Poe makes much of this geometric angle in several of his writings, most notably and clearly in EUREKA, and Carey and Poe were not unknown to one another. It is also an important element in Kepler who brought Liebniz into geometry on the basis of demonstrating the definition of line as the diameter of a circle, and that of the point as the intersection of two such diameters, as opposed to Euclidean geometry which defines from point to line to circle -- the monad/field aspect in Liebniz. What was of concern to Carey was "the process whereby man becomes more and more civilized." (71) This is an application of monadology and field to society. The advance of the human species was the object of capital creation and accumulation: "What Carey could not forgive in the English school of political economy ... was that they assigned to civilization the role of pursuing not happiness but wealth and power ... " (72) In actuality, the distinction involves the beginnings of 'the first intimations of an original American philosophy of labor and production:" (73) " ... it is no matter of surprise that modern English political economy sees in man only an animal that will procreate, that must be fed, and that can be made to work -- an instrument to be used by trade; that it repudiates all the distinctive qualities of man, and limits itself to the consideration of those he holds in common with the beast of burden or of prey; ... or that it assures its students that 'labor is a commodity.'" (74) It is especially curious that Bruckberger can construe the faith of Carey in man's importance and intrinsic value to indicate that "Carey was a true Jeffersonian," (75) because of the "fundamental divergence in their views of the human species." "The ultimate objective of all human effort," Bruckberger says describing Carey's political economy, "was not just the accumulation of the things of this world, but the achievement of civilization itself, in other words, the creation of a more and more civilized mankind." (76) This would not be accomplished by revolution or exploitation, but through "the association of all men for their common purpose." He might have added: "Anything else would be uncivilized." THE IMAGE OF AMERICA finds Carey not only peculiarly American, but the entire "sense of the continuity of progress," as profoundly so. (77) He articulates this in drawing the distinction Carey makes between appropriation and property: "He believed that there cannot be property except where there is labor and productivity." (78) The act of reaping where or what one has not sown is appropriation and it is only "in the second stage of man's economic development" that there is property: "Then, to make labor less difficult and to increase production, they entered into an association with one another and shared the common tasks. The more production was increased and diversified, the easier and more remunerative their labor becomes, especially when their tools had been perfected. This primary and basic association of men for the increase of production and general welfare was what Carey called 'commerce.' By commerce he meant all interchange of goods, ideas, services, and tools, wherever in space and whenever in time this interchange took place." (79) And since the fact of distance in trade creates obstacles for association: "Carey envisaged an industrial society which, although exceedingly widespread, would remain an organic whole, with an almost complete economic autarchy of of small communities within the larger, general community of civilization." (80) This, Bruckberger insists, is readily apparent of the reality of American life today. There is in Carey though, Bruckberger asserts, an inherent mistrust of the state. From this, he sees the element of Jeffersonianism, but quite importantly, he quickly moves beyond that to describe Carey's influence on Lincoln. And here, one sees not only the clear disconnect with Jefferson, but also the almost hidden and secret wellspring of much of Lincoln. The solution to slavery was industrialization of the South which would raise the value of labor and make it an unviable institution. To assist toward that end, Carey kept urging upon Lincoln the construction of a trans-Southern highway and North-South railway network. What Bruckberger turns to next is describing his IMAGE OF AMERICA even more clearly articulates the importance of Carey regarding the spirit of America. Although it is conceivable that he does go a bit overboard in his attribution, for he does later pose some rather less enlightened characteristics, there is much more than a kernel of truth in his assessment. Relatively speaking, the industrial working situations prior to the current century were perhaps some improvement over other situations of labor, present or otherwise, but they were hardly a picnic. Much the same can be said of wages. But it is equally true that if such things were problematic in the United States, they were much worse in Britain (of outside of manufacturing in this country). Such was the situation of capitalism in 1912. The 'prophet of the new Messiah' who "would transmute Carey's ideas into concrete form" (81) was Henry Ford: " ... the emancipation of worker and peasant for which Marx longed, Ford also kept constantly in mind. But he was convinced that the machine itself, the increase of mechanization, could at least make possible, if it could not actually bring about, that upheaval and that emancipation." (82) Ford's genius was his mechanics, so represented by his tools. His methodologies were not new to him and have become so prevalent in our society that they are often taken for granted, not original to any particular effort or mind. And what he did remade capitalism both structurally but also philosophically: " ... he envisioned its role as essentially apostolic and missionary. Success soon proved the truth of the idea. Ford actually thought of himself as a kind of St Paul, charged with the burden and anxious care, not of all the churches, but of all the regions of the world, sending out to all people everywhere, not epistles, but automobiles, trucks, tractors, and engines; carrying to every nation of the earth, not a message of supernatural hope, but a promise of progress and liberation. Henry Ford considered himself, and was, prophet and apostle of the machine, its witness and its martyr." (83) Ford himself, in his writings, made use of language out of the Apocalypse, referring to the 'new heaven' and the 'new earth' that would ensue, the most important thing of which was production of a new life. Money only mattered as it caused production to take place (84). It followed work and man's power to create in importance. That is what was meant earlier in the reference to making money, not cars. Of course, the two are inseparable, but with Ford as with Carey, there was a shift of emphasis: "In work Ford saw life's joy and purpose. Work was not a livelihood; work was life itself. 'Thinking man,' he wrote, 'knows that work is the salvation of the race, morally, physically, socially. Work does more than get us our living; it gives us our life.' As a true Puritan, he reduced all morality to the practice of a single virtue -- work. Just as the devout Christian finds the highest expression of his faith in martyrdom, so Henry Ford found the most perfect expression of man's labor and productivity in industry, and held it to be sacred and honorable." (85) With the 'zeal of an apostle,' Ford sought "to bring his solution to the entire world." (86) It would lift the 'drudgery' from man. In a very real sense, and this has become true of America as it was of Henry Ford, tools were very much 'sacred' items. They should properly be included in the earlier listing of such artifacts, as Greenfield Village should among our 'sacred places' or shrines. According to Ford, "Rightness in mechanics and rightness in morals are basically the same thing and cannot rest apart:" (87) "But what is essentially human in man's behavior lies beyond his mechanical reactions, beyond any form of determinism. Carey saw this clearly. Man sets himself free and begins to approach his true human stature only by controlling his mechanical reactions and mastering physiological, psychological, and social determinisms." (88) This was a determinism which would free man's will and allow man to have the potential for vanquishing squalor. His philosophy of wages exploded the 'iron law' of Ricardo and gave to man the dignity of the status of 'customers' in addition to 'creator.' (89) Ford wrote in 1912: " ... there is no doubt that the man who can produce a car that will be entirely sufficient mechanically, and whose price will be within the reach of millions who cannot yet afford automobiles, will not only grow rich but be considered a public benefactor as well." (90) In this, Ford, like Carey, was essentially a non-Euclidean (91), and: " ... since Henry Ford, it [the American Republic] has bent every effort to establish and secure for all the right to the pursuit of happiness." (92) Then, too, it substantiated "Carey's ideal of social harmony" as "eminently practical and practicable." (93) Though Bruckberger sees in Ford a failure to envision Carey's civilizing aspect of industry and he follows through the shortcomings we often connect with Ford's thinking, yet it was his applications which made possible the basis for moving even beyond the handicaps which grew out of the structuring of his production empire. Without the enhancement of labor power for which the changes out of Carey and Ford have been so vital, the bounty and prosperity of American society could not have been possible. To an extent, this was the result of a lawful process of market forces, thought the issue of willful action over determinism is an important one. Whatever assessment one may make with regard to the role of organized labor, it is critical to understand that marginal revenue product is ultimately the arbitrar of wages. While unions may have contributed to rising wages, the only way to increase them is through increased productivity through labor power. Collective bargaining can effectively force firms toward technological advance which will have that impact on productivity, it often does so at the cost of the elimination of some jobs, though they are ultimately created elsewhere by the process. That, of course, involves the possibility of considerable dislocation and a necessity of retraining and the like. Economic wage theories on the supply and demand of labor demonstrate how in any event real wages will be set by market forces. This does not leave us kneeling at the feet of Mammon. It does not indicate that "the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they'd made." In fact, quite to the contrary, the entire philosophy expressed by the Idea of Progress is very much part and parcel of the essence of Christianity. This was one of the major themes in Feuerbach (in his work by that title). But it is certainly not limited to Christianity, either. Our public faith does not supersede other religious traditions and convictions, but growing out of them, it functions as a common denominator which undergirds each of them, and serves as a social glue binding us together inextricably. That is what elevates the Association phenomenon in Carey to the level of a virtual theology of the American civil religion. And that is precisely the theory expressed in the delineation of the social construction of religion. Each of the expressions of the minimal units of religious behavior of that public invention are manifestations of that public philosophy. The entire construct possesses an internal consistency of thought, belief, and practice which indecipherable from the constitution of the faith. Such association is the geist of our culture. There is a danger in the accumulation of capital particularly in Third World nations that social surplus not be applied, or allowed to flow, to economic development. State apparati which block such processes are a danger to the human species. It is not merely that the flow of capital to 'better' investment in the advanced sector to the exclusion of domestic advance is effectively 'imperialism.' Such practices have harmful impact on the entire human condition. In such instances of 'market failure' the Hamiltonian perspective is critical. Such promotionalism is thus unquestionably mandatory. There is also a danger to our Republic posed by its current plight of being burdened down by a public sector complex seeking to run the nation from the halls of Washington, D.C., besieged by a cultural war and inundated by a world experiencing what we used to call a 'revolution of rising expectations.' For what profit it a nation to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of its soul? The Cold War may have been 'World War III' in many respects, but the Fourth World War will in truth be a Third World War. The pertinence of Hamiltonian promotionalism for understanding the Constitutional regime has been underscored recently by Doron Ben- Atar. Writing in The William and Mary Quarterly (July 1995, LII:3, p396-7), such support for capitalist development is articulated in exactly the terms enunciated here earlier. Now we are engaged in a great civil war testing whether we have the moral fitness for survival. But this certainly does not mean that businesses which make big profits and then lay off workers are being immoral, no matter how many times Robert Reich may say so. Perhaps he would prefer that they take losses, retain unneeded workers, and preclude their own continuation and advancement as noncompetitive dinosaurs. It short order, that would bankrupt not only the businesses concerned, but the entire national economy. No matter what spin is put on it, such profits will fuel development, creating wealth and jobs. If the 'middle class' today is suffering from stagnation of wages, that is the only way to advance beyond that state, together with reducing the tax burden and the concomitant public sector complex burden grinding us down in non-productive activities (currently, the top one-third of incomes pay two-thirds of the tax burden). And increasing minimum wage levels will scarcely help. It would increase unemployment among the least skilled, swelling the ranks of the 'underclass.' And were it to secure increased nominal wages, since wages cannot exceed marginal revenue product, the result would simply be a correction in real wage levels downward, as through inflation. Perhaps an even worse ruse is that which argues the 'excessive' profits should in fairness be taxed so that business pays its fair share. But taxing business is a sham -- it is merely another way of taxing consumers, indirectly, because as a cost of production, it must and will simply be passed on in higher prices or lowered wage bill. It would also simply feed the leviathan of government, and increase its 'control' over our lives. The bottom line is the failure to recognize that wealth is not a fixed entity -- it must be produced. But this is the dismal conclusion of fixed wealth and resource mentality. It always comes down to Malthus. But the world is not over-populated. It is underdeveloped. The solution to that problem is to develop the world. Actually, at current development levels, we probably need twice the number of people currently on the earth producing at the highest possible level to produce the standard of living for everyone that each of us would like to have. To reach that level of technological operation, it will have to be financed. And that will necessitate more debt. But the government and the Third World are already too far in debt! Yes, and no. We could structure an international credit system as an act of governance, have it 'assume' the entire federal and Third World debt by 'refinancing' it at low interest rates over long term, and guarantee payment on those terms to those to whom the money is owed, posing to them the unattractive alternative of losing the investment entirely eventually. That assumed 'debt' on 'deposit' with the system then becomes 'wealth,' much as a deposit or loan at the bank is wealth, and could be used to make loans for development projects around the globe. This is fundamentally what Alexander Hamilton did in 1789. His Reports on Public Credit, a National Bank, and Manufactures describe this clearly enough. We could stipulate that much of it would have to spent here in the United States, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. The loans could be used to finance technology transfer, such as that envisioned by Pope Paul VI in his encyclical ON THE PROGRESS OF PEOPLES some three decades ago. It could finance, for example, the purchase of tractors and other agriculture implements for Russia, India, Africa, and dozens of other areas desperately in need of them -- tractors that could be manufactured in Detroit. The huge debt problem would also be eliminated. What is more, much of the hysteria over government finance suffers from perceptions of limitations which stem from zero sum notions of wealth. That is not to argue that the deficit is not out of control. The budgetary process has been. Whether the new Congress from 1994 can balance the budget by 2002, though obviously important, is somewhat beside the point. During the 1980's, subsequent and consequent of the Reagan Kemp/Roth tax cuts, government receipts actually tripled (as they had during the previous two decades). Projecting the forward, receipts can be conservatively estimated to reach some $ 30 trillion by the middle of the next century -- at current or lower tax rates. That dwarfs even a $ 6 trillion debt. Were it possible to acheive a sustained discipline over spending, especially that of domestic entitlement/dependency programs and pork barrel boondoggles (a category which must be scrutinized carefully because what is one person's pork may be society's boon), and given that kind of revenue growth, the capacity to finance such operations as those described below would be present. It should not be overlooked that capital expansion would only enhance the capabilities and that such investments would increase that potential, returning wealth on investment many fold. Nor should it be forgotten that the greatest increases in revenue proceed from reductions in marginal tax rates. Thus, the funding of these sort of endeavors is really a matter of policy choice, discipline, and wisdom and foresight. By way of example, we can look at Africa to see what this could mean. As the most undeveloped continent, it is also the world's most underpopulated area. It is usually called overpopulated. Large areas of Africa are semi-arid or arid land which is good soil for food cultivation, except that it is too dry. More water is needed, such as in the Sahel, and it is available -- in the oceans. Mass produced nuclear power stations could be built and sold to Africa. The would be simpler and cheaper and safer to operate, and produced in the United States. They could be used to boil and desalinate salt water. Irrigation projects could be built to turn that land into rich, productive farm land in need of tractors to work it. Africa could more than feed itself. The plants or 'nuplexes' would also produce electricity for further development needed there. Allowing people the opportunity to raise themselves from poverty and hook into the mutually interdependent world breeds peace and lessens conflict. This is, after all, what Carey called Association. There are innumerable other options. In Egypt, there is a huge area called the Qatar Depression. Now desert, it is also below sea level. A canal built from the Mediterranean would fill it as a huge inland sea. Surrounded by desert, the evaporation would turn the area into agricultural climate and the movement of water could be harnessed for hydro-electric power generation. There are many areas in Africa which are prime prospects for hydro-electric power generation. President Kennedy once said that any water in the Columbia River which reached the sea was a waste, and the same message applies to Africa. The possibilities range with our imagination. There was once a plan to construct a system of dams on the Congo or Zaire and the Ubangi Rivers. The lakes which would form behind them would displace few and produce electricity. A system of canals could then be built to divert the water to enlarge Lake Chad, turning the area around it from desert into productive farm land. Africa is also in dire need of a modern infrastructure of highways and railroads, not unlike we have built, in regard to the highways, since the 1950's. There are dozens of opportunities for such projects around the world. The Japanese have been involved in the construction of a canal across the Malay peninsula to relieve the shipping pressure on the Sumatra Straits, which is a narrow and over-burdened shipping link, and the area around the canal will become a development area, as well. A system of canals and pipelines to transfer water from the Great Lakes to the southwest and Mexico was once promoted as NAWAPA. The water level of the lakes would remain constant with the building of a canal from James Bay's fresh water to Lake Superior. Supertankers presently cannot navigate the Panama Canal. A new virtually sea level canal across the isthmus could be built to accommodate them, and greatly enhance the economies of the area. A canal from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea would do the same for that area of Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia as the Qatar Project in Egypt. The United States is greatly in need of an expanded merchant marine and submarines could be engineered as more efficient oil tankers. Both of these industries are desperately in need of work. The St Lawrence Seaway is in need of upgrading and expansion. The United States could purchase Baja from Mexico and Siberia from Russia. Both areas are 'gold mines' of undeveloped resources which the two countries could gain capital they need by selling. And we need both the land and the resources of both. China is in need of a canal system connecting its rivers and a modern highway and railway system. And its vast markets represent not only sales potential but emense creative potential, as well. There is not an area on earth for which there are not similar possibilities, whether that be India, Bangla Desh, the Rio de la Plata, the Mekong Delta, Russia, or central Europe. Development would also go far to defusing the treacherous situation which has developed in the former Yugoslavia. All of these and many more require only the political will to undertake. The red tint of the Martian surface may not mean that it is rich in iron deposits, but it is certain that it is resource rich. There are unimaginable possibilities for wealth creation. There will have to be proper infrastructures built on the ground and in space to support mining or whatever operations can be undertaken with colonies or settlements on the moon and Mars. We will need service centers for transference in space; stations will be of tremendous value in research and manufacturing. We will also need transport craft and shuttle fleets of present and future generations of technology, and it will be important to structure a Space Guard to service the system and all the related projects of years to come. It would be appropriate to structure the project as private enterprise, involving all who wish to participate -- and profit -- from such endeavors. And even without 'warp' engine technology, exploratory ships to reach out even further are simply a matter of political will. Whatever it costs will be returned a thousand fold in new wealth and technologies, as was the case with NASA. What is more, no mention has been made of the potential for the computer revolution, hydroponics, fusion research, of SDI technology. As Eldridge Cleaver put it, "the future of the world is in the hands of the American people." if we only have the vision, courage, and will to fulfill the promise as we have in the past, and as our public faith propels us. There are literally no limits within which the human mind need be confined. There is, however, an issue of communication within such association remaining as an issue to be considered. Jurgen Habermas has expressed concern that distorted dialogue limits emancipation in any society, and a number of writers, including Bellah and Abbott, have addressed this problem with the concept of languages. For Abbott (1991), one can look at our political thought through history as a 'series of debates and conversations' which have been conducted in five primary and general 'languages.' The possibility exists that to the extent we are addressing one another in different languages, we may be talking passed each other with very little real communication. Curiously, however, although Habermas(1979) expresses concern over detrimental impact of such 'babel' on emancipation in intellectual, social, and political spheres, it is not clear that he does so in terms of economic emancipation, except as it is related through these other categories. If such 'language' problems complicate our public discourse, this is less a problem in the economic sphere, perhaps, than others. It is with certainty not mandatory that inequality, at least in economic terms, precludes meaningful discourse, though it may present a deeper dilemna in the other areas. But even that requires some qualification as equality, like perfection generally, is an idealized state which can be moved toward but never 'attained.' Like perfection, communication is a process. The economic aspect may be critical, for devoid of it, the other will necessarily be incomplete. That is not to suggest that Habermas must 'back up' through the Frankfort School's reason to Marxist political economy, nor does it denigrate the notion of a need for improved dialogue of the necessity of criticism. Habermas, to be sure, deals with economic matters, but the difficulty lies in inherent premises of requisite equality. Continue 1