It was 1983 when
the government arrived to take over a failed bank in my hometown. Mr. Franks, my high school economics teacher at the time, took the opportunity to demonstrate to us just how our money system really works. It was a powerful lesson. I understood it, and yet I abhored it. It was a system that, by definition, must fail. It's a mathematical necessity.
I couldn't believe that it really was how our nation had chosen to conduct its business. Ever since, I've had philosophical issues with interest-bearing accounts or other "free money" schemes. They're all immoral, in my opinion. Using them hastens the inevitable end of the system. The dollar is just another
pyramid scheme, which is supposed to be illegal because of the way that such organization tempts people with its awful wrongness.
I believe that money should represent a unit of human labor. Not just a mythical person's labor, but my own. I've tried to avoid systems that give me money not the product of my own direct effort. Yes, even though it means that other people with their 401k and various other involvements are "earning" more than me. I tried to not participate.
On purpose. I wanted to understand in the immediate sense why I deserved what I received.
Aside: Mr. Franks is apparently still an excellent teacher. Searching online this morning, I find that he has won awards from both a
corporation and an
agency for his skill and success.
Someone has created a series of video lessons to explain the same economic problem that I learned back in 1983. It explains not only that particular problem but also quite a few more that are all tied together: dollars, interest, fuel, housing, population. It explains the inherent danger of exponential growth. The last chapter, Section 20: What Should I Do?, has not been completed yet, but the other chapters already total more than 3 hours of footage. It's a "crash course" in economics. It also lays out the logic of the inevitable and necessary economic "crash" that may have been initiated this month by the housing bubble burst.
http://www.chrismartenson.com/crash-course Considering the meltdown facing the U.S. and the world right now, this video series is the most important lesson that you could be learning right now. Watch it. Even "W" is
preparing for martial law. It all makes sense now.