Paradigm Switchboard Action Center

Tags:  
Paradigm Shift:
Seeing a possibility outside the current paradigm or conventional boundaries of understanding

Switchboard Exchange:
A device used to enable people to connect and communicate

Paradigm Switchboard:
Creating a new way for people to connect for cooperative exchanges

Power Point Presentation




Paradigm Switchboard is Mariposa Network for Community Action proposal to develop and launch a trade/exchange and complementary community currency system for the whole of Mariposa County. It was birthed out of the vision of promoting a more sustainable local economy for Mariposa. What we are proposing is a complementary, not alternative, exchange system. It is not an alternative to the Federal currency, but supplemental to it. There are many types of complementary currency systems which this article explains with the hope that many informed voices are heard. Common to all complementary systems is that they all strive to provide added value to the existing market system by incorporating features and values not available in a traditional market economy. Core is that they promote cooperative economics where traditional market economics are competitive. This does not mean that competition is inherently bad or unnecessary. We believe that market competition, especially on large scale, is essential but it is not sufficient. See Recent Wall Street Journal Report Video

We all, at some time, have participated in a complementary economic system. It was usually called neighborliness or family duty. We would think it strange for a neighbor to charge a neighbor for helping to load the old sofa on to the pickup, or for a son to charge an elderly mother to drive her to the doctor. These are all examples of cooperative economics.
Complimentary currency or exchange systems extend the cooperative system of neighborliness into “communitiness,” i.e. the sense of belonging and investing in the community. The "Network of Community Exchange Systems in Asia, Africa & Latin America" define Community Exchange Systems as "community based networks of sharing which encourage mutual aid, reciprocation, self reliance, local production, community planning and socio-economic solidarity by providing a means of exchanging goods and services for the meeting of needs, cultural revitalization, socioeconomic harmony and rural reconstruction.” We would just change rural reconstruction to environmental preservation.

With the collapse of much of our traditional economic system, the many recent layoffs, California's budget fiasco and threaten insolvency; we believe the only way not to be totally boxed, is to think outside the box - that is to have a paradigm shift about how we think about wealth and money. In fact, the oldest complementary currency systems in existence, the WIR Economic Circle Cooperative (the Wirtschaftsring) in Switzerland was formed in 1934 as a paradigm shift in response to the economic collapse in Europe. That was 75 years ago and WIR now represents 17% of all business in Switzerland. The four minute video on the left tells their story. One of the newest paradigm shift is the Common Good Banks. Part 1 of their story is on the right. We've posted these as examples of things happening and we are not endorsing any program at this time. We just believe that now is the time to start seriously thinking about our own story. What are we going to tell our grandchilden? We believe it should begin with "We pulled together when everything else was pulling apart." Will you be a part of this unfolding story? We hope you will be.

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