WHAT WILL REPLACE CAPITALISM (contd)

If only human beings had common sense and good will, all the problems can be solved without causing unnecessary and unwanted pain to helpless people all over the world.  A world government or the end of hostility among the hard core religious fundamentalists are not with in reach.  Similarly it will be very difficult for the Americans to nationalise Banks and Insurance companies over there.  Thy are in fact against every type of centralised planning; although all their current problems and consequently the problems of the world are due to lack of centralised planning.  Recklessly they went on making houses and commercial buildings all over the nation without any thought whether there wold be any takers for these new buildings. If there is centralised planning construction can be organized according to the needs of the time.  Similar is the case with automobiles.  All over the US one could see unsold cars parked every where. Most of them are manufactured within the country, but there is no shortage of imported cars too.  The tragedy is that there are no buyers. Basically it is a matter of saturated market.  Once a car is purchased, it can be used for 10 to 20 years. It is, therefore, not necessary for people to change car every other day. But the manufacturers think that by simply changing models they could thrust  cars to the public every other day. That is stupidity.  Again the need is for common sense and central planning.  Instead when ever the car manufacturers find themselves facing financial crunch they can go to the Government with a begging bowl and getting 25 or 30 billion dolars which is spent before it is received.  How long could the government continue with this stupidity.  If the comapnies could come out with electric cars, when the cost of funning one mile is between one to two cents against 17 to 27 cents for the fossil fule consuming cars, there will be takers.  Americans will replace all their existing cars with electric cars.  The rest of the world will follow suit and there will be industrial activity all around.  Like GM, if  the car manufacturers are thinking of 40,000 or 50,000 dollars a car there will be not be sufficient takers. Government can and should give financial support for such ventures but not for making gas guzzlers for which there are no takers. Fir that to happen we need common sense.

There is merit in making available medical records of every human being on earth available to the doctors at the click of a button.  Like e-mail toady it can definitely be done.  This will generate employment not only for the Am ericans but for the software developers all over the world.

Similarly improvements in electric grids and the generation of electrity from alternative sources are good and desirable. Both will generate large scale employment opportunities not only in the Unites States, but all over the world. Strengthening of the bridges and improvement in infrastructure, providing of broad band facilities for one and all.  ERvery thing will generate large scale employment all over the world and there will be substantial improvement in the economies all over the world

But, there is a limit.  Another saturation point, as in the case of moile phones.  When all the adult population all over the world has a mobile phone, it is saturation point and it will be foolish to continue large scale manufacture of mobile phones.  Devices like i-phone may replace the existing hand sets but here too a saturation point is not far off. Although there is pend up demand for computers in various parts of the world in the industrialised regions of the world a saturation point has already surpassed.  Ultimately chip manufacturers including Intel will have to reeduce prices and cater to the needs of the poor in the rest of the world where there is still demand.  In India the government is planning for 10 dollar computer.  Similar efforts will have to be made by the manufactures in China, Taiwan, Korea and the rest of the world.

Wiuse people or people who consider themseves knowledgable say that the US coould get out of the great recession of 1930 because of the second world war.  Now the chances of another world war are limited; although Laden and  his hard core fundamentalists are making hundred year plans for  making the whole of earth Islamic. Humanity knows how to give a fitting reply to this absurdity and few hard core terroists operating in Swat valley and Afghan mountains cant start a world war in the forseable future.

After the conslusion of the second world war there has been no war worth the name The skirmishes that we see from time to time are minor and sooner than later humanity will bid adieu to wars for ever. When there is peace, there is no military build up and consequently the level of waste is substantially reduced With the development taking place in Europe and Asean the need for military build up will get reduced from day to day

With no prospect of another world war in the near future humanity has to find out other practical solutions to the present problem of recession, which is having its effects all over the world.  How can we plan it?

WHAT WILL REPLACE CAPITALISM? (contd)

Recently I read a news item about the sharing of work by the Japanese.  Instead of a man or woman working for 8 hours a day, the job is done by 4 people, working two hours each. There is decrease in the salary they receive, but some how, it is sufficient to make both ends meet.  o far so good.  It is far better than the American system where people getting  over 1 to 2 hundred thousand dollars are now being forced to work on hourly rates for 10 or 12 dollars an hour. Obama and the American economists speak qabout putting an end to the recession and bringing back the old day and they feel very sure about restoring the old days.  Ofcourse, the measures adopted for the electrical grid, health care measures, making broadband availability to the entire population and the importance given to green energy and electric cars are definitely welcome steps and may generate employment for 3.5 or 4 million people.  Yes, education is also vitally important.

Perfecting these measures in the US will definitely help the rest of the world to follow suit and take full advantage of the measures. Although Obama administaration is only concerned about the implementation of these measures in the United States, these measures will definitely benefit the rest of the world and therefore every forward looking liberal ought to support these measures.  Perhaps, these measures will succeed in revitalising the US economy; thus putting an end to the recession.  But, there is no guarantee that recession will not re-appear again. It will.  Are we not supposed to do some thing or other so that nit doesn’t show its ugly head every now and then causing great and unwatned pain to millions of people all over the world.  Let us examine the possibilities

WHAT WILL REPLACE CAPITALISM?

It is time humans begin asking the question.  There was no earthquake, a world shattering one of intensity magnitude in September 2008. But the events started in September 2008 in ther US market had its ripple effect all across the earth and even after 6 months, the effects are still unfolding all over the world.  There is substantial reduction in the construction of new houses and commercial property in Europe and America although the decline is not to that extent in the other economies. Big motor companies. manufacturing passenger cars and large commercial trucks are in doll drums.  With begging bowl they are pleading with the political leaders to help them out of the pit in to which they have fallen.  There is substantial reduction in the manufacturing activities of practically every items of industrial use.  Expansion plans are put on hold and even steel companies have slashed production.

I’m working for an exporting company.  We manufacture ready to wear shirts and other ladies items for the US and European markets.  Till September 2008 we had good exports and I used to get Rs.40,000/- credited to my bank account every month.  But in September 2008, there was visible trouble and everything began to tumble down.  It was only the beginning.  Several retail companies in the US like Steven Berrys, Mervin and others closed their sales outlets in the US and declared bakruptcy under their Chapter 11 scheme.  The Company for whom I’m working had substantial exposure with these closed companies.  Our Company did not get paid for shirts they had shipped and it naturally affected our fortunes.  Instead of the Rs.40,000/- I voluntariloy reduced the same to half of it, but I’m yet to be paid for the months of December to February.  The company is not deliberately delaying the payment.  They simply do not have the funds.

From every part of the world, including the US, Europe, China and the rest of the world, every day we har news of massive retrenchment and massive lay offs.  Neither people nor Governments know what to do.  But there is a plan from the black American President Barack Obama and who knows whether it will ultimately lead to the replacement of the decadent capitalist form of production which is the established norm all over the world, including the so called communist economies of China.

A proper analysis of the malise affecting the world economy would show the inevitability of the capitalist system coming to an end sooner than later.  Let us examine housing itself.  In the US, Europe, Japan and to an extent in China too the population declining in real terms.  There is no need for more houses or commercial buildings to be built in these countries for at least two to decades.  Replacing the old and damaged buildings will not be a big business in any of these countries.  A house once built can last 40 to 50 years if not more and when the number of children delivered by a woman is restricted to one or two at best there is bound to be diminishing activity in the house construction field.  When construction comes to a halt, as is happening currently in several countries, large number of people engaged in the construction field are rendered unemployed.  Can the governments continue to pay these affected people the same salaries they used to receive before they were laid off? The cesation of activity in the construction field will naturally affect the production of steel and cement besides other other construction material and equipment.  The effect is cascading

ARE HUMANS STUPID BY BIRTH OR DOES SOCIETY MAKE HUMANS STUPID

By no stretch of imagination could one conclude that we, humans, are born stupid.  Far from it, we are not born stupid but society is responsible for making us stupid. The fault with society and its norms.  We are taught stupid things by our parents and school teachers.

 

Parents tend to be more conservative while bringing up the children.  If they are religious, they want their children too to be religious like them.  When I grew up as a child, it was compulsory for us to chant songs in praise of Gods, every day in the morning and evening.  We had to pray for our well being as well as the well being of our parents, that too loudly, if we were to get our dinner.  Not only so; we had to read the religious texts, which are in fact millinums old and also visit the village temple regularly.  Parents, by virtue of their age and command over their children impose their ideas on children with out allowing children to seek their own decisions based on a proper liberal education.  When children grow up and go to the schools, in the schools they are taught the virtues of nationalism and the religions that is practiced in the respective nations.

By the time a boy or girl completes education, they are totally biased.  Through out these years they have been taught the virtues of stupidity.  Instead of promoting a liberal educational system, examining the merities and demerits of religion and virtures versus of nationalism, they are blindly taught nationalism is the most virtuous thing on earth followed by their faith in their religion

With the advancements in science and technology and especially after the invention of the internet and mobile phones, we know for sure that nationalism is no more a solution to the problems that humanity faces but is in fact the real problem.  Similarly belief in the supermacy of the religion in to which one is born leads people to be fundamentalists and religious fanatics. Nothing can be more harmful to human progress and civilization than nationalism and religious fundamentalism.

In our own life time we have the rare opportunity to see the emergence of a common Europe, in the European Common Market, where people of the constituent nations could move without any visa or passport and could take up a job any where according to the individual’s choice.  There are no prohibitions on the acquisition of property or staying at place other than the nation in which one was born. This marks a fundamental change in human attitude and it proves that nationalism and patriotism are nothing but stupid.  In the course of time humans will become more mature and intelligent enough to realize the dream of a world government without nationalism, religious fundamentalism and without hatred of each other and prejudices

In other words, it is stupid to be patriotic and religious.  There is no reason to be proud of the place where one is born or proud of the religion or caste in to which one is born.  Such beliefs are simpy stupid.

Parents and governments have to make a re-think.  Both parents and Government should shed their belief that they are the depository of wisdom.  Children should be left to themselves to choose their own religious  beliefs.  There is no reason to bring up children on false beliefs, simply because of the religious faiths of the parents. In India we had multiplicity of castes and the religious practices taught the young children that one is untouchable because of the caste in to which one is born.  Untouchability was widely practiced in the state of Kerala where I was born.  Till 1936 numerically the largest caste in the State Ezhavas were not allowed to walk on the public roads or do worship in the temples. It was considered a crime for people of these castes to be seen by the high caste brahmin.  They had to keep a minimum distance of a furlong or more. Till then it was not only the law but the right thing to do When these practices were abolished in 1936 there was a sea change in the attitude of the people.  Those who were not supposed to see each other and forced to keep a distance of a furnlong or more to prevent the purity of the brahmin now get married and give birth to a new generation.  This shows how stupid people were before 1936 in the state of Kerala.  After independence of India and the holding of general elections the untouchables of the past have now become the rulers and by virtue of that the most respected among the populace.

In a similar vein, before long people will realize the stupidity of nationalism and religious intolerance and will come together as is now happening in the Europoean Common Market.  Before long Russia and the remaing nations of Europe will join the union, to be followed by Turkey and who know one day the whole of Asia and Africa may decide to join the union and thus pave the way for a world government before long.

Thus we will prove that we are not born stupid and society and its practices had made us stupid.  In the coming years we will have the common sense to realise the stupidities of nationalism and religious fundamentalism and humanity will surpass both of them.

HUMAN FASCINATION TOWARDS GOLD  -  THE HEIGHT OF STUPIDITY

As a matter of fact, every one knows for sure that, gold has no intrinswic value of its own. It has practically no industrial use nor can gold be eaten.  However, gold is the most valuable metal on earth, at the moment.  And day by day the prices are going up.

What is the secret behind this enormous popularity of gold among all the metals? There is no rational explanation; as there are no rational explanations for various stupidities that we find all around us.

The oly use of gold is for making ornaments.  And ornaments do not have any additional purpose but to make the wearer look attractive or beautiful.  It has been in the human psyche since long. The attraction towards gold ornaments is at its heighest in India and adjoining countries, where as people in Europe, America, Africa and other parts of Asis and Australia do not give much value to golden ornaments.

The approach towards gold varies from region to region. The undue importance given to gold in India has now made it the most valuable metal on earth. Now let us try to find out why gold is attracting so many buyers and at such exhorbitant price.

It has some thing to do with the human psychology of people in India.  Othert than that there is no empirical reasons behind the importance we give to gold.

Therefore, we have to conclude that, gold which is a worthless metal with no industrial or commercial use is attracting the highest value among all the metals, only because of human stupidity.

 

There is a particular section of Christians in Kerala, called PENTACOST CHRISTIANS. To the believers in this sect gold is enemy number one.  No women in this sect wear any golden ornaments and for them it is nothing but a wortless metal.  Similarly if women in other religions and castes consider gold as a worthless metals and refuse to wear golden ornaments, there will not be any takers for gold and the price of gold will tumble down to zero. Then Indian women are Indian women and they would prefer death to not wearing golden ornament.

It is absolutely stupid on the part of women to run after gold and make it  extremely costly.  However, with the ever increasing price of this metal, as has been decided by the village women from one Kerala village, all the women all over the world, will give up their fascination towards gold and then the prices will tumble down.  And there will be no more miing of this otherwise useless metal.

A rational analysis clearly shows that gold retains its numero one position only because of human stupidity.  If only humanity regains its common sense will just burry gold in the unfathomable depath of oceans and we can thus regain our common sense.

 

But will it ever happen.  I am confident that it will definitely happen before long and those who gold enormous quanitites or small quanties of gold are bound to suffer unfathomable losses.

An impartial analysis of history will show that Capitalism has played a very important role in Human Development and Civilization. Starting from Steam Engine and ending with the internet, the contribution of capitalism towards human progress is enormous. Despite exploitation of the working class and the denial of human rights to vast millions of unfortunate people in the previous centuries, it did play a very important role in helping evolve the scientific and technical humanity, now inhabiting the earth. In fact, its, single most important contribution towards human development isthe evolution of science and technology. This evolution may ultimately result in the total elemination of c apitalism itself from the surface of earth.

Capitalists succeeded in making use of science and technology for the large scale manufacture of items of daily use by human beings. Substabtial increase in the production of items of daily use along with construction of houses, roads and railways and means of transportation such as buses, cars, trucks, ships and aire planes have provided great conveniences and comfort to human beings. These facilities were unknown and unheard of to the earlier generations of human beings.

The latest invention of internet and mobile telephones have revolutionised human dealings making capitalism itself obsolete in the process. Perhaps the development of alternative clean energy or the development of fusion technology may give some more time for capitalism to continue. But once sabundant and free energy is niversally available and with the introductioon of driverless cars,trucks,buses,aeroplanes,ships and accelerated development of robotics capitalism has to die from which there is no escape

With the available technology, we can easily do away with various activities such as :

1. Making paper and news print.
2.Newspaper and magazine including book publication.
3.Printing of currency notes and minting of coins
4.Retail Banking

Practically white collar employees as we find today can be completely done away with out causing any inconvenience to human beings.

Already the introduction of earth moving machinery, construction equipments etc have made life comfortable and convenient to the working people. It is no more necessary for people to do back breaking physical labour.

In essence it is no more necessary for human beings to put in more hours of hard work to make a comfortable living, nor is it necessary for them to save substantial wealth for their offspring.

With the scientific and technological innovations there will be substantial increase in wealth creation without human involvement. All that matters then is the proper distribtionof wealth among the populace. A stage similar to the utopian Communism.

The current recession will pave the way for the development of the new society and with it the intolerance now e find among the Muslim community too would vanish.

VACANT BUILDINGS AT SECTOR 27, NERUL, NAVI MUMBAI 400 706

Aior India had built a number of multi storeyed buildings for its staff at Sector 27 Nerul, Navi Mumbai . These buildings are ready for occupation ever since January 2000. Unfortunately, due to some dispute between CIDCO the government organization which had allotted the land to Air India and Air India these buildings are lying unoccupied ever since January 2000.

As per information provided by Air India to the writer Air India had spent an amount of Rs. 50 Crores (equivalent to US $.10 Million) on the construction of these buildings. Since 2001 they are spending annually Rs. 2 crores on maintenance and security personnel employed at the site.

If a dispute is there, it should be settled within a fixex time frame. To allow the dispute for years together without a settlement would result in the destruction of the buildings in the course of time. THAT IS STUPIDITY. IT CAN ALSO BE CALLED LACK OF COMMON SENSE.

Ihad taken up the matter with the Chairman of Air India as well as the Civil Aviation Minister and the Prime Minister, years ago and when thre was no response from them I left it there. Now the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Ashok Chavan has promised to take immediate action on unresoved issued and I have referred the matter to his attention.

There are millions and millions of people in India who do not have any accommodation and we allow such stupidity to take place.

I think I should get the local corporator and MLA besides the guardian Minister involved in the matter so that some thing happens.

Once I receive the response to my letter to the Chief Minister I shall start the nextt phase.

WHY HUMAN BEINGS ARE STUPID

For all the problems that we face today, whether it is recession, terrorism, quarrels, litigation or any thing that is unpleasant, the culprit is nothing but human stupidity. Human stupidity or in other words lack of common sense is behind all the problems we humans confront in this world. Ever since we had our origins, no one knows when exactly did it happen. human beings have been foolish and stupid. WE STILL CONTINUE TO BE STUPID AND FOOLISH, LACKING IN COMMON SENSE, CREATING PROBLEMS AFTER PROBLEMS.

Will humanity ever come out of this stupidity and change the face of the world for ever. Is the present recession the appropriate time to come out of human stupidity and lay the foundation for a new world ever where all of us, blacks, white, the yellow race, people of the rich and poor countries, people of various stupid religious beliefs could co-exist peacefully?

That is the question which I would like to examine during the rest of my life. I invite the readers to join me in this noble endeavour. Change is possible that is what Obama has proved. Therefore it is possible for us to change the face of the world and put an end to the absurdities and stupidies.

With this introduction let me begin my journey.

02nd January 2008

WHO ARE REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POVERTY THAT WE FIND IN INDIA TODAY.

By a rough estimate out of more than 112  crores of people in India today, roughly 30 crores of people in India live in abject poverty.  These poorest of the poor people could be found in the shanties and slums of large and small cities, on the pavements and in the villages, all across the contry.  Among this lot the condition of the pavement dweller is the worst.  The pavement is all that they possess. There is no water, no electricity, no toilets or running water.  They sleep on the floor, in the rain and in the winter chillness.  They procreate there and they have their children conceived and delivered there.  If they are forcibly removed from there they have no where else to go but another pavement or the side of an open drain or some unoccupied land some where.  The condition of the slum dweller and those who stay in the poorer sections of the villages all over the country is also pathetic and miserable.  Every thing that goes for a decent living is lacking in these slums and among the poorest of the poor in the villages.

As a matter of fact we have all the resources available in this country itself to reverse the plight of these poorest of the poor people.  We can provide them decent accommodation with running water and sanitation, provide them ewmployment  and education along with medical care and make them an integral part of our society.  Had the resources been lacking, we the 70% successful segment of Indian society could have ignored them.  But it is a crime to allow them to rot in the pavements, in the slums and the undeveloped villages of India.  Majority of this 70% successful Indians will only be happy, if some thing is done to improve the condition of the poor.  But the stumbling block is theCommunists and like minded parties, who also are a part of the 70% of successful Indians.

THE COMMUNISTS IN INDIA consider themselves to be the party of the poor in this country.  But, unfortunately, they appear to be the most conservative when it comes to do some thing worthwhile for these poorest of the poor.  The scheme of RIGHT TO EMPLOYMENT introduced by the present Government is  definitely a step in the right direction.  But is ambit is limited.  Under the scheme, employment is provided to only one member of a family that too for 100 days a year.  It can ideally be extended to a minimum of 180 days a year that is every alternate day.  It should also cover the entire country, including the cities.  However, in order to extend the number of days and to the entire country, the financial expenditure will be prohibitive.  The present tax collection will not be sufficient to meet the requirement.  But we can easily meet the financial requirements, provided we are ready to find out innovative methods of self financing.  In the last year itself the value of the Publicly owned companies in India has grown up by almost 10,50,000 crores. Shares worth one or two lakh crores rupees should be sold out to investors (not exceeding 49% to foreign investors).  Then we could find the resources to support this scheme of right to employment. The money should be employed for building permanent assets of thesepoorer sections of the people, such as accommodation,drainage,water supply, roads and the like.  The process of selling the sahres can be continued for a period of 5 to 10 years by which time the economy will take off and will reach a self sustaining stage.

 If the Communists think and act on the basis of the old ideology that the family silver cannot be sold to mmet immediate needs, they are verily in the foolds paradise.  Currently they are holding this ideology and is really a stumbling block.

31st December 2007

There is a lot of change.  It is visible all around.  There are failures and successes.   A society can be said flourishing when the numbers of those who get defeated is less.  In a city like Mumbai, the defeated could be found living on the pavements and the slums.  The pavement dwellers and slum dwellers could be found almost any where in the big city and their life is really miserable.  I see hundreds of these pavement dwellers every at Panduranga Bhadukar Marg, near Worli TV Tower.  They stay on one side of the road and use the other side of the road to defecate and urinate.  Pedestrians, like me, have to use the road where they stay, while walking out of the road because the pavement as well as a part of the road is occupied from.  Basically, they are engaged in making cheap paper flowers and  limboo mirchi combination, which drivers tie on their vehicles to ward off evil spirits.  Occassionally the muncipal corporation authorities come and tear down their shanties.  But they cannot drive out these helpless people from the street for they have no where else to go.

 It is the responsibility of the government to find out solutions to the problem of slum dwellers and pavement dwellers.  Since they can’t be driven to the Arabian sea to drown themselves, it becomes the social responisbility of the successful people to share a part of their earning for the benefit of these defeated people in life.

 The economy is now flourishing.  There are visible changes all around.  New high rise buildings are coming all around the city.  The airport is getting expanded with better facilities.  Roads are being widened.  There is talk about the underground railway network, though the physical work is yet to begin.  When there is such all around progress and prosperity, government could easily find the resources to relocate these poorest of the poor people.  Once these pavement dwellers and resettled in 220 or 280 sq.ft dwellings in high rise buildings government should make it sure these pavements are never occupied by new pavement dwellers.

I think what the authorities do in Shanghai is a better arrangement.  At Shanghai there are check posts at every entry point to the city. Entry to the city is allowed only to the permanent residents of the city or those who go there on specific purpose. The Chinese government further prohibits women from making more than one child.  In large cities all over the world, similar measures will have to be introduced in short term.

Once this problem of pavement dwellers is sorted out government should turn its attention to the slum dwellers.  If cluster development concept, which is widely practised in Shanghai is introduced in Mumbai and the private sector is allowed to develop these slums, this problem too could be sorted out before long.  Unlike the pavement dwellers, the government need not spent any thing for the redevelopment of the slums, as the private parties themselves could make self sustainable by utilizing the extra  space for commercial and residential purpose.  These are innovative ideas which the government could look in to especially when there is such improvement in the financial condition of every governmental agency whether it is the local muncipality,state government or central government.

I have another idea for raising funds for this purpose.  In the state of Gujarat, the state government could do away with the prohibition policty and the amount so accruing to the government from the excise levy imposed on liquor could be utilised for making dwellings for the slum dwellers.  Similarly the Central Government could ask every citizen using the  phone to give one Rupoee every day to the Government for this purpose.  There are around 30 crore telephone subscribers and by spending 30 crores of Rupees every day, we could definitely find out a perman ent solution to this problem of accommodation to the unsuccessful section of the society.  After all the number of telephone users increasing by the dayand no body would find it a real burden to set aside one rupee a day for this purpose.  It is for Narendra Mody and Chidambaram to seize the occassion and thus find permanent remedy to this problem of the unsucccessful section of Indian society.