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26 “Sunday, January 1986 - North Shore News -.

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A Statement of Fact

buy Technocracy m ihe

On May 13, 1985, a letter from a Technocrat was delivered to the North Shore News.
To our knowledge it has not been published. Following the abridged version of that letter,
as given below, is more information on Technocracy.

“Three significant reports have appeared in your newspaper in the last several weeks.
The first was an editorial viewpoint, ‘Tough lesson} on figures released by the Forest In-
dustrial Relations showing é an increase in productivity and a decrease in the number of jobs
in the last five years.‘

“Your editorial figures, which you cite as a grim reality, show that the average number
of TWA members will have one-third fewer jobs from which to choose, than in 1980; yet
production figures show a huge increase for that period. You blamed high wages, combin-
ed with modem technology, as the enemy’ of full employment.

"Technocracy Inc., a nonprofit, non-political, non-sectarian research and educational
organization has been studying the social system for decades. They correctly forecast the
present economic problems fifty years ago, and incidentally, they found that the rate of
wages paid to workers has a much smaller impact than your editorial. suggests. —

‘All of technology has a combined effect on production in North America. While it
‘may differ somewhat from area to area, the total impact on this financial system is wreak-
‘+ ing havoc everywhere on the:continent. Never in thousands of years has there been such

: ‘powerful technology bearing down on this ancient economic structure. The financial system

is unable, and never will be able, to cope with technology in terms of getting adequate pur-

chasing power to all of our people. The powers that be, backed by many individuals and -

organizations, continually attempt to create artificial scarcity in order'to maintain the mori-
_ bund financial system, by keeping prices up. It is. causing unbelievable pollution and
unspeakable waste of our natural resources. Many of those resources ‘are finite. But

‘technology rolls out goods regardless of superstition, tradition or historical habits. And .
‘because of the abundance of consumer goods being produced with fewer or.no h hands at.

’ all, and the resulting loss of purchasing power, they glut the market.’
. Nothing happens

‘ "The second item, that of the View from the Middle? by Mr. Graham lea leader of:
anew v olitical party in British Columbia, was a’creditable assessment of curtent economic”

survive, the social unrest it is breeding.

-. anew economy “and a new prosperity’ ”

_ and orderly distibution of our abundant goods to everyone in our society, we 2 must have
a system which Is compatible with technological Production. ont, .

Technocratic concept

ignored by politics.and the media,
“The third item, the talk given by Ken Low . on youth in today’s society, was on ‘the
beam. Mr. Low is from the Action Studies Institute in Calgary, Alberta.
: * The problem} he said, ‘is that 80% of the jobs we are now doing will dis sappear in
-. twenty years ... schools are factories of bureaucracies ... today’s youth has therefore been
left to Sink or swim in'a sea ef. world knowledge t that is now doubling every eight ‘years’
He. sald yo th eeds a challenge. = :

racy b mn challenging youth, for i many years with the concept of science
; e's order; but they have opted for a ‘chair in front of the television. They
~ | pesporid only te the factory of bureaucracy’, ‘Their 1 reaction to problems caused by technology

_ ifs. to paiade with ‘signs, chanting. kiridergarten's songs. This is the behavior of technological

~ - other generation in history: “Technological
“» action in the. town! square’! °°.
os The conclision'‘of the report quoted Mi: Low: ‘Hiamsan beings have toleam todo things

- never done before; they have to create new activities, new occupations, So we need each °

. “other more than ever. No one can do it all on his own!’

“How right he is! These words’ shoud ing in every schoolroom, in every home, and on

_ they should hang high in the media,

7 ‘Chaos ahead

"*We' stand at the crossroads of social change'and there is no escape. One road leads
to political chaos, the other to scientific distribution of goods and ‘servicés in an operating
design which is compatible with high technology. Only the citizen can show the way to

the latter, — by investigating the ‘possibilities, and: by urging ‘their governments to also in-
‘vestigate. Social change is coming whether we like it or not. It is being forced upon us by
rampant ‘technology. Social chaos will ensue if individuals ‘and organizations continue at

tempts to turn back the clock. Technocracy is only pointing out the necessity to investigate |

the technological trend and to apply that information to our new way of life.

“Technocracy has the guidelines for stepping into a new, peaceful and abundant socie-
ty. We either tighten our belts and waste our resources to help politicians keep their jobs,
or learn the methods of science for a smooth transition into the twenty-first century while
we still have the chance":

Ph Emewin
. 2191 Vanness, Vancouver
872-2085

Conspiracy of silence?

It is not at all unusual for Technocracy information to be zapped by the printed media
for any one or all, of several reasons: lack of space, too many letters for the editor to deal
with, or to ‘rotect” readers from reading the facts as researched by the Technocracy

- organization.
- Weare'a non-political, non-profit, non-sectarian and educational organization. We deal
not in,dreams, but in research. We observe physical laws and study the profound impact ;
~ of technology upon our social structure. Our basic purpose is to disseminate factual infor-
- mation on the natural forces which are driving us toward social change. None of us gets
. paid for. our work, There are no rackets in Technocracy. ©

paves

_ ‘Our leaders knew all the right buittons to press’ he says, ‘but now. they press them mand
nothing happens. if our leaders can't jead, then it’s up to us to find our own way towards.

_. <‘AIlof our technology — that’s ALL of it —‘was built according 1 to the physical: laws, on
. Politics and finance are in no way related to the physical Jaws. In order to achieve stability -":

ong “What. we ‘lack-is-an overall plan of operation, a design of technological control,

: Technocracy has the concept for that design, laid out by some of the most respected scien: :

"fists, engineers ‘and technologists in'North America. It has been availablé for more than ’
* fifty years.:That’s how far’ science is: ahead of politics. And that is how long it has been:

o peasants; It is unbecoming toa generation. which has more access to education than any .
ble: are solved by research, not ‘by medieval

Land of plenty
With millions of people living below the poverty line, and more millions bewildered aiid: ;
unemployed in this, the richest land area on earth, we think it is time that’ some of'our
research is put before the public. ;
Rather than clarifying for the public the actual condition of the economy and publishing an
factual! information relating to the coming social change, the media,-to our-‘dismay; are |:
‘. still devoting much space to petty political rows, emotional storles and the escapades of i
hookers. Sex is news — research is not? — 4
-- North America consumes ‘approximately 75% of all the energy produced by mankind od
in the entire world. With the resources we still possess, there is no need for poverty and =:
all of its consequences ‘on this continent. The only roadblock to the distribution of abun- 4
dant consumer goods is the ailing money system and public apathy. Fifty years of Scien- oo
tific research has given us undeniable proof of that. What are we 2 waiting for?" es

Scarcity concept a
North American fabrication and distribution of consumer net goods depends i upon ‘aich’a an
intricate and interrelated complex technology, that the old concept of controlling people rE
with money and politics is failing in its purpose: What we have today — and ere”
in the world — is a Price System which depends upon scarcity of consumer goods‘arid ."?
“+ adversary action among people who work against each other ina mad scramble for dollars me
*... Technological operations require the cooperation ‘of } ; PO
technological society, That's you, neighbor — and us..." 2
‘The mournful plea for cooperation under the resent social syste

is broken: then we. 9 inisult them with “food "banks" reer ‘facto’

‘are paid to ‘curtail crops, and goods are destroyed to support prick
the hand:tool tradition and is rapidly relegating the: Price ae f

impose to fulfill: °
“Some m pecrle 8 are Simin

mah ee are a our “young peop!
LU your eyes to enthing ti money.” Everything in technology,
«.” preconceived plan. Politics and finance, the operators of our. ero

a Technical oan who’ made 3 a. cerors of our economy and resources in North

foresaw the eventual’ destruction of the Price: System by: the irreversibl

technology. They-drew up an operating concept for North’ ‘America’ which’ would’ provide
every citizen with abundant living from birth to death — and with more freedom than has’. “>
been known to this date. Much of the gain would be accomplished by efficient elimination * +
of waste and duplication of effort, cessation of junk manufacture and built-in obsolescence. .
Their projections led them to foresee economic disorder resulting from the expanding: ;

_ technological pressure on the debt structure, which is geared to a hand-tool Society. At is:

this pressure which: automatically’ disemploys consumers. Technology: .begets“more =~.
technology. It is out of political ‘and financial control. (Technology: Smashes the Price ae!
System”, by Howard Scott; Harpers Magazine, 1933.) _

ue Willy-niliy: economics -

It is little understood that for some thins years or-fmore, the Price! System here in North
~» “America has" been thundering along at the’ expense ‘of-the environment and tesources,::.
*and the underprivileged. It was‘also boosted by the creation of tremendous ‘debt, the like ;
“of which has‘never befor been known. Loans-arid ‘gifts’ t6developing’ countries enabled:
-” them to “buv” our goods, with our money,—=:it will’never be paid back — thus:h ting:
“up-the economy to provide, our more, fortunate. citizens. with ostentatious living” “°° od
; “The limited “prosperity”, you see, was not brought about by clever politicians, but because ey
- we had rnunificent resources and we put our heirs in hock to exploit them.-To aid in the; :
process we had the most irnpressive technology ever known,: ‘uncontrolled by any kind of; ; 4
design, and used by every Tom, Dick and Harry to rape and pollute the’earth for quick: a
profits. Naw the Price System chickens‘are coming home to roost. Don’t cry for yourself: Sold
and your children; you applauded ‘the senseless performance for your own temporary ad-;
vantage... Cry for your grandchildren: : They are”innocent victims, Noted : ‘syndicated: a
Washington columnist Jack Anderson ‘pits ‘it: ‘this: “way:, “One of the. reasons you areaf-. 7
* fluent, one of the reasons you are doing so yvell,. is that: you ‘are charging your standard *:
of living and your government services. to your children, and that is immoral. You've ‘got i.
.. to start paying your own way.”
_ Those people, particularly high school and college students, who ‘are protesting about
"lack of. funding for education, should understand that: there’ is not enough money to go
around; and there never will be. The Price Systern cannot allow it. A lot of-it is required
for payment on massive debts incurred during the “golden years” while they were growing °
up. dack Anderson said it all. Technocrats have tried to explain this to young people for:
many years, but they just gave us patronizing smiles. The ‘question is: will they, ever sharpen:
up and investigate the facts?
Short cuts to save money (called “restraint” to soothe the. suckers) are being taken by:
both governments and corporations at the expense of safety, the infrastructure, the en-
vironment and the health and well-being of employees: Those who still have jobs are being’
': saddled with the work of their former colleagues. They suffer from overwork, trauma, ten-
Sion, physical illness and fear of losing their jobs. The pressure causes family problems
to worsen, and they may even tend to lean on drugs. ~
People insist on clinging to this outmoded social system, which has seived its time fairly
well up to the introduction of pervasive technology. The great middle class, the smug ma-
jority, is being split; some to go up, and some to go ‘down. This is-not'a conscious plot.
It is a natural sequence where packhorse ‘distribution is retained in a society of high
technology. Technology is about to encroach ‘further on the workforce, gobbling up jobs’
of every description. “Make-work’’ programs are farcical in a pushbutton socie-
ty. North Americans are unbeatable, it seems, at almost everything, except applying .
science to the distribution of goods and services. : 7