In the financial crisis we are in people come with ideas for a better society. I wrote the Civil Manifesto to promote discussion.

Please send your comment
Walther Micke
Netherlands
wm9011@gmail.com

CIVIL MANIFESTO

(Referring to “Civil Society”. “Civil Rights”, “Communist Manifesto”)

In the view of the authors of the Communist Manifesto the expulsion of the bourgeoisie by the proletariat was a natural phenomenon. It would be the unavoidable result of the development of the forces of production as free enterprise not longer being able to
satisfy the needs of the wage earners (“salary-slaves”) whereby subsequently the bourgeoisie
would be removed with force and the proletariat would triumph.
Meanwhile the communist experiment, besides having caused immense human suffering, has proven that, contrary to the expectancies of the authors of the Communist Manifest, the market is in a better position to satisfy the needs of the people than the centralized plan economy. In countries where the centralized plan economy is still functioning (North Korea, Cuba) the people suffer a wretched existence. And citizens of the former communist countries in Eastern Europe hope to profit by the prosperity in Western Europe.
Today there is again discussion about the market economy. But the uncurbed spread of the Casino-capitalism is not a natural phenomenon. The neo-liberal ideology is deliberately produced by humans. And Alan Greenspan, greatly inspired by Ayn Rand, has occupied (sic!) a central position in this process. He is greatly responsible for the development of the financial crisis by rejecting the regulation which could have prevented the crisis. Furthermore the government in the United States has passed tax laws according to which millionaires pay less tax than the man in the street.
Conclusion: The market must not be substituted by the plan (however some privatisation having gone to far should be pushed back) but must be regulated by law such as to prevent the destructive functioning which the market can assume in certain instances.

In the present crisis-situation several people make proposals for a more just and humane society. Think about the Occupy Movement, but also about the “Patriotic Millionaires”.
But sometimes the “Occupy Movement” is accused of being unclear about goals. A clear programme may be clarifying. A shortlist of goals for a couple of areas may be useful. Individuals and groups may specify their position regarding those goals. Thus the Civil Manifesto could be an instrument for the attainment of political power.

Income

-Specification of minimum income.
-Specification of the ratio: maximum/minimum income (for instance not bigger than 10).

Pensions

-Specification of age for retirement

Worklessness

-Specification of unemployment benefits
-Specification of duration of the payment of unemployment benefits

Banks

-Split of savings-banks and investment banks
-Prohibition of harmful derivatives
-Establishment of a national bank

Housing

-Integral housing policy
-Equal positions for renting and buying
-Maximal mortgage of 400 $

Healthcare

-No privatisation of healthcare (no profit generation for hospitals).
-Affordable healthcare of a good quality for everybody
-Elimination of superfluous layers of management

Education

-Good education for everybody. No restrictions for people with low incomes

Sustainability

-Furtherance of the efficient use of energy
-Furtherance of vegetable consumption, restriction of meat consumption.

-