2007 update:
The
U.S. of A. Treasury Dept. plans to introduce prepaid debit cards.
BTW: This is a VERY significant step towards an end to poverty here in North America.
These are targeted at Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients who do not have bank accounts. Some four million don't have bank accounts an estimated four million recipients of Social Security and SSI don't have a bank account. The debit-card accounts are protected by PIN numbers and FDIC insured. The debit card is part of a broader effort by the Treasury to move to electronic payments. Many state agencies in recent years have offered prepaid debit cards to recipients of unemployment benefits or child support payments, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2005 offered debit cards loaded with emergency-relief funds to hurricane victims. As many as 40 million U.S. households either have no bank account or make little use of banking services. For benefits recipients who sign up for the card, Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits as well as SSI benefits will be automatically loaded onto the card account on the designated payment day. Card holders will be able to use the card at ATMs, bank branches, and retail locations and online. There are now over two million card holders.
Fees involved: Cardholders will get one free ATM cash withdrawal per deposit per month, but will pay 90 cents for each additional withdrawal. Like other debit-card holders, users may also face surcharges at many ATMs. Other fees include $3 for international ATM withdrawals, 3% on international currency exchanges, 50 cents for each online bill payment and 75 cents per month for paper statements. Cardholders can avoid surcharges at more than 56,000 designated ATM balance inquiries and cash withdrawals at a teller window will be free, and there will be no fees for overdrafts, declined transactions, or inactivity. Cardholders can opt to receive free deposit notifications or low-balance alerts via text message, email or automated phone call.
Soon in addition to those receiving government
pensions, those on welfare, those who get major credit cards, bank accounts, passports,
driver’s licenses, and the newly born will all have unique electronic cards
which can be easily standardized.
Wait! Do not get distracted by fearful thoughts about a big brother type police state
as when the post NAU changes
to our social mechanism described on this CD are made
domination by special interest groups will become impossible.
These programs, in the long term, can result in real and positive progress. When every North American has a unique card changing to the equitable
distribution system of Energy Accounting will be possible providing that all
products have been visibly marked
with the number of kilogram calories that were converted during production BTW: the number of Kilogram calories that were degraded
in making the components and to transport the product to where it is consumed
is also part of the cost. This is the essence of Energy Accounting.
The total NUMBER of CITIZENS involved needs to be known.
It is also necessary to come up with a number which represents the total amount of ENERGY BEING CONVERTED during a two year period (from whatever sources) on our entire continent.
Another number that is required is total COST OF OPERATION this is a number which represents the total amount of energy that must be converted to maintain the infrastructure and allow for new construction. This number would represent the cost in terms of energy converted in operating our North American social mechanism (our Technate). Now we do the math.
Note that all totals are in energy units.
The continental total for energy converted
MINUS
The total energy cost of operation.
DIVIDED BY
The total number of citizens.
The resulting number of energy units will be automatically deposited into our personal accounts once every two years. Whenever we require goods or service the amount of kilogram calories on the label is deducted from our accounts. This is the essence of how Energy Accounting works. It has been deemed unlikely that without waste that any citizens would use all of their allocated energy credits after all this accounting system was formulated to equitably distribute a technologically produced abundance. By 2012 and henceforth poverty will not exist here.
For more explanation of Energy Accounting.
For most people there is no need to understand how Energy Accounting works if our Energy Debit cards get us the goods we consume in our daily life and gives us access to the services we use who cares it matters not how it works very few people really know how money actually works and yet they still can use it.
The term Energy converted
Energy stored in diesel fuel is converted into motion by a vehicles engine.
Energy stored in coal is converted into electricity when a power plant burns the coal to boil water to make steam to drive generating turbines.
Energy in the form of light is converted into electricity by solar panels.
Energy in electrical form is converted into mechanical motion when an electric drill makes a hole.
Energy stored in food is converted into maintaining a clean floor when the janitor has lunch.
Energy in electric form is converted into a cell phone when it is put together on a robotic electric powered assembly line.
The conversion of energy is the ONE COMMON FACTOR in the production and distribution of all goods and services. These conversions can be measured totaled and put on everything as the REAL cost. Note: that the energy cost of goods would not fluctuate. Yup, the cost of bread would always be the same.