Breaking the Cycle: Why Market Economics Alone Cannot Save Democracy

January 22, 2025

Balancing Markets to Protect Democracy

Market economies have driven progress and innovation for centuries, but they also have inherent flaws that, if left unchecked, can erode democratic values. At Renew the Earth, we advocate for a supplemental system—a parallel currency focused on fulfilling basic human needs like food, shelter, education, and healthcare. By addressing the shortcomings of market capitalism, this approach could safeguard democracy and ensure a more equitable future.

The Problem with Market Economics Alone

Market economies excel at moving money efficiently but fail to distribute quality of life equally. This imbalance creates a cycle where the wealthy accumulate resources while the majority struggle to meet basic needs. Over time, this disparity concentrates power in the hands of a few, enabling them to influence governments and policy to serve their own interests.



Inflation further exacerbates this issue. Wealthy individuals often invest their money in speculative markets or hold it in ways that do not benefit the larger economy, driving up costs for everyone else. The result? A system that prioritizes profits over people, undermining democratic principles of equality and fairness.

How Economic Disparity Undermines Democracy

When economic systems fail to meet the needs of the majority, social unrest and political instability follow. People lose trust in democratic institutions when they feel excluded from the benefits of economic growth. This erosion of trust paves the way for authoritarian regimes, which promise order but often deliver oppression.



Moreover, concentrated wealth allows a small minority to manipulate public discourse through propaganda and lobbying. This not only skews policy in their favor but also silences dissenting voices, further weakening democratic ideals.

The Case for a Parallel Currency

At Renew the Earth, we propose a solution: a parallel currency designed to meet basic human needs. Unlike traditional money, which often flows into speculative ventures, this currency would be tied directly to tangible goods and services essential for survival. By doing so, it would:

  • Reduce Economic Inequality: A parallel currency ensures that everyone has access to essentials like food and healthcare, leveling the playing field and fostering social stability.
  • Support Democratic Values: By prioritizing basic needs, this system reduces the economic anxiety that drives people toward authoritarian solutions.
  • Promote Sustainability: Linking currency to human energy and natural resources encourages environmentally conscious decisions, protecting the planet for future generations.

How It Works

This parallel currency, which we call Energy Currency, would operate alongside traditional monetary systems. It would be used exclusively for basic needs and would be destroyed upon reaching a bank, preventing inflation. By separating essential goods and services from the profit-driven marketplace, Energy Currency ensures that every individual has access to the resources they need to thrive.

A Path Forward

Implementing a parallel currency requires global cooperation and a shift in perspective. Governments, businesses, and individuals must recognize that market economics alone cannot guarantee a fair and just society. By embracing complementary systems like Energy Currency, we can create a more balanced economy that serves both people and the planet.



At Renew the Earth, we believe that change starts with conversation. By educating communities and fostering dialogue about the benefits of parallel currencies, we aim to build a coalition of change-makers committed to protecting democracy and ensuring a sustainable future.

Join the Movement

The time for action is now. As economic disparities grow, innovative solutions like Energy Currency offer a way to break the cycle of inequality and restore balance. Join Renew the Earth in our mission to create a fairer, more sustainable world. Together, we can redefine what it means to thrive as a global community.


Contact us today to learn more about our initiatives and how you can get involved. Let us work together to ensure that democracy and equality prevail.

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Mexico, 5/5/25.
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“It is soulless, exploitive, inequitable, unstable and destructive, yet also all- conquering and overwhelming.” Capitalism and its Critics: A History from the Industrial Revolution to AI By John Cassidy This is one of the best descriptions of Capitalism I have read recently. The only thing it leaves out is that Capitalism regularly destroys itself and has to be rescued with huge infusions of human labor (money). But Capitalism is so appealing to humans that it is allowed to continually transform and conform to new demands and circumstances, even though it is inherently unstable and destructive. Like the charming self destructive uncle who is so entertaining with his stories and wild money making schemes, no one wants him to stop. It is so much fun! For a few people. And all it takes is a few people to keep Capitalism going, approximately ten percent of the World population, the richest ten percent. That Capitalism has lasted and spread is testimony to its ability to keep adapting and improving on its main strengths: soullessness and exploitation. As a species we have become, over approximately 500 years, completely adapted to Capitalism. No matter what it distorts, destroys or lays waste to, it has captured our imaginations like a religion. We won't be saying goodbye to it anytime soon. But there is an antidote. We can make up for some of its most destructive symptoms with a Parallel Currency that is used only for basic human needs, food, shelter, education and healthcare, Worldwide. Some countries are already trying to do this with their tax structures and laws but a Parallel Currency would do this without taxation or inflation. It is a separate currency that can only be used to provide basic needs and is destroyed when it reaches a bank; it will not create inflation. It also will not inhibit the positive capabilities of existing currencies. They will continue to function as they usually do. The Parallel Currency is a closed loop created for the dignified survival of humanity. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion are not enough. A government by the people and for the people must also guarantee freedom from starvation, ignorance and curable illness, all things as a human species, over thousands of years, we have developed remedies.
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Columbia, Cartegena, Columbia 4/21/25
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Explore women’s impact on the economy and the concept of a parallel currency. Learn how these ideas shape sustainability and equitable financial systems.
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The purpose of government is not to make profit, it is to protect and defend its citizens. Government is not a platform from which a business deal is made. It is carefully structured to sleuth out the most important needs of all its citizens and provide for them. When it operates as it is built to do, its citizens are generally content. When it is gamed, in bad faith, for personal power and wealth, things fall apart and the government and its citizens have to move to defend themselves. The necessity to do this should never have evolved. But a well functioning government depends on people working in good faith, who are honorable, who seek truth and have guiding morals. As we know, sometimes people get into positions of power who don't have these qualities. The unfortunate development of political positions being won by individuals who have the most money to spend has placed a significant number of people in Congress and some Presidents in the White House who have no moral compass. We see the influence of unimaginable amounts of money on campaigns. Made worse when corporations were found to be citizens. Let's dive down the rabbit hole of history. In 2010, when Obama was president, the Supreme Court found in the case called Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations have 1st amendment rights to free speech and political spending. They named this “ corporate personhood” which holds that corporations are associations of people and have certain constitutional rights. This allows, among many other things, corporations to make independent political expenditures and allows corporations to spend unlimited funds on elections. Also, a corporation is allowed to exist in perpetuity. Even Voldemort would have envied this! So, here we are. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have pushed more and more power and wealth into the hands of the few and in turn the recipients of this largesse have shown their gratitude by paying into more and more autocratic governments that will continue to protect their economic and business advantages. This is not hard to see. It is very hard to live through. And even harder to reverse. But this has been done before and can be done again. Good government is not a given. It has to be watched carefully (thank goodness for bureaucrats). But everyone needs to play a part and feel they can be effective. At Renew the Earth, renew the-earth.org, we have been developing over the past 20 years a concept that allows choice within our World Economic System. We call it a Parallel Currency. This separate currency can only be used to provide basic human needs, food, shelter, education and health care. It cannot be invested or hoarded and will not cause inflation because it is destroyed when it reaches a bank.  Susan Caumont, President, Renew the Earth
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David Brooks made this statement in reference to recent events that may threaten the existence of our democracy. Is this where our country is going? Or are we going to stand up for our “inalienable rights”, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? “To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.” Governments guided by laws and run by Bureaucracies. When we look at our “inalienable rights” one at a time, we understand the profound intention of our Constitution. Life. All people are created equal and have the inalienable right to life. To have life, each person has to have the elements that sustain life; food, shelter, education and health care. Liberty. Freedom of movement. “Free from oppressive restrictions imposed by any authority on one's way of life, behavior or political view.” Pursuit of Happiness. Not just to try to be happy, but a guarantee of happiness. This is an “inalienable right” not just a quest or pass time. We negotiate the inevitable disappointments and tragedies of living but also experience the joys that keep us alive. And the resulting happiness, in its fullest reveal, is a good life. This good life also depends not just on the happiness of one person, but all citizens, including immigrants and refugees. We suffer and rejoice together. Government must ultimately guarantee basic needs to all citizens; food, shelter, education and healthcare. Most World Constitutions include these guarantees, but cannot afford them. There is a way to pay for all human basic needs without creating inflation and debt using a Worldwide Parallel Currency dedicated only to the basic human needs. You may ask, “How do we provide basic human needs to 8 billion people Worldwide?” “Is it possible?” If a majority of people agree that this is something that needs to happen in order to preserve our survival on Earth, it can be done. We already have invented all the tools necessary. We need more than a patchwork of aid that can be interrupted by a statement from the president. We must build a permanent infrastructure that conveys efficiently and consistently the human right to live in the form of basic food and shelter, education and healthcare. Efficient systems that get needs where they have to go can be designed by already existing computer intelligence. How much, where it needs to go, what kind of transportation is available, how long it will take per shipment, all these things are calculable and apply to food and medicine and building materials. Education needs shelter, and schools will be built where they are needed. We can do these things on a “small scale”. We know how to do it. We do this in our Military. Now, we must think Worldwide and ramp it up. This is where AI can become a hero! Ultimately, we do live in a “Small World”. As Bucky Fuller once put it, we are living together on “Spaceship Earth.” We glide through the dark in the company of stars, our orbit warmed by the sun and encouraging life. We are connected by visible and invisible strands, tracks and roads. A thread is plucked somewhere and reverberates Worldwide. Our fates depend on each other.
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