Currency Wars

So I fully expect to generate some controversy with this topic. I still don't even have my mind totally made up on whats best, and I can totally see an ecconomic system based on food and shells working really really well especially if there were regular get-together where beautiful peoples and vison spirits spun and twirled and danced to indoor firelight. I can see that working. I see it working vividly and entirely ethereally at once. Strange.

BUT

I'm pretty sure the coolest currency I have ever seen came from, of all places, Austria.

Tiny little axes where the handles are copper and the blades tin. They have a loop on the end so you can string them together. Something tells me they probably melt together in the right proportion to make a mean bronze.

My favorite old currencies are the ancient Asian forms of cash that could be strung together.

My favorite modern currencies are the Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Dollars. They're very pretty and colorful!

Yeah, the Chinese had some stuff really well refined for sure.

I really like coins. I pretty much hate all modern currencies though.

I don't know, I think there are some threads about currant currencies going on somewhere in the labyrinth.

What do ya'll think about carbon value based currencies? Where exchange rates where based off off various carbon reserves in the familiar fossil fuel form but also in things like biomass. Perhaps issued with credits for sequestration as well. Or something? I don't know for a while I've wanted to see the dollar bill and State flag changed to my usual green and gold with Ol' George making the "flathead/what was I thinking!" Hand sign and changing the Latin mumbo Jumbo to "Green is Gold!"

But I drift.

Dave, you have opinions. Let's hear um. Are you voting yet?

In what sense do you mean by voting? Like can I vote at elections, then yes.

The main thing that irks me with currencies is the inefficiency of how they are created and managed. I prefer hard metal currencies because, pragmatically speaking, they have the longest lifespan and thus the cost of production decreases the longer the hard currencies stay in circulation. Just like John Green and CGP Grey, I hate pennies!

Also, I have a slight problem with "In God We Trust" being on all American currency because in my opinion, I think it violates the Establishment Clause. I much prefer the original phrases used on early American currency such As "Mind Your Business" and "We Are One" which reflect two values that I like: 1) a sense of moderated national unity 2) a sense of respect for other people's business. One of the best examples of this is the early Fugio Cent. Also, the history surrounding "In God We Trust" rather irks me, too because it went into law because the USA was afraid of communism and wanted to say that we are a religious nation. I do not have a problem with people believing whatever they want, but I kinda have a problem when they try to get religion into the government. I do understand that what god, which one(s), and the definition of god were not explicitly stated which leaves the meaning ambiguous, but that seems to be aside from point. The church or any churches are not supposed to be related to the government in any form, even if it is ambiguous.

My ideal currency would be based on efficiency, ecology, and applied permaculture. I would like a currency that encourages good business practices. I think it would be rather hard to base a currency on such things; I think it would be more appropriate to base investment strategies on sound permaculture principles because the goal of permaculture is to make a permanent culture. Therefore, the best investments would in theory be on the most regenerative and beneficial practices. I couldn't find the video I was thinking of, but this gets pretty close:


I think the currency itself is of little consequence because currency is just a medium of exchange meant to make our lives easier. If you want real change, change the economy and change the people. Nonetheless, I do think the type of currency makes some difference:


EDIT: so on second thought, the form the currency does make some type of difference. For example, when the security measures of dollar bills are updated, old bills that are no longer in circulation either get burned or shredded. Then, the cycle repeats. At least, there is some recycling going on... Maybe a biological currency could be used... hmm...like having a little companion with you that tracks expenses and incomes and can never lie, keeping a perfect record.... maybe its health could be tied to environmental, social, and other influences... if the environment degrades, its memory degrades, causing financial losses to users in a locale and financial gains to those in locales making progress or maintaining the current situation; then when new goals are set, the health requirements of the companions could be raised forcing everyone to meet the minimum standards someway or face financial loss. This could possibly fit under the Power of Taxation Clause, but the technology for such a companion does not yet exist, and the ethics of it might cause a stir.

I do get tired of spreading the 'word', but I think the most important issue in our times is the foundation of our economy... our money! And the fact that it is debt-based. This gives obscene power to those who create it out of thin air, via the fractional reserve banking process, to control the AMOUNT of money circulating, creating booms and busts. I'm talking about the private banking system. Check out "The Chicago Plan" which was endorsed by most economists in the Depression Era; it has been recently assessed by a Working Group at the IMF, etc., etc. etc.

Can it be any clearer than Bill Hixson put it? "For the government to permit banks to issue money, borrow that money, and pay interest on it is idiotic!."

Might also mention that it is well known to anthropologists, that pre-historical groups didn't use money.. they relied on 'mutual obligation'. See Graeber's "Debt: the First 5,000 Years". And there is so much more that the average person has no idea about... let's start educating! :)

Very cool Nancy! I found a video on the book on YouTube:



The Internet is definitely a portal; so I was watching the above video, then clicked around seeing what it is David Graebe does and who he is which brought me to the Yes Lab where I learned about Laughtivism- the concept of having happy fun nonviolent activism.

I like the Zimbabwe dollar, not because of how it looks, but because of the sheer lunacy of having a one hundred trillion dollar bill.

Interesting, I just watched a video explaining Bitcoin, and presenter was waiving the Zimbabwe bill around :) Maybe Bitcoin, or another crypto-currency (the P2P aspect strikes me as permie-ish.. what do others think?) will be what it takes to bring down the current corrupt economic/financial/monetary regime. And thanks for the interesting info, Dave ;)

They change our money so often,  that counterfeiters usually leave it alone.

Our new plastic bills have braille on them so blind people can use them.  For generations, we have had different colored money so that people of limited vision don't screw up and pass the wrong bill.

A look through old Canadian money is like going through Canadian Geographic magazine in green, brown, pink and white.

We have a commemorative coin for every sporting event, famous artist and place in the country.

We recently abandoned the penny and now round up or down to the nearest $0.05.

Our government sometimes manipulates our currency so that it ends up lower than the American dollar.

Some people see this as some sort of doom prophecy, but I realize they do it to help our manufacturing sector.

American union leaders know what's going on and they cry foul constantly when a contract goes north.

Each country uses a different strategy. Some Americans might be crying foul at Canada keeping their currency lower than the US dollar, but we do quite a few things, too. In the USA, the Feds goal is the same as any other country's goal: to keep unemployment low and maintain economic stability with controlled growth. Our current problem is that inflation is too low, so to combat this the interest rates in the US are very low. This helps to increase aggregate demand and encourages capital investment. As much as people complain about the US debt, it is a mutual benefit to both China and the US. Americans demand Chinese products; China supplies the goods. Americans borrow money to cover the trade deficit. China gets a lot of US government bonds. What can China do with a lot of US bonds? Not much. They need to be converted to Yen to be useful. China wants to keep their currency low, so they supply (loan) the US with US government bonds and the Yen enters the market. Now Uncle Sam has money to work with, and China's currency is now low and people want to build things in China. Win-win!