We Won't Need Money On Mars

We Won't Need Money On Mars
by C.A. Matthews

After I walked out of a convention panel discussion on possible cooperative efforts for humankind to colonize/utilize space, it hit me: We won't need  money on Mars or experience any of the ensuing headaches it causes. 

Once we've settled more or less permanently on another celestial body far from Earth, we won't need to encourage the destructive "screw your neighbor" mentality of our current materialistic system of governance and society any longer.  Goodbye late-stage capitalism!

Money will become completely useless after we've left Earth. Here's why I think its days are numbered:

1. Once human beings are far from home, they will be forced to depend upon each other for life itself. This is no mean feat. Upon landing on Mars (or the Moon or really anywhere outside of Earth in our solar system) to set up a colony, humans will need to do three things right away: build a protective shelter, produce a breathable atmosphere, and find a way to provide food and water. There's no avoiding or delaying these essential things, so--

2. Colonists will have to focus their time and energy on creating and providing these essentials for themselves and the other colonists. Life on Mars won't become a reality TV show game where each participant fights to be the last man standing and willingly sacrifices others to "win" the game. Oh, no, no, no! Every single person who has traveled great distances to colonize a new world will be necessary for the survival of everyone else. Every scientist, technician, agriculturalist, biologist, botanist, doctor, medic, psychologist, engineer, computer programmer, chef, artist, writer, musician, juggler, mother, father, child will be essential to the success of the mission and cherished because--

3. Every life will be seen as sacred and vital. There will be no "throw away people" like the homeless are seen in our current society. Humans will have to work together to build a protective shelter, such as a dome in a crater where humans can breathe and not explode due to lack of pressure, and it will become a communal home for all. Basic needs will be met--food, water, clothing, shelter--because all individuals are considered worthy of having those needs met. What purpose will it serve to hoard loads of material objects to prove one individual is more worthy when all are considered equals?

We will truly live "in community' with each other or, in other words, we'll live communally when we move to another world. Mi casa es su casa takes on a whole new meaning when you're living hundreds of millions of miles away from Earth. Of course we'll need scientists and medical personnel, but we'll also need those who will keep us sane and functioning, and psychologists, entertainers and artists alike provide needed services in that area. People who can't relax and enjoy themselves after a hard day's work  are prone to depression, which could compromise the health and safety of all. So it would be foolish to expel creative personalities into the vacuum of space or not feed and care for them. Each and every individual is rare and precious to the community and cannot easily be replaced.

For once in human history, we won't (or at least we shouldn't) feel the need to slaughter our fellow human beings in vast numbers to steal their land

and natural resources. We'll have to live together in a shelter (pressurized dome) by necessity. We'll need every individual to help each and everyone else to survive on a harsh world that wasn't created with our kind of life in mind. There will be no need to encourage the materialistic urge to take from others in order to survive since it is self-defeating. The "economic games" we currently play will at last be revealed for what they are--selfish, evil and downright destructive acts of sociopaths.

For instance, how does foreclosing on thousands of families' homes in 2008 help those families or the community (country) at large? It doesn't. How does bailing out billionaire bankers and real estate tycoons help grow food or provide clean water for the community (country) at large? It doesn't. Why did the US government take the second action and not the first then? This lack of moral leadership simply won't work on Mars. Maintaining peace and harmony is an important part of keeping everyone alive far from home. Greed will not be tolerated. And let's face it, greed doesn't work very well for us nowadays, does it?

Humanity's future in space looks brighter in contrast to the present here on Earth since we'll at last be forced to confront the shortcomings of the capitalist system. Before we pack our bags, however, we'll need to prepare ourselves through education.

For example, there are many great articles and videos online on the topic of Modern Monetary Theory (#MMT for short) which explain more on how humankind is moving away from the restrictive concept of money. There are many great articles and videos on the topic of Universal Basic Income (UBI) where no person is considered worthless since all are given an income to cover the bare necessities of life. There are many articles and videos on universal health care ("Medicare For All") that prove how much more cost effective providing health care to all is as well as being compassionate and caring.

Learn all you can about these subjects now before you decide to take a long trip to a distant planet. You'll be glad you did. Better yet, you'll be able to help implement these concepts right now on this planet. Your children and grandchildren will thank you.

The future of humankind doesn't have to be dark and depressing like the world of the Hunger Games. It can be optimistic like Star Trek (at least, the classic series).  We just have to work together to arrive at a destination that works for all and not just a few.

Related videos and articles:

Chris Hedges: Manufacturing Culture or Consent
https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2018/10/13/chris-hedges-manufacturing-culture-or-consent/

What Is MMT And How It Works w/Stephanie Kelton  https://youtu.be/5baKgv7Zl5g

What is Monetary Oppression?
https://beanstocksworld.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/what-is-monetary-oppression/


A New Way to Stop the Big Banks
https://youtu.be/ZfPZEb618Tk

Late Stage Capitalism is Killing America w/Chris Hedges
https://youtu.be/_Anaiu6muz8 

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If you can read this blog, consider yourself lucky. Lee Camp explains why in the following short video. Anti-establishment voices are being silenced without cause and without warning. Tomorrow your favorite podcast or online magazine could simply disappear, so please keep sharing this blog and all progressive news and views links with others. Thank you! https://youtu.be/qY80X6H72gU

More on the Facebook and Twitter purging:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/12/cens-o12.html
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The Truth Is More Valuable Than Money--Share Them Both!

The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate to the cause of  spreading the truth. Three years plus without obnoxious ads (that many news sites have to cover costs) has been great, but the editor does have to pay for internet, electricity, etc., out of her own pocket, and she would like to be able to pay her contributors in the future. 

 

Please consider donating a buck, $5, $10 or $20--any amount you can share with us to keep this progressive site going is appreciated. Help us become a strong alternative voice protesting against the corrupt establishment and its paid-off corporate mouthpieces. Give to TRC today. Thank you. 

You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews 

And thanks to a generous reader, we have a new domain name. 
Please share the link: http://therevolutioncontinues.com

Power to the people and not the corporations!

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Add your name NOW and tell the Department of Health and Human Services to stop barring journalists from immigrant detention centers >>

 

TAKE ACTION

We deserve to know what’s happening in our names behind the closed doors of immigrant detention centers in the U.S. 

Right now, our government is detaining tens of thousands of immigrants, including over 12,000 children¹ -- a number that’s skyrocketed due to the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policies. Some prisons that were at 30% capacity just one year ago are now up to 90% full² -- and many hold young children who have been forcibly separated from their parents. 

But we have no idea what condition these children and their families are kept in, or how they’re being treated -- because the Department of Health and Human Services isn’t letting journalists report on it. We deserve to know what’s going on in these facilities -- and our democracy relies on having a free and fair press that can investigate them. 

We have a right to hold our government accountable and demand justice for those being held in immigrant detention centers -- but to do that we must be privy to what’s really going on in these prisons. And that can’t happen without a free, uninhibited press. Now is the time to speak out and demand that the press be allowed to do their job -- so we can do ours. 

This can’t wait another day. Sign the petition and demand that journalists are granted full access to immigrant detention centers -- so we can know the truth.

 

Earlier this year, we learned that immigration officers were separating children from their families at the border, thanks to diligent reporting by investigative journalists. This outraged millions of Americans, and motivated a wave of civic activism -- spurring important nationwide conversations and policy changes. 

That is how our democracy is supposed to work. An informed public should be able to speak up, take action, and really make a difference in their government. But we can’t have an informed public without a free press -- and right now, the Trump Administration could be violating basic human rights behind a veil of secrecy. 

We need to show the Trump administration that we won’t stand for it. Our democracy depends on it. 

Stand together and demand that journalists be given immediate access to immigrant detention centers -- so they can report what’s going on.

 

Thanks for all you do,

Yosef Getachew, Director of Media and Democracy
and the team at Common Cause

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The Midwest doesn't need a new tar sands pipeline.

Stop the Line 3 pipeline from threatening water, climate, and Indigenous rights. 

SIGN THE PETITION

Did you know that the pipeline company Enbridge wants to build a new, Keystone XL- sized tar sands pipeline through the Midwest? This is about to happen and we need to act. 

The plan is to build a pipeline with 300-plus miles crossing Minnesota's northern lakes, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and Indigenous treaty lands. This dangerous project puts the climate, water, and communities at risk — and people all along the route are resisting this project. 

Water is vital for life. Wildlife and humans need clean water to survive. We must stop oil pipeline companies from putting groundwater, lakes, and rivers at risk of oil spills.

We are standing together with our friends and allies in Minnesota. We need you with us to tell Governor Mark Dayton he needs to do everything in his power to stop Line 3.

SIGN THE PETITION

If Line 3 is built, that means that this dangerous tar sands oil would put the water, communities, and the climate at risk, as well as treaty rights for the Indigenous Nations the pipeline would pass through. If this oil spills in water, it can’t be fully cleaned up.

There’s a lot at risk! We don’t need more pipelines, and we can’t build more if we are serious about tackling climate change. We need more renewable energy solutions that will safeguard the planet now and for future generations.

Governor Dayton has a key role to play in protecting Minnesota, the climate, and the water from the impacts of yet another tar sands pipeline. He oversees the state agencies that will decide on Line 3. So let’s show the Governor that there's already public pressure from across the country telling him to stop this pipeline!

We are counting on you!

Together in resistance,

Vicky Wyatt
Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace USA

P.S. The next few months are crucial in the fight to stop this tar sands pipeline from being built! Take action today and ask Governor Dayton to stop the pipeline.

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From Americans for Tax Fairness:

The Nuns on the Bus are back on the road again. This time for tax fairness!

The Tax Ju$tice Truth Tour is heading around the country, eventually ending at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with a Tax Justice Parade and Fiesta for the Common Good. Between now and Election Day they’ll be traveling through competitive districts, holding Congressional Republicans accountable for their vote on the #GOPTaxScam.

Click here to see the full list of stops on the Nuns on the Bus Tax Ju$tice Truth Tour. And RSVP for one nearest you!

Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund is supporting these events and more -- highlighting how the Trump-GOP tax cuts are giving giant handouts to the richest 1% and big corporations, providing tax breaks to outsource jobs, and threatening critical services from health care to Social Security, and education to food stamps. 

Since being founded in 2012, the Nuns on the Bus have played an important role in highlighting numerous social justice issues across the country. With Congressional Republicans’ relentless attacks on critical services for working families, we are thrilled to stand side-by-side with the Nuns on the Bus, demanding tax fairness and an investment in our country’s future.

Click here to find an event near you and RSVP today!

With just 24 days until Election Day, join us in helping expose the truth about the Trump-GOP Tax Scam.

Thank you for all that you do to demand a tax system and an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

Best,
Eileen Toback
Campaign Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund