Recuperate The Earth: A world reserve of essential materials.

There are several worldwide problems which could be solved all at once by our national and state governments by their creating reserves of essential materials. We temporarily have an overabundance of human capital which could be invested into a reserve bank for future usage. What is meant by essential materials are those things which can be put into very long term storage. Such things as refined minerals like copper ingots, manufactured iron materials like rolled sheet metal, stored oil. Another category would be manufactured basic goods which could be stored permanently, palleted and ready for immediate shipment and use. Things such as pre-made sheets of glass, pre-made containers like bottles, cast concrete blocks and bricks and ready made cement and clean sand which could be quickly made into concrete. Another category would be pre-made basic tools which are permanently storable such as hammers, shovels, saws. Even fully finished goods could be manufactured such as durable work clothing, shoes, even heavy equipment etc. All of these things could be manufactured with our present excess of human capital and put into safe dry places such as old salt mines.

The intent of creating these stored things is that they would be saved and  ready for use for a very long time into the future. Surely there will come a time when a desperate human need will arise. These specially made goods should be stored where there is no chance of them entering the natural economy of the world until such time as the emergency arose. We don’t want these things available until the emergency because dumping these items on the open market would confuse the natural economic order and that would destroy jobs. The intent is to create meaningful employment for people not destroy it.

The source of all of these goods comes from employing presently economically non-involved people into a productive role. Unemployed people could be employed near their homes and paid an unemployment like minimum wage which would tide them over until better employment opportunities were presented by a normal economy but they would be working and not be idle. This type of wage support might go on for a much longer time than the few months that typical unemployment services provide. This is an emergency form of work but it isn’t useless labor because it provides for the future and it doesn’t interfer with the natural economy. In that sense it is like education of young people which costs money in the short run but provides for a better society in the long run. Perhaps going to school, at least certain types of school, should be paid for by the state even now. Such things which are possibly not seen as desirable employment for young people but for future employment they are highly desirable and are certain to be needed by the community. People can study other things also, which are probably not going to be economically needed, but they would be paid a lower stipend.

Even people who are presently wards of the state could be brought into this system of creating valuable but currently non-economic goods. Presently some states have their prison populations manufacturing license plates for cars but this is counter productive for this project’s goals because those goods should be manufactured by normally paid people working in normal jobs. All prisoners should be working a normal work week but they should be creating goods which do not enter the market place. That way they do not destroy jobs and distort the economy. Their labor should be confined to creating things which will only enter societal use when for some reason there is a desperate need. At that time the national and world leaders would permit a specified amount to enter the economy which normal means of production could not provide because of the emergency. This entry into the market place of non-economically produced goods would be a publicly declared event so everyone would know how to adapt to the special conditions. As soon as the crisis abates the non-economic use of these goods and people should be reinstated.

Every person should have a means for providing for the public welfare.