The Trouble With Money
I get paid at the time of my service. I spend money in relationship to how much I have earned. When I spend more than I earned today, I look at savings to determine whether I can afford the purchase. I am conservative. I earn more than I spend.
In American economy, the model assumes that there is a fixed wealth; that some people have and some people have not. Some have more; some have less. Because the total amount of wealth is fixed, one person can get richer only if another gets poorer.
The trouble with that model is that communities organize and operate differently. We cooperate. Imagine that we all take our possessions and put them out on the sidewalk for a giant rummage sale. We do this with our services, too. We issue tickets, or certificates, that allow trade for goods.
The most common thing we do is barter and bargain. Can I trade you that stove for an hour's massage? Will you take $65? At the end of the day, we reassess our wealth, and value, and I guarantee you that everyone is going to say they made a good deal. Either keep the stuff you are not using and feel wealthy, or sell / trade it and feel wealthy. There is no perfect, fixed pricing. My net worth might not even change, but my attitude about my wealth changes. I found bargains! I turned down a bad deal!
But wait! The only way I leave the day feeling less worthy is if I buy your wheelbarrow and then it breaks, or if I charge less for my juicer than I paid. I am now poorer.
In America, we have this huge debt, but why isn't it subject to barter and bargain? What is wealth, really? Is it the difference between a good bargain, and a bad product sold for a higher price?
Stay Tuned.
