Kermit Couch

Without formal education in economics, Kermit began his fight for a "par-economy" in the mid-1960s, eventually working with his neighbor Merle Willard to form one of NORM's most effective educational teams. They learned first-hand by working at the elbow of Arnold Paulson, perhaps NORM's most dynamic Executive Director. Couch understood not only the underpinnings of raw material economics, but could extrapolate his knowledge to predict future economic performance. As the future unfolds, Couch's economic wisdom is unveiled. Couch and Willard's presentation on raw material economics was equally effective in front of governors and politicians, at farmer meetings, at Chambers of Commerce, at schools, at NORM conventions, or one-on-one in someone's home. They wrote, built models, and worked tirelessly to make it easier for the layman to understand foundation raw material economics. They re-discovered the moving trade turn, described in The Nature of Wealth. They worked with Vince Rossiter to help keep the statistical analysis of the U.S. economy updated and current. Kermit could answer questions and articulately debate the logic of and application of parity economics in the world today. At a time when no hard numbers had been generated for years concerning the present-day application of the raw material trade turn to the rest of the economy, Couch and Willard did the number crunching to keep building NORM's repository of knowledge. So sure of his knowledge of raw material economics, while working NORM exhibits at county fairs, Kermit offered $100 to anyone who could explain how the economy worked and why the current economic system was doomed to fail. He never was challenged and he died with that $100 intact.