peace and sustainable prosperity through money innovation

January 31, 2009

a presentation tothe minnesota futurists

With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors…

Rev. Joseph Lowery President Barack Obama's inauguration

how can peace and sustainable prosperitybe the drivers of the next economy?

goals of the presentation

overview (part one)

blame won’t get the job done the economic crisis makes no sense money innovation is a fact of economic

history and a timely solution the next generation of money is already here

what happens with a faulty premise?

change… change… change…

change is sometimes just waking up to reality…

…and sometimes just a clever invention

another way that paradigms shift

It depends on your lens…

• Big Business

• The Rich

• Military Spending

• The Religious Right

• Politicians

• Foreign Competition

• Poor Schools

• Labor Unions

• Big Government

• Welfare Moms

• Illegal Immigrants

• Weak Family Values

Traditional Left versus Right Polarization and Stalemate:

who or what is responsible for problems in our economy?

We all have a piece of the answer; together we have a bigger piece.

Quaker Proverb

what’s really happening in the economy?

technology

use of raw materials and energy

infrastructure

labor and management skill

Standard of living and quality of life for individuals, families and communities

consider

willing sellersmany businesses seek

more customers

willing buyersmany consumers lack

purchasing power

What have economists traditionally said…

equally puzzling…

many communities have much work to do

people with adequate skills seek jobs

if aliens landed…

barter or trade offers a hint at the solution…

B2B + C2C B2C

agricultural era

global high-tech era

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

money innovation economic transformation

industrial era +

+Barter

+ +

era of peace and sustainable prosperity

accelerating pace of human social evolution agricultural era 3 - 5000 years

industrial era 3 - 500 years

computer era 30 - 50 years

i predict the next generation of moneyin 3-5 years…

i say 3-5 days…

it doesn’t take a rocket scientist…

i say 3-5 months…

why do we need a new financial instrument?

If your only tool is a hammer,

every problem looks like a nail.

Abraham Maslow

Please read the holistic white paper: Sustainable Prosperity Now! Awakening a Green Revolution of the Heart

loyalty rewards = new money

see any problem…

how aboutrewarding other things that we value?

incentives for youth

wellness incentives

volunteer incentives

eco incentives

but, most businesses have their own competing rewards…

so, what can we learn from the history of money innovation?

proliferation of competitive duplication leads to setting new cooperative industry standards

c ro p o ar tes rc i p

possibly the next generation of money

n u f m bd

universalrewards scrip

part one: summary

the economic crisis makes no sense

there is no one to blame because there are flaws in the system

money innovation drives each new stage of economic development

customer loyalty rewards suggest a next generation of rewards for more than consumer spending

setting industry standards promotes needed cooperation

overview (part two)

harnessing the profit motive peace as a business proposition launching an era of sustainable

prosperity how you an help

“nothing is so powerful as an idea that’s time has come…”

questions and discussion

part one

overview (part two)

harnessing the profit motive peace as a business proposition launching an era of sustainable

prosperity how you an help

how can we fund new incentives?

wasted wealth and underutilized business capacity are everywhere

empty…

• restaurant tables

• airline seats

• college desks

• motel rooms

off-peak hours at…

• movie theaters

• health clubs

• oil change shops

• beauty salons

unsold inventory at…

• big box retailers

• community businesses

• factory outlet centers

• auto dealerships

where does it come from?

when people and organizations seek money…

the list goes on and on…

competition makes things better…

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

competition is a double-edged sword

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

cooperation beyond the zero-sum game of money

economics

if too much competition is the problem… what’s the solution?

cooperating to capture wasted community wealth

universal rewards warehouseSM

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

What are the economics*

health club pass $20.00

DC$16.00

US$4.00

restaurant meal $20.00

US$12.00

DC$8.00

no friday or saturday nights; tax and tip are paid in US$

* sample ratios and restrictions that create a dualcurrency industry standard

new members only; no morning, noon or after work rush hours

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

1. Sally Thorston is a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. She volunteers four hours and earns 40.00 DC$. At the Habitat job site, Sally swipes her DualCurrency Volunteer Card to track her hours.

2. The online Merchant Directory lists Olive Garden as a Merchant in the program. Sally takes a group of friends to lunch there. She swipes her VISA Card and pays for a $100.00 check with $63.00 plus 37.00 DC$. (Tax and tip are paid in US$.)

3. Sally gets an electronic statement showing her DC$ earning and spending. Sally is inspired to volunteer more, the Habitat volunteer program is strengthened and the community gets needed housing.

a sample dualcurrency transaction

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

…everybody wins!

merchants increase traffic, hold down advertising costs and enjoy full retail value for their sales; both merchants and employees gain increased purchasing power volunteers enjoy greater purchasing power and many places to spend rewards communities enjoy new economic development resources and a more level economic playing field credit card and ecommerce partners offer new products, increase transaction volume and revenues, provide better service to merchants and cardholders and improve data collection/crm

businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied

VISA brought workability and profitability to the early credit card industry with:

how hard would this be?

a new financial instrument a new payment platform a cooperative network of banks

dualcurrency commerce offers a new industry standard and a similar cooperative network for businesses, community organizations and government agencies

original vision for VISA

a revolution is already unfolding in self-managing organizations and mutual aid

internet; open source

alcoholics anonymous

craig’s list; wikipedia

my space; youtube

ebay; paypal

p2p music file-sharing

corporate volunteerism; corporate philanthropy

three strategies for world peace using new tools of sustainable economic development

buy disarmament with economic development

a new global peace corps and gi bill for youth

peace conversion of war industries (tanks into tractors)

Please read the holistic white paper: Sustainable Prosperity Now! Awakening a Green Revolution of the Heart at www.dualcurrency.com

“no, i can’t be bothered with some crazy thought leader. i’ve got a battle to fight.”

fostering an era of sustainable prosperity

clarity bringsdramatic changes

and workability todysfunctional systems

founding premise of money economics

consider food…

quality education

quality healthcare

affordable housing

clean safe energy

if there is so much abundance…

this lack of financial resources is an anomaly

why are there so many unmet needs?

it points towards a needed paradigm shift in our thinking about money, economics and commerce

how you can help

help to finish and circulate this video get these ideas into think tanks and innovation groups (white

paper at www.dualcurrency.com) contact Joel with ideas and resources joel@dualcurrency.com help find companies, community organizations and

government agencies willing to launch money innovation pilot programs

how soon can we have sustainable prosperity?

two compelling precedents:

e-cash and digital dollars

merrill lynch acquired by bank of america

48 hours!

sometimes, the world can turn on a dime

part two: summary sustainable prosperity is replacing “scarce resources and

unlimited wants and needs” as the foundation for modern economics and commerce

modern technology, business innovation and the profit motive can rapidly bring about a peaceful prosperous and sustainable global economy

everything that we need to do now has been done before; new organizational models show how to accomplish these goals through a business/community/government partnership and social networking/grassroots mobilization

now how is the glass looking?

“nothing is so powerful as an idea that’s time has come…”

questions and discussion

part two

What about the IRS? (1)

Barter is considered commercial in nature and taxable, with taxes owed in US$.

Time Dollars or Service Credits are considered noncommercial and nontaxable. People help people on an hour for hour basis, usually inside of a 501(c)3 nonprofit network.

Local Currencies are normally considered commercial and taxable, although there may be nonprofit exceptions to the rule.

Discounts, such as 2 for 1 Dining or Dollar Movie Night are not taxed.

Frequent Flyer Miles and other loyalty rewards are merely discounts given over time — buy 5 flights; get 1 free — and are not taxed.

Employee Benefits such as free flights for airlines employees and free tuition for university employees are also not taxed.

What about the IRS? (2)