THE RECORD
September 06, 2000

Fiat Lux

by Ed Deak

In the last few columns I wrote how the concept and definition of economic efficiency has been distorted to the point where it only means gross physical inefficiency, growing environmental and human destruction, but by golly, it sure rakes in the profits for a self appointed few.

The irony is that this scenario has repeated itself in every age throughout history, yet our academics haven't yet been able to figure out that when one sector becomes wealthy, other sectors are pushed into poverty. This is obvious, because it is impossible to cut costs. Profits are a form of arbitrary taxation over and above trade values, charged to the public.

The so called science of economics has always been the science to cover up this simple fact and make others pay. Never has this been clearer and better known than it is today, when we can read countless statistics, look at TV coverages and read in the papers of the growing destitution all over the world, while the ruling powers are telling us that all is well and prosperity is just around the corner. If collapsing bridges and machiney would kill one hundredth of the people killed by economics on a daily basis all engineering departments would be closed and investigated on what they teach. Economists can get away with anything.

Wealth and property are the temporary control of resources and energy. It is temporary, because nobody lives forever and the resources are sooner or later converted into pollution and garbage. The real object of economics should be the planning and development of systems to supply the needs of the largest number of sectors with the least amount of resource and energy inputs. Such system would be the most efficient, the most humane and the most democratic.

Is this an impossible dream? Of course not. Is it customary, or encouraged for a family to start fighting over the food on the table when they sit down to dinner? Why not? According to our economists it would be the most efficient and scientifific way to distribute the food and the family members who'd steal the most would deserve it for being most competitive. On the other hand, if a family can equitably distribute the food, the income, the benefits, why is it so difficult to imagine that the same thing could, or should not happen in a society?

Let's look at another example. People have the right to drive any legally acceptable vehicle on our roads, provided they possess the necessary licences, insurance and follow the laws of the road. These laws are enforced by an impartial policing and justice system that gives no special rights, especially no competition rights to any road user. When drivers are found to be racing, or forcing others off the road, or generally behaving in an illegal and injurious manner, they are fined, punished and often barred. Also, who'd want to drive a vehicle that uses more fuel than necessary and even gloat about the excess consumption by calling it efficiency.

Now let's look at the road system of economics. Here we have governments not only permitting, but encouraging racing and the use of huge vehicles capable to force others off the road with impunity. Those who can destroy the most property and lives are rewarded with honours and anybody who tries to control, or stop them is called a "protectionist" and punished for interfering with healthy competition and an "efficient system" that uses and wastes more energy and resources than any other.

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Well, this is taught in all our tax supported universities as good economics and that the more we do of it, the more prosperous everybody'll be. Ask the Fraser Institute, or the economics departments of UBC, SFU and Uvic and they'll tell you that unless our multinationals are permitted to get away with murder and pay no taxes while doing it, they'll just pack up and take their people and environment destroying competitiveness elsewhere, where people are happy to lay down on the level playing fields to be run over by their steamrollers in the name of efficiency.

The above scenarios represents the history of the world in a nutshell. Economic efficiency, meaning the control of resources and energy, has always been based on the individual's, or a certain group's ability to steal from others. This theft has always been blessed by some form of a deity and the majority have always been forced to accept this licence to rob and kill as some kind of a god given privilege.
So, what has changed from the days of the Pharaos, the Romans, the European colonizers, the Nazis, the Communists? The rights of the seigneurs are now the rights of the corporate directors, the priests who blessed their powers are the economists and the suckers who climbed the ramparts and sent their children to the altars to be sacrificed are still you and me brother........Copyright (c) 2000, West's International