Union Perspectives

Now is the time for public banking in California. We have given away too much for too long to Wall Street and big banks. We should have our own, here in California, like North Dakota has. The only state bank in the U.S. is in North Dakota and it partners with local lenders who provide loans to small start ups and commercial loans. California is the largest economy in the U.S. and the fifth largest in the world yet it has no state bank. There are numerous private banks, but none are state banks. The banks here in California send their profits out of state and sometimes out of the country. We do have some local banks, but they are not large enough to make an impact like a state bank would do. California needs jobs and infrastructure repairs, and California state bank would provide the money for jobs and protect us from Wall Street’s greed, which brought this country to the brink of disaster. Some in California want to split the state, but what we should be doing is start thinking lik...

There are other alternatives to banking with the corporately owned big banks that screw over the little guy. Some of these alternatives are being used around the world and in a couple of places in the U.S. Alternative currency keeps local cash locally. Some foreign cities where this is being used is Basel, Switzerland, Nantes, France, and Bristol and Brixton, England. The Banque WIR, an alternative to the Swiss franc, has been using its own currency, the WIR, since 1934. Nantes created its own currency based on the WIR. Also, there are the Bristol pound and the Brixton pound used as alternative versions of the British pound. Here in the U.S., there is Ithaca, New York, called the Ithaca Convertible, one Ithaca dollar equals one U.S. 1 dollar. Then there is the Deli Dollars that arrived in 1989, started by Frank Tortoriello, a deli owner sold $10 for $8 to be used in his refurbished deli; followed by Massachusetts’ Berkshire Farm preserve notes or BerkShares in the early 1990s. Sa...

True power is with the states. Most people worry about the federal government taking away their rights, but in reality it is the states taking away our rights. We the 99% should be worrying about the oligarchies buying state governments and convincing people to elect their chosen senate and assembly politicians. With their state puppet government in place, they can do just about anything they want. Take a look at Detroit and other areas in Michigan. They can change the laws regarding abortion, check out the bills dubbed “Fetal Heartbeat,” recently passed in North Dakota; kicked out all unions, Wisconsin is doing this, and making the state a “right to work” state. They are even taking over the educational system, as in Louisiana, a state that can’t afford to be any more ignorant; and even taking over cities, like Benton Harbor, Michigan. State governments control the National Guard and the local law enforcement and fire departments. Their power is unlimited and we, the people, cannot d...