
Produced by the Ohio Alliance for People and Environment and NEOGAP (Network for Oil and Gas Accountability and Protection).
http://vimeo.com/27156186
The “remember when...” stories that circulate on the Internet always seem to have a reactionary bent. It's as though the authors miss the days when women, children and minorities “knew their place.” I have rectified this problem by listing the truly good things of life that existed before greed, corruption and megalomania came to predominate in the 1980s.
It was normal to get a good paying union job just out of high school.
That same job would last until you got your pension.
It was normal for working people to expect a higher living standard each decade.
Mail was delivered to your door, the post office was open on Saturday and it cost four cents to mail a letter.
Most shops were down town and were owned by local people who you knew as friends and neighbors.
Manpower Canada actually found you a job.
Rent was only 20% of your income and that was at minimum wage.
You could camp in provincial camp sites for free.
Museums and art galleries were free.
The government provided hundreds of maps and publications for dirt cheap or free.
Sales tax was only three percent and it went to pay for our hospitals.
Most consumer goods came from Canada and were well made,
Most common food items were grown in your region.
Children walked to school.
Obesity in children was very unusual.
Children would be away all afternoon, who knows where, and no parents worried because there was still a community.
Corporations and the privileged minority paid their share in taxes.
Governments still believed in service.
SEPTEMBER 19
1881-- DEATH OF PRESIDENT JAMES GARFIELD (R, OHIO)
"Whosoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce...and when you realize that the entire system is very easily controlled, one way or another, by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate." A few weeks after making this statement, Garfield was shot. He died two months later.
SEPTEMBER 21
1950 –FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE LIMIT RAISED
The popular FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) limit is raised by Congress to $10,000. The FDIC insures commercial bank deposits against loss due to bankruptcy or default. It was created following the Great Depression when depositors lost their savings when banks collapsed due to speculative investments and/or depositor fears which led to a run on banks.
SEPTEMBER 22
1956 -- DEATH OF FREDERICK SODDY, NOBEL LAUREATE
“It was recognized in Athens and Sparta…centuries before the birth of Christ that one of the most vital prerogatives of the State was the right to issue money.”
On money: "To allow it to become a source of revenue to private issuers is to create first, a secret and illicit arm of the government and last, a rival power strong enough ultimately to overthrow all other forms of government."
SEPTEMBER 23
1998 – TALK BY MICHAEL CHOSSUDOVSKY, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS
Monetary policy is in the hands of private creditors who have the ability to freeze state budgets, paralyze the payments process, thwart the regular disbursement of wages to millions of workers and precipitate the collapse of production and social programs.
Why this calendar? Many people have questions about the root causes of our economic problems. Some questions involve money, banks and debt. How is money created? Why do banks control its quantity? How has the money system been used to liberate (not often) and oppress (most often) us? And how can the money system be “democratized” to rebuild our economy and society, create jobs and reduce debt?
Our goal is to inform, intrigue and inspire through bite size weekly postings listing important events and quotes from prominent individuals (both past and present) on money, banking and how the money system can help people and the planet. We hope the sharing of bits of buried history will illuminate monetary and banking issues and empower you with others to create real economic and political justice.
This calendar is a project of the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee. Adele Looney, Phyllis Titus, Donna Schall, Leah Davis, Alice Francini and Greg Coleridge helped in its development.
Please forward this to others and encourage them to subscribe. To subscribe/unsubscribe or to comment on any entry, contact monetarycalendar@yahoo.com For more information, visit http://www.afsc.net/economiccrisis.html