Title: Americans Are Printing Their Own Money Source:
YouTube URL Source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghs_Ag8P6Lw&NR=1 Published:Apr 22, 2009 Author:conciousgood Post Date:2010-10-29 05:08:36 by GreyLmist Keywords:Alternative Currencies Views:738 Comments:16
The small town of Ithaca, NY decided that the best way to keep money in the community was to start printing their own (legal) currency. "It's a community spirit - an idea that we're all working to help support each other as a local community solidarity."
Alternative currency is a term that refers to any currency used as an alternative to the dominant national or multinational currency systems (usually referred to as national or fiat money). Alternative currencies can be created by an individual, corporation, or organization, they can be created by national, state, or local governments, or they can arise naturally as people begin to use a certain commodity as a currency. Mutual credit is a form of alternative currency, and thus any form of lending that does not go through the banking system can be considered a form of alternative currency.
When used in combination with or when designed to work in combination with national or multinational fiat currencies they can be referred to as complementary currency. Most complementary currencies are also local currencies and are limited to a certain region.
Barters are another type of alternative currency. These are actually exchange systems, which only trade items; thus without the use of any currency whatsoever. Finally, LETS is a special form of barter which trades points for items. One point stands for one man-hour of work. (cont.)
What the government and the bankers call "counterfeit," I call "competition currency." Under the terms of the Constitution Federal Reserve Notes (which are not really "notes" within the legal meaning of the term), Federal Reserve scrap paper is just as much counterfeit as that which someone makes with their own printing press.
Federal Reserve scrap paper is just as much counterfeit as that which someone makes with their own printing press.
Fed Res scrap paper is worse than counterfeit with its usurious loan sharking burdens, fractional banking nuttery, and economic craziness. Alternative currencies are, like you said, competition -- not counterfeit. The LETS system and Four Corners Exchange, for instance, are kind of like trading stock certificates that are backed by actual time investments for services already rendered. Even money backed by Goodwill to improve communities is more valuable than gold and silver without all the socially deteriorating drawbacks of greed and whatnot attached to fiat FRNs devoid of ethics. Some businesses even have an account called Goodwill that they count as an asset.