Read Button in the Fabric of Time for Free Online Page B

something, and
for that contribution, they are entitled to the necessities of
life, such as food, water, shelter, clothing, education, and health
care. If they want more, they must earn more.”
    “Can they own property?”
    “Of course, and many do. As an example, some
residences are more desirable than others, and those who earn more
money buy the better homes. We don’t have what you called
entrepreneurs, but we have many people who dedicate their lives to
developing things that will improve all our lives, and they are
rewarded and honored for their contributions. No matter how much
wealth a person acquires, they must do something that benefits the
people. We don’t allow anyone to acquire wealth, and then hire
others to do the basics for them. That would take us right back to
the type of democracy that you had, which was oppressive.”
    “What if someone refuses to work?” I
asked.
    “No one is forced to do anything; but if they
do nothing, they get nothing.”
    “That sounds like what we called Communism in
the twentieth century. It was tried and failed miserably.”
    “I read of that time. The governments you
mention failed, not because the concept was wrong, but because it
was administered incorrectly. A few men gained control and
administered the system for their own personal advantage. The
Communist leaders maintained control by killing millions who
resisted their dominance.”
    “That is true,” I admitted. “In one of the
Communist countries, millions were put to death and millions more
were exiled.”
    “Another reason Communism failed,” Jan 3
continued, “is that it destroyed initiative. Communism denied
people the right to acquire wealth and own property. They couldn’t
improve their lives by working hard, so they did only what they
were forced to do. We learned from their mistakes—we don’t hold
anyone back, and each person is rewarded for his or her
achievements.”
    “Can people with money hire others to work
for them?”
    “Yes, many people provide services and
receive pay for their work, but the ones doing the hiring must do
the basics themselves. Hiring people to do the basics for you would
create a master-servant relationship, and that is degrading and
divisive.”
    “If people use their money to hire workers to
manufacture things beneficial to the populace as a whole, is
that not making a contribution?” I asked.
    “That is what we call capitalistic democracy.
In that system, workers—for economic reasons—were unable to build
or manufacture things for themselves. Most workers came to realize
that that was a form of slavery because they had no say in how much
they were paid, and they had to do the work—no matter how meager
the wage—because they had no other way to feed their families.”
    “In our system,” Jan-3 continued, “there is
nothing a corporation could build, manufacture or do, that the
people can’t do for themselves. The people provide the material and
do the work, then share in what they create. No one makes a profit,
but everyone benefits. If they want to make a profit, they must do
it in another way. That’s why I call our democracy a true
democracy.”
    “Who decides what work the people must
do?”
    “They decide for themselves. Many people
improve themselves by acquiring knowledge and developing skills;
then they contribute their skills and knowledge to meet their
obligations. As an example, we have little need for doctors, but
people do medical research to improve our mental and emotional
welfare. For those who do not have knowledge and skills, there’s
always a list of things that needs doing. They can choose from the
list. Only a few hours of work each day are required to meet the
basics. If they work longer and do more, they are compensated by
accruing more buying power. They can then buy anything they want,
except servitude.”
    “Then there is no unemployment and no
welfare?”
    “That’s correct,” Jan-3 said. “Everybody
works, and