I've had this thought for a few weeks that the only way we're going to turn this economy around is by doing it ourselves. The federal government, with billions of our (future) tax dollars at its disposal, has failed to make any real progress. So I don't think money dumped into the economy is the answer, but maybe personal and family confidence is. What if we had a way to help each other meet our needs without exchanging money?
Here's my proposal: How about we swap and barter the goods and services we already have to help each other out? Let's start with an event where people can see how it would work. I'm thinking we could do it at Lakeview sometime before Christmas. Everyone who wants to participate brings items they'd like to exchange (books, toys, clothing, whatever is in good condition and not obscene) as well as any service they're willing to perform (same rule applies). Maybe we ask each person to bring a can of food to donate as well-the price of admission. We set up display tables and the swapping begins. Would we need tickets to trade or could people just work out the swaps on their own? Hmm, not sure.
After the event I want to set up an ongoing website. Let's say you post your goods/services and get a credit each time one is selected and donated by you. Your credits can then be used for your own purchases. But here's a twist. Each person who signs up will create a brief user profile and include 5 or so items they're really in need of (in my case, a used but working dishwasher would be great). Each week a different profile will be posted and spotlighted. Anyone who donates one of the requested items gets double credits for the donation. The spotlighted individual receives these donations as a perk of participation and doesn't have to use his/her credits to purchase them. I would love to have a debt tracker and a saving tracker on the site, too, where everyone can note what they have paid down each and what additional money they've put in savings. Any money we don't have to spend on fixing or replacing something can go towards eliminating debt and/or building savings. Both of those are confidence builders and help families regain their footing. Families are the basic units of society-when we are empowered to solve our own problems instead of relying on government intervention, the very foundation of society is fortified. The structures in place right now aren't working so let's work outside those structures.
So how does this help the economy? My thinking is this: as we work together to solve small problems that look enormous we enjoy little successes together. This builds confidence in ourselves and in our community. As confidence in ourselves grows, our attitude changes and we shift from pessimism to optimism.
