Money is Debt

It is just about every American’s belief, and most people’s belief in general, that if a person works hard, and plays by the rules, that they will be able to get ahead, in other words, make more money. If this is so, than why is it that one out of nine people in the U.S. now needs government assistance just to buy food? Raw data from the latest studies done by the United States Department of Agriculture since 1969 reveals the number on food stamps which is growing daily, to be estimated at around 34 million. These figures were taken in August. September figures show 35 million. As companies outsource, during times of record profits, and continue to lay people off in favor of automation, the unemployment rate continues to rise as well, topping out this month, at around 20%. This figure increases at around 1% per month. At the present rate, with the present population of around 307 million, (and birth and death rates figured in,) we can roughly estimate that about 30% of the population will be on food stamps in less than five years. Play the game by the rules? It appears that the game is rigged.

Does it not seem that in an age of technological advancements, in fields such as aging; (yes, they are trying to find out what makes us live longer!) robotics, hydroponic growth methods of food production and advancements in such areas as nanotechnology, that we, as a society should be advancing, not regressing? We have more than enough food to feed everyone on the planet while hunger and reliance on government assistance is more prevalent than ever. We have the skills and technology which can build homes, hospitals and schools all over the world but we spend money on defending the notion of freedom, instead. Starvation and disease is more rampant than ever. We have all the technological advances that should launch us into the next century, feeling proud and confident in our ability to take care of ourselves and the planet, but instead we are down and out of work and just barely surviving.

Throughout the earth, there are two types of resources. Resources in the form of people, skills, labor, information, (what you might call social resources,) as well as plenty of what might be referred to as raw resources; food, energy, water, land, metals, etc. The earth and the people in it are in abundance, so naturally we need to fight over them and in the marketplace, (meaning the job market) compete over them. (Can’t get something for free, you know!) Our resources continue to increase while our purchasing power and thus, incentive to progress; decreases. The real reason that the economy is failing is not because the housing market is failing or even because people are out of work, these are only symptoms. The real reason is, because the monetary system itself is failing.