COMMUNITY INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTER

Empowering People * Building Community * Enabling Change

A project of NEST, Inc.    ***   Non-profit & tax-exempt

Thomas H. Greco, Jr., Director 

Writings by Thomas Greco on  Money, Community Currencies, and Alternative Economics

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Welcome to the CIRC website

Dedicated to Transformational Restructuring

CIRC is a networking hub and information source dedicated to building a better world. We work at all levels from local to global, sharing important information, connecting people, and catalyzing the development of healthy communities. We believe that the world is presently undergoing a metamorphic change and that every one of us has a role to play in creating peace, harmony, and an abundant, dignified life for all.

As the new millennium dawns, we find our institutions and way of life in a state of crisis and ready for transformation.  This is a time in which we need to rethink, reorganize, and restructure. What shall we carry over with us into the new world, and what should we leave behind? What are the foundation principles upon which we should build new organizations and institutions? How will these be projected into everyday practice and relationships?

Our own explorations into these questions have identified six primary areas which are in urgent need of transformation. The links below provide, not only a critique of the present structures and description of the problems, but also a good many well-thought-out alternatives:

• Money, banking and finance: The fundamental role of money is to mediate the exchange process through which almost all economic quantities must pass. The present money and banking regime is dysfunctional in many ways, causing unemployment, recurrent depressions, inflation, waste, ecological despoliation, mal-distribution of income and wealth, and war. Click here to learn what can be done about it.

• Land tenure and property ownership: The distribution of land ownership has never been fair, and ownership everywhere is becoming ever more concentrated in a few hands. How can people live without access to land and nature's resources? How can we avoid sliding into the abyss of class warfare? Follow this link to find out. 

• Taxation and public revenue: Taxation is inherently coercive, and taxes at all levels are increasingly unfair. All taxes could be eliminated, and a basic income provided for all, if one simple principle were applied -- Pay for privilege. To learn how that can be done, follow this link.

• Government, law, and public policy: Government by the people and for the people, if it ever existed at all, is now but a dream. For the most part, the balloting process serves only to legitimize choices that have already been made behind the scenes by powerful groups. What can be done to reverse the decline into greater tyranny? Click here to find out. 

• Corporations and the centralization of power: The corporation has been called "the person without a soul." The corporate charter is granted by the various states as a privilege that includes limited liability of the owners. Such privilege was originally granted to enable the undertaking of projects that were deemed to be in the general public interest. Now, most corporations seem to serve the interests of a much more limited group, while acting often against the public interest. The links in this section address this problem.

• Technology choices: Science and technology have wrought vast changes in the way we live. For better, or for worse, they represent a powerful force that seems to have its own impetus. But there are acknowledged risks and undesirable side effects inherent in the use of many technologies. How should such choices be made, and what are their political and economic implications.  The links in this section address those questions.

Over the past several years, we have become aware of both the serious nature of the problems, and important new thinking in each of these areas. The dominant institutions have taken form in an era in which greed and self-seeking were esteemed as virtues, and unequal privilege was accepted as legitimate. But the good news is that we are now seeing new emergent structures which are based on service, fairness, personal freedom, fellowship, and cooperation. It is our hope and belief that the momentum will grow as more and more "cells" in the body of humanity are awakened and encouraged to action.

We believe that the information contained on this site and its various links will be very helpful  to you and your communities in finding your way.

Other Links to Transformational Information Sources

Your Support is Appreciated

CIRC is a project of NEST, Inc., a tax-exempt, non-profit organization.  In order to continue our work, all of our operations need to be financially self-supporting.   We request a small donation to cover the costs of providing this information.   Please consider an additional contribution to help us continue and expand our free services. Your donations are tax-deductible.

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