Economy
Business
Banks
Banks and usury are geared for exploitation and they are impersonal. Rather, we believe in Credit Unions. People are the focus, not profit. This way we have a system that is for the improvement of lives and not pocketbooks!
We will make heavy taxes for banks and encourage Credit Unions with low taxes and tax credits. This wil make loans from Credit Unions cheaper. Eventually banks will be gone and consumer owned Credit Unions will take their place.
We will make heavy taxes for banks and encourage Credit Unions with low taxes and tax credits. This wil make loans from Credit Unions cheaper. Eventually banks will be gone and consumer owned Credit Unions will take their place.
Land Distribution
One of the most important sources of wealth production is land. Every man should be able to work on his own land be he a farmer or a software developer. We are opposed to huge corporations which buy up tens of millions of acres in massive farming operations. Land ownership should be returned to the common man.
One way to spread the ownership of wealth-producing land is to use Differential Property Sales Tax. Differential Property Sales Tax works by taxing the purchase of land based on the amount of land the buyer already owns. When the man who owns $200,000,000 of land buys more, he must pay a very heavy tax, while the man who owns $200,000 of land pays almost no tax on his purchase. This will dis-incentivize the purchase of land by large-landholders, and make it easier for ordinary people to buy their own land.
One of the most important sources of wealth production is land. Every man should be able to work on his own land be he a farmer or a software developer. We are opposed to huge corporations which buy up tens of millions of acres in massive farming operations. Land ownership should be returned to the common man.
One way to spread the ownership of wealth-producing land is to use Differential Property Sales Tax. Differential Property Sales Tax works by taxing the purchase of land based on the amount of land the buyer already owns. When the man who owns $200,000,000 of land buys more, he must pay a very heavy tax, while the man who owns $200,000 of land pays almost no tax on his purchase. This will dis-incentivize the purchase of land by large-landholders, and make it easier for ordinary people to buy their own land.
Guild System
The guild is one of the oldest and most stabilizing economic institutions in the history of humankind. To put it succinctly, a guild is an association of people engaged in the same occupation, and its primary object is mutual support. Guilds have appeared in many civilizations, often bringing stability. While the prevalence of guilds has recently been declining, we propose their restoration and conditions for their flourishing. Guilds will prove especially valuable in the fields of art and industry – eliminating undue competition and hostile action between their various members and fostering cooperation and mutual growth. Unlike unions, guilds foster cooperation between employers and employees, are often more localized, and can include highly-skilled professionals.
We will implement a guild system by allowing the states to approve "guild charters" for industries and crafts in their boundaries. These charters will officially establish the guild and guarantee that: the guild has a limited right to deal with the legal issues concerning its industry and its members, the guild will not refuse entry to any worker who can pass a basic test verifying his skill in that guild's industry, the guild may not sell its membership, the guild has rights to make rules for its members, the guild is governed by a direct democracy of all its members, and the guild has the right to expel troublesome members. This system would be overseen by state and local governments.
The guild is one of the oldest and most stabilizing economic institutions in the history of humankind. To put it succinctly, a guild is an association of people engaged in the same occupation, and its primary object is mutual support. Guilds have appeared in many civilizations, often bringing stability. While the prevalence of guilds has recently been declining, we propose their restoration and conditions for their flourishing. Guilds will prove especially valuable in the fields of art and industry – eliminating undue competition and hostile action between their various members and fostering cooperation and mutual growth. Unlike unions, guilds foster cooperation between employers and employees, are often more localized, and can include highly-skilled professionals.
We will implement a guild system by allowing the states to approve "guild charters" for industries and crafts in their boundaries. These charters will officially establish the guild and guarantee that: the guild has a limited right to deal with the legal issues concerning its industry and its members, the guild will not refuse entry to any worker who can pass a basic test verifying his skill in that guild's industry, the guild may not sell its membership, the guild has rights to make rules for its members, the guild is governed by a direct democracy of all its members, and the guild has the right to expel troublesome members. This system would be overseen by state and local governments.
Environment
It is our moral duty to be good stewards of creation – the environment – by working to counteract global climate change, protect our water and atmosphere, reduce pollution and deforestation, encourage recycling and end the throwaway culture, retain our biodiversity in both flora and fauna, and begin using more sources of renewable energy. We recognize the importance of the natural environment to cultural heritage, the intimate interaction between humankind and nature, and the disproportionate effect environmental issues have on the poor. We hope to do this through a two-tiered system whereby the federal government sets basic minimum set of regulations and works to include environmental degradation into the cost of doing business and where the states implement strong environmental regulations and innovate how to better protect our ecosystems and planet.
We support including environmental degradation into the cost of doing business by placing a federal tax on all forms of pollution and resource exploitation– similar to how a broad carbon tax would be implemented. The tax should be equal to one and a half times the practical cost of repairing such degradation. We support subsidies and tax credits to encourage the installment, research, and development of solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and run-of-the-river hydroelectric technologies. We support strong state-level renewable energy mandates. We support funding for a highly decentralized smart grid, envisioning the majority of people having solar panels, small wind turbines, or geothermal systems in their homes and businesses. We support subsidies and tax credits for the research, development, and purchasing of electric, hybrid-electric, and hydrogen-based vehicles. While we oppose nuclear fission energy production, we support subsidies for the research and development of viable nuclear fusion technologies. We support state legislation that encourages businesses to replace as much standard, traditional plastic as is practical and possible with more biodegradable alternatives derived from plants or other natural and renewable sources; this would especially target packaging. We support local recycling programs and legislation that would provide states with additional funding to jump-start recycling programs within their municipalities.
We support stricter state regulations on hydraulic fracturing to minimize environmental damage and to protect our clean water supplies, as well as its gradual restriction and phasing out as renewable energy sources become more prevalent. We support moving the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline away from the sand hills of Nebraska, having it take an alternative route to avoid potentially polluting the Ogallala Aquifer. We support grants to states to clean up bodies of water, water tables, and public water systems. We support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, additional funding to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes, and the Harbor Maintenance Act to ensure that funding is available to keep Great Lakes harbors open and operable. We support tax incentives for businesses and homeowners to install systems that collect rainwater for private use, and we support federal grants and tax incentives to provide for the long-term sustainability of aquifers by supplementing them with desalinated water from the ocean by means of reverse osmosis.
We support including environmental degradation into the cost of doing business by placing a federal tax on all forms of pollution and resource exploitation– similar to how a broad carbon tax would be implemented. The tax should be equal to one and a half times the practical cost of repairing such degradation. We support subsidies and tax credits to encourage the installment, research, and development of solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and run-of-the-river hydroelectric technologies. We support strong state-level renewable energy mandates. We support funding for a highly decentralized smart grid, envisioning the majority of people having solar panels, small wind turbines, or geothermal systems in their homes and businesses. We support subsidies and tax credits for the research, development, and purchasing of electric, hybrid-electric, and hydrogen-based vehicles. While we oppose nuclear fission energy production, we support subsidies for the research and development of viable nuclear fusion technologies. We support state legislation that encourages businesses to replace as much standard, traditional plastic as is practical and possible with more biodegradable alternatives derived from plants or other natural and renewable sources; this would especially target packaging. We support local recycling programs and legislation that would provide states with additional funding to jump-start recycling programs within their municipalities.
We support stricter state regulations on hydraulic fracturing to minimize environmental damage and to protect our clean water supplies, as well as its gradual restriction and phasing out as renewable energy sources become more prevalent. We support moving the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline away from the sand hills of Nebraska, having it take an alternative route to avoid potentially polluting the Ogallala Aquifer. We support grants to states to clean up bodies of water, water tables, and public water systems. We support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, additional funding to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes, and the Harbor Maintenance Act to ensure that funding is available to keep Great Lakes harbors open and operable. We support tax incentives for businesses and homeowners to install systems that collect rainwater for private use, and we support federal grants and tax incentives to provide for the long-term sustainability of aquifers by supplementing them with desalinated water from the ocean by means of reverse osmosis.
Follow Us
The Hound of Distributism
Special thanks to everyone who helped to create this manifesto:
/u/MoralLesson
/u/lsma
/u/da_drifter0912
/u/GimmsterReloaded
/u/MoralLesson
/u/lsma
/u/da_drifter0912
/u/GimmsterReloaded
