A key reform I am arguing for is different types of money – all with the same value – but with restricted redemption.
Have you noticed how plain or even ugly out world is becoming, due to market forces favouring what is cheapest. Architecture especially. You have most likely noticed that prior to WW2 even the most humble of buildings had elements of art or attractiveness built into them.
A great explanation of why buildings are far more bland these days is at Why is the Modern World So Ugly?
A quick summary would be:
- Bland is cheaper
- We no longer rely on local, unique materials that provide regional looks
- Beauty cannot be defined; cannot be enforced
Some of us would prefer beauty in out lives, but we don’t have the ability to make it happen.
Scenario – a town only big enough for one supermarket.
Situation – the old premises, over 100 years old, need to be demolished. The town has character, so to get approval for the new building, it looks appealing in the plans and artist impressions.
When built, cheap materials and deviations from the plans mean the town ends up with an ugly new supermarket. Not much can be done about it, because it is already built, and who can define ugly?
Now add this to the mix – every citizen as part of their Universal Basic Income (UBI) gets $500 of it annually in Art & Culture Money – a type of designated dollar. That money can only be spent at officially qualifying art & culture businesses, like a museum, outdoor cinema, live band, art gallery or design firm.
Not everybody wants/or needs those things, so anything at all you spend money on, you can pay up to 5% of it in Art & Culture Money. Because it is designated money, and you are consciously choosing where you allocate it, and the receivers can only spend it at a qualifying business (only UBI recipients get the 5% option) – the recipients are forced to use that money artfully of culturally.
When the ugly supermarket gets numerous payments where 5% is in Art & Culture Money, they either suffer the loss (5% could be more than their profit margin) or they spend it making the supermarket nicer. That could be a jazz band every Sunday afternoon, or a facade that makes the building more appealing.
Sometimes we have to or need to shop somewhere, or pay for services, even though we don’t like how that business operates. Designated dollars can be used as protest dollars, that encourage those businesses to be nicer.