ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY

[Guest guest]

ROOPA:

Economic Democracy

 

INTRODUCTION

 

An Economic & Political Policy Platform:

Greater the Vice, Greater the Price

 

ROOPA: Responsibility Of One's Products & Actions.

 

Lawsuits are a system of monetary compensation by the guilty for the

estimated cost of their victim's damages. Welcome to ROOPA. The only

difference: the precision with which ROOPA tallys' the cost, compensates the

victim and streamlines this into a truly universal system of "justice for

all."

 

This principle of compensation is used in courts the world over or found as a

centerpiece in much of our public policy. Insurance companies and others also

use this ROOPA principle as part of everyday business.

 

These court, business and legislative practices are much like today's other

economic and public policies. They are a sloppy imitation of this ROOPA

principle. To begin, they are almost entirely arbitrary. Their approach is at

best sporadic in nature, disjointed as a policy and generally clumsily

instituted when followed.

 

ROOPA redresses these failings by articulating this principle into a

uniformed, standard procedure. In doing so, it has happened upon a fair,

effective and scientific system of justice that translates beautifully into a

formal economic policy.

 

 

Premise:

The premise of ROOPA is that every activity produces an economic out come.

ROOPA holds that "good deeds" (virtue or non-vice like education, family and

sobriety) offer profitable economic returns. Conversely, "bad" or vices like

smoking and drinking, create expensive economic "social-cost" by way of

crime, social services, medical expense, impaired work performance, degraded

living standards, etc.

 

This is simply an interesting economic observation, not the focus of this

proposal. ROOPA is not a moral quest, but an economic one.

 

It simply plays out that activities "generally" viewed by society as a vice,

also have high a degree of social-cost. Things generally viewed as virtuous,

prove economically rewarding.

 

ROOPA simply notes this intriguing ECONOMIC correlation. In doing so,

however, ROOPA removes morality from the subjective realm of religious

zealots and places it the realm of science and verifiable numbers. We are all

weary of religious extremist and their brand of moral authority. ROOPA

replaces such relative morality with an objective, measurable science.

 

ROOPA then translates this principle into an economic system wherein a

product's "social-cost" will now be included in the upfront wholesale/retail

price.

 

"Vice-products" now burdened with the "true-price" of their social-cost will

always prove expensive.

 

 

 

Net Result

 

Consumption reduced.

 

 

 

Benefit

 

ROOPA circumvents the need for further government regulation.

 

 

 

Advantage

 

All the drawbacks of state regulations are finally stamped out. Most taxes,

insurance premiums and fines are nearly eliminated. They've already been

covered in the wholesale/retail price.

 

We will have simplified the maze of government tax-codes from tens of

thousands of pages (7 million words) into a single word: ROOPA. The minefield

of tax penalties will have been cleared in one fell swoop.

 

Government bureaucracy, waste, corruption, regulation, legal finagling,

racial targeting and penalties are all reduced to nil. The job market for

lawyers, bureaucrats and politicians are reduced right along with it. All of

these schemes and schemers are a sloppy substitute for personal

Responsibility Of One's Products & Actions: ROOPA.

 

Here's Why:

The ratio of government regulation generally correlates to the social-cost

associated with an activity. Greater an activities social-cost; the more

government justifies its regulation.

 

This supports ROOPA's premise:

 

Greater the vice, greater the price. Simply measuring the long-term economic

consequence can designate the gravity of each vice.

 

 

 

End Result:

 

Paying ALL related social-costs of any given vice becomes expensive in degree

to the gravity of its "moral" transgression. Further regulation is therefore

unnecessary.

 

 

 

Example

 

Government takes the moral stance that smoking is a "bad thing." It so

happens to also carry a clearly defined "bad" economic outcome in medical

expenses--$100 billion a year.

 

A child's smoking is viewed by the government as a more serious transgression

then an adults. This coincides with the numbers. A child's smoking causes

greater economic liability by way of higher, long term medical cost.

 

Now take the example of crack. The government considers crack cocaine a more

serious vice then cigarettes. As expected, crack also causes far more harm

and social, economic liability by way of crime, social services and medical

expenses. The social-cost for a hit of crack runs into hundreds of dollars.

 

This mirrors state regulations wherein smoking for adults comes with some

restrictions such as high taxes or when and where one may smoke. Underage

smoking is banned completely. Crack cocaine is not only banned, but carries

stiff penalties--fines in thousands of dollars, years behind bars.

 

All the social-cost government attempts to account for in its regulations are

automatically included in the true-price tag. ROOPA, therefore, accounts for

all of these legislative considerations. Further regulations championing some

moral crusade by government, church or the media are no longer necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Difference

 

Presenting tobacco companies, for example, the challenge to "cut cost" leaves

them to curtail the same areas government was trying to regulate in the first

place. Those areas offer the greatest savings.

 

Dividing tobacco related medical cost between each smoker comes to about

$2,500 a year. That's about $1,000 per American family. Eliminating teenage

smoking will reduce much of this cost. Moderation taking the place of

compulsively smoking packs of cigarettes a day would cut cost even further.

 

The difference is that government regulation is replaced with the savvy and

resources of a tobacco industry now redirected to meeting these same goals---

moderate smoking and teenage smokers curtailed.

 

Manufacturers will prove more effective then government bureaucrats at

implementing needed safeguards whether via product design, marketing or

compensation. Or they will go out of business and be replaced by one capable

of meeting "market demands."

 

Public Policy Formula

Charging the social-cost upon these products makes them expensive

proportionate to the gravity of their "sin" or vice--social cost. As prices

rise, consumption is reduced.

 

Cigarettes will go from being a staple of "spastics" to a social, high-end

luxury. Abusive, mass smoking will be tempered. The very goals of government

regulation will have automatically been achieved.

 

ROOPA is the duel track of moral and economic imperatives run side by side.

The "true-price" is the deterrent, the penalty and the social compensation

all in one. Further regulatory tampering by church or state is no longer

necessary.

 

The true-price tag combines morality and government legislation into an

all-purpose, easy-to-use formula for public policy. It's no longer necessary

to create new policy directives from scratch with each new issue.

 

Such an automated system shuts out the politics of "special-interest."

Political corruption and bureaucracy is effectively abolished. Conspiracies

of all kinds--eliminated. It's much harder for multi-nationals to hide their

products social-cost then it is for "them" to blackmail, bribe or sabotage

our government.

 

Today's system of justice and reform relies on the integrity of our

politicians, the competency of our government and the righteousness of our

courts. Does anyone else see a problem here? Compromise anyone of these

institutions and the whole system shuts down. This is the story of Washington.

 

The U.S. government's struggle with the tobacco industry offers a case in

point.

 

Kenneth Starr's law office is a primary law firm of the tobacco industry.

Starr's "independent-counsel" of the White-Water Investigation left Clinton a

weakened president. Clinton's mandate for tobacco reforms was left tethered

in scandal. This saved the tobacco industry hundreds of billions of dollars.

 

HMOs, oil companies, nursing homes, the gun lobby--among others, were all

targeted in Clinton's original political itinerary. The impeachment trial

changed all that. Clinton's subdued presidential agenda saved multinationals

trillions.

 

Conspiracy or coincidence? It does not matter. ROOPA does not rely on these

government institutions and so can avoid the political shell-games of these

staged scandals. ROOPA bypasses these snags--whether of government bungling

or corporate manipulation.

 

ROOPA uses one simple formula: modifying the government's power-to-forgive

perpetrators for (economic) damages to third party victims. The most common

victim is the American taxpayer. ROOPA does not introduce a new tax. It's the

same tax system we have today. The only difference is that politicians can no

longer arbitrarily forgive Big Business from covering their FAIR share. All

of it. No more black mailing or bribing politicians out of one's social cost.

This is all ROOPA ask.

 

ROOPA will do for social justice, political reform and economic policy what

credit cards and ATM machines did for banking. ROOPA is the social

"Debit-Card-of-Justice." Automated, concise and universally accessed with

ease. Its primary function: to tally and charge offenders the total cost of

their social damages.

 

 

 

True Free Market

 

Higher costs, means less smoking. Less smoking means less medical cost. As

the social (medical) cost drop, so too will the price of cigarettes. When

smoking rises, so too will the social cost and wholesale/retail prices along

with it.

 

It's a natural balance between consumer and manufacturer and the public good.

A regulating government middleman is no longer needed.

 

ROOPA IS THE ONLY, one true, "Free Market System." Today's global economy

demands "ECO-nomic" and social-cost subsidizes. Today's free market system is

therefore as much a fraud as it is a corruption.

 

Tobacco is a $40 billion a year industry. Its social-cost in medical

expenses--$100 billion a year. Smoking consumes more than double in

social-medical subsidies then it generates in economic activity. Gambling and

liquor have a much higher ratio of social-cost subsidy.

 

These subsidies represent an economic policy of diminishing returns. It's a

zero sum game. Therefore, segments of the economy and the population have to

be targeted to makeup "the difference." It's the most vulnerable that are

left to pay.

 

Washington provides the tobacco industry with a $100 billion a year in

medical cost subsidies to smokers. Yet, our politicians refuse to spend the

$65 billion that could cover America's remaining 45 million uninsured. Much

of these economic shortfalls are `Made from the hides of the third world

people.'

 

ROOPA pinpoints those activities of diminishing returns. ROOPA separates them

from activities of "sustainable yield" like education and family. ROOPA

brings tobacco, liquor and other vices to pay "the difference" of their

social-cost subsidies. Paying this difference makes them economically

self-sustaining. Healthcare premiums are instantly reduced by 60% to 80%.

Universal health care--affordable for all.

 

Today's "free-market" also demands massive cash bailouts--CONSTANTLY. There's

the billions pumped into Tiger or Capital Investments Corp or Citicorp Bank.

Then we have the hundreds of billions spent bailing out the Asian and South

American stock markets laid waste by foreign investors' `hot money.'

 

ROOPA does not require these regular taxpayer bailouts or eco-subsidies.

These costs will now be covered by those responsible for creating them. ROOPA

is a natural market balance and therefore, the one and only true free-market

system.

 

This natural-balance allows ROOPA to level the playing field from today's

lopsided economic policy standards between international investors and third

world countries.

 

Foreign investors cried foul (political-corruption) over water `subsidies'

for Mexican farmers, over Indonesia's food and fuel price subsidies for the

poor and over medical care for South Korean's. Billions of the world's most

vulnerable people crushed into dire poverty in the name of `free-market

reforms.'

 

Somehow, these same `experts' turn a blind eye to tobaccos medical cost, the

US meat industry's free grazing rights for cows on public lands and the

billions more in public services spent on gambling's dire social ills.

Today's `free-market' seems FREE for but a select few-those of vice. ROOPA

makes it `free' for all.

 

 

 

Economic Democracy

 

Democracy is governance of the people, by the people. ROOPA is the next step.

ROOPA is governance of ones' self.

 

ROOPA is the self-regulation of ones own activities through NATURAL price

restraints. The price will represent the true-cost of ones' activities and

(moral) lifestyle choices: Economic Democracy.

 

Our present system does not allow us these options. Today, you are

blackmailed into covering a smoker's medical treatment via way of higher

taxes and high insurance premiums. Either pay it or forfeit your health

coverage and IRS compliance.

 

This has been the only option for the 45 million American's now without

health insurance and the additional 35 million with patchy HMO (non)

coverage. Nearly 50% of all personal bankruptcies for example, are due to

"medical reasons." (Time5/15/00) This does not include the tens of millions

buried under by today's tax policies.

 

With ROOPA, you can eliminate these penalty expenses by simply not smoking.

Your family would save $1,000 a year in tax and insurance premiums. You can

again reduce your tax and medical premiums by not drinking. You can reduce it

further by eating organically grown produce and wholesome foods.

 

Cancer causing pesticide grown foods will now prove more expensive as will

meat and junk foods. They will now bare the medical cost of treating

pesticides cancer-victims or other dietary related ailments.

 

Corporate, modern agriculture may not prove the most competitive farming

system after including all its eco-social, medical cost. ROOPA exposes all

such economic distortions and transforms them into economically

self-sustaining activities.

 

ROOPA is representative of a simple and obvious economic truth. People will

either cover the social-cost of their activities or someone else will have to

cover it for them.

 

ROOPA is therefore not optional. It's the only option. We either have smokers

cover their cancer cost or we will have to cover it for them. Given that a

growing number of us can ill afford these rising healthcare premiums, more of

us are left forfeiting all other healthcare benefits. It's becoming an all or

nothing game. For the 45 million American's without insurance, there is no

other option. ROOPA is the only option.

 

Why should smokers cover the cost of an alcoholic's liver problems? Why

should alcoholics cover for smoker's lung problems? Why should the rest of us

pay for either of them? Let them cover their own cost. Welcome to the

responsibility of adulthood, capitalism, the free-market and democracy.

Welcome to ROOPA.

 

 

 

Cost: $5.00

 

It's about 5 bucks above today's price. It cost about $4 per pack of

cigarettes. For $5 bucks more, smokers can have full medical coverage for all

smoking related treatments--free. No more punishing insurance premiums.

Government harassment, restrictions and penalties-gone.

 

Is that worth 5 bucks!? This comes to 50 cents a cigarette. It's about 30

cents more over today's 20 cents per cigarette. Is it worth the 30 cents?

 

 

 

How to Start?

 

ROOPA only needs one thing. YOU. Just tell others about it. Do you know 12

people who would be willing to tell 12 people? It means telling just one

person a month.

 

Talking to just one person, who then tells one person, who also tells one

person a month means 200,000 supporters in the first year. It will reach 800

million people by the 2nd year. That's if we start with a mere 100 people.

 

 

You can reach nearly a billion people by telling just 12!?! Reaching just 1%

of this means 8 million people speaking in one voice.

 

 

 

The ROOPA Party

 

A broad-based, grassroots, independent Third Party "of the people, by the

people and for the people" will have finally been born. No money. No media.

No politicians. No multinational influences. It's you and your friends using

your own voice. Nothing more. Welcome to the ROOPA Party. We can have all

this in place for the next elections in 2 years from now.

 

This is the power of each of us taking just a little responsibility. It means

telling just one person a month and paying 30 cents more per cigarette. It's

small enough to change the world. This is the secret formula of democracy and

it's economic counterpart--ROOPA.

 

 

 

Law Suits or ROOPA

 

It comes down to this. We either go with ROOPA or stay with its evil cousins:

Big Brother, political corruption, class action lawsuits, and high premiums

and taxes. These are the only two choices.

 

Lawsuits are a sloppy version of ROOPA. The billion dollar rewards are

attracting lawyers in mass. Some version of ROOPA is gradually being

instituted throughout every industry. Attorneys will make sure of it. Why not

have the real-thing?

 

Lawsuits charge offenders for only a few of the victims and a small portion

of the total social-cost. ROOPA provides all victims full compensation and

does so in partnership with manufacturers and consumers without the middlemen

bandits of lawyers and politicians.

 

Which do you prefer? Lawyers and politicians deciding what's best for you or

you deciding what's best for you in each dollar you spend? Lawsuits or

ROOPA!?

 

Today, the choice is yours. So begins our Economic Democracy.

 

 

Available at www.ROOPA.org

 

Volume 1

Introduction: Shown above.

Preface

Chapter 1 Not a Moral Quest, But Economic One

Ch. 2 Common In Courts, Business & Public Policy

Ch. 3 Modern Economics: Little More Than Theories & Ideology

Ch. 4 Fed.s vs. Tobacco: Case in Point

Ch. 5 Starr & Tobacco Connection: Trillions Saved

Ch. 6 ROOPA: Shortcuts Corruption & Gov't Bungling

Ch. 7 Price Tag: Morality & Regulation in One/Greater the Vice; Greater the

Price

Ch. 8 Product: Producer's Baby & Responsibility

Ch. 9 ELIMINATED: Bureaucracy, Corruption & Taxes

Ch. 10 ROOPA Cost: $5 more per pack (of cigarettes)

Ch. 11 Reach A Billion People by Telling Just 1 A Month,

Welcome to the ROOPA Party

Ch. 12 ROOPA: Economic Democracy

 

Contact: Anudasa

John/Raghu PO Box 1108 Hilo HI 96721 PH. # 323 969-4727