Related: diary
Feb-28-2013:
Listening to Fredric Bastiat's "Sophisms of the Protectionists" at http:/LibriVox.org/sophisms-of-the-protectionists-by-frederic-bastiat
His approach is useful and humorous in exposing how producers (owners, not workers) seek scarcity when they seek profit, though I disagree with his proposal of absolute Free Trade as the solution since this does not address the fundamental drive for scarcity.
We can side-step this problem by choosing only investors who are willing to accept product itself as the return on investment.
When a group of consumers micro-invest to co-own the Sources of a product, they receive the product as reward for that risk without even needing to buy or sell the product since it is alreay in the hands of those who need it.
In such a scenario, there is no chance for profit to even occur and so the *unnatural* drnive for scarcity (ask yourself if seeking scarcity is natural or not) is eliminated before it can even begin.
Feb-25-2013: Thinking of the data structures required for a board-game representation.
Feb-25-2013: Noticed CropTrust.org and worry about the false sense of security when all know seed varieties are concentrated into a single location.
Feb-25-2013: Another attempt a few days ago on the 'contact' list:
1. Consumers become real co-owners when the micro-invest just enough
to gain the property needed to produce what they predict they will
need. This is a bit like crowd funding, but the investors become real
property owners in the Production Arena. Strangely, this means the
product does not need to be sold because it is already in the hands of
those who need it and so the Price they pay as consumers is simply the
Costs they paid as owners and so Profit is 0 (actually it is undefined
because the transaction is missing). This means external governments
cannot collect sales tax on the missing transaction. See
athttp://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Imputed_rent for a partial explanation.
2. Workers also receive co-ownership in the land and tools used to
produce that which they need (not necessarily that which they have
skill and desire to 'operate') when they commit promises to work in
the future. This is a sort of "work bond" that eliminates traditional
wages and puts workers on equal footing with other investors. This
means external governments cannot collect income tax because there is
no transaction to tax. See http://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Imputed_income
3. Each co-owner may do whatever they like with their own surplus, but
if they just leave it in one of our storehouses, it will be sold to
those with insufficient ownership for a profit, but will then treat
that overpayment as an investment from that payer so that each
consumer also incrementally gains the co-ownership needed to supply
them with the products they need in the future. This also means the
growth of that business is autodistributed to those willing to pay for
that growth.
4. Any subgroup must be able to secede from the group for any reason
while retaining their portion of the property, or when the property is
not realistically divisible, able to sell their portion. This is an
attempt to solve the Tyranny of the Majority problem.
Feb-04-2013: Basic Outcome
We all need water, food, housing, medicine, clothing, health care, child care, education, transportation, electricity, gas, sewer, recycling, etc.
A VIPM is the land (without mortgage), water-rights, plants, animals, tools and energy used to create a Basic Outcome.
0.) Investors become real co-owners.
1.) A Promise-to-work is an Investment. This means middle-to-lower income Consumers will prepay (think a variant of crowd sourcing mixed with scheduled time-banking) by committing to work in the future in return for co-ownership in the VIPM.
2.) Product is the Investor's return. This means the product is never sold (except surplus as defined in #3) because each co-owner has spread their investments across all the Physical Sources of production for which they predict they will need the Objects, and in just enough to receive the amount the need. This eliminates profit because the final transaction does not occur. This is known as economic imputation.
3.) Profit is the Payer's Investment. This means we will charge profit against those who buy surplus Objects, but treat (at least some % of) as an Investment in more Physical Sources that will finally vest to the Consumer who paid it so that every Consumer incrementally gains co-ownership in the Physical Sources needed to produce all the Objects they need.
4.) Secession is a protected right. This means any subgroup may secede for any arbitrary reason while retaining their portion of of ownership that property. This is an attempt to address the Tyranny of the Majority.
Occupy that land with tents to begin planting and building. Will need to qualify as non-profit to avoid property taxes.