ITCH online journal seeks Writing, Visual, Sound Art, Multimedia

A not so innovative idea on how to revamp the US Dollar


A not so innovative idea but its time has come if we want an organized, peaceful future. We finally can have a utopian society if we are willing to live within basic normal means. We can create a humanitarian society where the other is not a working slave trying to eek out a bare subsistence and often it is through child labor.
Basically what I see is the beginning of the dismantling of the raw free enterprise because of the excessive greed that went beyond the individual and spread throughout corporations. In other words why is that the country that produces my shoes or whose banana I eat cannot afford the same with the same ease I do. The free market served its purpose for a good century and more as long as cheap, and I mean dirt cheap, labor was available but like any frozen organization nothing exists forever without periodic adjustments required by the evolution of societies within their environment.



The contemporary financial establishment must be revamped before a new crop of managers replaces the present gangs. The new managers must be publicly account for the finances status. The old guard should be replaced according to some new general principles. I speak of corporations that deal with public money. Any organization that deals with public affairs must be accountable to the public. They cannot use funds for indiscriminately allowing unfounded exorbitant salaries not based on some plans that project into some future. I do not suggest to start building scaffoldings and guillotines the way the French did for their super-debauched rich nor do I propose a Cultural Revolution in the Chinese style.



First to be established is what is a sensible income. A prudent salary is one to minimally sustain a basic family unit of 3, a husband, wife & child. On that basis subsequent salaries must be figured for incrementally higher positions. However, as it is today in the USA where 50 workers labors support one CEO salary is unacceptable where slavery was abolished some time ago, even substandard wages is underpaid slavery.



Questions such as to how much more one can eat than one’s salary must be resolved at an ethical and moral point of view. This mean that incrementally more responsible positions must be paid accordingly. After all, how much can a single person eat? Twice, thrice or quintuple the basic amount. Wages should amount to survival under humanitarian conditions.



One of the prerequisite would be to make a list of the mega-millionaires that ripped off this country, bring them to court and resolve whether there was excessive manipulation of exorbitant salaries, bonuses and gross mismanagement of public funds. I specifically speak of so-called privately owned corporations; bank CEOs, Wall Street shysters only to name a few general categories. Then the abusers should be jailed anywhere from 5 to 25 years while dispossessing them of their stolen wealth by redistributing it to the worker from whom it was stolen. I bet had this application of justice happened during the Savings & Loans debacle of the1980’s, the Enron, Edison of the late 1990’s little of what happened in the last 10 years would have been possible or at least not on such grand scale.



In the interests of fairness, these workers lost at least not only 1/3 or more of their savings but also 1/3 of their retirement comfort. These people are also humans, with spouses and children in need of various support, it is not the wealthy only that should be able to afford sending their children to the pricey universities and swim in champagne baths, and lose 1/3 of their millions and laugh it off.



I realize that the proposed steps may be elementary in their initial thinking but it would be a start. Basically we cannot afford to keep the old guard in charge receiving bailout money from the very people they robbed.
But what it’ll take is guts from Main Street to start a momentous change to their lives.



My first answer is that in 1950 I rode 60 miles per gallon in a 2-HP, mass-produced 2-seater Citroen. What have you got to say to that Mr. Detroit? Who needs to go 0 to 60 in 60 seconds or have speedometers exceeding 70 miles per hour?
Other problems to be addressed are to really do something about education, not just talk about it. All changes must start with a fresh way of thinking. Yes, maybe it’ll involve a general change in one’s philosophy of life. I mean gimmicks like lotteries to raise funds for education are an insult to one’s intelligence because why then not legalize prostitution and marijuana for the same purpose? I suspect the tax on those could afford a PhD to anyone capable of learning. Basically what I mean is we must start at the kindergarten level educating a whole new generation. I also think education should be nationalized because it is in the nation’s interest. That also means an appropriate salary to attract the best intellectual nurturers. It also means re-establishing and enlarging studies in the humanities that have been basically abandoned since the early 1960’s.



I do not mean to eliminate individualism. I mean to subdue egoism. For that human beings need peace of mind. Not a single entity on earth should be able to turn off the tap water and hold the world under ransom. I would even question ownership of dirt, yes earth any longer than one’s life.



Alex Nodopaka Dec©2008

I submitted 2 projects for the third issue of ITCH $ Please view my weblinks.

I make "Money is Time" clock.
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/clocks/money/index.html

Also make buttons from real US Dollar bill.
http://www.barcodeart.com/store/wearable/money_buttons/index.html

My name is Scott Blake. I am a very frivolous artist and my work has been in fantastic art galleries. The New York Times, FHM, and Adbusters magazine have featured my Barcode Art, in addition I was interviewed on ABC World News Tonight and Tech TV. This website has been reviewed in 13 languages and my work is in private collections throughout the world. I was commissioned to create custom art for the actress Jane Fonda and also by the University of Ottawa in Canada. The creators of Photoshop recognized my artwork at the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, held in the Guggenheim Museum NYC. I received a B.F.A from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I was born in Tampa, Florida 1976 (I am 32 years old) and I currently live in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Scott,

I'm truly impressed by
your barcode creativity. Bravo!
Now would you please make
my eyes barcode readers… lol