Chapter 6 looked at the consequences of our current money system. Now let’s consider the potential impact of a new common wealth money system.
A stable, sovereign, 100% equity money system removes the necessity for exponential growth in our economy. This is a critical change we must make to remain a healthy species on the planet. Without the constant monetary pressure to grow bigger, use more and consume more, artificial scarcity will gradually cease to exist. Real scarcity will remain. We have already diminished many of our natural resources to the point of scarcity. But, we will have the money to repair our natural resources and rebuild our common wealth. This will reduce real scarcity, too.
Equal justice and peace
We will have a money system that makes everyone equal under the law . The systemic money transfer-to-the-wealthy will cease to exist. This will go a long way toward establishing Liberty and Justice for All and a peaceful society.
With commonwealth money we can all have the basic essentials of life. When we have enough, hyper-competition and exploitation of each other will no longer be necessary. We can genuinely establish domestic tranquility and move along in our pursuit of happiness. Enough can be enough; we may cease to try to fill emptiness with purchased stuff.
We can savor craftsmanship, creativity, spirituality, quality goods, neighborliness, and plentiful family time. When each of us can strive to achieve our fullest potential without artificial hindrance, we may not need war to give meaning to an otherwise dreary drudge of a life.1
A renewable economy
Without the demand for exponential growth we can establish a stable and renewable economy. We can spend some of our money on cleaning up the mess we’ve made with resource extraction, fossil fuels and toxic waste disposal. We can save our bees. We can do the right thing, instead of what will make money for a few people, because everything we do will not need to be a moneymaker. We can become good stewards of our place on our planet, leaving it in better shape for the generations to come.
Fewer black holes
We cannot stop natural disasters. However, with forethought and investment we can minimize their impact. Without the overwhelming money-system demands for short-term profits, we can make long-term investments in prevention. We can invest in the technologies of peace, instead of constantly feeding the war machine. We can still maintain a military for the common defense, but we will not need to be constantly putting it to use to promote and defend the interests of the private bankers and other special interests.
Innovation
We will continue to innovate and develop efficiencies because this is our nature; doing new and creative things brings us joy. Research says money is one of the poorest motivators, and removing money from its place as the one and only motivator will see a flowering of creative ideas.2 More time for relaxation, nurturing family connections, random knowledge gathering, and reflection will generate creativity on an unprecedented scale.
An economy in equilibrium
Economy-wide cycles of boom and bust will stop. Banks will still fail, but their failure will not cost people their deposits, nor will it take down the entire economy. Our currency will be stable with very minor fluctuations of value. Businesses will still go through the same cycles of arising, thriving, declining and vanishing. Individuals will still make fortunes and keep them or blow them away. But, the entire economy will reach a sustainable and healthy equilibrium. We can be happier and healthier and have:
Health and prosperity; A free and fair market; and The best decision-making