’explique tout ceci sur mon site, il faudrait lire et faire confiance à un lauréat de la Faculté de Droit de Strasbourg en Histoire du Droit. Aujourd’hui effectivement, mis à part quelques érudits et spécialistes de la question, l’opinion publique ne comprend plus les Templiers.
Pourtant ils ont mis en place une organisation bancaire pratique et efficience au service du développement du commerce en Europe. Bien entendu les banquiers d’affaires étaient exclus de ce commerce et les rois étaient exclus de tous impôts et taxes sur les richesses produites à partir des propriétés foncières gérées par les abbayes et commanderies templières, les villes libres dirigées par des chevaliers soit 90% du sol de France (Strasbourg fera appel à un chevalier pour diriger la ville lorsque l’évêque l’aura ruinée). C’est la raison pour laquelle Philippe le Bel qui était ruiné( il n’avait des revenus que de 10% du sol de France), plutôt que d’abandonner son trône, à voler l’argent des juifs pour payer des mercenaires (peut-être suisses au passage) et faire arrêter tous les templiers de France, ils avaient fait serment au pape de ne jamais porter les armes contre d’autres chrétiens et ils ont tenu leur serment. Ensuite les banquiers d’affaires ont prêté à nouveau de l’argent aux rois d’Europe et ceux-ci sont tombés sous la coupe des financiers (jusqu’à aujourd’hui). Le financiers connaissent cette histoire et savent que les templiers ont été leurs ennemis qui les ont mis à l’écart de l’économie. Ensuite ils ont fondé la franc-maçonnerie pour dire qu’ils étaient leurs héritiers. Une imposture, des mensonges de plus. Bien entendu, un ou deux templiers à côté de Helvétia et Guillaume Tell aurait surpris surtout les ignorants, pas les financiers et les prétendus francs-maçons qui auraient compris que nous savons les démasquer et rétablir l’exactitude historique sur les ordres chevaliers qui ont organisés et défendus deux siècles de paix et de développement florissant en Europe, le temps des cathédrales. Avec des templiers aujourd’hui, il n’y aurait pas d’oligarchie financière ni anglo-saxonne ni d’autres pays. Ma proposition n’était pas n’importe quoi. En France, Michel Rocard en tant que Premier Ministre de Mitterrand dans les années 1988 à 1991 avait déclaré publiquement que le tabou des Templiers a de quoi faire sauter plusieurs républiques. Les journalistes avaient compris, moi aussi et de plus en plus d’intellectuels, militants savent ce qu’il y a sous le tabou des Templiers : une excellente solution pour sortir enfin de cette crise financière. LesTempliers et leur banque utilisaient ce que nous nommons la Monnaie Pleine, Vollgeld, et ils ont mis en circulation les pièces d’argent venant de la mine d’argent du Mexique et débarqués au port de la Rochelle par la puissante flotte templière alliée aux vikings et normands. Cet argent sera ramassé après 1307 par les banquiers de Venise alors que Florence et ses financiers ont ramassé l’or qui circulait en Europe d’où la première crise financière européenne des années 1350 : il n’y avait plus de monnaie métallique en circulation dans l’économie. Pour moi, l’image d’Helvétia et de Guillaume Tell protégés par des Templiers aurait été très puissante et elle aurait interloqué nos dirigeants par tant d’audace : nous les écarterons de l’économie réelle comme ces chevaliers l’avaient déjà fait pour l’essor florissant de l’Europe entre 1 100 et 1307.
Je comprends qu’apprendre à nouveau ces points d’histoire frappés de tabou et d’interdits, se débarasser des clichés fallacieux jetés sur l’époque médiévale et les templiers prend un peu de temps et dépasse le délai de la remise du 1er décembre. Mais vérifiez en Suisse, Guillaume Tell et l’alliance des cantons pour échapper à la domination des Habsbourg, c’est le principe mis en place et défendu par les templiers. Je l’avais expliqué à François de Siebenthal : 1307 est une date charnière dans l’histoire de l’Europe : les seuls qui ont résisté à la reprise en mains des monarchies et à l’absolutisme royal suite à la destruction des ordres chevaliers, ce furent les confédérés suisses puis après 1354, les 10 villes libres d’Alsace, la Décapole qui fut interdite par Louis XIV en 1648 lors du rattachement de l’Alsace à la France. Il ne suffit pas de comprendre les mécanismes bancaires et ceux de la création monétaire, il faut voir plus loin, nous sommes au coeur de la question du pouvoir dans une société et nous voulons reprendre ce pouvoir et le mettre au service des citoyens. Connaissons au moins ce qu’on fait nos aînés dans ce but.
Comme convenu, je conserve ma liberté de propos sur mon site web et les lecteurs du site connaissent cette question depuis 2002. Certes passer de la lecture à l’action prend une autre dimension.
J’ai proposé une idée suite à la demande de François et je l’ai mise sur la page facebook qu’il a créée. Après c’est à vous bien entendu de décider. Un dernier avis ici, nos adversaires vont frapper fort pour étouffer notre initiative, il n’y a pas pour moi de quoi se gêner avec deux costumes de templiers et leur rappeler les crimes commis contre eux après le vendredi 13 octobre 1307. Sur le web, je viens de lire un article d’un blogueur qui rappelle que le vendredi 13 n’est depuis 1307 jamais plus une date innocente en France et à Paris, il dit que cette date n’a pas été choisie au hasard par les commanditaires de ces attentats du vendredi 13 novembre.
La météo annonce un redoux pour mardi prochain, je me déciderai samedi si je viens ou pas à Berne. Bonne continuation et préparation de cet évènement.
Berna, 21.12.2016 – Nella sua seduta odierna il Consiglio federale ha approvato il rapporto sulla politica monetaria. In questo modo l’Esecutivo adempie diversi postulati trasmessi dal Parlamento in seguito all’abolizione del tasso minimo di cambio dell’euro. Il rapporto giunge alla conclusione che le basi giuridiche attuali forniscono alla Banca nazionale svizzera (BNS) gli strumenti per una governance mirata e le consentono di svolgere efficacemente il suo mandato.
In seguito all’abolizione del tasso minimo di cambio dell’euro a partire dal 15 gennaio 2015, sono stati depositati numerosi interventi parlamentari concernenti la politica monetaria in generale e la BNS, in particolare: i postulati Bischof 15.3091 e 15.4053 sui tassi d’interesse negativi e sulla governance della BNS, il postulato Rechsteiner 15.3367 sulla funzione del franco svizzero e il postulato Cramer 15.3208 sul franco forte e sul turismo degli acquisti.
Il Consiglio federale ha steso un rapporto su questi temi. Il rapporto indica che la strategia di politica monetaria della BNS si è dimostrata valida anche in situazioni difficili come durante la crisi finanziaria globale dal 2007 al 2009. La BNS dispone di tutti gli strumenti necessari per svolgere il suo mandato, in particolare per garantire la stabilità dei prezzi tenendo conto della congiuntura. Essa può inoltre influire sul corso del franco svizzero, se lo reputa necessario. Le questioni relative alla governance della BNS sono state oggetto di particolare attenzione. Il Consiglio federale ritiene adeguate le basi giuridiche attuali riguardanti la BNS e non vede la necessità di modificarle.
Attualmente i tassi d’interesse sono molto bassi in tutto il mondo. Questo contesto caratterizzato da tassi d’interesse bassi pone le casse pensioni e le banche di fronte a grandi sfide, indipendentemente dai tassi negativi della BNS che sono stati introdotti per ridurre l’attrattiva degli investimenti in valuta svizzera. Questi tassi sono efficaci solo se tutti gli attori sui mercati finanziari ne sono interessati. Eventuali eccezioni creerebbero un precedente che potrebbe ridurre l’efficacia della politica monetaria.
Indirizzo cui rivolgere domande
Philipp Rohr, responsabile della Comunicazione dell’Amministrazione federale delle finanze AFF Tel. 058 465 16 06, philipp.rohr@efv.admin.ch
Discorso di Marco Saba all’assemblea generale della BNS sul 108° Rapporto Banca Nazionale Svizzera 2015
– Berna, 29 aprile 2016
Buon giorno a tutti, sono l’azionista Marco Saba. Il mio intervento, che chiedo di trascrivere integralmente nel verbale dell’assemblea con le note allegate al cartaceo, verte sul primo punto dell’ordine del giorno e vale come avviso di ritrovamento – ai sensi degli articoli 720 e 722 del Codice civile svizzero (1) – di 600 miliardi di franchi svizzeri non contabilizzati, oltre ad una cifra ulteriore da accertare per il valore d’acquisto storico in franchi svizzeri di: oro, immobilizzazioni materiali, titoli in franchi, partecipazioni ed altre attività. Nella risposta del Consiglio Federale del 19.08.2015 all’INTERPELLANZA numero 15.3391 (2), si dice chiaramente: “La maggior parte della moneta della Banca nazionale viene già messa in circolazione sotto forma di moneta scritturale” – e – “Dato che non deve essere rimborsato, questo capitale di terzi assume un certo carattere di capitale proprio.” Di fatto, esaminando il bilancio presentato dall’amministrazione della BNS, ho rilevato che manca la voce con l’indicazione della quantità di franchi svizzeri creati durante l’esercizio alterando così il valore del patrimonio netto della banca, tant’è che risulterebbe una “perdita” di esercizio che non si potrebbe realizzare se la creazione di denaro fosse correttamente contabilizzata. Mi spiego: come risulta anche da un recente studio della BCE, che ha condotto una indagine su 57 banche centrali distribuite su 5 continenti compresa la BNS, “le banche centrali sono protette dall’insolvenza a causa della loro abilità di creare moneta” (3). Lo studio precisa inoltre che fare delle eccezioni alle norme contabili equivale alla non-conformità alle norme stesse. Nonostante le rassicurazioni del revisore KPMG, questo bilancio non può essere approvato in quanto manca la corretta contabilizzazione della creazione di denaro che non è contabilizzata tra le attività della banca e quindi non risulta nel patrimonio netto della stessa. Infatti la banca non può dire di aver redatto il bilancio in conformità alle regole Swiss Gaap proprio perché ha utilizzato un’eccezione non giustificata alle regole omettendo i dati necessari per avere un quadro fedele della situazione patrimoniale, finanziaria e reddituale del 2015 (4). E’ vero che la Legge sulla Banca nazionale svizzera (5) prevede che si può prescindere dalle prescrizioni della Legge federale di complemento del Codice civile svizzero, ma premette la frase “Sempre che la natura particolare della Banca nazionale lo esiga”. Nella pagina internet della BNS (6) alla domanda “In che modo è tenuto conto della natura particolare della Banca nazionale nell’informativa finanziaria ?”, leggiamo che “L’informativa finanziaria della Banca nazionale non è paragonabile a quella di una società anonima di diritto privato. Lo scopo sociale della Banca nazionale non è quello di realizzare profitti da distribuire agli azionisti, bensì di assolvere il mandato conferitole dalla Costituzione. Inoltre, la destinazione dell’utile è stabilita dalla LBN…”. Quindi non si parla di nascondere i profitti nella tenuta della contabilità, traendo in inganno il pubblico, ma si dice che conseguirli non è lo scopo della banca. Tant’è che sùbito dopo si specifica che c’è una destinazione precisa dell’eventuale utile e che è stabilita dalla legge. Se ne desume che anche il Risultato d’esercizio negativo per 23.250.600.000 franchi svizzeri non è veritiero poiché aggiungendo la registrazione della creazione di 600 miliardi di franchi svizzeri si otterrebbe invece un utile, anche nella forma di un equivalente posta di patrimonio netto, quale ad esempio una riserva di bilancio, di almeno 576.749.400.000 franchi svizzeri. Chiedo pertanto che il bilancio sia rettificato tenendo conto del mio ritrovamento e anche tenendo in opportuna considerazione il versamento annuale dovuto al Governo svizzero ed ai Cantoni secondo quanto disposto dalla convenzione. Questo perché la “Riserva per future ripartizioni prima della destinazione dell’utile” non può essere arbitrariamente ridotta dalla BNS accollandole delle perdite che si rivelano fittizie una volta tenuto conto della creazione di denaro. Solo così si potrà adempiere al mandato della Costituzione svizzera (7) che richiede una politica monetaria nell’interesse generale del Paese. Vi ringrazio per l’attenzione ricevuta anche da parte delle autorità presenti. Pagina 1 di 3 Note: (N.B. nelle fonti allegate i passaggi presi in considerazione sono sottolineati .) 1) Secondo il Codice civile svizzero, chi riconsegna un oggetto trovato “ha diritto al rimborso di tutte le spese e ad un’equa mercede”, ovvero di norma il 10% del valore dell’oggetto. Vedi l’art.720 del Codice civile svizzero (avviso di ritrovamento, rimborso spese ed equa mercede): https://www.admin.ch/opc/it/classified-compilation/19070042/index.html#a720 2) Interpellanza 15.3391 “Utili derivanti dalla creazione di moneta presso la BNS o nelle banche” https://www.parlament.ch/it/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20153391 3) Nell’Occasional Paper della BCE n. 169 del 5 aprile 2016 ( https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpops/ecbop169.en.pdf ) , intitolato “Profit distribution and loss coverage rule for central banks”, si legge: – a pagina 14, nota 7: “Central banks are protected from insolvency due to their ability to create money…” – (Le banche centrali sono protette dall’insolvenza a causa della loro abilità di creare moneta) – e a pagina 20: “No single accounting framework is consistently applied by the majority of central banks. However, there are four main frameworks or types: the Eurosystem framework, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), local (national) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and central bank specific (own) rules. A central bank can also apply “IFRS with exceptions” (17), or national GAAP with exceptions.” – e, nella nota 17 della stessa pagina: “Strictly speaking, since IFRS does not allow for exceptions or for industry-specific rules, such an arrangement is not IFRS-conformant.” (e quindi anche non-conforme alle GAAP nazionali .) 4) Nel 108° Rapporto di gestione Banca nazionale svizzera 2015 (https://www.snb.ch/it/mmr/reference/annrep_2015_komplett/source/annrep_2015_komplett.it.pdf) – a pagina 158 si legge: “Salvo disposizioni derogatorie, i principi contabili sono definiti con riferimento alle direttive Swiss GAAP FER. Si è derogato da queste ultime unicamente in caso di contraddizione con la LBN o se necessario per tenere conto delle caratteristiche specifiche della Banca nazionale. In deroga alle norme Swiss GAAP FER, non è stato stilato un conto dei flussi di tesoreria. Modifiche rispetto all’anno precedente All’infuori della rinuncia alla redazione di un conto dei flussi di tesoreria, non sono intervenute altre modifiche dei principi di redazione del bilancio e dei criteri di valutazione rispetto all’anno precedente. Conto dei flussi di tesoreria Conformemente all’art. 29 LBN, la Banca nazionale non è tenuta a presentare un conto dei flussi di tesoreria.” – e a pag.193 nell’opinione del revisore KPMG SA (Philipp Rickert e Pietro Di Fluri): “A nostro giudizio il consuntivo annuale per l’esercizio chiuso al 31 dicembre 2015 è conforme alla legge svizzera e presenta un quadro fedele della situazione patrimoniale, finanziaria e reddituale…” – e poi sotto: “Confermiamo inoltre che la proposta d’impiego dell’utile iscritto a bilancio è conforme alle disposizioni della Legge sulla Banca nazionale e raccomandiamo di approvare il presente consuntivo annuale.”.
5) Nella Legge federale sulla Banca nazionale svizzera ( https://www.admin.ch/opc/it/classified-compilation/20021117/index.html ), si legge: Sezione 2: Determinazione e distribuzione dell’utile Art. 29 1 Consuntivo annuale Il consuntivo annuale della Banca nazionale, comprensivo del conto economico, del bilancio e dell’allegato, è allestito in linea di massima conformemente alle disposizioni sulla contabilità commerciale e la presentazione dei conti del titolo trentesimosecondo del CO2. Sempre che la natura particolare della Banca nazionale lo esiga, si può prescindere dalle prescrizioni del CO. La Banca nazionale non deve segnatamente presentare un conto dei flussi di tesoreria. 6) Nella pagina internet della BNS intitolata Domande e risposte sulla Banca nazionale come impresa ( https://www.snb.ch/it/iabout/snb/id/qas_unternehmen_1#t10 ) consultata il 20 aprile 2016, si legge: – In che modo è tenuto conto della “natura particolare della Banca nazionale” nell’informativa finanziaria? – L’informativa finanziaria della Banca nazionale non è paragonabile a quella di una società anonima di diritto privato. Lo scopo sociale della Banca nazionale non è quello di realizzare profitti da distribuire agli azionisti, bensì di assolvere il mandato conferitole dalla Costituzione. Inoltre, la destinazione dell’utile è stabilita dalla LBN. Di conseguenza, anche gli obblighi di informativa della Banca nazionale sono differenti. Essa riferisce al Parlamento e al pubblico sull’adempimento del suo mandato (Rendiconto), mentre fornisce informazioni sugli andamenti organizzativi e aziendali, nonché sui risultati di gestione, nella Relazione finanziaria, contenente il Rapporto annuale e il Consuntivo annuale. Quest’ultimo deve essere approvato dal Consiglio federale prima si essere presentato per la ratifica all’Assemblea generale degli azionisti. 7) Nella Costituzione svizzera ( https://www.admin.ch/opc/it/classifiedcompilation/ 19995395/index.html ) l’art.99 recita: Art. 99 Politica monetaria 1 Il settore monetario compete alla Confederazione; essa soltanto ha il diritto di battere moneta e di emettere banconote. 2 La Banca nazionale svizzera, in quanto banca centrale indipendente, conduce una politica monetaria nell’interesse generale del Paese; è amministrata con la collaborazione e sotto la vigilanza della Confederazione. 3 La Banca nazionale costituisce sufficienti riserve monetarie attingendo ai suoi proventi; parte di tali riserve è costituita in oro. 4 L’utile netto della Banca nazionale spetta per almeno due terzi ai Cantoni.
600 milliards trouvés à Berne, dans la fausse comptabilité de la BNS !
marco saba ATTN. Comandante Stefan Blättler – Notifica ex art.720 CCS (RS210) marco saba 28 aprile 2016 08:34 A: beschwerdestelle@police.be.ch, Riccardo Piconcelli , Marco Della Luna , Nadia La Banca
ATTN. Comandante Stefan Blättler – Notifica ex art.720 CCS (RS210) Police cantonale bernoise Commandement Waisenhausplatz 32 Case postale 3001 Berne Tél. +41 31 634 41 11 Fax +41 31 331 30 33 beschwerdestelle@police.be.ch Notifica ex art. 720 comma 2 e articoli seguenti del Codice Civile svizzero al 1° gennaio 2016 (RS 210) http://www.lexfind.ch/dtah/ 131797/4/ Berna, 28 aprile 2016 Gmail – ATTN. Comandante St… https://mail.google.com/mail/u/… 1 of 2 28/04/2016 09:29 Egregio Comandante Blättler , il sottoscritto Marco Saba nato a Firenze il giorno 8 maggio 1961 e con recapito in Italia presso La Banca, via 9 Gennaio 1950, n.106, 41122 Modena, cell. +39 331 334 1239, Passaporto italiano n. YA1089652, notifica il ritrovamento dfi 600 miliardi di franchi svizzeri avvenuto tramite una revisione contabile indipendente effettuata sul bilancio 2015 della Banca nazionale svizzera di cui è azionista. La riconsegna del denaro – e qundi della equa ricompensa – potrà avvenire dopo che la direzione generale della BNS avrà rettificato il bilancio indicando la somma della moneta rinvenuta che, essendo stata creata dalla banca, dovrà essere contabilizzata nelle poste attive dei flussi di cassa prima di poter essere impiegata, e quindi poi nel bilancio stesso. Questa notifica precede la comunicazione alla banca che vi verrà poi inviata in copia. A disposizione per ulteriori chiarimenti e ringraziando per l’attenzione, in fede, Marco Saba Gmail – ATTN. Comandante St… https://mail.google.com/mail/u/…
Favola che fa comprendere il mistero del denaro
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di Louis Even
1. Salvati dal naufragio
Un’esplosione ha distrutto la loro nave. Ognuno si aggrappava ai primi pezzi flottanti che gli capitano sotto le mani. Cinque sono riusciti a trovarsi riuniti sullo stesso relitto che le onde spinge a loro volontà. Degli altri compagni del naufragio alcuna notizia.
Da ore, lunghe ore, scrutano l’orizonte: qualche nave in viaggio li vedrà? La loro zattera di fortuna approderà su qualche riva ospitale?
Ad un tratto, un grido si sente: Terra! Terra laggiù! Guardate! Proprio nella direzione che le onde ci spingono!
Ed a misura che si disegna, in effetto, la linea d’una riva, i visi si rallegrano.
Essi sono cinque: Francesco, il grande e forte carpentiere, che per prima ha gridato: Terra!
Paolo, coltivatore, è quello che voi vedete avanti a sinistra, inginocchiato, una mano a terra e con l’altra si tiene aggrappato al palo del relitto.
Giacomo, specialista per l’allevamento di animali; è l’uomo con i pantaloni a righe, il quale, inginocchiato guarda verso la direzione indicata.
Enrico, dottore in agraria, un pò grassotto, seduto su una valigia salvata dal naufragio.
Tommaso, ingegnere mineralogista, è il pezzo d’uomo in piede, indietro, con la mano sulla spalla del carpentiere.
2. Un’isola provvidenziale
Rimettere i piedi su una terra ferma, per i nostri uomini è un ritorno alla vita.
Una volta asciugati e riscaldati, il loro primo pensiero è di fare conoscenza con questa isola dove sono stati spinti lontani dalla civilizzazione. Questa isola la battezzano col nome: L’Isola dei Naufraghi.
Un rapido giro sull’isola colma le loro speranze. L’isola non è un deserto arido. Essi sono bene i soli uomini ad abitarla attualmente. Ma altri hanno dovuto. viverci prima di loro dal fatto che hanno incontrato quà e là sull’isola greggi semi selvaggi. Giacomo, l’allevatore, afferma che potrà migliorarli e trarne un buon rendimento.
In quando al suolo dell’Isola, Paolo lo trova in gran parte assai propizio alla cultura.
Enrico ha scoperto alberi fruttiferi e spera poter ottenerne grande profitto.
Francesco vi ha notato sopratutto le belle distese forestali, ricche in legno di ogni specie: sarà molto facile abbattere alberi e costruire ricoveri per la piccola colonia.
In quanto a Tommaso, l’ingegnere, ciò che lo ha interressato è la parte la più rocciosa dell’Isola. Egli vi ha notato molti segni indicando un sottosuolo molto ricco di minerali. Nonostante la macanza di attrezzi perfezionati, Tommaso crede avere abbastanza iniziativa e scaltrezza per trasformare il minerale in metalli utili.
Ognuno potrà dunque occuparsi alle sue opere favorite per il bene di tutti. Tutti sono unanimi a lodare la Provvidenza per lo scioglimento relativamente felice d’una grande tragedia.
3. Le vere ricchezze
Ecco i nostri uomini al lavoro.
Le case ed i mobili sono costruiti dal falegname. Nei primi tempi, ci siamo accontentati di alimenti primitivi. Ma ben presto i campi coltivati danno buone raccolte.
Stagioni dopo stagioni, il patrimonio dell’Isola si arricchisce. Egli si arricchisce non d’oro o di denaro stampato, ma di vere ricchezze: cose che nutriscono, che abbigliano, che ricoverano, che rispondono ai veri bisogni.
La vita non è sempre facile come la deciderebbero. Ad essi mancano tante cose alle quali erano abituati nella civiltà. Ma la loro sorte potrebbe essere molto più triste.
D’altronde, essi hanno già conosciuto tempi di crise in Canadà. Essi ricordono le privazioni a cui sono stati sottoposti, mentre che i magazzini erano pieni a. dieci passi dalla loro porta di casa. Almeno, sull’Isola dei Naufraghi, nessuno li condanna a vedere marcire, sotto i loro occhi, cose di cui hanno bisogno. Poi le tasse sono sconosciute. Non c’è da temere i sequestri.
Se il lavoro è duro tavolta, almeno si ha il diritto di godere i frutti del lavoro.
Insomma. sfruttano l’Isola, benedicendo Dio, sperando un giorno di poter ritrovare parenti ed amici, con due grandi beni conservati: la vita e la salute.
4. Il maggiore inconveniente
Il nostri uomini si riuniscono spesso per discutere dei loro affari.
Nel sistema economico molto semplice che essi praticano, una cosa le ritorna in mente sempre più: essi non hanno alcuna specie di moneta. Lo scambio, il cambio diretto di prodotti con prodotti, ha molti inconvenienti. I prodotti a scambiarsi, non sono sempre l’uno contro l’altro nello stesso tempo. Cosi avviene che la legna consegnata al coltivatore durante l’inverno, potrà essere rimborsata in legumi soltanto fra sei mesi.
Molte volte viene consegnato di un colpo un grosso articolo, da uno degli uomimi, ed in cambio, vorrebbe differenti piccoli articoli, prodotti da parecchi altri uomini, ed a epoche differente.
Tutto questo complica gli affari. Se vi fosse denaro in circolazione, ognuno potrebbe vendere i suoi prodotti agli altri in cambio di denaro. Con la moneta ricevuta. potrebbe comprare dagli altri le cose che desidera, quando le desidera e quando vi sono.
Tutti sono d’accordo a riconoscere la comodità di possedere un sistema di denaro. Ma nessuno di loro sa come stabilirne uno. Hanno imparato a produrre la vera ricchezza, le cose. Ma non sanno fare i segni, il denaro.
Essi ignorano come il denaro comincia e come farlo incominciare quando non ce n’è e che si decide insieme di averlo… Senza dubbio molti uomini istruiti sarebbero altrettanto nell’imbarazzo; tutti i nostri governanti lo sono stato durante dieci anni prima della guerra. Solo il denaro mancava al paese ed il governo restava paralizzato difronte a questo problema.
5. Arrivo d’un rifugiato
Una sera che i nostri uomini, seduti sulla spiaggia, parlano per la centesima volta di questo problema, tutto di un colpo vedono avvicinarsi una barca guidata da un solo uomo.
S’affrettano ad aiutare il nuovo naufrago. Gli offrono le prime cure e discorrono. Apprendono che è un Europeo, il solo sopravvivente di un naufragio. Il suo nome: Martin, Golden.
Felice di avere un altro compagno, i cinque uomini lo accolgono con calore e gli fanno visitare la colonia.
— “Malgrado che siamo perduti lontano dal resto del mondo, gli dicono, non siamo proprio da compiangere. La terra rende molto bene ed anche la foresta. Una sola cosa ci manca: non abbiamo denaro per facilitare lo scambio dei nostri prodotti.”
— “Benedite l’azzardo che mi ha portato qui! risponde Martin. Il denaro non ha misteri per me. Io, sono un banchiere ed in poco tempo posso installarvi un sistema monetario che vi darà soddisfazione.”
Un banchiere!… Un banchiere!… Un angelo venuto direttamente dal cielo non avrebbe inspirato più di reverenza. In paesi civilizzati non siamo noi abituati ad inclinarsi davanti ai banchieri che controllano le pulsazioni della finanza?
6. Il dio della civiltà
— Signor Martin, poiché siete banchiere, voi non lavorerete sull’Isola. Vi occupererete solamente dello nostro denaro.”
— “Io me ne disobbligherò colla soddisfazione, come ogni banchieri, di stimulare la prosperità comune.”
— “Signor Martin, vi costruiremo una dimora degna di voi. Nel fra tempo, vi possiamo installare nell’edificio che serve alle nostre riunioni pubbliche?”
— “Molto bene, amici miei. Ma incominciamo a sbarcare tutto ciò che sono riuscito a salvare dal naufragio: una piccola pressa, della carta e soprattutto un piccolo barile che tratterete con molto cura.”
Si sbarca tutto. Il piccolo barile intriga la curiosità della nostra brava gente.
— “Questo barile, dichiara Martin, è un tesoro senza pari. È pieno d’oro!”
Pieno d’oro! Cinque anime mancarono di sprigionarsi da cinque corpi. Il dio della civiltà entrato nell’Isola dei Naufraghi. Il dio gallo, sempre nascoto, ma potente, terribile, di cui la presenza o l’assenza o i minimi capricci possono decidere della vita di 100 nazioni!
— “Dell’oro! Signor Martin, vero grande banchiere! Ricevete i nostri omaggi ed i nostri giuramenti di fedeltà.”
—- “Dell’oro per tutto un continente, miei amici. Ma non è l’oro che deve circolare. Bisogna nascondere l’oro: l’oro è l’anima di tutto denaro sano. L’anima deve restare invisibile. Io vi spiegherò tutto cià quando vi darò il denaro.”
7. Un seppellimento senza testimone
Prima di separarsi per la notte, Martin gli rivolge un’ultima domanda:
“Per incominciare, di quanto denaro avreste bisogno sull’Isola, per facilitare i vostri scambi?”
Si guardano. Consultano umilmente lo stesso Martin. Colle suggestioni del benevolo banchiere si conviene che $200 per ognuno paiono abbastanza per incominciare. Appuntamento fissato per domani sera.
Gli uomini si ritirano, scambiano tra di loro, riflessioni commosse, vanno a dormire tardi, s’addormentano bene soltanto verso il mattino, dopo avere a lungho sognato d’oro cogli occhi aperti.
Martin, lui, non perde tempo. Dimentica la sua stanchezza per non pensare che al suo avvenire di banchiere. Allo spuntare del giorno scava un fosso e rotola il barile dentro, lo copre di terra, lo dissimula con dei ciuffi d’erba accuratamente posti, vi trapianta un piccolo arbusto per nascondere ogni traccia.
Poi egli mette in moto la sua piccola pressa, per stampare mille biglietti da un dollaro. Vedendo i biglietti uscire della pressa, tutti nuovi, sogna in se stesso:
— “Come sono facili a fare questi biglietti! Essi tirano il loro valore dai prodotti che serviranno a comprare. Senza prodotti, i biglietti non valerebbero nulla. I miei cinque ingenui clienti non pensano a ciò. Essi credono che è l’oro che garantisce i dollari. Io li tengo per la loro ignoranza!”
La sera arrivata, i cinque arrivano correndo presso Martin.
8. A chi il denaro fatto di fresco?
Cinque mucchietti di biglietti erano là, sulla tavola.
— “Prima di distribuirvi questo denaro, disse il banchiere, bisogna intendersi.”
“Il denaro è basato sull’oro. L’oro, collocato nella volta della mia banca, è mio. Dunque il denaro è mio … Oh! Non siate tristi. Io vi prestero questo denaro e voi l’userete a vostro piacere. In attesa, io non vi carico che gli interessi. Visto che il denaro è raro sull’Isola, essendo che non ce n’è affatto, io credo di essere ragionevole, domandandovi solo un piccolo interesse dell’otto per cento.”
— “In effecto, Signor Martin, voi siete molto generoso.”
— “Un’ultimo punto, miei amici. Gli affari sono gli affari, anche tra grandi amici. Prima di toccare il suo denaro, ognuno di voi, firmerà questo documento: c’è l’impegno per ognuno di voi di rimborsare capitale ed interessi, su pena di confiscazione, da me, delle loro proprietà. Oh! Una semplice garanzia. Io non tengo per nulla ad avere mai le vostre proprietà, io mi contento del denaro. Io sono sicuro che voi conserverete i vostri beni e che mi restituerete il denaro.”
— “È pieno di buon senso, Signor Martin. Noi raddoppieremo d’ardore al lavoro e vi rimborseremo tutto.”
— “Va bene. E rivenite a vedermi ogni qual volta che avete dei problemi. Il banchiere è il migliore amico di tutti… Adesso, ecco ad ognuno i suoi 200 dollari.”
Ed i nostri cinque uomini se ne vanno contenti, la testa e le mani piene di dollari.
9. Un problema d’aritmetica
Il denaro di Martin ha circolato nell’Isola. Gli scambi si sono moltiplicati, semplificandosi. Tutti si rallegrano e salutano Martin con rispetto e gratitudine.
Frattanto, Tommaso, l’ingegnere, è inquieto. I suoi prodotti sono ancora sotto la terra. Non ha più in tasca che qualche dollaro. Come potrà rimborsare alla prossima scadenza il banchiere?
Dopo aver ragionato a lungo sul suo problema individuale, Tommaso considera questo socialmente:
“Considerando la popolazione dell’Isola tutta intera, pensa, siamo noi in grado di mantenere i nostri impegni ? Martin ha fatto una somma totale di $1,000. Egli domanda una somma di $1,080. Persino prenderemmo insieme tutto il denaro dell’Isola per portarglielo, ciò farebbe $1,000 e non $1,080. Nessuno ha-fatto gli $80 in piò. Noi facciamo prodotti, non dollari. Martin potrà dunque sequestrare tutta l’Isola, poiché noi tutti insieme, non possiamo restituire capitale ed interessi.
“Quelli che sono capace rimborsano per loro stessi, senza preoccuparsi degli altri, molti caderanno subito, altri sopravviveranno. Ma, il turno degli altri verrà ed il banchiere prenderà tutto. Dunque meglio vale mettersi insieme immediatamente e regolare quest’affare socialmente.”
Tommaso non ha difficoltà a convincere gli altri che Martin li ha imbrogliati. Tutti si danno appuntamento presso dal banchiere.
Bern, 21.12.2016 – During its meeting on 21 December 2016, the Federal Council approved a report on monetary policy, thereby responding to various postulates referred by Parliament after the discontinuation of the exchange rate floor for the euro. The report concluded that the Swiss National Bank has appropriate governance and can perform its mandate effectively with the existing legal framework.
Many parliamentary procedural requests on monetary policy in general and on the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in particular were submitted following the discontinuation of the exchange rate floor for the euro on 15 January 2015: the Bischof 15.3091 and 15.4053 postulates on negative interest rates and SNB governance, the Rechsteiner 15.3367 postulate on the role of the Swiss franc and the Cramer 15.3208 postulate on the strong franc and shopping tourism.
The Federal Council has drawn up a report on these topics. It shows that the SNB’s monetary policy concept has proved its worth also in difficult situations such as in the wake of the global financial crisis from 2007 to 2009. The National Bank has all the instruments necessary to perform its mandate, i.e. to ensure price stability while paying due attention to the development of the economy. Furthermore, it can influence the value of the franc if it considers this to be necessary. Particular attention was paid to the issue of SNB governance. The Federal Council considers the SNB’s existing legal basis to be appropriate and sees no need to change it.
Interest rates are currently very low worldwide. This low interest rate environment is highly challenging for pension funds and banks, irrespective of the SNB’s negative interest rates, which it introduced to reduce the appeal of investments in Swiss francs. They are effective only if all financial market players are affected by them. Any exceptions would create a precedent which would diminish the effectiveness of monetary policy.
Address for enquiries
Philipp Rohr, Communications Officer, Federal Finance Administration FFA
Tel. +41 58 465 16 06, philipp.rohr@efv.admin.ch
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Two weeks ago, the ECB decided to extend QE for another 9 months. This means more work to be done to convince policymakers that QE is not the right response to the Eurozone crisis. Look what we achieved in 2016!
1. We organised a conference at the European Parliament
In February we hosted a very successful and well-attended conference at the European Parliament thanks to key supporting MEPs Molly Scott-Cato, Fabio de Masi and Paul Tang. The conference was an important step to establish the campaign’s credibility within the EU. » Check out the highlights from the event
2. The European Parliament published a report on helicopter money
In April, the European Parliament’s research service dedicated a special policy briefing report on the concept of ‘helicopter money’. The report mentions our work and is broadly positive. » Check it out
3. A great event in Paris
We also started to build a national coalition in France, and raised our profile by organising a public conference on May 31st in Paris. Key supporters of the campaign presented different proposals for QE for People. The conference was well covered in the French media. » Read our report
4. 18 MEPs signed an open letter to the ECB
In June, we convinced 18 MEPs to sign a joint letter to Mario Draghi, asking the ECB to “dedicate significant expertise and resources to studying the viability and implementation of innovative policies”. The letter was covered by the Financial Times. » Read the letter
5. We demonstrated the feasibility of QE for People
In September we intensified our lobbying activities in Brussels. In order to convince more MEPs about the need for QE for People, we produced a policy briefing which summarizes how and why the ECB could distribute money directly to citizens. The report is one of the few papers which clearly shows why (and how) the measure would be legal. » Read the paper
6. The vast majority of the population would support QE for People
In October, a European wide survey evaluated whether people would support the ECB for distributing money directly to individuals. The results showed that 54% would be in favour, with only 14% against. The survey also evaluates how people would spend the money. » Check out the survey results
7. The European Parliament criticized QE for the first time
In November, the European Parliament adopted its annual resolution on the ECB. After some significant work from us engaging with MEPsIn contrast to previous years, for the first time the parliament expressed important concerns on quantitative easing, especially on its lack of effectiveness and its undesired side-effects. » Share on social media
8. The ECB itself admitted QE for People would be legal
In December, the ECB itself came out with a public letter which broadly supports our view. The ECB said ‘helicopter money’ is legal, if it is designed within the monetary policy framework. This is probably the most insightful statement the ECB has ever made on this topic, which shows they are actually thinking about it! » Check our report
9. We exposed the ECB’s support for climate change industry
We partnered with Corporate Europe Observatory to scrutinize the ECB’s corporate bonds purchases and found out that the ECB is indeed fueling polluting industries that are far away from the EU’s anti-climate change commitments. The report was mentioned in the Guardian and lots of other national media. Following up on this, Green MEPs decided to write a letter to the ECB. » Share to expose
10. We established a public-interest voice on monetary policy
More than 10,000 people are supporting the campaign and we are doing our best to make your voice heard in a debate that is mostly dominated by the financial sector. We are the only European voice representing civil society in monetary policy issues.
» Together we can make a difference. Can you spread the word and invite your contacts to join the campaign?
We wish you a very merry Christmas! See you in 2017!
The Wanderer, January 8, 2008
Should “Social Credit” Be Taken Seriously?
By PAUL LIKOUDIS
In his new book, *In Defense of Human Dignity: Essays on the Just Third Way: A Natural Law Perspective* (reviewed three weeks ago in From the Mail), Michael D. Greaney devotes a chapter to “A Critique of Social Credit,” arguing that the economic theory or “system” developed by English Major C. H. Douglas in the 1920s is not compatible with Catholic social doctrine.
And yet, the Douglas’ “scheme,” especially as further developed by the great French Canadian Catholic lay activist Louis Even and a host of his disciples, including a former mayor of Montreal, is an idea that is growing in popularity around the world, has been adopted by such countries as the Philippines and Madagascar, and was enthusiastically endorsed and recommended as a viable solution to the economic chaos engulfing much of the world now by His Eminence Bernard Cardinal Agre, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Abidan, Ivory Coast at a social action conference in Quebec this past summer.
“Social Credit” has also been the subject of favorable articles published recently in the British journal New Science, as well as by the University of Ottawa based Centre for Research on Globalization.
In an address this past June to the members of the lay action movement founded by Even, the Pilgrims of St. Michael in Rougemont, Quebec, titled “The Social Credit Lessons Are Based on the Social Doctrine of the Church,” Cardinal Agre, who serves on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, explained how the doctrines of Social Credit are in complete accordance with the teachings of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, and said he would like to see the Pilgrims of St. Michael have a permanent residence in Rome.
Cardinal Agre was one of four cardinals entrusted by Pope John Paul II to write the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
“When you take the ten lessons on Social Credit,” the cardinal said,” they directly originate from the thought that was condensed in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church; you can fully sense the content of the Social Doctrine and the application of the Gospel in these ten lessons. I believe that we must pay much attention to this.
“You have a goldmine in the Compendium that assembles all what the great Popes spoke and said about society, starting with those who spoke most: Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI who also wrote a lot, and John Paul II. It is all of this together that makes the Social Doctrine of the Church. We must remember this.
“Money is not to be rejected, but earned honestly, and one must be careful. I leave you with this phrase: ‘We must dishonor money earned through evil.’ This means that today all the banks create money, but there is clean money and dirty money. Dirty money creates nothing, dirty money of prostitution, of all kinds of evils that we cannot name. It exists, the banks create money. All money that the banks receive is money that is clean and earned, but the money that banks create out of nothing is dirty money…
“Dishonor money that is illgained and ill-employed as well, because money that is ill-employed becomes noxious. That is what you read in the Ten Lessons on Social Credit and other teachings.
“Like everyone else, I came looking for hope. My hope is that no matter what, by dint of talking, educating, creating study circles, we will finally manage to break this law of iron and fire of money, of an international financial house that controls all of us; we will succeed, it is certain…”
To further show his support for the Social Credit movement promoted by the Pilgrims of St. Michael, Cardinal Agre agreed to write the forward for a new edition of the Polish language edition of Louis Even’s book on Social Credit.
In fact, the Social Credit ideas of Douglas and Even almost became law in the United States in 1932, through legislation known as “the Goldsborough Bill,” after Maryland Rep. T. Allan Goldsborough, passed by the House of Representatives, but it was defeated in the Senate after stiff opposition by President Roosevelt and the directors of the Federal Reserve.
As W. E. Turner wrote in Stable Money: A Conservative Answer to Business Cycles ( 1966): “An overwhelming majority of the U. S. Congress (289 to 60) favored it as early as 1932, and in one form or another it has persisted since. Only the futile hope that a confident new President (Roosevelt) could restore prosperity without abandoning the credit money system America had inherited kept Social Credit from becoming the law of the land. By 1936, when the New Deal (Roosevelt’s solution) had proved incapable of dealing effectively with the Depression, the proponents of Social Credit were back again in strength. The last significant effort to gain its adoption came in 1938…”
One supporter in the Senate was Robert L. Owen, Oklahoma from 1907 to 1925 (a national bank director for 46 years), who testified in the House on April 28, 1936: “…the bill which he (Goldsborough) then presented, with the approval of the Committee on Banking and Currency of the House — and I believe it was practically a unanimous report. It was debated for two days in the House, a very simple bill, declaring it to be the policy of the United States to restore and maintain the value of money, and directing the Secretary of the Treasury, the officers of the Federal Reserve Board, and the Reserve banks to make effective that policy. That was all, but enough, and it passed, not by a partisan vote. There were 117 Republicans who voted for that bill (which was presented by a Democrat) and it passed by 289 to 60, and of the 60 who voted against it, only 12, by the will of the people, remain in the Congress.
“It was defeated by the Senate, because it was not really understood. There had not been sufficient discussion of it in public. There was not an organized public opinion in support of it.”
No More Debt
The fundamental doctrine of Social Credit is that money is supposed to be servant, not a master, and it is the responsibility of governments to ensure there is sufficient and stable money in circulation. As Louis Even wrote in his masterpiece, In This Age of Plenty:
“Social Credit tears away the veil which has kept money something almost sacred and untouchable. It makes money a simple servant, and not a master — a god who dictates, permits, or forbids.
“Social Credit maintains that: All that is physically possible and legitimately requested must, by this very fact, be made financially possible.
“If it is possible to build houses, roads, and construct sewage systems, it must be financially possible to pay for the necessary work and materials to build these things. If this is not possible, then one must admit that it is the monetary system that masters man, and not man who masters his monetary system. And since money consists of nothing more than engraved or printed figures, or else handwritten figures in a bank ledger, it is more than stupid and absurd, it is criminal to let families go homeless, towns without public utilities, simply because of a lack of figures…”
In the Introduction to *The Social Credit Proposals Explained in Ten Lessons And Viewed in the Light of the Social Doctrine of the Church,* available on line, Alain Pilote wrote: “Social Credit would neither create the goods nor the needs, but it would eliminate any artificial obstacle between the two of them, between production and consumption, between the wheat in elevators and the bread on the table. The obstacle today — at least in the developed countries — is purely of financial order, a money obstacle. Now, the financial system neither proceeds from God nor nature. Established by men, it can be adjusted to serve men and no more to cause them problems.
“To this end, Social Credit presents concrete propositions. Though very simple, these propositions nevertheless imply a real revolution. Social Credit brings the vision of a new civilization, if by civilization one can mean man’s relationship with his fellow men and the conditions of life making easier for each one the blossoming of his personality.
“Under a Social Credit system, we would no longer be struggling with problems that are strictly financial, which constantly plague public administrations, institutions, families, and which poison relationships between individuals. Finance would be nothing but an accounting system, expressing in figures the relative values of goods and services, making easier the mobilization and coordination of the energies required for the different levels of production towards the finished good, and distributing to ALL consumers the means to choose freely and individually what is suitable to them among the goods offered or immediately realizable…
“Each citizen would be presented with this economic security as a birthright, as a member of the community, enjoying throughout one’s life an immense community capital, that has become a dominant factor of modern production. This capital is made up of, among other things, the natural resources, which are a collective good; life in society, with the increment that ensues from it; the sum of the discoveries, inventions, technological progress, which are an ever increasing heritage from generations…”
The Appendix of Louis Even’s In *This Age of Plenty: A New Conception of Economics”: Social Credit, contains the full report of a committee of nine theologians who were asked to judge whether any of its elements were tinged with socialism or communism. After considerable deliberation, the nine theologians found that Social Credit was not tainted with Socialism nor Communism, and was worthy of close attention.
In the introduction to the 1996 Polish edition of Even’s work, Bishop Zigniew Jozef Kraszewski, wrote: “What Catholics learned in the social doctrine of the Church is the way between socialism and capitalism. For many years, this doctrine has been diffused in Canada, and known as the Social Credit theory. Louis Even’s book, In *This Age of Plenty”, that I introduce to the Polish readers, is an exposition of the Catholic social doctrine that is good not only for the Canadians; this book contains a lot of instructive topics for any person who reads it and who is open to social problems. This book has not been written only for great theoreticians and scholars, but for everybody. That is why this book is precious to the Poles, especially at the time of the second miracle of the Vistula River that we are presently experiencing. (The miracle of the downfall of Communism.)” Poland miraculously succeeded in gaining its freedom and sovereignty. After the
devastation of Communism that had been keeping us captive for so many years, we have the duty to choose the right path of social justice, based on Catholic doctrine. I think this book will largely help in achieving that. I entrust all the readers to the protection of Our Lady Victorious, who reigns in the cocathedral of Kamionku, in Warsaw.”
To learn more about Louis Even and Social Credit, see “The Michael Journal” at: http://michaeljournal.org, which is available in French, English, German, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
“Its only aim is to remove from these banks the privilege of controlling credit and money in order to confer that privilege to the State; this is the only nationalization required.”
Bill, that sentence above was taken from the piece “Social Credit and
Catholicism” that was forwarded in your previous post….
From the way some of the Pilgrims’ literature I’ve seen is written, for
instance, it could easily be taken that “Social Credit” wants to centralize
ALL credit issue into the hands of Government. The quote above could be
interpreted that way, too. This could certainly lead, as it has already
often lead other authors trying to understand Social Credit and explain it
in print, to believe that it is contradictory in its desire to empower the
‘individual’, since a “State” (government) in complete control over all
‘credit’ issue seems inherently ‘socialistic’.
When I read that passage quoted in the Levesque essay, and other material
expressed in a similar way in that essay; and similarly in other sources as
varied as Tutte’s book, Alf Hooke’s “30+5”, and Vic Bridger’s latest “Good
Sense Journal” (pages 11-12, as it could be taken, and has, by John Rawson,
for one), it strikes me that we have got to have some finality over what
such passages really mean.
Either the “State”, as in “Government”, DOES HAVE complete control over ALL
credit issue, i.e. the power to create credit has been completely removed
from the private Banks and vested in some centralised agency, such as a
Reserve Bank, and the private banks are only to be “on-lenders”.
Or, we view the “State”, as I think Douglas intended it to be viewed, as the
“community” of individuals. Where credit-issue remained with the private
banks as now, under public oversight and regulation as with any other
monopoly, of course, but where, within the overall banking system, there
existed an agency to ascertain the necessary ongoing macro-economic
accounting corrections, and a means of distribution of the appropriate
credits to Consumers.
And that this, of itself, would be sufficient to restore the financial
system to proper functionality, with increasing benefits to all.
Until this is settled, I think we’re going to continue to have people like
Greaney, even more ‘honest’ ones than him, trying to reconcile what seems
like a serious contradiction. Or using it against us.
And invariably, as I’ve seen written elsewhere by authors who have no reason
to be prejudiced against it, their view of Social Credit will be that it is
Suomen Talousdemokratia ry – Ekonomisk Demokrati i Finland – Economic Democracy Finland #rahareformi #QE4people (member of @MoneyReform_Int) #rahareformilaki
The following message was sent today to Australian Senator Matt Canavan in response to his newsletter endorsing an aggressive job-creation plan for Queensland by expansion of the the coal industry in that region.
“Dear Senator Matt Canavan,
“Thank you for your latest Bulletin and update on the coal industry, etc. in Queensland.
“I note that your report contains repeated references and allusions to the creation of new jobs (i.e.,”work”) for the citizens of your region. One wonders from whence originates the ideological or philosophical motivation for this apparently aggressive policy of providing “jobs” to keep the population at toil. It has the characteristic of a socialist (Keynesian), communist or national socialist policy, full-employment being the central objective of all of these totalitarian forms of government. It is certainly the underlying assumption of virtually all university courses on economics which are essentially in accord with the wealth and power-centralizing Fabian Socialist financial debt advocacy advanced by the late British Fabian Socialist economist, John Maynard Keynes, and is diametrically opposed not only to rational economics but also to Christian philosophy, being rather an intensive expression and application of Puritanism (i.e., Pharisaism) or the false Doctrine of Salvation through Works, as opposed to the Christian Doctrine of Salvation through Unearned Grace. The underlying assumption of this “works” policy is that humanity is faced with eternal scarcity and that toil is regarded as necessary to the purification of the human soul which is assumed to be otherwise irredeemably evil (especially if it is someone else’s soul). It is a denial of the Promise that there is more to Life than Bread alone.
“Economics is simply the application of energy to the conversion of materials to produce items which are useful to or desired by human beings. The only legitimate and rational purpose of economics Is to deliver goods and services as, when and where required or desired–as efficiently as possible with an absolute minimum of inconvenience to all concerned. It has nothing whatsoever to do with providing work, as such. Such a conception Is related to the degrading belief that idle hands inevitably find evil actions to commit. This necessarily involves the economics of waste and sabotage. This contention and its resulting policy has served the purposes of tyrants from time immemorial.
“The modern economic problem arises from the fact that increasing capitalization of industry by plant and technology results in an increasing disparity between consumer incomes and final consumer prices, the latter rapidly outpacing the former. The consuming public is incapable of buying the current product of industry and is forced to produce additional goods in order to earn income available to purchase goods produced not currently but in the past. Increasingly consumers and governments are forced to contract larger and larger amounts of financial debt in order to “bridge” this growing deficiency of consumer buying power. Nations are increasingly engaged in intensifying competition to export more than they import in International trade, which phenomenon is the primary cause of war. The end result of all of this is growing waste, want and International conflict.
“The locus of the problem besetting the modern economy is not to be found in production but rather in consumption. Because of growing financial charges relating to the costs of real capital and goods brought in from a previous costing cycle, industry distributes increasingly insufficient incomes in the form of wages, salaries and dividends to liquidate the final and total costs of goods the prices of which must include not only labour but all factors of production. Producing more cost-creating goods or mortgaging the future through increasing financial debt is no solution to the expanding problem of consumer income deficiency and merely transfers it as an inflationary charge on the future. The problem is that the existing financial price-system is not self-liquidating, that is, it cannot liquidate in the same costing cycle the financial costs and prices which it generates within the same cycle. This irrefutable fact invalidates Say’s Law. As the economy modernizes and non-labor factors of production increase relative to labor this financial defect is magnified while at the same time we are physically capable of producing a growing abundance of actual goods, causing thereby an increasing profusion of economic and social problems because of a growing failure or “bottleneck” in distribution.
“Continuing expansion of consumer income is absolutely essential if the costs of industry are to be met by consumer purchases. This expanded income must be met without increasing costs and prices and must be issued to consumers without being accounted as financial debt or the necessity of engaging in additional cost-creating projects. It must be issued directly to consumers, without being accounted as debt, as National (Consumer) Dividends to all citizens and to all retailers at point-of-sale enabling them to reduce their prices, that is to charge compensated prices, declining as the national consumption to production ratio decreases consequent to technological efficiency. This new purchasing power is now being issued by the banks by expansion of credit as loans all the time, but fraudulently because of their false claim to ownership of this credit by which they monetize but do not produce the community’s wealth. Attempting to compensate this inherent defect in the price system by increasing debt and further expansion of production or exports is a fools errand and can only lead to economic and social disaster.
“Ideally, all production in a fully efficient economy should be full automated, eliminating thereby all concerns for the engagement of humans in production. We are rapidly moving toward this goal and predictions are that within the next twenty or so years in the United States approximately fifty per cent. of all “jobs” across the board will be eliminated by automation and artificial intelligence. This is a marvellous prospect if humans can only muster the basic intelligence to provide a financial mechanism whereby the product can be distributed to the consumers for whom it is intended.
“I might add that increased prices for commodities is not a rational or desirable goal. Maximum efficiency and resultant abundance should, and would, ideally reduce prices to zero. When one walks in the meadows or the woods one is supplied with an absolute adequacy of fresh air which is of absolute “value” and importance to human life but has no financial value whatsoever. According to our distorted sense of value this essential, abundant and priceless air should be regarded as valueless and should be avoided as useless and of no consequence whatsoever. We must break the rigid historical Puritanical link between human labour and the right to consumption, which ignores the fact that production is today increasingly accomplished less by the application of human energy, and is inspired by a false moralism that is increasingly a violation of natural law in an age of abundance, where securing of markets and not of production capacity, is the major challenge to industry.
In this episode we talk with Emma Dawnay who represents the Swiss Vollgeld initiative. Just like Positive Money in the UK and Ons Geld in The Netherlands, the Swiss organisation wants to give the exclusive right to print money to the Swiss State. For this purpose over 100,000 signatories have been collected so it will now be put to a referendum.
Switzerland is politically unique in this regard as the Swiss Constitution provides a political instrument known as the Volksinitiative (Peoples’ Initiative) which enables Swiss citizens to launch an initiative aimed at changing specific provisions within the Swiss Constitution. To do so requires first of all the collection within an 18 month period of 100’000 valid signatures in support of the initiative. Should this hurdle be surmounted, the initiative would then be put to a national vote.
In a nut shell, the proposal extends the Swiss Federation’s existing exclusive right to create coins and notes, to also include deposits. With the full power of new money creation exclusively in the hands of the Swiss National Bank, the commercial banks would no longer have the power to create money through lending. The Swiss National Bank’s primary role becomes the management of the money supply relative to the productive economy, while the decision concerning how new money is introduced debt free into the economy would reside with the government. As is evident from the foregoing, the MoMo monetary reform initiative is essentially based on the monetary reform advocated by PositiveMoney.
For those interested in following the developments of the campaign, or who would like to understand the detailed provisions, including those relating to the transition period, please refer to the campaign website. The website is in German, French, and Italian, so language might present a limitation for many of you. Nevertheless, we do encourage you to visit the website and if you have specific questions, to leave a message in English. Someone from the team who speaks English will get back to you. The biggest challenge for the team at this stage of the campaign is to find the needed help and financing for signature collection. The minimum amount of funding required for a successful campaign is estimated to be 400’000 CHF or just over 270’000 GBP. Although, this is a non-UK initaitive, should the MoMo team succeed in putting such a fundamental reform proposal to a national vote, this would be a momentous achievement for the monetary reform movement in Europe and across the globe. All eyes would be fixed on Switzerland, because success for this small but significant player in the financial arena would inevitably have a ripple effect in other countries.
LE PROJET DE PLATEFORME DIGNITÉ & DÉVELOPPEMENT EST LANCÉ
Union de Fribourg réactualisée
Samedi 5 septembre à l’Université Miséricorde de Fribourg, quelque huitante personnes ont assisté au lancement de la plateforme Dignité & Développement, voulue par Mgr Charles Morerod afin de mettre en commun les acteurs chrétiens qui participent à la réflexion sur les actuels enjeux sociétaux. Diverses thématiques ont été présentées autour desquelles des groupes de réflexion se réuniront pendant trois ans.
Une dizaine de sujets, récoltés en amont auprès d’institutions et de privés, ont été présentés samedi après-midi devant l’auditoire de l’Université de Fribourg, lors d’une conférence interdisciplinaire sur le bien commun. Certains participants s’inscrivent dans la mouvance de la dernière encyclique du Pape (Laudato Si’) et souhaitent aborder l’écologie, y compris dans son lien avec les inégalités sociales. D’autres veulent questionner le droit international : le bien commun en est-il encore le noyau ? et quel est le rôle des religions dans la refondation du droit international relatif à l’être humain ? Ont été aussi proposées des réflexions sur la formation, la responsabilité des acteurs économiques ou encore les enjeux liés au monde du travail : quelle place accorde-t-on, par exemple, aux employés qui aujourd’hui ont été remplacés par des outils informatiques ?
Toute personne intéressée à participer à l’un des groupes de travail ou à proposer d’autres sujets de réflexion peut encore s’annoncer à chancellerie(at)diocese-lgf.ch
— LA BATAILLE FINALE DE LA CHRÉTIENTÉ SE FERA AUTOUR DU PROBLÈME DE L’ARGENT, ET TANT QUE CE PROBLÈME NE SERA PAS RÉSOLU, IL NE POURRA Y AVOIR L’APPLICATION UNIVERSELLE DU CHRISTIANISME —
Le conseiller national Geri Müller avait déjà posé 4 de nos questions au Conseil fédéral en 2012 ! Et que ces questions avaient été classées sans suite… Merci Gérard Foucher 😘
Face à la crise de l’euro et de la dette, je prie le Conseil fédéral de prendre position sur la question de la création de monnaie en Suisse. Selon la théorie économique qui prévaut, la plus grande part de la masse monétaire M1 est créée par l’accroissement de la somme des bilans des banques commerciales et non par la Banque nationale suisse (BNS), ce que confirme d’ailleurs le lexique de cette dernière: “Les banques créent de la monnaie en accordant des crédits; cf. lexique de la BNS”.
Partant de ce constat, je prie le Conseil fédéral de répondre aux questions suivantes:
1. Aux termes de l’article 2 de la loi fédérale sur l’unité monétaire et les moyens de paiement (LUMMP), seuls sont considérés comme moyens de paiement, les espèces métalliques, les billets de banque et les avoirs à vue auprès de la BNS. Sur quelle base légale se fonde la pratique générale (suivie également par les autorités) de considérer les avoirs à vue auprès des banques comme des moyens de paiement légaux, alors qu’ils ne constituent qu’une créance sur ceux-ci, qui sera honorée ou non par les banques selon leur solvabilité?
2. La création de monnaie scripturale des banques commerciales est-elle conforme au droit régalien de la Confédération, selon l’article 99 de la Constitution, qui dispose que “la monnaie relève de la compétence de la Confédération”?
3. Comme le Conseil fédéral l’a relevé dans son message du 26 mai 1999 concernant la LUMMP, “Les avoirs à vue auprès d’une grande banque, d’une banque cantonale ou régionale, ou encore d’une organisation de cartes de crédit, ne sont effectivement pas la même chose que ceux déposés à la BNS, qui est le seul établissement du pays … à pouvoir créer de l’argent à son gré”. L’Etat ne peut donc déclarer la monnaie scripturale des banques comme moyen de paiement légal (99.051). Or vu qu’elle est considérée dans les faits comme telle, le Conseil fédéral ne pense-t-il pas qu’il serait nécessaire de préciser cette distinction dans la loi parce que la majorité de la population continue de penser que la mise en circulation de moyens de paiement libellés en francs est exclusivement du ressort de la BNS et par conséquent garantie?
4. Comment le Conseil fédéral légitime-t-il ce droit des banques commerciales de créer de la monnaie, sans qu’elle soit entièrement garantie par un capital, en accordant des crédits, qui augmentent la somme de leur bilan, alors que les particuliers ne peuvent consentir des prêts que s’ils disposent de l’argent?
15.06.2012 CONSEIL NATIONAL La discussion est reportée. BULLETIN OFFICIEL 21.03.2014 En suspens depuis plus de deux ans; classement.
The financial enigma resolved — A debt-money system
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by Louis Even
“The Money Myth Exploded” was one of the first articles of Louis Even, and remains one of the most popular to explain how money is created as a debt by private banks. It is available in the form of an 8-page leaflet (tabloid format) that you can order from the “Michael” office, in several languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Portuguese.
1. Shipwreck survivors
An explosion had blown their ship apart. Each one grasped the first bit of wreckage that came to hand. And when it was over, there were five left, five huddled on a raft which the waves carried along at their will. As for the other victims of the disaster, there was no sign of them.
Hour after long hour their eyes searched the horizon. Would some passing ship sight them? Would their make-shift raft finds its way to some friendly shore?
Suddenly a cry rang out: “Land! Look! Over there, in the direction the waves are carrying us!”
And as the vague silhouette proved itself to be, in fact, the outline of a shore, the figures on the raft danced with joy.
They were five. There was Frank, the carpenter, big and energetic. It was he who had first cried, “Land!”.
Then Paul, a farmer. You can see him, front and left in the picture, on his knees, one hand against the floor, the other gripping the mast of the raft.
Next is Jim, an animal breeder; he’s the one in the striped pants, kneeling and gazing in the direction of land.
Then there is Harry, an agriculturist, a little on the stout side, seated on a trunk salvaged from the wreck.
And finally Tom, a prospector and a mineralogist; he is the merry fellow standing in the rear of the picture with his hand on the carpenter’s shoulder.
2. A providential island
To our five men, setting foot on land was like returning to life from the grave.
When they had dried and warmed themselves their first impulse was to explore this little island on to which they had been cast, far from civilization.
A quick survey was sufficient to raise their spirit. The island was not a barren rock. True enough, they were the only men on it at the moment. But judging from the herds of semi-domesticated animals they encountered, there must have been men here at some time before them. Jim, the animal breeder, was sure he could completely domesticate them and put them to good service.
Paul found the island’s soil, for the most part, to be quite suitable for cultivation.
Harry discovered some fruit trees which, if properly tended, would give good harvests.
Most important were the large stands of timber embracing many types of wood. Frank, without too much difficulty, would be able to build houses for the little community.
As for Tom, the prospector, well, the rock formations of the island showed signs of rich mineral deposits. Lacking the tools, Tom still felt his ingenuity and initiative could produce metals from the ores.
So each could serve the common good with his special talent. All agreed to call the place Salvation Island. All gave thanks to Providence for the reasonably happy ending to what could have been stark tragedy.
3. True wealth
Here are the men at work.
The carpenter builds houses and makes furniture. At first they find their food where they can. But soon the fields are tilled and seeded, and the farmer has his crops.
As season followed season this island, this heritage of the five men, Salvation Island, became richer and richer.
Its wealth was not that of gold or of paper bank notes, but one of true value; a wealth of food and clothing and shelter, of all the things to meet human needs.
Each man worked at his own trade. Whatever surpluses he might have of his own produce, he exchanged for the surplus products of the others.
Life wasn’t always as smooth and complete as they could have wished it to be. They lacked many of the things to which they had been accustomed in civilization. But their lot could have been a great deal worse.
Besides, all had experienced the depression in Canada. They still remembered the empty bellies side by side with stores crammed with food.
At least, on Salvation Island, they weren’t forced to see the things they needed rot before their eyes. Taxes were unknown here. Nor did they go in constant fear of seizure by the bailiff. They worked hard but at least they could enjoy the fruits of their toil.
So they developed the island, thanking God and hoping for the day of reunion with their families, still in possession of life and health, those two greatest of blessings.
4. A serious inconvenience
Our men often got together to talk over their affairs.
Under the simple economic system which had developed, one thing was beginning to bother then more and more; they had no form of money. Barter, the direct exchange of goods for goods, had its drawbacks. The products to be exchanged were not always at hand when a trade was discussed. For example, wood delivered to the farmer in winter could not be paid for in potatoes until six months later.
Sometimes one man might have an article of considerable size which he wished to exchange for a number of smaller articles produced by different men at different times.
All this complicated business and laid a heavy burden on the memory. With a monetary system, however, each one could sell his products to the others for money. With this money he could buy from the others the things he wanted, when he wished and when they were available.
It was agreed that a system of money would indeed be very convenient. But none of them knew how to set up such a system. They knew how to produce true wealth – goods. But how to produce money, the symbol of this wealth, was something quite beyond them. They were ignorant of the origin of money, and needing it they didn’t know how to produce it. Certainly, many men of education would have been in the same boat; all our governments were in that predicament during the ten years prior to the war. The only thing the country lacked at that time was money, and the governments apparently didn’t know what to do to get it.
5. Arrival of a refugee
One evening, when our boys were sitting on the beach going over their problem for the hundredth time, they suddenly saw approaching a small boat with a solitary man at the oars.
They learned that he was the only survivor of a wreck. His name: Oliver.
Delighted to have a new companion, they provided him with the best that they had, and they took him on an inspection tour of the colony.
“Even though we’re lost and cut off from the rest of the world,” they told him, “we haven’t too much to complain about. The earth and the forest are good to us. We lack only one thing — money. That would make it easier for us to exchange our products.”
“Well, you can thank Providence,” replied Oliver, “because I am a banker, and in no time at all, I’ll set up a system of money guaranteed to satisfy you. Then you’ll have everything that people in civilization have.”
A banker!… A BANKER!… An angel coming down out of the clouds couldn’t have inspired more reverence and respect in our men. For, after all, are we not accustomed, we people in civilization, to genuflect before bankers, those men who control the lifeblood of finance?
6. Civilization’s god
“Mr. Oliver, as our banker, your only occupation on this island will be to look after our money; no manual labour.”
“I shall, like every other banker, carry out to complete satisfaction my task of forging the community’s prosperity.”
“Mr. Oliver, we’re going to build you a house that will be in keeping with your dignity as a banker. But in the meantime, do you mind if we lodge you in the building that we use for our get-togethers?”
“That will suit me, my friends. But first of all, unload the boat. There’s paper and a printing press, complete with ink and type, and there’s a little barrel which I exhort you to treat with the greatest care.”
They unloaded everything. The small barrel aroused intense curiosity in our good fellows.
“This barrel,” Oliver announced, “contains a treasure beyond dreams. It is full of… gold!”
Full of gold! The five all but swooned. The god of civilization here on Salvation Island! The yellow god, always hidden, yet terrible in its power, whose presence or absence or slightest caprice could decide the very fate of all the civilized nations!
“Gold! Mr. Oliver, you are indeed a great banker!”
“Oh august majesty! Oh honorable Oliver! Great high priest of the god, gold! Accept our humble homage, and receive our oaths of fidelity!”
“Yes, my friends, gold enough for a continent. But gold is not for circulation. Gold must be hidden. Gold is the soul of healthy money, and the soul is always invisible. But I’ll explain all that when you receive your first supply of money.”
7. The secret burial
Before they went their separate ways for the night, Oliver asked them one last question.
“How much money will you need to begin with in order to facilitate trading?”
They looked at one another, then deferentially towards the banker. After a bit of calculation, and with the advice of the kindly financier, they decided that $200 each would do.
The men parted, exchanging enthusiastic comments. And in spite of the late hour, they spent most of the night lying awake, their imaginations excited by the picture of gold. It was morning before they slept.
As for Oliver, he wasted not a moment. Fatigue was forgotten in the interests of his future as a banker. By dawn’s first light, he dug a pit into which he rolled the barrel. He then filled it in, transplanting a small shrub to the spot about which he carefully arranged sod. It was well hidden.
Then he went to work with his little press to turn out a thousand $1 bills. Watching the clean new banknotes come from his press, the refugee turned banker thought to himself:
“My! How simple it is to make money. All its value comes from the products it will buy. Without produce, these bills are worthless. My five naive customers don’t realize that. They actually think that this new money derives its value from gold! Their very ignorance makes me their master.”
And as evening drew on, the five came to Oliver — on the run.
8. Who owns the new money?
Five bundles of new banknotes were sitting on the table.
“Before distributing the money,” said the banker, “I would like your attention.
“Now, the basis of all money is gold. And the gold stored away in the vault of my bank is my gold. Consequently, the money is my money. Oh! Don’t look so discouraged. I’m going to lend you this money, and you’re going to use it as you see fit. However, you’ll have to pay interest. Considering that money is scarce here, I don’t think 8% is unreasonable.”
“Oh, that’s quite reasonable, Mr. Oliver.”
“One last point, my friends. Business is business, even between pals. Before you get the money, each of you is going to sign a paper. By it you will bind yourselves to pay both interest and capital under penalty of confiscation of property by me. Oh! This is a mere formality. Your property is of no interest to me. I’m satisfied with money. And I feel sure that I’ll get my money, and that you’ll keep your property.”
“That makes sense, Mr. Oliver. We’re going to work harder than ever in order to pay you back.”
“That’s the spirit. And any time you have a problem, you come and see me. Your banker is your best friend. Now here’s two hundred dollars for each one of you.”
And our five brave fellows went away, their hands full of dollar bills, their heads swimming with the ecstasy of having money.
9. A problem in arithmetic
And so Oliver’s money went into circulation on the island. Trade, simplified by money, doubled. Everybody was happy.
And the banker was always greeted with unfailing respect and gratitude.
But now, let’s see… Why does Tom, the prospector, look so grave as he sits busily figuring with a pencil and paper? It is because Tom, like the others, has signed an agreement to repay Oliver, in one year’s time, the $200 plus $16 interest. But Tom has only a few dollars in his pocket, and the date of payment is near.
For a long time he had wrestled with this problem from his own personal point of view, without success. Finally, he looked at it from the angle of the little community as a whole.
“Taking into consideration everyone on the island as a whole,” he mused, “are we capable of meeting our obligations? Oliver turned out a total of $1000. He’s asking in return $1080. But even if we bring him every dollar bill on the island, we’ll still be $80 short. Nobody made the extra $80. We turn out produce, not dollar bills. So Oliver can take over the entire island, since all the inhabitants together can’t pay him back the total amount of the capital and the interest.
“Even if a few, without any thought for the others, were able to do so, those others would fall. And the turn of the first spared would come eventually. The banker will have everything. We’d better hold a meeting right away and decide what to do about it.”
Tom, with his figures in his hand, had no difficulty in proving the situation. All agreed that they had been duped by the kindly banker. They decided upon a meeting at Oliver’s.
Bern, 21.12.2016 – Der Bundesrat hat an seiner Sitzung vom 21. Dezember 2016 einen Bericht über die Geldpolitik gutgeheissen. Er erfüllt damit verschiedene Postulate, die im Anschluss an die Aufhebung des Euro-Mindestkurses vom Parlament überwiesen wurden. Der Bericht kommt zum Schluss, dass die Schweizerische Nationalbank mit den bestehenden Rechtsgrundlagen über eine zweckmässige Governance verfügt und ihr Mandat wirksam erfüllen kann.
Im Anschluss an die Aufhebung des Euro-Mindestkurses am 15. Januar 2015 wurden zahlreiche parlamentarische Vorstösse zur Geldpolitik im Allgemeinen sowie zur Schweizerischen Nationalbank (SNB) im Besonderen eingereicht: die Postulate Bischof 15.3091 und 15.4053 zu den Negativzinsen und der Governance der SNB, das Postulat Rechsteiner 15.3367 zur Rolle des Schweizerfrankens und das Postulat Cramer 15.3208 zur Frankenstärke und dem Einkaufstourismus.
Der Bundesrat hat einen Bericht zu diesen Themen erarbeitet. Der Bericht zeigt, dass sich das geldpolitische Konzept der SNB bewährt hat, auch in schwierigen Situationen wie seit der globalen Finanzkrise von 2007 bis 2009. Die Nationalbank verfügt über alle notwendigen Instrumente für die Erfüllung ihres Mandats, namentlich die Gewährleistung der Preisstabilität unter Berücksichtigung der Konjunktur. Ausserdem kann sie den Frankenkurs beeinflussen, wenn sie dies als notwendig erachtet. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit wurde den Fragen zur Governance der SNB geschenkt. Der Bundesrat beurteilt dabei die für die SNB bestehenden Rechtsgrundlagen als zweckmässig und sieht keine Notwendigkeit, sie zu ändern.
Die Zinssätze sind zurzeit weltweit sehr niedrig. Dieses Tiefzinsumfeld stellt Pensionskassen und Banken vor grosse Herausforderungen, unabhängig von den Negativzinsen der SNB. Diese sind von der SNB eingeführt worden, um die Attraktivität von Anlagen in die Schweizer Währung zu vermindern. Sie sind nur wirksam, wenn alle Akteure auf den Finanzmärkten davon betroffen sind. Allfällige Ausnahmen würden einen Präzedenzfall schaffen. Die Wirksamkeit der Geldpolitik würde dadurch vermindert.
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Louis Even
1. Schiffbrüchige finden eine Insel
Eine Explosion hatte ihr Schiff zerrissen. Ein jeder versuchte noch, sich an einen schwimmenden Teil zu festzuhalten. Als alles vorüber war, blieben nur noch fünf Leute übrig, fünf, die sich auf einem Rettungsfloß befanden, das von den Wellen wegtrieben wurde. Von den anderen Opfern der Katastrophe war nichts mehr zu sehen.
Seit vielen Stunden schon schweifte ihr Blick über den Horizont: Würde ein durchreisendes Schiff sie sehen? Würde ihr Rettungsfloß auf irgendeiner freundlichen Küste stranden?
Plötzlich ruft jemand: “Land in Sicht! Schaut! Genau in der Richtung, in die uns das Meer treibt.”
Als sie tatsächlich auf ein Ufer zutreiben, herrscht bei den Schiffbrüchigen große Freude. Es handelt sich um fünf Europäer:
Franz ist ein großer, starker Zimmermann; er stieß als erster den Schrei “Land!” aus.
Paul, ein Landwirt. Man kann ihn im Vordergrund, links im Bild, sehen; er kniet und mit einer Hand stützt er sich auf dem Rettungsfloß, mit der anderen hält er sich am Mast des Floßes fest.
Jakob, ein Viehzüchter. Er trägt eine gestreifte Hose, kniet und sieht in die Richtung des Lands.
Heinrich ist ein Handelsgärtner. Er ist korpulent und sitzt auf einem Koffer, der den Schiffbruch überstanden hat.
Thomas ist ein Schürfer und Mineraloge; er steht hinter dem Zimmermann und hält eine Hand auf dessen Schulter.
2. Eine Insel, wie für sie geschaffen
Wieder auf festem Boden zu stehen, bedeutet für die Männer die Rückkehr ins Leben.
Nachdem sie sich getrocknet und aufgewärmt haben, beeilen sie sich, die Insel zu erkunden, auf die sie weit weg von jeder Zivilisation geraten sind. Sie nennen sie die Insel der Schiffbrüchigen.
Eine rasche, erste Besichtigung fällt zu ihrer Zufriedenheit aus. Die Insel ist kein unfruchtbares Land. Sie sind zur Zeit die einzigen Menschen auf der Insel. Jedoch müssen sie annehmen, daß vor ihnen bereits andere Menschen einmal da waren, wenn man in Erwägung zieht, dass hier und da noch halbwilde Herden zu sehen sind.
Der Viehzüchter Jakob ist der Ansicht, dass er die Tiere zähmen und aus ihnen Nutzen ziehen könne.
Paul denkt, dass der Boden der Insel zum größten Teil für die Landwirtschaft sehr geeignet sei.
Heinrich hat auch Obstbäume gefunden, von denen er sich eine gute Ernte verspricht.
Franz bemerkt vor allem weite Waldbereiche, die reich an allerlei Holz sind; es wird ein Kinderspiel sein, die Bäume zu fällen und Schutzhütten für eine kleine Siedlung zu bauen.
Was den Schürfer Thomas betrifft, interessierte er sich für den felsigsten Teil der Insel. Er stellt mehrere Anzeichen fest, die darauf hinweisen, dass sich im Boden viele Minerale finden lassen. Trotz des Mangels an Handwerkzeug denkt Thomas genügend Initiative und Schlauheit zu besitzen, um Erz in nützliches Metall zu verwandeln.
Ein jeder wird sich also seiner Lieblingsbeschäftigung widmen können. Alle sind sich darin einig, dass sie ihre Schutzengel für den relativ günstigen Ausgang des schlimmen Unglücks preisen müssen.
3. Die echten Reichtümer
Und so machen sich unsere Männer an die Arbeit. Der Zimmermann kümmert sich um die Häuser und die Möbel. Am Anfang müssen sie sich mit primitiver Nahrung abfinden. Nachdem die Felder jedoch angepflanzt wurden kann der Pflüger bald ernten.
Während eine Jahreszeit der anderen folgt, wird langsam Reichtum auf der Insel geschaffen. Ihr Reichtum besteht jedoch nicht aus Gold oder aus Banknoten, sondern aus wertvoller Nahrung, aus Kleidung, aus Unterkunft und aus allem, was ihrem Bedarf entspricht.
Das Leben ist nicht immer so einfach, wie sie es wünschten. Es fehlt ihnen vieles, an was sie sich vor dem Schiffbruch gewohnt hatten. Das Schicksal hätte ihnen aber was schlimmeres zufügen können.
Übrigens haben sie in ihrer Heimat schon eine Krisenzeit durchgemacht. Sie erinnern sich an leere Mägen, während die Geschäfte ein paar Schritte weiter voll mit Essen waren. Auf der Insel der Schiffbrüchigen müssen sie nicht zusehen wie alles, was sie benötigen, vor ihren Augen unerreichbar bleibt. Zudem sind Steuern hier unbekannt und das Auftauchen eines Gerichtsvollziehers ist nicht zu befürchten.
Wenn die Arbeit manchmal auch schwer ist, hat man wenigstens das Recht, die Früchte der Arbeit selbst zu genießen.
Alles in allem bewirtschaften die fünf Männer die Insel, preisen Gott dafür und hoffen eines Tages ihre Verwandten und Bekannten gesund und lebendig wiederzusehen.
4. Ein bedeutender Zwischenfall
Unsere Männer versammeln sich oft, um sich über ihre Arbeit zu unterhalten. In diesem sehr vereinfachten Wirtschaftssystem, das sie betreiben, beschäftigt sie eine Tatsache sehr: sie haben kein Zahlungsmittel. Der Tauschhandel, der direkte Austausch zwischen Erzeugnissen, hat seine Nachteile. Die Produkte können nicht immer zur gleichen Zeit ausgetauscht werden; das im Winter dem Landwirt gelieferte Holz zum Beispiel kann erst sechs Monate später in Gemüse zurückbezahlt werden.
Manchmal sind es Produkte, die die anderen Männer zu verschiedenen Jahreszeiten erzeugen, austauschen möchten.
Das alles kompliziert die Geschäfte. Wäre Geld im Umlauf, so würde jeder seine Ware den anderen für Geld verkaufen. Mit dem erhaltenen Geld würde er den anderen abkaufen können, was er will, wann er will und wann immer die Waren verfügbar sind.
Alle fünf sind sich einig, die Bequemlichkeit eines Geldsystems anzuerkennen, Aber keiner weiß, wie er solch ein System festsetzen könnte. Sie haben es gelernt, den wahren Reichtum zu produzieren. Doch sie haben keine Ahnung, wie man Geld, das Symbol des Reichtums, herstellen kann.
Sie kennen den Ursprung des Geldes nicht, und wissen nicht, womit sie anfangen sollen, wenn keines vorhanden ist; übrigens haben sie beschlossen, welches zu haben… Manche gelehrten Leute waren wahrscheinlich genauso verlegen wie sie; jede Regierung befand sich zehn Jahre vor dem letzten Weltkrieg in derselben Situation. Nur das Geld fehlte den Ländern und die Regierungen war aufgrund dieses Problems handlungsunfähig.
5. Ankunft eines anderen Schiffbrüchigen
Eines Abends. als die Männer am Strand sitzen und dieses Problem zum hundersten Mal zu lösen versuchen, sehen sie plötzlich eine Schaluppe näherkommen, die nur von einem Mann geführt wird.
Man beeilt sich, dem Ankömmling zu helfen, ihm die erste Hilfe anzubieten und mit ihm zu sprechen, Er spricht französisch. Sie erfahren, dass er ein Europäer und der einzige Überlebende eines Schiffbruchs ist. Sein Name ist Martin.
Da sie froh sind, einen zusätzlichen Kameraden zu haben, heißen ihn unsere fünf Männer herzlich willkommen und führen ihn in der Siedlung herum.
“Obwohl wir hier weit weg vom Rest der Welt sind, sagen sie, sind wir nicht allzusehr zu bemitleiden. Die Erde ist fruchtbar; der Wald auch. Nur eines fehlt uns: wir haben keine Zahlungsmittel, das uns den Austausch der Produkte vereinfachen, würde.
Preisen Sie den Zufall, der mich hierhergeführt hat, antwortet Martin. Das Geld ist kein Geheimnis für mich. Ich bin ein Bankier und kann Ihnen in geringer Zeit das Währungssystems festlegen, das Sie befriedigen wird.”
Ein Bankier!… Ein Bankier!… Ein vom Himmel abgestiegener Engel hätte nicht mehr Ehrerbietung erweckt.
Ist man es nicht gewohnt, sich in einem zivilisierten Land, vor den Bankiers zu verbeugen, die Geldflüsse kontrollieren?
6. Der Gott der Zivilisation
“— Herr Martin, da sie Bankier sind, werden Sie auf dieser Insel nicht arbeiten. Sie werden sich nur mit unserem Geld beschäftigen.
— Ich werde meine Aufgabe, wie jeder Bankier, erfüllen: ich hoffe damit den gemeinschaftlichen Wohlstand zu gestalten.
— Herr Martin wir Ihnen ein würdiges Haus bauen. Können wir Sie inzwischen in dem Gebäude unterbringen, das wir für unsere öffentlichen Versammlungen benutzen?
— Ich bin damit einverstanden, meine Freunde. Laden wir aber zuerst die Sachen, die ich von, Schiffbruch retten konnte, aus der Schaluppe aus: eine kleine Presse, Papier und Werkzeug, und hauptsächlich ein kleines Fass, mit dem Sie mit großer Sorgfalt umgehen werden.”
Alles wird ausgeladen. Das kleine Fass macht unsere kleine Mannschaft sehr neugierig.
“— Dieses Fass, sagt Martin, enthält den wertvollsten Schatz. Es ist mit Gold gefüllt!”
Voll mit Gold! Das bringt unsere fünf Männer fast um den Verstand. Der Gott der Zivilisation war in die Insel der Schiffbrüchigen eingedrungen. Der gelbe Gott, der immer versteckt ist, aber eine schreckliche Macht besitzt, kann durch sein Vorhandensein, seinen Mangel oder seine geringsten Launen über das Leben von hundert Nationen entscheiden.
“— Gold! Herr Martin, Sie sind wirklich ein großer Bankier! Nehmen Sie unsere Huldigungen und unsere Treue an.
— Gold für ein ganzes Erdteil, meine Freunde. Das ist jedoch kein Gold, das im Umlauf sein wird. Es muss versteckt werden. Gold ist die Seele vom echten Geld. Die Seele muss verborgen bleiben. ich werde auch das alles erklären, wenn ich Ihnen das erste Geld geben werde.”
7. Eine zeugenlose Beerdigung
Bevor sie sich für die Nacht verabschieden, stellt ihnen Martin eine Letzte Frage:
“— Wieviel Geld würden Sie für den Anfang brauchen, damit die Geschäfte gut in Gang kommen?”
Sie sehen sich gegenseitig an dann fragen sie Martin nach seiner Meinung. Nachdem sie die Vorschläge des gutwilligen Bankiers gehört haben, denken sie, dass 300 DM pro Person ausreichen.
Die Männer ziehen sich zurück, wechseln einige gerührte Gedanken, gehen spät zu Bett und schlafen erst gegen Morgen ein, nachdem sie lange mit offenen Augen von Gold geträumt haben.
Martin aber verliert keine Zeit. Er vergisst seine Müdigkeit, um nur an seine Zukunft als Bankier zu denken. In der Morgendämmerung gräbt er ein Loch, in das er das Fass rollt. Er bedeckt es sorgfältig mit Erde und Gras. Er pflanzt sogar einen kleinen Busch an dieselbe Stelle, um auch ganz bestimmt keine Spur zu hinterlassen.
Dann bringt er seine kleine Presse in Gang, um Banknoten von je 10 DM zu drucken. Beim Anblick der von seiner Presse gedruckten Banknoten denkt er für sich selbst:
“— Wie einfach ist es doch Banknoten herzustellen! Sie ziehen ihren Wert aus den Produkten, die man mit ihnen kaufen kann. Ohne Produkte waren die Banknoten wertlos. Meine fünf neuen Kunden denken jedoch nicht daran. Sie glauben, dass das Gold das Geld garantiert. Sie liegen wegen ihrer Unwissenheit in meiner Macht.”
An dem selben Abend kommen die fünf Freunde laufend bei Martin an.
8. Wem gehört das neue Geld?
Fünf Banknotenstöße lagen auf dem Tisch.
“— Bevor ich Ihnen dieses Geld verteile, sagt der Bankier, müssen wir uns verstehen.
Das Geld hängt von Gold ab. Das in meiner Beute ruhende Gold gehört mir. Infolgedessen gehört das Geld mir… Ach! Sie sollen nicht traurig sein! Ich werde Ihnen dieses Geld vorstrecken und Sie können es benützen wie es ihnen beliebt. Inzwischen werde ich Sie nur mit Zinsen belasten. Da das Geld ein rares Produkt auf dieser Insel ist, weil es überhaupt keines gibt, glaube ich, es ist angemessen, wenn ich von Ihnen einen geringen Zins von nur 8% verlange.
— Sie sind in der Tat sehr großzügig, Herr Martin.
— Einen letzten Punkt noch, meine Freunde. Geschäft ist Geschäft, auch zwischen großen Freunden. Bevor Sie Ihr Geld bekommen, wird ein jeder von Ihnen ein Dokument unterschreiben; damit verpflichten Sie sich, Kapital und Zinsen zurückzuzahlen, bei Strafe eine Beschlagnahme Ihres Eigentums durch mich. Oh! Eine einfache Garantie. Ich will überhaupt nicht an Ihr Eigentum heran, ich begnüge mich mit dem Geld. Ich bin sicher, dass Sie Ihre Güter behalten und mir das Geld zurückerstatten werden.
— Sie haben einen guten Menschenverstand, Herr Martin. Wir werden mit verstärkten Kräften an die Arbeit gehen and alles zurückzahlen.
— Gut. Gestatten Sie mir einen Besuch, jedesmal, wenn Sie ein Problem haben. Der Bankier ist der beste Freund der Menschen… So, hier sind 300 DM für einen jeden.”
Hiermit kehren unsere fünf Freunde hocherfreut zurück und ihre Hände und Träume sind mit Geld gefüllt.
9. Ein arithmetisches Problem
Martins Geld wurde auf der Insel in Umlauf gesetzt. Die Austausche wurden zahlreicher und einfacher. Alle freuen sich und begrüßen Martin mit Respekt und Dankbarkeit.
Dennoch ist der Schürfer besorgt. Seine Produkte befinden sich noch unter der Erde. Er besitzt nur noch einige Mark. Wie soll er dem Bankier das Geld bei Fälligkeit zurückerstatten?
Nachdem er sich lange den Kopf über sein eigenes Problem zerbrochen hat, packt Thomas es von der sozialen Seite an:
“— Wenn ich die gesamte Bevölkerung der Insel betrachte, denkt er, sind wir in der Lage, unseren Verpflichtungen nachzukommen? Martin hat eine Gesamtsumme von 1500 DM gedruckt. Im ganzen verlangt er von uns 1620 DM. Wenn wir ihm auch alles sich auf der Insel befindliches Geld bringen würden, wären das nur 1500 DM und nicht 1620 DM. Niemand hat die übrigen 120 DM gedruckt. Wir erzeugen Produkte, kein Geld. Martin kann also die ganze Insel in seinen Besitz bringen, weil wir nicht alle das Kapital und die Zinsen zurückerstatten können.
Wenn die, für die es möglich ist, das Geld zurückzahlen, ohne sich um die anderen zu kümmern, werden einige sofort zu Fall kommen, andere werden überleben. Aber die anderen werden auch drankommen und der Bankier wird alles bekommen. Es ist besser, wenn wir uns sofort einigen und die Angelegenheit auf eine soziale Weise regeln.”
Thomas hat keine Mühe, die anderen davon zu überzeugen, dass Martin sie betrogen hat. Sie kommen zu dem Schluß, dass sie sich bei dem Bankier treffen müssen.
— LA BATAILLE FINALE DE LA CHRÉTIENTÉ SE FERA AUTOUR DU PROBLÈME DE L’ARGENT, ET TANT QUE CE PROBLÈME NE SERA PAS RÉSOLU, IL NE POURRA Y AVOIR L’APPLICATION UNIVERSELLE DU CHRISTIANISME —
Le conseiller national Geri Müller avait déjà posé 4 de nos questions au Conseil fédéral en 2012 ! Et que ces questions avaient été classées sans suite… Merci Gérard Foucher 😘
Face à la crise de l’euro et de la dette, je prie le Conseil fédéral de prendre position sur la question de la création de monnaie en Suisse. Selon la théorie économique qui prévaut, la plus grande part de la masse monétaire M1 est créée par l’accroissement de la somme des bilans des banques commerciales et non par la Banque nationale suisse (BNS), ce que confirme d’ailleurs le lexique de cette dernière: “Les banques créent de la monnaie en accordant des crédits; cf. lexique de la BNS”.
Partant de ce constat, je prie le Conseil fédéral de répondre aux questions suivantes:
1. Aux termes de l’article 2 de la loi fédérale sur l’unité monétaire et les moyens de paiement (LUMMP), seuls sont considérés comme moyens de paiement, les espèces métalliques, les billets de banque et les avoirs à vue auprès de la BNS. Sur quelle base légale se fonde la pratique générale (suivie également par les autorités) de considérer les avoirs à vue auprès des banques comme des moyens de paiement légaux, alors qu’ils ne constituent qu’une créance sur ceux-ci, qui sera honorée ou non par les banques selon leur solvabilité?
2. La création de monnaie scripturale des banques commerciales est-elle conforme au droit régalien de la Confédération, selon l’article 99 de la Constitution, qui dispose que “la monnaie relève de la compétence de la Confédération”?
3. Comme le Conseil fédéral l’a relevé dans son message du 26 mai 1999 concernant la LUMMP, “Les avoirs à vue auprès d’une grande banque, d’une banque cantonale ou régionale, ou encore d’une organisation de cartes de crédit, ne sont effectivement pas la même chose que ceux déposés à la BNS, qui est le seul établissement du pays … à pouvoir créer de l’argent à son gré”. L’Etat ne peut donc déclarer la monnaie scripturale des banques comme moyen de paiement légal (99.051). Or vu qu’elle est considérée dans les faits comme telle, le Conseil fédéral ne pense-t-il pas qu’il serait nécessaire de préciser cette distinction dans la loi parce que la majorité de la population continue de penser que la mise en circulation de moyens de paiement libellés en francs est exclusivement du ressort de la BNS et par conséquent garantie?
4. Comment le Conseil fédéral légitime-t-il ce droit des banques commerciales de créer de la monnaie, sans qu’elle soit entièrement garantie par un capital, en accordant des crédits, qui augmentent la somme de leur bilan, alors que les particuliers ne peuvent consentir des prêts que s’ils disposent de l’argent?
15.06.2012 CONSEIL NATIONAL La discussion est reportée. BULLETIN OFFICIEL 21.03.2014 En suspens depuis plus de deux ans; classement.
Un’esplosione ha distrutto la loro nave. Ognuno si aggrappava ai primi pezzi flottanti che gli capitano sotto le mani. Cinque sono riusciti a trovarsi riuniti sullo stesso relitto che le onde spinge a loro volontà. Degli altri compagni del naufragio alcuna notizia. 
Rimettere i piedi su una terra ferma, per i nostri uomini è un ritorno alla vita. 
In quando al suolo dell’Isola, Paolo lo trova in gran parte assai propizio alla cultura. 
Ecco i nostri uomini al lavoro. 
Il nostri uomini si riuniscono spesso per discutere dei loro affari. 
Una sera che i nostri uomini, seduti sulla spiaggia, parlano per la centesima volta di questo problema, tutto di un colpo vedono avvicinarsi una barca guidata da un solo uomo. 
— Signor Martin, poiché siete banchiere, voi non lavorerete sull’Isola. Vi occupererete solamente dello nostro denaro.” 
Prima di separarsi per la notte, Martin gli rivolge un’ultima domanda: 
Cinque mucchietti di biglietti erano là, sulla tavola. 
Il denaro di Martin ha circolato nell’Isola. Gli scambi si sono moltiplicati, semplificandosi. Tutti si rallegrano e salutano Martin con rispetto e gratitudine. 
As for Oliver, he wasted not a moment. Fatigue was forgotten in the interests of his future as a banker. By dawn’s first light, he dug a pit into which he rolled the barrel. He then filled it in, transplanting a small shrub to the spot about which he carefully arranged sod. It was well hidden. 
