North American Technate

[sysyphus]

In other words, when the US economy collapses under the weight of its deficit, we're supposed to prop them back up.

Forget it.

 

[Alvaro da Luna]

More from the article:

The Technocratic movement aims to establish a zero growth socio-economic system based upon conservation and abundance as opposed to scarcity-based economic systems like capitalism and the system used by Communist states. A core conclusion reached by the Technocratic movement is that a price system, or any system based on scarcity, is an illogical means of distribution in our technologically advanced world. Technocracy sees established economic, political, and administrative forms as relics of a traditional past.

Trends of the price system with technologic escalation.Technocrats argue that developments in mechanization have caused a massive shift of employment towards the service sector.[citation needed] Further increases in efficiency and productivity mean that most of the tasks performed by human employees could be reduced or eliminated through better management, automation, and centralization. These trends should signal an increase in both production possibilities and leisure time since more can be produced with less human labor. Within a market system, however, increased productivity often leads to downsizing because companies need fewer workers and lower wages because of competition. Consequently, the standard of living falls for many. Thus, Technocrats argue that we are faced with a fundamental paradox: As inexpensive machines become available to replace human labor, they do not make our lives easier; on the contrary, they make them harder. The more we are capable of producing due to technology, the greater the disparities in wealth will become and the potential benefit of technology will be shared less. The basic cause of this problem, in the view of the Technocratic movement, is the fact that we rely on a money-based system to make economic decisions.

Efficiency, for a Technocrat, is measured scientifically: a ratio of energy applied for useful work to energy applied in the complete system. Technocrats argue there exists a massive rift between the real world of science and the world of economics. They claim the inputs needed to make most products are in abundance, especially those critical to society's needs like food, shelter, transportation, information, etc. Technocrats argue that most social ills, such as poverty and hunger are due to faulty economics and improper use of technology. They frequently point out that the current price system is wasteful as it utilizes as many resources as possible but can only create scarce products (excludable and rival private goods). Technocrats argue that full use of our technology and resources should be able to produce an abundance.

Zero Growth as defined in another article.

Zero growth is a theory that all economic activities and policies should be oriented towards achieving a state of equilibrium.

The theory asserts that the continuous growth model is inherently unstable resulting in a "boom/bust" cycle, and that continuous growth in the context of finite resources is unlikely to support current levels of prosperity indefinitely. Proponents of this theory also explicitly challenge the popular equation of economic growth with progress and posit that sustainability has inherent value.

The "Zero Growth Creed" states, in part:

"We believe mankind has attained the maximum utilization of Earth's treasures which he can prudently attain without harm to his well-being, both material and spiritual; indeed, without threatening the very existence of his kind and of all his life-sharing companions upon this fruitful orb. Humble as are man's works before the awesome majesty of Earth's natural forces, we have in our power the capability to destroy the fragile balance of Nature, to upset the mechanisms - so unlikely and so wondrous, so far beyond our power to comprehend - by which our earthly home has evolved and will evolve."[1]

Here is a statement that I definitely do not agree with.

An energy credit is a hypothetical unit of currency used in a technate. Unlike traditional money, energy credits cannot be saved or earned, only distributed evenly among a populace. The amount of credit given to each citizen would be calculated by determining the total productive capacity of the technate and dividing it equally. The reason for the use of energy credits is to ensure equality among the Technate’s citizenry as well as prohibit spending that is beyond the productive capacity of the technocracy. This system is usually referred to as energy accounting.

I don't see how energy cannot be made into a traditional currency. <Think back to the days when you used to play SMAC and Morgan's quotes>