The Steady Stater

volume 16 number 1

Dear Friend,

I have an amazing milestone to report! At CASSE, we have hammered out the central components of the Steady State Economy Act. I’m talking about fiscal policy; in particular the principles of sustainable budgeting and taxation.

We introduced our Sustainable Budgets Act in the Steady State Herald last week. See how a steady stater—as opposed to a Big Tech billionaire—would tame the deficit.

Next week, keep an eye out for our Sustainable Taxes Act. With that, we’ll have the other side of the fiscal policy coin in the bank!

Speaking of coinage and banks, monetary policy will present our greatest remaining challenge in wrapping up the Steady State Economy Act. It won’t hurt to have two new members on our Board of Advisors: Barbara Robles, past Principal Economist at the Federal Reserve Board, and Hans Stegeman, Chief Economist, Triodos Bank.

CASSE is the only game in town for serious, steady-state policy development, from the U.S. Congress to the county comprehensive plan. The CASSE constellation of ecological insight, economic acumen, and policy expertise is as rare as a stable currency.

Sincerely,

Brian Czech, Executive Director

Signatory Spotlight

Hans Stegeman, Ph.D., is Chief Economist at Triodos Bank; Group Director at Impact & Economics; and columnist at Vrij Nederland.

Join Stegeman and Take a Position

Great Advice

Barbara J. Robles joined CASSE's Board of Advisors. She is past Principle Economist at the Federal Reserve Board. Prior to that, Robles taught at Arizona State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.

Cherished Endorsements

Global Just Transition endorses the CASSE position on economic growth, recognizing that the transition to low-carbon energy must be accompanied by reduced consumption. Global Just Transition is working on a project on limits to growth and "buen vivir."

Dedications

CASSE friend Max Kummerow dedicated a generous donation to Al Davis. Davis was the Democratic Chief Economist with the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. Known for his wit, Davis was brilliant at getting Congress to do difficult things made necessary by an aging population and environmental degradation.

Christopher Kitting donated in honor of the Dr. Sam McGinnis family.

Make a Dedicated Donation

Featured Videos

On February 4, 2025, CASSE celebrated its 20th anniversary with a public webinar. Brian Czech outlined CASSE’s history, staff introduced themselves, projects and programs were summarized, and attendees were presented with ways to get involved. This was followed by a lively open forum.

On February 26, Michael D.B. Harvey presented on his book, "The Age of Humachines,” hot off the Steady State Press. The event was hosted by the Canadian Association for the Club of Rome (CACOR). Watch the recording or, better yet, read The Age of Humachines to learn more! You’ll have an inside track on where Big Tech is trying to take us, and how limits to growth may come to the rescue.

Policy Progress

The long-awaited Sustainable Budgets Act (SBA) was introduced via Steady State Herald. The SBA lays out principles and procedures for limiting and lessening federal spending in a sustainable way, as opposed to the DOGE way.

Featured Events

In January, Managing Editor Alix Underwood gave two presentations at her alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. She presented on Ecological Economics and International Development to a class of master's students. Then, Notre Dame's Environmental Humanities Initiative hosted Underwood to present on the trophic theory of money.

Underwood refutes the fairy tale of "decoupling" at Notre Dame.

Quotable

"We must transform to a steady state economy or else there's no future for future generations."

Helena Paul, London, England

"Frequently I will tell people about CASSE and encourage them to look at the site and read some of the literature. This recent book [The Age of Humachines] is very important at our current time. What with Elon Musk taking such a huge role in the Trump administration, I fear that many of the things discussed will come to pass. Keep up the important work. We need these positive ideas now more than ever."

Rick Cutler, Cape Cod, MA

"I believe in the work of CASSE, and it relieves my anxiety. I am extremely disappointed in the government, and I believe we should be doing much much more to ensure a livable future for all."

Renee Thomas, New South Wales, Australia

In Memoriam

Tom Whipple was a CASSE supporter and the editor of The Energy Bulletin (previously Peak Oil News). He worked for 30 years as a CIA analyst and was one of the United States' most respected peak-oil analysts. He held degrees from Rice University and the London School of Economics. Whipple left us on November 18th, 2024, and will be sadly missed.