Win-Win Economics February 2008 - Alternative Money and Recession Relief
Currencies / US Dollar Feb 06, 2008 - 08:34 PM GMTBy: Susan_Boskey
In This Issue:
In the News: Alternative Money
February Feature: Fourth Corner Exchange Bellingham, Washington
Quote of the month: Charles Mackey, 19th century Scottish journalist - “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.”
Francis Ayley, Founder February Feature: Fourth Corner Exchange A Light in the Economic Darkness
Many people today are worried about the state of the economy. As the American dollar continues to lose value against every other major world currency, it seems as if every day reveals some new sign of economic instability, or highlights one of the increasingly desperate measures being taken to keep the economy afloat.
What if the worst happens, and our economy collapses? How will we survive? Can we even thrive? Francis Ayley, president of Fourth Corner Exchange , believes we can.
“We created Fourth Corner Exchange four years ago because people were looking for an alternative to the mainstream money system,” Ayley says. “People were worried about the instability of our present money system, and wanted some insurance against a possible collapse.
“The local currency movement has provided small-scale, local economic fixes, but we wanted to expand on that agenda. We took the best that alternative systems like LETS and Time Banks have to offer, and designed a community currency system that can work locally as well as globally. Fourth Corner Exchange is a humane, healthy alternative to our dysfunctional monetary system.”
Since its founding in Bellingham, Washington with twelve members 2004, Fourth Corner Exchange has grown to over 500 members . Why so popular? One reason, according to Ayley, is the experience of community people have through being a member. “The most consistent piece of positive feedback I get when I talk to members is that they love the way it is rebuilding the community. It does this by giving them a tool which allows them to work cooperatively, unlike the mainstream money system, which penalizes cooperative behavior and rewards antisocial behavior. And if hard times are indeed coming, Fourth Corner Exchange members will be able to exchange their goods and services with each other with confidence, regardless of what is happening in the mainstream economy.”
A healthy monetary system that builds community while providing economic security...it doesn't get much better than that.
For further information, view an interview with Francis Ayley, “Local Currencies: Replacing Scarcity with Trust.” Additional article by David Korton: Money as a Social Disease.
Recession Relief : Community-Originated Currency
In-keeping with the vision of win-win economics, one big open secret is that of alternative currency. Some call it local currency or community currency. No matter what you call it, an alternative currency provides individuals, families and businesses an additional avenue for exchange.
Scrip, as it was called during the Great Depression, allowed people to provide for their basic needs. This is not a new concept by any means. Today, alternative currencies are initiated in one's community to increase general purchasing power, provide a hedge for a failing economy, leverage the money people do have and encourage good-old face-to-face transactions as a medium of community-building.
Every alternative currency has its own flavor and style as unique as the originating community itself. People in the Fourth Corner Exchange in Bellingham, Washington, for example, do all their "accounting" online though most exchanges of goods and services happen in-person. By so doing, potential counterfeiting of paper currency is eliminated.
As a result, Fourth Corner Exchange is able to develop remote local chapters that can use the same database for exchange in their own communities. It's definitely worth looking into, wherever you live. I enjoy hearing from you so be in touch!
To Your Wealth, Susan Boskey Susan@AlternativeFinancialNow .com
Alternative Money : Mainstream Media Buy-In
CBS) If you find yourself in Great Barrington, Mass., in need of, say, a pencil sharpener shaped liked a nose, Tom Levin of Tom's Toys will sell you as many as you need — and it doesn't have to cost you a cent. They do cost one BerkShare each.
BerkShares are legal tender, but only in one region of the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts, where local merchants, eager for local money to stay local, asked federal authorities and were granted a license to print money, Click here to read the entire story.
By Susan Boskey
Author and Financial Sustainability Coach :
The Quality Life Plan: 7 Steps to Uncommon Financial Security is an alternative approach to personal finance success in today's uncertain economic environment. It updates the traditional formula because the rules to the money game must change with the times.To achieve similar financial security and peace of mind as in times past, a new road map is needed.
Get the whole story about money in this how-to workbook offering practical ways to empower your financial and personal well-being with independent solutions. $15.95
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