natural needs and desires of all US citizens for food, clothing, housing, a livelihood, education, healthcare, disability care, old age care, communication, recreation/entertainment, social interaction, acceptance and respect. Approximately 160 million workers (assuming that all people are working) have to support 315 million people. The goods and services that people need and want are provided through the labor of the workers. It is true that capital is required to help generate these goods and services, but the actual production and delivery of these goods and services is through the labor of the 160 million people. Workers work to provide an income for themselves and their families. It is unjust, contrary to Christian economics and counter to the purpose of the economy to pay an employee less than a living wage, a wage adequate for the worker and his or her family for food, clothing, housing, education, healthcare, disability care, old age care, transportation and recreation/entertainment.
Does a minimum wage or even a living wage lead to price increases and inflation? No! Within the context of moderate and stable profitability, the corporation does not have to raise prices if it pays its workers a living wage. Companies were making reasonable profits decades ago before they began outsourcing from Asia where workers are paid sub-human wages. Within the context of a democratic government that oversees and manages the economy and oversees and manages price increases, the corporation has no basis for raising prices as long as it is making a reasonable and fair profit
Raising the minimum wage to a living wage is actually good for the economy. Workers receiving more pay will turn around and spend that money, increasing demand which drives the economy. Balance and equity are the bases for a stable economy that benefits virtually everyone. Balance and equity imply moderation and the lack of extremes. Obviously, the concept and objective of maximization of profits is incompatible with a balanced economy. Christian economics theory supports and promotes the economic good of all, while radical capitalist economic theory supports and promotes the economic dominance of a select minority over the majority.
The US is one large corporation. It is a body of people working together for a common cause; the good of all people within the United States. The US economy is also a corporation. The states are corporations as well as cities and towns. Both public and private schools are corporations. Hospitals are corporations and businesses are corporations. States, cities, towns, schools, hospitals, and businesses are part of the US economic corporation and because of this need to be subordinate to the US economy as a corporation. What that means is that all corporations must support the US economic objective of satisfying in the most efficient and effective way the natural needs and desires of all 315 million Americans for safety, food, clothing, housing, a livelihood, education, healthcare, disability care, old age care, communication, recreation, entertainment, social interaction, acceptance and respect. Each corporation has as its indirect object the same objective of the US economic corporation. Each corporation has as its patriotic duty to support the objectives of the US economy. Since there are millions of corporations within the United States, it is necessary to coordinate these corporations by laws, regulations and government oversight to make sure that the overall objective of the US economic corporation is pursued and achieved.
Who owns the US economy or the US economic corporation? Who owns the United States? Who owns the state of California, the state of New York or the state of Texas? Who owns the city of Chicago? Who owns the Mayo clinic? Who owns the University of Georgia? Who owns Notre Dame University? Who owns Exxon-Mobil? Who owns Wal-Mart? Unfortunately, for hundreds if not thousands of years, there has been a social, political and economic fallacy that social organizations can be and are owned by one individual or a small group of individuals. Kings, emperors, tyrants, dictators, oligarchies, oligopolies, and politburos have denied the human rights of the equality of people and the right of people to govern themselves and have taken and take the position that societies belong to them and that the purpose of societies is to maximize the benefits to them. Kings, emperors, tyrants, dictators, oligarchies, oligopolies, and politburos have and do exploit people for their own selfish purposes. They hold that they are smarter and superior to everyone else and that either they have superior rights or that others have no rights at all. Kingdoms, empires, oligarchies, and plutocracies are morally wrong. They are morally wrong in spite of what history and literature has to say about them.
A common word used today is “exceptionalism’. US politicians refer to the United States as exceptional, implying that the US is better than other countries. This idea is behind the foreign policies that see the US dominating virtually the world, because the US is exceptional and the rest of the world is not. Unfortunately, this is just another example of the wealthy elite, the power elite, acting to exploit others (not just individuals but whole countries) for their own selfish purposes and to maximize their wealth and power.
Up until the last few hundred years, the most prevalent political structures have been kingdoms, empires and oligopolies and there are still such structures today. Within kingdoms, empires and oligopolies; judges, academics and church leaders justified the politics, policies and actions of the ruling elite. They in turn taught everyone that what was done in the name of the king or emperor or ruling class was right and the military and police enforced a blind obedience to the commands, laws and philosophies of the ruling class. The people were not to question only to obey. This lasted for thousands of years and most history books and books of literature glorify the ruling class and the members of the ruling class. The same is true today. The news media glorifies the rich. Also, Christianity starting with the reign of Constantine took a more compromising position with the ruling class in order to avoid persecution. This cozy relationship with the ruling class by Christian leaders (leaders of Christian churches and organizations) generally led to Christian leaders remaining silent regarding the immorality of the ruling class in most cases. While kings and emperors attacked other countries in order to expand their kingdoms or empires and in the process tortured, raped, enslaved and killed even women and children; Christian leaders said nothing. While kings, emperors and oligopolies subjugated the people, ignored their rights, and totally ignored the principles of ‘do good and avoid evil’ and’ love your neighbor as yourself’; Christian leaders said nothing. And the people, academics and historians naively took this silence to mean acceptance and endorsement of the exploits of the ruling class. How sad and how unfortunate! When will people start thinking for themselves and not blindly believing and following those who exploit them and those who support the exploiters?
The US economy, the United States, the state of California, the state of New York, the state of Texas, the city of Chicago, the Mayo clinic, the University of Georgia, Notre Dame University, Exxon-Mobil, and Wal-Mart are social organisms, that is, they are groups of people working and functioning together as a living body. Each person is like a cell within a body that functions both for its own good as well as for the entire body. As living bodies of people, each corporation is owned by the people comprising the corporation. Who owns the US economy? The people of the United States own the US economy. Who owns the United States? The people of the United States own the United States. Who owns the state of California, the state of New York or the state of Texas? The people of California own the state of California, the people of New York own the state of New York, and the people of Texas own the state of Texas. Who owns the city of Chicago? The people of the city of Chicago own the city of Chicago. Who owns the Mayo clinic? All of the people involved in the operation of the Mayo clinic own the Mayo clinic. Who owns the University of Georgia? All of the people involved in the operation of the University of Georgia own the University of Georgia as well as the people of Georgia. Who owns Notre Dame University? All of the people involved in the operation of Notre Dame University own Notre Dame University. Who owns Exxon-Mobil? All of the people involved in the operation of Exxon-Mobil own Exxon-Mobil. Who owns Wal-Mart? All of the people involved in the operation of the Wal-Mart own Wal-Mart.
Ownership involves rights, responsibilities, liabilities and benefits. Every person owns their self; their bodies, their thoughts, their speech, and their actions. Every person has rights, responsibilities, liabilities and benefits with respect to their bodies, their thoughts, their speech, and their actions. No one else and no other group of people can own the body, the thoughts, the speech and the actions of another person. A group of people joined together by a mutually agreed social contract
