Double Economy

WARNING: These principles are subject to change. The SUGGESTIONS page will trace these evolutions (see index)

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Needs and Desires

A human being, if he doesn't "want" to die, needs to eat and drink.
He can desire a VCR, but its missing won't have such a final consequence...

This distinction is the main basis of this double économy, which works with two well-defined sectors: The Public sector for the "Needs", and the Private for the "Desires".

A Reinforced Public Sector

This sector must provide for free to the people what it needs to survive. This include at least food and water (without judging in advance what could be added to this list, like housing, transportation, communication, etc. this list must be considered as a minimum, subject to upgrade by consensus at an international level in the UN or FAO)
It is controled by public international organization (FAO ?) under the reponsibility of the U.N.
This relative centralization will allow the organization of production to cover the needs. It is nevertheless needed to foresee a more local organization (subsidiarity principle) allowing a local evaluation of resources and needs. These local organizations should cover geographical areas instead of being linked to countries.

People from Jordan Valley, for exemple, have not the same resources than the ones from Rwanda/Burundi area, and this is not a matter of politics, but of geography.

A Private Sector

The Private sector concerns what is not indispensible (= what is not on the "Needs List") - from television to computer, cars, etc.
THE MATTER HERE IS NOT TO JUDGE THE "NEED" vs. THE "DESIRE" but to observe a basic difference, and to adapt human society organization according to this difference. It will be necessary to remove the "guiltyness" frequently implied by "desire".

In my opinion, it is not an hazard that the "standard" economical discourse (1999) identifies under the "Need" term things as different as needs and desires. Because "it's not good to desire". It's a "sin". For my system to work, we'll have to accept that it's not "bad" to desire... particularly if the "system" allows the covering of minimal needs for "all".

Function of the State (justice, etc.)

I don't know here. If you have any idea on how to include the State in this system, let me know! or, even better,  come to the discussion list.

Financing

There are taxes on Private sector to finance the Public one, allowing to pay (through the various taxes, including the Tobin Tax  ° ) the producers; transformators ,distributors, etc.

Farmers will be paid by the community for the plannified quantities. They could sell the rest, if any, in the Private Sector.

An interresting aspect of this system is that more efficient the Private sector is, the more important are the ressources available for the Public, allowing to improve the functionning of a "new" agriculture, permitting the use of non-industrial techniques such as permaculture °) .which needs more workers, but provides better quality food. The water managing must also be handled by the Public sector. It is obvious that there will be no speculation allowed on these products.

Reconversion of Private Sector concerned by this reorganization.

The responsible international organisation can requisition these companies (seeds and agro-industries, water managing Co., etc. ) paying back their shareholders at the minimum market price for these companies. The shareholders will be able to invest their money somewhere else, because there'll be a private sector available.

Commentary on "progress"

Although some technological improvements can appear to be needed in the non-indispensible sector as described before, these improvements must be extremely controled in the field of the indispensible-for-human-beings area - the Needs List.

WE CANNOT ACCEPT THAT A MINORITY CONTROLS WHAT IS NEEDED BY ALL HUMANS FOR THEIR VERY SURVIVAL.

The "rest", provided it doesn't have harmful effects on the covering of needs (pollution, etc.) and that it follows standard laws, concerns the individual, not the "society".