What is "money"?

[hunter]

38. With the powerful computing systems we have these days, and most every family having a cell phone...

... maybe we could implement some kind of modern multi-dimensional barter system. I don't know.

First off we need to create a society in which everyone can be secure in their person, a society where everyone has good food to eat, a safe place to live, access to appropriate medical care, and a good education no matter their current economic situation. In that environment people could experiment with new, innovative sorts of trade.

Until then I think we need single payer health care, free public education early childhood through college, good government jobs for the currently unemployed, government support for the unemployable, with inflation controlled by taxing people in the higher strata of the economic food chain.

We need to create a "trickle up" economy with money created for the benefit of lower income people who will spend it for necessities and simple comforts (movies, camping in national parks, eating "out" a few times a month...this list is endless) and then skim that money off the top by taxation before it rots causing inflation, buying politicians, or stagnating in bizarre financial games that do not improve our society.

What we have now is a eutrophic economy. The rotten money at the top is smothering the economic life below it.