Jim Lacey - professor of strategic studies at the US Marine Corps War College - was recently walking through the Occupy Wall Street camp in New York. He noticed an interesting development in monetary theory.
As luck would have it, though, many of them will not have to worry about money for much longer, as several OWS occupiers had the answer to everyone’s financial problems. This innovative group, all sporting $4-bill badges, claimed to have reimagined money. Intrigued, I asked how such a reimagination worked. In short, it seems that people are to create money as they need it for their own happiness and the happiness of others.
This I liked, as I have a wonderful imagination and a deep need to use my money so as to increase my own happiness. I promptly imagined a page of my notebook into $10,000 and gave it to one of the $4 lapel-badge ladies.
She looked at the sheet of paper and smiled at me. So far, so good. I then asked for her laptop and told her she could keep the $8,000 change I was due so as to further increase her own happiness. She quickly turned away, taking her laptop with her and leaving me short $10,000 of reimagined money.
I assume the system has some kinks that the revolution will figure out as it goes.
Before we all snicker at the naivety of the $4 demonstrators, isn't this the same idea that the Bank of England is pursuing? Aren't they printing money to try to make us happy?
No comments:
Post a Comment