Aliens are coming October 14th 2008 Galactic Federation

[sparks]

     Give everything you can and take only what you need and things should work alright.

[nitinnun]

Are you some kind of moron?  Money is just a medium to ease exchange between parties who have desirable goods, but do not happen to desire each other's goods.  For example:  A grows apples, B makes bricks, and C makes cookies.  C wants some apples from A.  A does not like cookies because he is on a diet.  B likes cookies though, but C does not want any bricks.  What to do, what to do?  Oh, well B buys cookies from C with money, and C then uses that money to buy apples from A.  Notice that each party must still produce desirable goods, even B, who must have sold some bricks to get that money in the first place.

any money system, makes it possible to "steal" value.
or to flat out create illusionary value.

there are 1 million and one types of dirty money tricks, that become possible with money.
and it is a certainty, that corrupt assholes will eventually discover and abuse all of them.


but the biggest and oldest of the dirty tricks, is "foreign currency exchange".
where one currency is exchanged for another currency. with a "discrepency in value", that makes a competent "trader" extremely rich.

the value discrepency is effectively stealing value from others. although the forms that this can manifest in, may very.

[WilbyInebriated]

Are you some kind of moron?  Money is just a medium to ease exchange between parties who have desirable goods, but do not happen to desire each other's goods.  For example:  A grows apples, B makes bricks, and C makes cookies.  C wants some apples from A.  A does not like cookies because he is on a diet.  B likes cookies though, but C does not want any bricks.  What to do, what to do?  Oh, well B buys cookies from C with money, and C then uses that money to buy apples from A.  Notice that each party must still produce desirable goods, even B, who must have sold some bricks to get that money in the first place.

are you some kid of moron?
barter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter
"Barter is a type of trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of money. It can be bilateral or multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent. Barter usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, when the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation."

[hansvonlieven]

     Give everything you can and take only what you need and things should work alright.

A noble idea sparks that I subscribe to wholeheartedly, but unfortunately greed reigns and there does not seem to be a way to stop it.

All those allegedly sweet talking aliens, gurus and masters of long ago etc. etc. have never given us more than empty glib phrases that never changed a thing. In fact, these sweet phrases are exactly what do-gooders and oppressors utter before they drive in the knife.

Hans von Lieven

[utilitarian]

are you some kid of moron?
barter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter
"Barter is a type of trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of money. It can be bilateral or multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent. Barter usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, when the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation."

Yes, and if you read that article, you would see the numerous drawbacks of barter.  Biggest one is agreeing on relative values of goods.    Apparently, US currency is not "unstable or devalued" enough for anyone to actually switch to barter yet.

Sure, there are disadvantages to a monetary system.  It is the worst system out there, except for all the alternatives.