any of you watched this yet?

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Of course you don't have to beleive everything from there, there are a lot of garbage in it, but this one really caught my attention:

http://www.thevenusproject.com/



An Obsolete Monetary System

The money-based system evolved centuries ago. All of the world's economic systems - socialism, communism, fascism, and even the vaunted free enterprise system - perpetuate social stratification, elitism, nationalism, and racism, primarily based on economic disparity. As long as a social system uses money or barter, people and nations will seek to maintain the economic competitive edge or, if they cannot do so by means of commerce they will by military intervention. We still utilize these same outmoded methods.

Our current monetary system is not capable of providing a high standard of living for everyone, nor can it ensure the protection of the environment because the major motive is profit. Strategies such as downsizing and toxic dumping increase the profit margin. With the advent of automation, cybernation, artificial intelligence and out sourcing, there will be an ever-increasing replacement of people by machines. As a result, fewer people will be able to purchase goods and services even though our capability to produce an abundance will continue to exist.

Our present, outmoded political and economic systems are unable to apply the real benefits of today's innovative technology to achieve the greatest good for all people, and to overcome the inequities imposed upon so many. Our technology is racing forward yet our social designs have remained relatively static. In other words cultural change has not kept pace with technological change. We now have the means to produce goods and services in abundance for everyone.

Unfortunately, today science and technology have been diverted from achieving the greatest good for reasons of self-interest and monetary gain through planned obsolescence sometimes referred to as the conscious withdrawal of efficiency. For example, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, whose function is presumed to be conducting research into ways of achieving higher crop yields per acre, actually pays farmers not to produce at full-capacity. The monetary system tends to hold back the application of these methods that we know would best serve the interests of people and the environment.

In a monetary system purchasing power is not related to our capacity to produce goods and services. For example, during a depression, there are computers and DVD's on store shelves and automobiles in car lots, but most people do not have the purchasing power to buy them. The earth is still the same place; it is just the rules of the game that are obsolete and create strife, deprivation and unnecessary human suffering.

A monetary system developed years ago as a device to control human behavior in an environment with limited resources. Today money is used to regulate the economy not for the benefit of the general populace, but for those who control the financial wealth of nations.





Resource Based Economy

All social systems, regardless of political philosophy, religious beliefs, or social customs, ultimately depend upon natural resources, i.e. clean air and water, arable land and the necessary technology and personnel to maintain a high standard of living.

Simply stated, a Resource-Based Economy utilizes existing resources rather than money and provides an equitable method of distributing these resources in the most efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude.

Earth is abundant with plentiful resources; today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival. Modern society has access to highly advanced technologies and can make available food, clothing, housing, medical care, a relevant educational system, and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy such as geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, etc. It is now possible to have everyone enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities that a prosperous civilization can provide. This can be accomplished through the intelligent and humane application of science and technology.

A Resource-Based Economy would make it possible to use technology to overcome scarce resources by applying renewable sources of energy, computerizing and automating manufacturing and inventory, designing safe energy-efficient cities and advanced transportation systems, providing universal health care and more relevant education, and most of all by generating a new incentive system based on human and environmental concern.

Many people believe that there is too much technology in the world today, and that technology is the major cause of our environmental pollution. This is not the case. It is the abuse and misuse of technology that should be our major concern. In a more humane civilization, instead of machines displacing people they would shorten the workday, increase the availability of goods and services, and lengthen vacation time. If we utilize new technology to raise the standard of living for all people, then the infusion of machine technology would no longer be a threat.

To better understand the meaning of a Resource Based Economy consider this: if all the money in the world were destroyed, as long as topsoil, factories, and other resources were left intact, we could build anything we choose to build and fulfill any human need. It is not money that people need; rather, it is free access to the necessities of life. In a Resource Based Economy , money would be irrelevant. All that would be required are the resources and the manufacturing and distribution of the products.

When education and resources are made available to all people without a price tag, there would be no limit to the human potential. Although this is difficult to imagine, even the wealthiest person today would be far better off in a resource based society as proposed by The Venus Project. Today the middle classes live better than kings of times past. In a Resource Based Economy everyone would live better than the wealthiest of today.

In such a society, the measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one's individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power.

read more here:
http://www.thevenusproject.com/intro_main/whatis_tvp.htm

No. We will always need a system of money.

But stop using a credit based system. Spending money we we don't have yet. It's like a money futures market. It was bound to hit a wall eventually.

Resource Based Economy

Facinating, will have to read more. I wonder though if the powers that be would ever allow for such a thing. wish I could watch the movie link but dialup is too slow for that.

Why can't everything just be free?

let's hear that in Italian..

it's kinda tough stuffing a bunch of resources in your pocket to go to the strip club

I don't speak Italian I told ya

my error...it would look something like this...perche' non puo' essere appena libero !!!!!!...

I like it!!

what ?...the error...or...the Italian ?...lol..capisco [ I understand ]

would you give all that you have and expect nothing in return

money is only needed to those in a greed based society

obviously ya did not watch the video

seeing it is longer then the time frame of your response

no but look for the "I will f@#$k for food "signs on a sidewalk near you..

In the absence of material greed, political power would take over more than it has. Humanity is flawed.

Credit does at least as much damage as narcotics, and is roughly as addictive, ban it.

I'm in favor of bullion coinage, myself.

we could always just trade apples for fig leaves

A very interesting read- must watch video.

Imagine what you could do if everything was available!

My older brother wouldn't have filed for bankruptcy. My Grandmother wouldn't be getting kicked out of her apartment. There probably wouldn't be homeless people annoying you for change. It all sounds wonderful.

It's probably too good to ever be put into action though. Greed would never allow for it.

I think the most important reform would be, to do what we like to do, not we have to do, in order to live a life. There are many potential people who just doesn't work in the field /career they want to, just because they got no money for school or their resume get lost in the sea of resumes. Take example of me, I'm supposed to be a network administrator and yet I have became a sub contractor in a completely unrelated field, just because I couldn't get the job + I need more "certifications" that cost thousands of dollars that I don't have.

I met a guy at Haagen Dazs ice cream shop, he used to be a aero-engineer (kinda like a rocket scientist lol) and because he was laid off, he was selling ice cream for 8 bucks /hr.

Wow, that's rough. I have a ton of friends who finished their post secondary and there were no jobs for them to go to. Though when they signed up for many of the courses- the schools insured them that the job market was excellent and would only need more and more people.

My best friend works at Jugo Juice and had to decide between rent and food this month. All I can do is send her canned food.

credit to me should be reserved for large expenditures like a house or car and needs to be more difficult to get. other than that, I'm completely in favor of credit card companies being disbanded... except for maybe amex and cards where you pay it month to month.

how many actually watched the video

not many is my guess