Professor a published author

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Published on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

By Sheila Runions

Banner Staff

Elwin Kettner was born in Brandon but spent all his childhood on the farm near Bradwardine. Grades 1-8 were taken at Bradwardine School and Grades 9-12 at Rivers; he graduated in 1968. Three years later he graduated from Brandon University (BU) with bachelor degrees in math and economics. He moved to Alberta the summer of 1971 and graduated the next year with his masters in economics, University of Alberta. Following that graduation he was immediately employed in Alberta as an economist in industry and government, positions he held for six years (1972-78). He and wife Elaine then farmed for 10 years and moved back to Manitoba in 1988 after purchasing his Uncle Elbridge Ramsay’s farm 2.5 miles south of Bradwardine. In 1990 they returned to Alberta where Elwin was an assistant economics professor at Canadian University College (returning to Manitoba in the summer to help with his farm).

“We came back in 1996 to take over the family farm, including the three quarters my great-grandfather John Ramsay farmed, and I taught sessional courses at BU.”

After four years at BU he became an economics instructor at Assiniboine Community College, where he also taught financial planning; he retired in July 2014 after a 14-year career at the college. His is also a certified financial planner and a financial management advisor; his post-graduate studies are in the fields of monetary theory and agricultural economics.

“Since I am an economist, many people would ask me what is wrong with our economy. I determined that at the end of my teaching career I would answer this question by writing a book. I am not a mainstream economist and many students appreciated an alternative approach. This, too, encouraged me to write. I started writing on Jan. 1, 2014 and it took eight months to do the first draft.”

It was another eight months before that first draft was perfected and by May 2015 he had his 146-page paperback printed by FriesenPress. Capitalism is Fallen: A Guide to Economic Principles for Success is available from FriesenPress bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, most online book retailers and as an ebook from Kindle, Nook, iTunes, Kobo and Googleplay. The principles Elwin mentions include “a world built on sustainable, people-centric, environmentally-friendly practices,” reads a press release. “His model is attainable, but requires us to redefine how we think about money and what we are willing to do to attain a higher standard of living. This applies not only to the shrinking middle class, but to the top one per cent and the policy makers in government as well. By learning from history, the mistakes our society and government have made over the last few decades can still be repaired. Capitalism is Fallen is the accessible, layman’s guide to understanding capitalism and how we can repair our society.”

The book jacket states: Government spending increases while interest rates have been manipulated to an all-time low to an attempt to stimulate the economy, which seems to move from one crisis to another. There is growing inequality, the middle class is disappearing and poverty continues. Using easy-to-understand language, the author demonstrates the reason for capitalism’s failure is not its inherent nature, but that basic economic principles are being broken. The book makes a significant contribution to the debate that is taking place about the future of our society and is a must-read for those who believe in and strive for a more humane world. It serves to educate and challenge readers on the enormous challenges that face us. 

The press release also mentions the federal election which was called on Aug. 2 and has a voting date of Oct. 19, “the longest election campaign since the 19th century. This gives Canadians sufficient time to carefully weigh the platforms of each party. Most agree the economy and leadership are major issues; each party maintains they are best-equipped to manage our economy. But what are the economic policies that will best guide our society and prevent our economy from continuing to hobble from one crisis to another? Kettner urges citizens to select a leader who will lead in a direction that is in tune with 10 basic economic principles that must be maintained for the economy to function properly. The three richest people in the world have assets that exceed the combined gross domestic product of the 48 least-developed countries. Is capitalism irreparably flawed?”

Elwin claims not in his book, but drastic measures must be made. He also says the book was not released to “coincide with this current election, but it is relevant for all elections since it is incumbent that we, as citizens, vote for those who lead according to true economic principles. It was written for the average individual who has an interest in business and economics. It was not written with the intent that the reader has studied economics, but it certainly would be of interest to economists since it challenges many mainstream ideas.”