Meliorism: The Answer

Description:
Meliorism is an economic system which utilizes a form of electronic currency for domestic
transactions. This Domestic Electronic Currency, or DEC, is controlled by the central government in
regards to its value and the amount in circulation. For all domestic purposes the DEC functions as any
other currency. In order to control the value of the DEC all business is under government authority.
This gives rise to the main principle of Meliorism: resource based labor. Considering that the
government has unlimited currency at its disposal, limits the amount in circulation, and controls all
business (as to avoid competitive pricing which has no place in Meliorism) whatever work needs to be
done shall be done as long as the resources and workers are present. In this respect, Meliorism is
strictly better than the predominant economic system of this day: Capitalism. Capitalism requires three
things in order to complete any action: workers, resources, and funding. As common knowledge
dictates, the latter of the three is the limiting factor in most problems, which is why Meliorism
rightfully removes that arbitrary remnant of that archaic economic system. The obvious problem (yet
glorious solution) of Meliorism is that the DEC has no value outside of the Meliorist nation. This is
where Meliorism's economic prowess truly shines. The Meliorist nation is a producer nation.
Considering no real money is spent in the manufacturing of a product (recall that the government i.e
business has unlimited currency) it can be sold to other nations for their international currency at 100%
profit. With that, the Meliorist nation can sell quality products at low prices while still achieving
monetary increase. This will impel other nations to only purchase the Meliorist product, decimating
other non-Meliorist business while increasing the overall quality of life for other nations (with better
quality items), and adding currency to the Meliorist Foreign Transaction Stockpile, or FTS. The FTS
negates one of the only two limiting factors in Meliorism: resources not present in the Meliorist Nation.
Money from the FTS would only be used to purchase resources from other nations to make higher
quality or different goods (as using foreign money in the Meliorist nation would accomplish nothing),
which would be sold at a higher price than the foreign resources were purchased for, therefore
accomplishing six important feats. 1.) This increases the FTS. 2.) Thereby taking more foreign
currency out of global circulation 3.) Which allows the production of higher quality goods that other
nations will become dependent upon 4.) Thereby annihilating non-Meliorist business which decreases
competition, 5.) Which allows for higher prices, thus making an economic cycle that results in the
peaceful spread of Meliorism via economic takeover.

Monetary Management:
Considering that the DEC is by definition an electronic currency, there is no reason for a paper
representation of wealth. In its stead a transaction card, or T-card, would be used for personal trades
and purchases. The T-card would resemble a modern credit card, and be used as simply. Each citizen
would have an individual account and all DEC earned would be transferred directly to their account.
They would then go to any Meliorist business, purchase their items, and the DEC used would be
removed from circulation (as the government already possesses unlimited currency).
All accounts are managed at the Central Currency Distribution Center, or CCDC. This building
functions purely as a record of each account's DEC. In Meliorism, the creation or reproduction of nonauthorized DEC is prohibited (as it would alter the value of the DEC without government consent).
Any overspending or use of non-authorized DEC would instantly be detected and corrected.

It is vital that the government have complete control over the DEC in order to control its value.
With all business government owned, prices will be based on the availability of the resources used to
create the product. This will help to prevent over consumption of a particular resource. Furthermore,
prices will be slightly weighted according to the respective demand of the object: high demand would
equate to higher prices while low demand would equate to lower prices in most cases.
In Meliorism, DEC cannot be traded amongst individuals due to the fact that would give rise to
privately owned business which would require and create Capitalism. In fact, any successful Meliorist
society should prohibit any form of non-DEC currency in the Meliorist nation. This not only prevents
the rise of Capitalism, but also makes it impossible for any other nations to fund non-Meliorist business
within the Meliorist nation.

Advantages:
Science:
As any economist knows, science is the driving force behind economic superiority. To put it
simply, developing products that other nations are unable to create significantly improves that nation's
economic position. Furthermore, as any scientist knows, the main limiting factor in scientific
advancement is funding. As stated before funding is not a concern in Meliorism. If the government
deems a project necessary, it will be done. This lack of need for funding will allow the Meliorist nation
to rapidly progress through scientific advancements, applying them to the research and development of
new products that no other nation will be able to produce. These original products could be sold at
inflated prices (if necessary) due to the fact that no other nation has developed them. As a guideline, the
Meliorist nation should reserve its most advanced products for domestic use only. This will influence
the populations of other nations to relocate to the Meliorist nation, increasing the number of workers
and thereby the production rate of the Meliorist nation.
The fact that funding is not a concern in Meliorism will draw many brilliant minds to do their
research in the Meliorist nation, simultaneously increasing the scientific ability of the Meliorist nation,
while lowering the ability of others. This leads to the point where the Meliorist nation is the only nation
that is making any significant advancements which is, needless to say, exceedingly beneficial to the
Meliorist nation's economy and expansion.
Community:
The aspect of Meliorism that will appeal to most is the principle of progress for the people, as
opposed to Capitalism's progress for the few. In Capitalism, progress only occurs for monetary
increase for the so called elites. This leads to harmful production techniques such as: products
designed to break, the slow release of slightly more advanced products, and the gross underpayment of
workers to maximize profit to name but a few. Some say the redeeming quality of Capitalism is the
competition between companies; this however is not true. This competition results in the creation of
products that are better for the individual company: any benefit to the people is a negligible,
unimportant consequence. Furthermore, the separation of government and business only leads to
competition for money between the two. In Meliorism, this trivial conflict is non-existent. All progress
would occur to make strictly better products than the competitors or to improve the quality of life of the
workers which in turn improves production rate and quality. This also results in the fact that regardless
of the selfishness or corruptness of any political leaders in the Meliorist nation, they will do what is
best for the people because they are aware of the self-evident fact that what is best for the people is best
for them.

Another benefit of the union of government and business is the concept of free necessary items.
Considering all products are for the better of the people (and therefore government) common or
necessary items such as phones, computers, internet services, and even housing may be available to the
public for no cost at all. This however can be dangerous. The people need to need the government,
otherwise anarchy will ensue and all hope of order and happiness will be lost. products such as food,
water, and most luxury items should cost DEC so the people will have incentive to work. On the other
hand, there is no reason that these items should be difficult to obtain. If the individual works
proficiently, all of their needs should be met. If the individual works exemplary, their wants should be
met. If the individual does not work, or does not work proficiently, they should be corrected. It is
important to note that the latter does not apply to children, elderly who are unable to work, or others
who have valid reason to not work.
Military:
It is a tragedy that in order for a nation to survive in this world they must be able to defend
themselves. Meliorism meets this criterion with utmost efficiency. The ability to rapidly progress
scientifically and to apply these advancements to new products which can be made at virtually no cost
not only gives the Meliorist nation the ability to be an economic superpower, but arguably the most
advanced military superpower the world is capable of sustaining. Take into consideration the American
B-2 bomber. This vehicle has advanced stealth capabilities and is able to drop massive payloads
without the enemy being aware of its presence. This vehicle's total cost (including maintenance)
averages at 2.1 billion USD per unit. Because of its immense cost, the United States only produced 21
of these specialized aircraft despite the materials for them being as available as always. Due to the fact
funding is not a limiting factor in Meliorism, the Meliorist nation could not only produce these aircraft
until the resources are depleted, but further improve on their design by simply asking military scientists
to innovate the design, and funding them with all the currency they require for the research and
development of the improved aircraft. This can of course be applied to any project, military or
otherwise, that would progress the Meliorist nation.
Another tactical advantage of the Meliorist nation is the forced alliances it has with the nations
that become dependent on it. If Meliorism falls, so will all the nations who are economically partnered
with it. This will impel all nations to defend and support the defense of the Meliorist nation, because
what is best for the Meliorist nation is best for the people. The combination of advanced weaponry and
multiple alliances will make any attack on a well-founded Meliorist nation ineffective.
It is also noteworthy to say that unlike Capitalism, Meliorism does not thrive on war. War
simply uses resources that could be used by the Meliorist nation to improve on social and economic
technologies. It is because of this that the Meliorist nation will make a conscious effort to avoid war
unless absolutely necessary.
Products:
The Meliorist nation produces quality, long lasting products that are strictly better than the
products made by its competitors. This not only ensures that other non-Meliorist business will fail, but
that the people of the other nations will support Meliorism's influence in their country. An apparent
problem with this tactic is the notion that the people will be so content with their long lasting products
that they will cease to purchase anymore Meliorist goods: this is not so. As stated before, the Meliorist
nation rapidly progresses scientifically, meaning new and innovative products will be produced
regularly. If one looks back at recent history, the newest accessory is always sought after with much
fervor due to the fact that the modern consumer fears becoming obsolete. This overwhelming need of
the consumer to have the latest good is crucial to the success of Meliorism and, considering it is now

innate, ensures that Meliorism will succeed.

With all business government controlled, uniformity of product components will occur to
maximize production efficiency. This gives rise to universal parts. For example, the screw from a
vehicle could be used to repair construction equipment or vice versa. Universal parts also allow
improvements or upgrades to be easily applied to any product, For instance a new guidance system is
developed for aircrafts; instead of building new aircrafts to utilize this upgrade, simply remove the old
model and replace it with the new one on any Meliorist aircraft. The concept of universal parts not only
improves daily domestic life, but has tremendous military applications. Suppose two Meliorist military
jeeps (or even one military and one civilian jeep) are rendered inoperable in the battlefield. Soldiers can
easily transfer the parts from one vehicle to the other, regardless of model, in turn repairing one of the
vehicles.
The previous two advantages of Meliorism help to answer one of the disadvantages of
Meliorism: resource usage. By making long lasting products that are easily improved, resources are
conserved.
Socioeconomic:
An important ramification of Meliorism is the dissolution of the working, middle, and upper
classes. In Meliorism only two classes exist: political and working class. The only difference between
the two classes is the authority that one has over the other in the form of policy and law. It is no secret
that people left ungoverned do not lead long or happy lives and it is the duty of the government to
protect the peace, unity, and prosperity of the people. This is further reinforced in Meliorism with the
principle that what is best for the people is best for the government, vice versa.
Considering all able citizens will be working, and prices of products are manipulated by the
government to allow the needs of all working citizens to be satisfied (as there is no competition
between the government and businesses for money), the only variable separating members of the
working class is the amount of luxury items each individual possesses. As stated previously, the
citizen's incentive to work remains unchanged from contemporary economics i.e citizens work to
obtain currency to purchase goods necessary for homeostasis and luxury. With this mass uniformity of
wealth with limited socioeconomic seperation , unity of the people will naturally ensue, decrease in
crime rate will occur, theft will become unnecessary on all levels, and the overall happiness and
production rate of the population will increase dramatically.

Disadvantages:
Resource Usage:
The major disadvantage of Meliorism is that without restrictive currency, resources will be used
at an alarming rate. Once its resources are depleted, Meliorism falls. This can easily be answered with
one simple addition to modern day government: the conservational branch. It is the duty of the
conservational branch to monitor and restrict the use of resources based on their availability and to
limit the use of renewable resources allowing them to replenish.
Hacking:
Considering all DEC flow and ownership is monitored and controlled digitally, the compromise
of the CCDC via hacking is a real threat. This, however, can also be easily answered thanks to modern
advancement in the field of quantum cryptography. Quantum cryptography is the transfer of

information via a photon (elementary particle of light), which is physically impossible to intercept. In
fact, if intercepted, the laws of physics state that the information would be destroyed, therefore denying
the hacker the ability to compromise the system. Furthermore, with Meliorism's ability to progress in
science at a rapid pace, new and more secure encryption methods could be discovered by simply
placing that field of study as a priority, and increasing the pay rate of that field of study to influence
citizens to specialize in said field.

The Driving Force:

Some may believe that Meliorism's ability to function independently with little aid from other
nations may lead to isolationism. In reality, it is Meliorism's greatest weakness that is its driving force:
the need for plentiful resources. This dependency on resources will drive the Meliorist nation to expand
as far as technology will allow. The Meliorist nation will peacefully assimilate other nations to the
Meliorist cause and when this peaceful equilibrium is met Meliorism will enter into its last stage. With
most or all of the world united under one banner, and with the industrial prowess of the Meliorist
nation, they will seek to start an age of expansion that, twenty years ago, would seem science fiction.
However in this age of curiosity and daring, we the human race have reached for the stars and grabbed
them. Meliorism will take to the cosmos procuring resources wherever they can be found. This need to
expand will result in a bias towards exploratory technologies, advancing them until humanity casts off
its earthly shackles, and takes its rightful place among the stars.
The ancient Greeks believed that humanity once lived without toil in an earthen Eden; That
people lived in a golden age without war, famine, or hatred. Philosophers and scholars alike have asked
the same question for countless millennia: how can we attain this Eden again? In the end the answer is
simple: the answer is Meliorism.