Current Economic Indicators Give Us Insufficient Feedback

Why do we rely on GDP as a measurement of economic growth, when it continues to go up while communities continue to deteriorate?

“At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it Gross Domestic Product. We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future instead of stealing it.” — Paul Hawken, 2009 Commencement Address to the University of Portland

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the traditional method of measuring economic growth. It has consistently risen over the years, supposedly demonstrating healthy expansion, but an increase in output does not necessarily mean a more vibrant community. GDP fails to account for the distribution of wealth across communities or the impact of production on the environment. It includes weapons, war and complex financial instruments – none of which create real value to society. GDP is an inadequate indicator at best, and if it keeps going up the consequences will be disastrous.

US Real GDP (billions of 2000 dollars). Source: Lawrence H. Officer and Samuel H. Williamson, “Graphing Various Historical Economic Series” MeasuringWorth.Com, January 2008.

Profitability as the sole bottom-line also can create huge detrimental impact. Businesses focus almost exclusively on profitability (which is especially true for corporations who are required by law to attempt to yield higher returns for their shareholders) which often results in damaging social and environmental practices.  For instance, hiring cheap labor in another country becomes a much more attractive alternative than employing someone who costs more and lives down the street because it saves the business money.

The money leaving the community can end up undermining local schools, business, infrastructure, food production, and home values while also undermining the communities in other countries who earn inadequate wages from off shore corporations.

The impacts of production on the environment are also often unaccounted for. A cheap sofa, for example, may appear to be the best option available to the consumer but the price fails to reflect the pollution emitted in the transportation process, the use of finite resources that were not revitalized by the company, and the long-term health effects on the producers, consumers, and the environment from the flame retardants sprayed on the sofa.

There are better alternatives. Check them out below.

Opportunity for new inclusive indicators that give humanity more accurate feedback, to ward off statistical manipulations, and grant the clearest, most accurate picture of the economic climate possible.

In order to have a healthy, thriving civilization it requires feedback that accurately assesses the state of communities, countries, regions and the world at large. GDP certainly doesn’t do that, but a number of new measurement systems do, and they seem to be improving all the time. The Genuine Progress Indicator and Quality of Life Indicators are two compelling models to learn from – you can explore them below.  More and more businesses are adopting triple bottom line practices, accounting for ecological and social performance in addition to economic performance.

Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)

The organization, Redefining Progress, has come up with an alternative to GDP, called the “Genuine Progress Indicator” that “takes inequality, environmental degradation, and debt into account as well as the benefits associated with housework, parenting, volunteering, and higher education.” [1] It periodically publishes this information, giving us a more accurate reflection of how we’re really doing. Redefining Progress also has guidelines and programs for creating community and regional indicators. Alberta, Canada has created a comprehensive indicator system for its own region, measuring up to 51 different factors including income distribution, crime rates, resource depletion, pollution, and much more.

Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Indicators

The Quality of Life Indicators “are a contribution to the worldwide effort to develop comprehensive statistics of national well-being that go beyond traditional macroeconomic indicators. A systems approach is used to illustrate the dynamic state of our social, economic and environmental quality of life. The dimensions of life examined include: education, employment, energy, environment, health, human rights, income, infrastructure, national security, public safety, re-creation and shelter.” [2]  This approach provides a much more comprehensive and accurate view of society which allows us to make more informed choices and adjust as needed.

What can you do?

Apply triple bottom line principles to your business and encourage those with whom you do business to do the same. Triple bottom line businesses account for the people, planet, and profit. To learn more about it, click here.

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[1] http://www.rprogress.org/sustainability_indicators/about_sustainability_indicators.htm

[2] http://www.calvert-henderson.com/

Article from Thrive.

Pediatricians Receive Thousands In Bonus Money Tied To Percentage Of Vaccinated Patients

Big Pharma is a trillion dollar business for those who don’t know, and it is giving cold hard cash to pediatricians who fully vaccinate children by age two (the target age for many vaccines’ proven ill effects to take hold), with no thought of the cumulative immunological effects consequently afflicted. Activistpost.com lists 22 medical studies showing a vaccine/autism link, but vaccine makers are protected by Congress.  Even the right to refuse vaccines is at risk. In this video , Dr. Stephanie Steneff shares insight into the MMR/autism link.

This ‘cold, hard cash’ is a widespread bribery program that keeps most pediatricians from looking too deeply for a reason to deter vaccinations, it has been revealed. The very same pediatricians that ironically often refuse to vaccinate themselves or their own children; explaining the farcical continuation of vaccination programs worldwide. All because this malpractice is monetarily encouraged, and buried under a mountain of cover-ups and cognitive dissonance among the medical community; a community that by and large still favors establishment medicine nearly unquestioningly, and is held down by the threats of scarred reputation given any instance of a whistle-blowing or shake-up of system pharmaceuticals.

It’s called pay to play, and it’s a common theme throughout corrupt regimes. There are many variations. A small example could include a single standing mom and pop corner grocery store adjacent to prime real estate in NYC. These hard working folks are asked to “pay insurance” to the mob so their store won’t be burned to the ground. And then there’s the typical lobbyist pay to play. That was viewed in plain sight recently while the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA), Monsanto and the biotechnology agriculture industry lobbyists – along with some treacherous organic sellout’s like Whole Foods – poured millions into the coffers of Congress to vote for a toothless, confusing GMO label bill.  As we expand our vision, imagine the pay to play deals threatening the nations of the world, as in, “we’ll bomb you . . . .unless.”

Pay to play also pushes those toxic vaccine concoctions. There’s money to be made by injecting your children.

How disheartening that innocent loving people, and their tiny offspring, who trust their physician, may be unwittingly playing hostage to a wide spread pay to play scheme that has the potential to induce severe injury, including death. And it’s so stealth, you probably haven’t a clue that it even exists. Why does your doctor promote vaccines? Is it based on sound science? Is it for your child’s well-being, or is it for money? According to a report from Wellness and Equality, those vaccination records may be  turned into an invoice of sorts. Once the full round of vaccines, including flu vaccines, have been given to the child, the pay to play sets in. The pay off currently stands as a $400 bonus for your records given to the white coat. Maybe that’s why, as Wellness and Equity surmises:

“Pediatricians around the country have begun refusing to accept families who opt out of some or all vaccines.”

And the bonus comes shortly after age 2, so some doctor’s may have the money incentive to make sure they get all the vaccines called for by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). How do we know this? As reported by Wellness and Quality, this document become available from the internal organs of Blue Cross Blue Shield. And on page 14 of this  Provider Incentive Program, you’ll see that the “Payout COMM” is indeed set at $400.

Blue Cross Blue Shield has a very specific demographic (age 2) and very specific list of vaccines that must be included for the bonus. Some might call this a hit list.

Physicians can’t be paid unless they hit both those targets.

As Wellness and Equality reported, this entire network of bribery might have remained a very stealth initiative, if not for a mother daughter suffered severe neurological distress shortly after being given a vaccine before she turned one year-old. After the vaccine, the toddler’s walking stopped. It was agreed that the brain injury was caused by the vaccine. Fortunately, this mother had excellent assistance with helping her toddler to detox from those vaccine ingredients as well as a  guided  nutritional supplement program. The little give improved greatly. She went back to the doctor for a check up.

The doctor wanted to inject another vaccine. Why? The mother was suspicious, so she searched. Guess what?  That daughter fit the BCBS criteria. She wasn’t yet two years-old.  Maybe there would be time for another bonus. After all, as Wellness and Equality report, “If your doctor manages to fully vaccinate 200 patients, that bonus jumps to $80,000.”

Too bad families don’t get bonuses from their insurance companies for engaging in healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating and growing organic produce.

Source:

WellnessandEquality.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

ICHNFM.org