Economics

Chris Martenson is a guy from nearby Montague Mass. He appears from time to time in Brattleboro. He’s a very bright guy with a PhD in neurotoxicology, but his real strength is economics.

Currently he is a writer and trend forecaster interested in macro trends regarding the economy, energy, finance and the environment. He is the founder of PeakProsperity.com and creator of the “Crash Course” which is available free on his website: www.peakprosperity.com (you can buy it on DVD as well).

“If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with banknotes, bury them at suitable depths in disused coalmines which are then filled up to the surface with town rubbish, and leave it to private enterprise on well-tried principles of laissez-faire to dig the notes up again… there need be no more unemployment and, with the help of the repercussions, the real income of the community, and its capital wealth also, would probably become a good deal greater than it actually is.”

(John Maynard Keynes, “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money”, p. 129)

How is that different from Bernanke’s “helicopter drop” theory?

A group battling Walmart has done some research into the chaitable giving of the Walton family.

“Key Findings:

• Rob Walton, chairman of Walmart’s board of directors, has not made a single contribution to the Foundation.
• Alice Walton, has not given a single dollar to the Foundation.
• Jim Walton made one personal contribution of $3 million to the Walton Family Foundation, more than 15 years ago.
  

FOUR GREAT, SHORT VIDEOS ON GENEROSITY & THE GIFT ECONOMY:

, by Nipun Mehta, 18 minutes
, by Charles Eisenstein, 15 minutes (coming to the Slow Living Summit June 6th)
, 6 minutes
, by Nipun Mehta, 9 minutes

“What shall we call “hard” non-fiat currencies?

I propose the following: Gold based currency and Oil based currency.

The Gold Based currency should be called the Trojan because its value is reckoned on a troy ounce of .999 fine gold

Here is the Finance Committee Report for this year.  

   Following are  most of the recommendations:

     The Town finances are being handled competently.

     The economy is very fragile.  

     Prime importance should be on making effective use of the $10 million development money that Entergy agreed to contribute to the region.  Without good jobs and increased incomes we’ll be forced to make significant changes in the way we live.

Transition Putney & Putney Library Present Film: MONEY & LIFE, Tues, March 4, 7- 9 p.m, at Putney Library
(Short discussion following the film.)

-What is real wealth?
-How can money serve people, rather than vice versa?
-What does it really mean to “make a living”, and how can we free ourselves from cycles of debt and consumption?
-How can we align our financial choices with our most deeply held values?
-What are the possibilities – and examples – of alternative monetary systems and currencies?

The film, Economics of Happiness, restores our faith in humanity and challenges us to believe that it is possible to build a better world.

Economic globalization has led to a massive expansion in the scale and power of big business and banking. It has also worsened nearly every problem we face: climate chaos and species extinction; financial instability and unemployment; fundamentalism and ethnic conflict.

Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) has completed its draft Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for Southeastern Vermont’s Windham Region.

This process has been guided by a CEDS Committee comprising municipal and private sector representatives from throughout the Southeastern Vermont region. Prior to submitting the draft document to the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), SeVEDS is required to allow for a 30-day public comment period.

. The only thing standing in our way, they say, is a dysfunctional political system.

The solution to this big problem is complex: send checks to everyone.

Okay, that’s it.

Join in a community workshop October 18th in Bennington to help build the first state-wide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.

What will Vermont’s economy look like in 2015 or 2025? How do we increase the economic well-being of all Vermonters?

Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) has voted to change the date for the public release of the federally recognized Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) from October 24th to December 5th.

The six week delay was approved in order to ensure adequate time to accurately research and articulate short term impacts and development strategies in light of a date certain closure of Vermont Yankee.

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

This short TED talk (choose “Read More” below, then click the ‘RUN” button in the middle to start the video) might be of interest to community members who wish to save the River Garden for our use as a community. Would you like to be part of a new non-profit organization whose purpose is to run the River Garden as a community venue? Please be in touch with me if you would: John Wilmerding, 219 High Street, Apartment #201, Brattleboro, VT 05301-6073 — 802-254-2826 — wilmerding@myfairpoint.net

Again, choose “Read More” below, then click the ‘RUN” button in the middle to start the video … thanks!

The Steak Out Goes on the Auction Block 11:00 am March 15 

Just in case anyone’s curious or has a ton of extra cash lying around.

It’s not everyday that a video about wealth inequality goes viral on the internet.  Most people on iBrattleboro are probably familiar with the information here, but this video uses powerful infographics to make the case that not only is wealth distributed unevenly, but it is much, much worse than most of us have thought.

A couple of thoughts come to my mind while watching this video:

1)  The authors could have gone one step further and shown how these inequalities have been changing over time.