The Money Fix

The jig is up! If you've ever wanted to understand the world money system--then check out the new documentary, The Money Fix . A film by Alan Rosenblith, he interviews experts like Hazel Henderson, Riane Eisler, Lynne Twist and a host of others who show you how the banking system works and within that, the production of money. If you've ever wondered why it seems on one level we just keep making more and more money but on another level there never seems to be enough to go around, The Money Fix will take what appears to be an oxymoron and show you what's really going on. When you see this--you'll understand what a 'fix we're in' :)

That's the first part of the movie. The second part focuses in on possible solutions and most specifically it chronicles a group in Hood River, OR that created a local currency called RiverHOURS. Yes, local money is legal (Ithaca, NY was one of the first areas to do this--it was as a result of a huge recession in their area--local money allowed their local economy to keep functioning). RiverHOURS are accepted by local merchants for a wide variety of services and products. The Gorge Grown Farmers' Market accepts RiverHOURS for food purchases.

Local currency is a wonderful way to really connect to your community, buy local products and services and then also know that the money stays in your area. This is a huge contrast to how most 'federal dollars' work. For instance when you go to Wal-Mart and purchase clothing--most all of that money leaves the area--it heads back to Wal-Mart's corporate offices, it is used to pay invoices to places like China or India and then the leftover is used however Wal-Mart decides. Compare this with purchasing local. Imagine your neighbor making you a new shirt--you pay her with RiverHOURS and then she takes that money and pays for food at the Farmers' Market. The farmer takes the RiverHOURS and pays his employee and his employee takes his RiverHOURS and buys music lessons for his daughter from a local musician. This money keeps circulating to benefit local community members as compared to when we buy from big box stores. Once that money leaves the area--it won't be seen by any local person again! Local currency is one way to solve "the money fix"!

As you know Life Puzzle is all about confronting the fact that our culture does not teach us much of what we need to truly know if we are going to be able to make proactive, conscious choices about the way we live our lives. It is fairly simple to say that 99% of people simply do not understand their financial responsibility area and as a result, they are at the mercy of a system designed to benefit only a few. Watching The Money Fix might just end that confusion forever!