Coming Lower Living Standards, Lower wages, A Modest But More Equitable Way of Life

There is no doubt that, in the long run, globalization will benefit more people than it will hurt in the United States and abroad. It is certain that it will also create new challenges, oftentimes quite painful though temporary. Today’s harsh economic situation seems to be an example. It has caused a deep economic slowdown already affecting tens of millions Americans with no recovery in sight. Capitalistic globalization has a lot to do with this situation.

Consider the housing bubble which was fueled by extraordinarily cheap money provided by lenders. It caused the prices paid for the property free of any connection to real value of the property in relation to rent or market supply and demand. The abundance of cheap money didn’t come from Americans since they haven’t been saving for years. It came from other countries known as the “global saving glut,” amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars made available in the U.S. market. With money available to borrow, people bought overpriced houses far beyond their financial capability to pay monthly mortgage payments or sell for the price paid for. It is quite clear that without the global saving glut, America couldn’t have a housing bubble or the resulting housing collapse.[1]

Employment and jobs have taken also a very important global dimension. The most significant effect seems to be the opening of a huge global labor market. Along with millions of Americans looking for work, millions of job seekers around the world are able now to compete for tens of thousand jobs offered by the American firms within the country as well as abroad. What is devastating for American workers is the presence of millions of substantially lower-priced foreign workers with the same skills. Even if they are not hired, they hold down the wages of high-priced American workers. Yet worse, instead of creating jobs at home, this immense pool of cheap labor relentlessly induces employers to create new jobs wherever workers with required skills are available for substantially lower wages. In reality, the main problem is not so much the outsourcing of jobs, which is relatively small, but creating them abroad rather than at home. [2]

Under the global free trade agreements, globalization has been causing an enormous societal upheaval— economic, political and social— approaching an inevitable global peaceful revolution tending to substantially upset the status quo in both developed and developing countries. It is causing downward slide in living standards in the advanced countries and upward moves of the same in developing ones. No one country or group of states can control or stop this phenomenal transformation which is taking shape and strength. At the most, any contrary effort by a state may only cause some minor delays in progress which would actually be detrimental to its economy rather than beneficial. The reality is that the world market needs cheap and abundant goods and services and to provide these, producers need cheap labor and favorable environment to maximize profits under a keen and unavoidable competition in global market.

How is this transformation affecting the United States? Let’s see first how much of America is owned by foreigners. The following few examples well illustrates the situation: Mining, 27%; information, 24%; manufacturing, 20%; professional, scientific, and technical services, 20%; and finance, 11%. But these statistics include all production firms large and small, if we look at the major and key firms, the foreign ownership picture is quite alarming. For example, foreign capital controls sound recording industries by 97%; commodity contracts dealing and brokerage by 79%; motion picture and sound recording industries by 75%; metal ore mining by 65%; database directory, and other publications by 63%; cement, concrete, lime, and gypsum products by 62%; engine turbine and power transmission equipment by 57%; rubber product by 53%; nonmetallic mineral products manufacturing by 53%, plastic and rubber products manufacturing by 52%; boiler, tank, and shipping container by 50%; coal mining by 48%, nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying by 47%.[3]

Now, let’s look at the percentage of Americans annual consumption of foreign imports. These are goods that come from abroad instead of being produced at home. Here is just a few examples from 2005 showing the percentage and value in billions of dollars: Footwear, 92% [$17.590]; audio and video equipment, 90% [$40.967]; computer equipment, 70% [$78.404]; Apparel, 75% [$68.576]; miscellaneous manufactured commodities, 57% [$63.467]; communication equipment, 53% [$47.137]; semiconductors and other electronic components, 51% [$68,349]; motor vehicles, 39% [$142,842]; pharmaceuticals and medicines, 32% [$5.613]; motor vehicle parts, 32% [$71.066]; iron and steel and ferro alloy, 29% [$27.443]; basic chemicals, 24% [$35.011]; medical equipment and supplies, 23% [$16.290], a total of $733.8 billion.[4]

Then there is no wonder that according to a senior administration official, the federal budget deficit for 2008 will set a record high close to $490 billion [6] which the government has to borrow from certain sources abroad more likely from the so called “global saving glut.” by issuing government treasury bonds. Considering the past behavior of the lending countries, a good part of this huge amount will be spent to buy more of the American production and communication means, increasing foreign influence over extraction of the natural resources, production of goods and services. According to Fortune Magazine ( February 18, 2008, p. 58) foreign buyers set a record in 2007 by purchasing $414 billion of American assets. Many of the biggest deals were made by Asian or Middle Eastern buyers. Our annual trade deficit remains massive amounting to hundreds of billion dollars each year. It is this enormous amount of money spent abroad that comes back to acquire our means of production, transportation and communication. This trend is troublesome more so now than ever before. ‘According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the rest of the world currently owns way more of America (stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.) than America owns of the rest of the world, by margin of $2.6 trillion. ... Where it leads is grim: As a nation we eventually cease to be capitalists and become simply wage earners.... a country that goes too far down this road can be ‘colonized by purchase rather than conquest.’”[5]

One would expect “Americans, in a period of falling home prices, a wobbly stock market and an ongoing war, to be less than satisfied with the direction of the country. It’s natural. But Americans are not simply dissatisfied. They are very unhappy. O.K., deeply, pessimistically unhappy. Un-American Dreamy : 85% of respondents in an exclusive TIME/Rockefeller Foundation poll believe that the country is on the wrong truck.” [6]

Americans are increasingly feeling that they have become the losers. A majority of 68% of the respondents in a Fortune Magazine survey indicate that free trade benefits the most the U.S. partners rather than the Americans. They fear about jobs lost overseas and wages reduced by global competition and now worsened by the failure of giant financial institutions, housing crisis and credit crunch. It is felt that globalization so far is undermining the middle class and enriching only the economic elite. As opinion polls demonstrate, this disparity seems to be a reason for unprecedented concerns about inequality in income distribution as well as upward economic mobility. According to a Gallup poll nearly 70% of Americans think that there should be a more even distribution of wealth. The earning gap between the highly skilled workers and the rest of the labor force has been widening since 1980s. Particularly, in the last few years the top few percent has seen an accelerating gain while the rest have stood still or fallen back. A huge number of Americans, 80% of them, think it is harder to maintain a middle-class lifestyle now compared to five years ago.[7]

Putting aside the housing crisis, let’s see why is this happening to the working class in the United States? The basic reason is globalization of capital, production as well as marketing during the last decade. Availability of cheaper labor abroad, and far favorable production environment such as minimum or no requirements for health care or retirement benefits, minimum or no regulation regarding the work environment, and harshly competitive global market, all together have been causes for strong inducement for American firms to move their production of goods and services abroad. This process is still going on with an increasing pressure to be enlarged further. The first effect of this surge is imposing a cap or reducing wages. This is being seen all over the country from the airline pilots all the way down in nearly all firms involved in global trade. As demonstrated by the studies mentioned above, wages as well as middle class family income has remained nearly the same during the last five years.

Based on the character of the globalized trade and keen competition it creates in global market, the production firms have been pushed to resort to any means which would bring down the cost of production. Unavoidably, when the cost of production at home, despite of all possible reductions, cannot compete in international market, the firms are obliged to move their operation where the cost of labor, health care, retirement benefits put all together leaves some ground for competition and expectation of profits. The outcome has been an accelerating outsourcing the production.

Consequently, based on all the facts presented above, This process of stagnation in domestic production, reduced wages, health care and retirement benefits with increased unemployment, will impose unavoidable pressures on the middle and lower income families to cut down in their spending. As the process continues, these families will end up spending only in basic necessities, trying at the same time to save some for their health care and old age, if at all possible. Purchasing luxury or multiple items such as cars, television sets, cameras, many shirts, pants, shoes and dresses will be gradually reduced to basic needs. As the domestic production of goods and services along with consumer spending declines, so do the government revenues while its expenditures particularly in welfare programs, such as unemployment compensation, food stamp, antipoverty, Medicare, Medicaid etc., increases. There will be no other way but substantial tax increase to balance the budget. Because, we won’t be able to borrow money to sustain these programs, as we have been doing for years. Presently, we are borrowing $2 billion a day to balance our budget and paying over $700 million interest daily on the accumulated national debt of over $10 trillion. Since our projection of lover living standards as presented above is about a decade or two away, and if the level of budget deficit stays around $3 to $5 hundred billions per year, the nation will approach to the brink of bankruptcy by then and the United States will lose credibility to borrow particularly that our creditors will be foreign financial institutions as they are now. The imposition of any tax increase, specially a substantial one, would be a great but inevitable burden on the impoverished taxpayers.

The huge unemployment in addition to the new young workers entering the tied job market, will push the nation for substantial transformation in the workplace. One possible and democratic way would be to guaranty equality of opportunity at work place. The concept would require the production firms to hire anyone looking for job in their area of competence. If there is no open positions then those who are employed must let go an hour or two per week of their weekly work to the extent that it will provide employment for everyone. It will cut c3rtain amount from the weekly or monthly pay of some but will provide work and income for those who were unemployed.. This process will guarantee full employment all the time.[8]This concept is not easy to implement but well possible. For details of the theory see the author’s Technodemocratic Economic Theory: From Socialism and Capitalism to Democracy and his other books and articles on the subject at <www.democractwhere.com> .

Since people will work several hours less per week, they will have more time for leisure, enjoyment of life and self-fulfillment. Individual attention to exercise, art, music, poetry and literature will flourish. It necessarily result in creation of thousands of new and meaningful positions.

While this process of lower living standards taking place in advanced countries, developing countries also go through a quite different transformation. This process has already started in many developing countries where wages are extremely low and requirement for a healthy work environment, health care and retirement benefits are minimal. It has already caused outsourcing the production from the advanced societies and an urge from the part of the global production firms to establish production firms in these countries rather than in their own. China and India are two major beneficiaries. Such development of production of goods and services in these countries will gradually cause increase in wages and workers demand for a better working environment, health care and retirement benefits. It will eventually result in a higher living standards in these societies. Ultimately, the income level will be modified in both developed and developing societies and the living standards reach a comparable level under a global standards tending toward a more equitable way of life. However, these standards will be much lower than what they are in developed countries today.

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 References

1. Geoff Calvin, “A Recession of Global Dimension?” Fortune, February 4, 2008, p18.

2. www.economyincrisis.org/content/ownership and www.economyincrisis.org/content/consumption July 28, 2008.

3. Andrew Taylor, “Budget Deficit Nearing $490 Billion,” JULY 28, 2008. www.time/nation/0.8599.1827084.00html

4. Geoff Calvin, “America for Sale,” Fortune, February 18, 200 8, p.58.

5. Bill Sporito, “85% of US Unhappy With Economy,”

 www.time.com/time/printout/0.8816.1823668.00html

6. “Workman’s Blues,” The Economist, July 26, 2008, pp.33-36.

7. This concept is not easy to implement but well possible under a more advanced electronic communication system. For details of its application see the author’s Technodemocratic Economic Theory: From Capitalism and Socialism to Democracy and his other books and articles relevant to this subject by visiting www.democracywhere.com and www.ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr._Reza_Rezazadeh

Dr. Reza Rezazadeh

Professor Emeritus and Fulbright scholar

University of Wisconsin

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The Theory of General Strike and we the People

This theory was developed by the nineteen century French philosopher George Sorel (1847-1922).. As it has been historically demonstrated, anytime it has been employed it has reached its goal. It is a highly effective way to bring down any government or corporate elite regardless of its power and strength.

In the late 19^th century, although the Marxist socialism was a dominant ideology among workers, syndicalism was still widely preferred in France, Spain, and Italy. It grew out of trade unions association that espoused the utopian vision of one day controlling their industries and, eventually, the government. The strike became the central weapon of syndicalism. However, it was the concept of general strike that made syndicalism revolutionary. Many hundreds of strikes in Europe, toward the end of 19^th century, presented the potential of one mighty united strike, resulting to total work stoppage that would ruin capitalism and dismantle the government.

George Sorel wrote his treaties of syndicalism in 1908. He considered general strike as a mythic belief, a wide spread acceptance of which would prompt collective action by workers, at the same time softening employers resolve against concession. He believed that the movement of revolted masses must be represented in such a way that the soul of the revolutionaries may receive a deep and lasting impression capable of evoking as an undivided whole the mass of sentiments which corresponds to the different manifestations of the struggle undertaken by the people against the controlling system.

The movement concentrates in dream of general strike; there is no longer any place for reconciliation of the issues at stake. Everything is clearly mapped out, so that only one interpretation of the new order, namely a democratic and just society, is possible. This idea has all the advantages which integral knowledge has over analysisim, a way that it will be nearly impossible to cite another example which would so perfectly demonstrate the value of the goal subject for this action.

The possibility of the actual realization of the general strike has been much discussed. To the people who think of themselves as cautious, practical, and scientific, the difficulty of setting general masses of the workers in motion at the same time, seems prodigious. Its realization is considered a popular dream and an illusion of youth, soon to be discarded. But the experience shows otherwise, that the framing of a future, in some indeterminate time, when it is done in a certain way, may be very effective, with very few inconveniences. It happens when the anticipation of the future take the form of those myths, which embodies all the strongest inclinations of the people; inclinations that recur to the mind with the insistence of instincts in all circumstances of life; and which gives an aspect of complete reality to the hopes of immediate action by which, more easily than by any other method, people can reform their desires, passions, and mental activity.

The thought of general strike by itself in the course of a movement, preparation for a revolution, or a general uprising, creates a great element of strength, if it embraces all the aspirations of a democratic and just society and if it has given to the whole body of this concept a precision and rigidity which no other method of thought could have given. All that is necessary to know is, whether the planned general strike contains everything that this concept of a new society expects of the working class. At this point, the idea of general strike is so admirably adapted to the workers mind that there is a possibility of its dominating them in the most absolute manner, thus leaving no place for the desires which the legislative and executive branches are able to satisfy. The general strike is so effective as a motive force that once it has entered the mind of the workers, they can no longer be controlled by the system.

The truth about this approach and its definite successful results are found in numerous past occasions with no space here to refer to them. To demonstrate the actual operation of a general strike, the reference is made here to one very recent and totally successful action by the Iranian people in 1979 which resulted in bringing down their government which was considered the most militarized and powerful in the region. The course of events started in 1953 but took over twenty five years of bloody struggle by the Iranians to unite in general strike.

Operation Ajax was set up by the CIA, in 1953, to overthrow the Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeg’s democratically elected government and reinstall the Shah to the throne of Iran. [1] Under Dr. Mossadeg’s leadership, the Iranian oil industry was nationalized in 1951 ousting the British Petrol (BP) which had claimed and appropriated around 85 percent of the profits accrued from it since its creation in 1908. The British Petrol (BP) allied with the American oil companies by the assistance of both governments decided to oust the Prime Minister in order to repossess the Iranian oil industries. The CIA led by Kermit Roosevelt, a grandson of Theodor Roosevelt, initiated a coup in Iran to remove the democratically elected and extremely popular Prime Minister from the office. The US led coup was successful.

The royal monarch Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was brought back to the throne who became a virtual dictator. American advisers were brought into the government apparently to modernize it. Fearing popular uprising, his government assisted by the CIA, created the Iranian SAVAK, a vicious secret police to suppress any dissent. Reprisals took strength in early 1960s but were brutally put down. Many gave their lives and scores injured and tortured. But the movement did not die; the struggle continued and reached its summit in 1979, when all dissenting groups united behind one purpose, the overthrow of the regime. The concept of general strike had taken over. It had the difficult task of confronting the most powerful government in the Middle East, strongly supported by the United States.

First students poured on the streets nationwide, then oil industry workers stopped working. Revenues from the oil industries comprised some 80 percent of the government revenues. Soon work stoppage spread to other sectors of the economy, then civil servants and finally the lower ranks of the military and solders. The economy broke down in weeks, forcing the Shah to flee this time with no place to seek refuge including the United States. A new democratic system of government was established with a total exclusion of Americans from the country.

Unfortunately, a year later the government was taken over by Ayatollah Khomeini. The secular oriented democratically elected president had to flee the country. Under the direction of Ayatollah Khomeini a new constitution was written and ratified under a controlled voting process. The new constitution established a theocratic and absolute dictatorship by one man, who had to be an attested Muslim scholar, and rule as the Supreme Leader, having veto power over any policy made by the government. He has also power over a dual military forces: the regular armed forces, and the Revolutionary Guard created to counterbalance the former. However, the constitution also created a popularly elected President as the chief administrator, and a welfare state with free education, free health care, anti-poverty provisions, subsidies to rural farmers and old-age benefits.

It is interesting to note that during the Shah’s reign, the US government cooperated with his government in developing nuclear energy known as the “Atom for Peace” program and extended a full cooperative hand to Iran in developing of two dozens nuclear energy plants. All were stopped after the 1979 revolution. The United States turned against Iran and backed and assisted Saddam Hussein after his invasion of Iran for eight years causing hundreds of thousands of Iranians to be killed. It even supplied him with chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction which he effectively used even against his own people..

At the same time, Iranians never have been happy with kind of theocratic dictatorship they have become subjected to. Despite all governmental efforts to suppress dissension, opposition groups are active, though mostly underground. The likelihood is that based on their successful overthrow of the monarch in 1979, they may get united for another general strike to bring down the present dictatorial regime and establish a democratic one. In fact, recently, President Ahmadinejad, for the purpose of reducing the deficit, imposed 70 percent tax increase on the merchants and shopkeepers in bazaars. This comprises a major part of small business in the country but extremely important since religious leaders rely for their livelihood on these devout Sheet bazaaris who give one fifth of their disposable income to the clergy. Despite this fact the bazaaris have threaten to declare a general strike similar to one which helped to bring down the Shah’s government in 1979.[2] Historically speaking, no country in the Middle East is more prepared culturally and socially to accept a democratic way of life than Iran. As observed by the late Justice William O. Douglas the Iranian local life has been traditionally highly democratic. However, no new regime in Iran would be friendly with the American government, justifiably so, for what this government has done to the Iranian people since 1953.

Today, the economic, political and social life is so dire in advanced societies operating under the control and influence of the corporate elite that there seems neither hope nor chance for substantial reforms. Actually, under capitalism, particularly in the United States, the economic, political and social systems have become so corrupt and remote from the public interests that they cannot be reformed and need a total transformation to a new system of a fair and just society. With tremendous power of control that the elite enjoys in having the government, military, police and intelligence agencies on its side, any violent uprising can be easily put down. The overwhelming majority of Americans believe that something drastic need to be done to return the government back to the people. To succeed they must know what kind of a system should replace the present one. One known choice is socialism. But this regime, as shown in several countries which have tried to establish it, has transformed itself to dictatorship to be ruled by a political elite. Fortunately, there are new theories of a futuristic technological democracy developed which can replace the present system returning the government, and socio-economic systems to the people. [3] While the corporate elite and the government are equipped and ready to crash any violent anti-capitalist uprising, the general strike, through a peaceful and non-violent movement, is the only way to succeed.

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1. For details see Kermit Roosevelt, Operation Ajax, Also http://CIA. Operation Ajax 

2. See Maziar Bahari, “Iran Closes Shop” Newsweek, July 28, 2010, p.6.

3. See Reza Rezazadeh, We the People: Democracy as a System, Frederck, Massachusetts: Publish America 2010.www.publishamerica.com/wethepeople 

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UNIVERSE LONG BEFORE THE BIG BANG AND AFTER: NEOSECULARISM v. ATHEISM and RELIGION

Secularism is defined as indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious consideration. Neosecularism is defined as the exclusion of religion or religious consideration. It is fundamentally different from secularism since it embodies the religious dogmatic concepts of God and spirituality but in a completely secular, rational and scientific manner including the nature, the essence and locus of the Creator.

Materials presented below are not illusions or assumptions. All are matters of absolute facts to me. Since there is no scientific tools presently available to prove any of the materials presented here, and the manner by which I have ascertained the truth about them cannot be explained in this short essay, I have to guide the reader to my website www.democracywhere.com to find the answer. Therefore, I am going to present those as assumptions leaving to the reader�s knowledge of astrophysics, intelligence, reasoning power and rationalization for reaching a sensible conclusion. I propose that the reader assume these facts as hypotheses, as we scientists do in verification of any issue in our research and study process, then attempt through logic and reasoning to verify its different components and ultimately reach a conclusion.

Let us assume that there are two universes instead of one. One is matterless and the other material. The former, being matterless, is not subject to time or space since only the matter can have such dimensions. Therefore, the Matterless Universe expands to infinity with no beginning or end. It consists of what we may call �Super-energy�. Since energy is the source of life, this Super-energy must be dynamically alive, super intelligent and enormously creative. Thus, we may properly call It the Creator. It has no gender, thus, it is neither �He� nor �She� but �It�. No light is associated with this Universe since any light is associated with matter and space. Because the Creator is matterless and extends to infinity, It is ever present everywhere transcending any matter including human being, with ultra sensitivity to the environment at any chosen point. As a matterless being It has no need to see but to sense. Therefore, It exist in absolute darkness. Our scientific community has got a hint of the Creator but it calls it Dark Energy. As soon as we move away from our planet, we find ourselves in the same absolute darkness yet at the presence of the Creator.

If we consider all these as facts, we may come to the conclusion that the Creator is not a holy being as assumed by different religions but totally a secular being with no association with any particular religion. It is like a super manager, inventor and creator and as such anxious for ultra-scientific designs and experimentations of which the creation of the Material Universe may be one, and maybe not the only one. The essence of these experimentations may not be all for the same purpose namely to create a material universe or create a better one. On the other hand the Material Universe, at least so far as we have discovered, is subject to time and space as any matter, and as such it has a beginning, a process of life and develoment,  and an ending. Let us assume that the Creator�s experimentation for creating a material world did not start with the Big Bang but long time before that. This experimentation necessarily required a material base which had to come from the Creator�s own essence, Super-energy. It seems proper to assume that in our material world, the energy, in a variety of ways, is the base of existence of all matters from the Material Universe itself to planets and all living thing in them. From this we may assume that a super source of energy had been a base for its creation. The Creator, or the Matterless Universe, consisting of Super-energy, would appear the only source of such immense energy required for the creation of the Universe.

Let�s assume that the Creator designated an initial point and a space there with specific dimensions fitting the objective of its experimentation, and capable of absorbing and accumulating of needed energy. In a matter of maybe a billion or more years, the accumulation of energy in this designated space became crystallized in the form of a condenced huge transparent but solid object we may call it as Pure Matter, the ultimate size of which was determined by the Creator to suit the objectives of Its experimentation. For the first time �space� and �time� were created. The Material Universe, therefore, was initiated and its course of creation, evolution, maturity, decay and extinction was figured out by the Creator and now was the time to see to what extent the system would follow the established process by the Creator�s design of experimentation.

When the Pure Matter became saturated by the energy absorbed from the Super-energy it reached he point of explosion causing the Big Bang, unleashing the enormous energy saturated inside it. Because of the extreme heat, the resulting matters, which were not pure anymore, were mostly in the form of gas including what later on became solid matters or liquid. The explosion created immense light associated with heat with lightening outward push of the resulting matters creating a huge black hole in the Center with incredible power of magnetic gravity. Some huge parts from the Pure Matter thrown outward by the Big Bang were still in solid transparent form, though likely not so pure, but still capable of absorbing more energy, becoming saturated and exploding later on far away from the Center. Therefore, we may properly assume that there was not just one Big Bang but a succession of big bangs maybe not as magnificent as the original one, and they still may be continuing to occur in the outer dimensions of the Universe, though not as enormous as the previous ones, creating new galaxies, solar systems and corresponding planets.

Initially, because of extreme heat caused by the explosion, all matters were in gas form. After quite an extended period of time, as temperatures receded, some matters liquefied and then took a solid form, some others took a liquid form yet some others remained in more condensed gas from. Ultimately, the solar systems and planets were crystallized. Evolution of life in each planet depended on the material components of the planet and the environment within which it was situated. Evolution of each planet proceeded to its maturity , aging, decaying and extinction. The nature of matters composing each planet determined the extent of its capability to absorb energy from the sun and other sources. The nature of accumulation of this energy, within a proper environment created by the solar system�s sun, allowed in some planets for the living organisms to be created. In certain planets the level of adsorption reached a point known as the intelligence line materialized by the planet�s entry into the intelligence orbit emanating from the sun and expanding outward. This level of intelligence was also affected, positively or negatively, depending on the nature of the material components of each planet and its environment. As a result of this environment, a variety of intelligent creatures were created including human beings as the environment became favorable. The level of intelligence of the intelligent creatures advanced by the increase in the level of the planet�s intelligence as the planet approached to the inner core of the intelligence orbit.

It is important to notice that the Creator did not create the universe , its components and living creatures in some planets including ours. They were created according to the specific conditions required for their creation as set up in the Creator�s design of the experimentation. For example, human beings were not created at one time all over the planet. Different part of the planet being subject to different environment, some human beings were created tens of thousand years after other ones but, likely, more intelligent than the previous group because of rising intelligent level of the planet had placed them on a higher level of intelligence. So, the total process of the development of each planet, as that of the Material Universe, involved the creation and the evolution side by side at different levels of development. Based on the conditions of the environment and natural climate, some species evolved into a new ones and some became extinct.

At one point the consumption of energy by the planet reaches the level of its absorption of it. At this point, the evolution stops. Pursuant to this point the absorption of energy gradually decreases, either as a result of decrease in the emission of the energy from its original source or certain transformations in the components and composition of the planet or other reasons. As a consequence, the planet receives less energy than it needs for its survival and starts an accelerated process of devolution and degeneration. This situation occurs when the planet is near moving out of the influence of the intelligence orbit. When the level of intelligence of the planet is reduced, by the planet starting to move out of the intelligence orbit, it causes decay on the level of intelligence of its intelligent creatures. When the planet reaches the outer limits of the intelligence orbit, the level of intelligence on the planet reaches the zero point and no intelligent creature survives and the planet with an increasing acceleration loses its gravity power to the point that its components cannot be held together by its weakened gravity and the planet meets its destruction. The majority of planets, in their process of development do not encounter the intelligence orbit or even the level of environment capable of producing any kind of creatures. The span of life of these planets are comparatively quite short.

It seems that the Material Universe, the whole subject of the experimentation, is set to follow the same course of evolution, decay, devolution and extinction. After its creation through the Big Bang, it started to expand outward with incredible speed by incredible force created through the explosion. From this point of explosion on, the motion of the Material Universe has been under the influence of two immense forces: An outward pushing force created by the Big Bang, and an inward pulling force created by the enormous gravity and electromagnetic forces initiated as a result of the Big Bang. The resultant effect has been the slowing down of the expansion speed. The later big bangs have also been instrumental in this regard since their expansions were also spherical, part of which expanded toward the Center, opposite to the expansion direction of the Universe. These repeated post-Big-Bang explosions have actually resulted to a chaotic movements inside the sphere of the Material Universe. Based on these assumptions at one point in time the Universe would reach the zero point of expansion. Then, under the pulling power of the Central gravity it would start to contract in an accelerating fashion which will cause increasing heat to the extend that as it moves closer to the Center and becoming condensed by bringing together billions of the existing planets and ever-increasing speed, the level of temperature will cause all matters to be transformed into gases, ultimately being totally evaporated leaving nothing behind. Every material thing will disappear by being transformed into matterless form again. It will appear that nothing had ever happened. Considering the infinite dimension of the Matterless Universe, this whole process would look like a mosquito bite in a human body which it swells outward, then swelling stops and then the skin recedes to its normal condition without any trace of the bite left behind. 

From all these we may conclude that: first, nothing is holy about the Creator as assumed by several religions. It is a totally secular being with a supreme life, intelligence and creative power. Thus the Creator has no relation or interest in, nor belong to, any religion. Second, Its nature is inherently positive and good expecting the same outcome from Its experimentations. Third, among all creations, the Creator has been able to sustain contact with human beings through their high level of intelligence, the human mind being the locus of this contact. It seems appropriate to assume that the main purpose of this experimentation may have been to examine to see to what level human beings, a degraded material beings, can develop themselves approaching the Creator�s essence at the matterless level. Fourth, To guide humans in the process of self-development towards Its essence, the Creator has often impressed advanced individuals, who have been able to have direct contact with It, to guide human societies and human beings, showing them the road they themselves have navigated to approach the quality near the essence of the Creator. The number of these individuals is not restricted to Jesus, Moses, Mohammad and others who have been mentioned, but it is in thousands who remain unknown at any given time. For certain, many such individuals, called prophets in religiious circles, are among us human beings at the present time. They, overwhelmingly,  operate silently carrying out their assumed duties. Seemingly, all these so called "prophets" knew the exact nature and essence of the creator and Its non-holy but secular status. They were, however,  unable to explain it to the people because of the low level of knowledge and understanding which still prevails today. There are evidences for such assumption. Zoroaster or Zarathustra, the greate Persian prophet,around 1500 B.C. introduced his dynamic message of "unique" monotheism, the concept of only one Creator. He called It "Ahura Mazda" meaning a "Super-Intellect Being," as "the creator, sustainer and promoter of the Universe."(1) The old Persian word for God is "Khod'a", meaning created by itself. Many of these prophets had no choice but require people to accept the Creator's existance, Its everpresence averywhere, and Its enormous creative power and intelligence.This is where the dogmatic concepts of the Creator or "God" were created resulting in creation of different religions. Fifth, Since the nature and essence of the Creator is totally good, It would necessarily be against any killing, harming, coercion or ant kind of injustice among human beings for any purpose, religious or else. Any religion that does not follow these values has no relation whatsoever to the Creator. It is nothing but fake.

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Reference:

1. www.iranonline.com/magazine/issue25/mehregan-english/  p. 3 

2.For details about neosecularism see Rezazadeh, Reza. Passage to the Heaven: Secrets of the Universe, Life and Happiness. 2002, pp.384; and other materials in www.democracywhere.com

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Globalization and the End of Capitalism

Based on my years of study and research concerned with social and economic developments in a variety of societies, it is my deep belief that  more equitable standards of living and a democratic capitalism has been a dream rather than reality and the capitalism as it is practiced has reached the point of its own destruction moving the world toward a free and noncapitalistic market system quite distinguished from other systems such as socialism or communism. 

Two factors are prominent in this incredible, irreversible, and unavoidable process. These are the electronic information and communication system particularly the Internet and the rapid development of free trade or globalization process. These have created a tremendous disequilibrium in production and marketing of goods and services in the world market. While hourly pay for a skilled worker in the United States is around $20.00, the equivalent of the same labor is about $0.80 per hour in China and around $1.80 in India, two massive communities with a combined population of 2.4 billion with advanced technology and millions of skilled workers and professionals. These countries are now capable to overtake the process of production of goods, services , and marketing for a fraction of their cost in the United States and Europe. They produce the same quality of goods even in some cases better than those produced elsewhere.

Considering only the labor cost, an enormous pressure is already imposed on production firms operating in the global markets. Jobs are being rapidly outsourced to developing countries with ample skilled resources, to China and India in particular. Besides cheap labor, there are other substantial benefits inducive to movement of production to these countries. For example, there is a minimal or no health care cost, particularly in those countries with national health care programs, whereas this is a very significant cost of production in the United States; there is no or a little government regulation of the production particularly concerning the work environment, hours of work, and child labor; there is no or a minimal, often loosely regulated retirement benefits imposed on producers.

Consequently, advanced countries have to reduce the labor cost by reducing pay per hour, improve automation and lay off workers in order to remain competitive in the global market. We are already seeing such moves in some industries in the Unites States such as airlines, car, electronic and textile industries, each with plans of cutting down its work force by tens of thousands during the next five years. Now developing countries particularly China and India are rapidly advancing in the global market. $1.00 stores are now all over the United States. Consumers can practically find most of their needs in these stores. Nearly all goods sold are made in developing countries particularly China. A set of pliers which is about $8.00-12.00 if made in the United States you can buy for one dollar, nearly the same quality, but made in China. The same goes for a wrist watch-calculator or ladies and men's hair coloring. I recently bought magnifying classes for reading for $1.00. Not only it fit my eyes perfectly, it was also beautifully and professionally designed and produced. The price, of course, included the material and production cost, transfer overseas from China to the United States, the middleman's profit, and finally the retail store profit. Looking at the glasses I wondered how in the world this could be possible even with $0.24 per hour labor cost!

However, the effects of free trade and globalization, despite being harsh on middle and lower classes in developed countries, is promising for the rest of the world. It will force advanced countries of the West and Japan, first to cut the production cost and then reduce the domestic volume of production. The major items in production cost are wages, health care services and retirement benefits. In order to stay competitive in the world market, the cost in all these three areas has to be cut down continually and ultimately substantially. Gradual reduction in wages and other benefits will place some 90% of the American families in precarious conditions. The purchase of, so called, luxury items will be sharply reduced and a part of the income will be channeled to necessary items such as health care and some savings for retirement. Purchase of multiple items now practiced nearly in every family such as two or more TV sets, cameras, particularly clothing will be brought to a minimum. As a result, the volume of consumption nation-wide will substantially decrease forcing the producers to cut production accordingly. The living standards will come down to a modest level leading toward a more equitable life. Reducing workforce will not solve the problem when a substantial number of workers would be out of job. The only way these countries can peacefully and democratically survive would be through a democratic employment process by the application of the principle of equality of opportunity at work place, resulting in total elimination of the layoff or firing of the workers. The outcome would be substantially reduced pay, but full employment, yet, submission to a much lower and more modest standards of living .

In developing countries, on the other hand, based on gradual advancement in societal consciousness, there will be an increasing demand for better wages and benefits. Wages will gradually go up, work environment will improve, health and retirement benefits will be established. As a result, the standards of living will improve toward a modest level for most of the citizens particularly for those  working in production of goods and services for global market.

The global keen market competition, particularly between the United States, Europe,Japan, China, India and Brazil while would require continuous cutting the cost of production and marketing, will also necessitate continual cutting of the profit margin in order to be able to compete in a very tight market. Ultimately, it will be a matter of survival for all production firms. Producers will be satisfied if they come out even with no profits and no losses. The production firms will then tend to be and act like non-profit organizations. Income from the production would offset the wages, benefits and other costs. Though the capitalistic profit motive will still persist, but opportunities for profit will be hard to come by. That will be the end of capitalism as we have known. The alarming fact for the capitalists is that, because of world free trade market, this process of change will be irreversible and will not take too long. I believe it will not go beyond four or five decades. Imposing tariffs on imports by developed countries will not help the employment or profit situation but would accelerate the decline. 

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References: 

Detailed discussion of globalization, disappearance of capitalism and democratization of the market in the author's  writings particularly in:

Tchnological Democracy: A Humanistic Philosophy of the Future Society (1990);

Technodemocratic Economic Theory: From Capitalism and Socialism to Democracy (1991), and

Passage to a Just Society: Secrets of a Democratic Life, Leisure and Happiness (2002).


http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr._Reza_Rezazadeh or the author’s website http://democracywhere.com

and read “We the People: Toward a Just and Fair Society and How to Get There.” and “The Theory of General Strike and We the People Power.”

Sigularity Theory: What Is Right and What Is Wrong With It