ECONOMICS
Or how real is money?

Economics: Dictionary definition;
The science treating of the production, distribution and consumption
of goods and services, or the material welfare of mankind.

Barter: In a good trade, both parties should walk away feeling they got a really good deal.
Goal; a place to sleep, something to eat, and landing on your feet.

Knowledge + skill (hand massage) = 15 minutes labor in exchange for dinner.
Say something in the middle range of the menu.
Not the $5.00 hamburger and not the $20.00 steak.
Say the $10.00 chicken fried steak and coffee. Something to eat.
During the conversation while giving the hand massage you can upgrade to the:
Body massage in exchange for a couch to sleep on for 3 nights. If they seem safe.
1 hour labor = 3 nights lodging. A place to sleep.
In 15 minutes you've landed on your feet.
Rule of thumb when couch surfing. Never stay more than 3 days/month
If you leave before they wish you would, your always welcome back.
In fact, If you gave a good massage, they will be begging you to come back.

Ten people at 3 days/massage = 1 months lodging = 10 hrs labor
If you shifted to cash equivilents----$75.00 x 10 = $750.00 = Rent on your own place.
If your clients have deep pockets, (more money than they need)
That wouldn't be hard to arrange.
But you don't want to be doing body massages at 50.
So this isn't a long term method, but you can land on your feet anywhere with it.

Back to the 1 hr and 15 minutes barter exchange.
Converting to local currency values.
$11.50 for the meal.
$75.00 for three nights lodging. (Value at $25.00/night at cheapest motel.)
-------
$85.50 for 1 hour and 15 minutes labor.


Now lets convert that amount to gold.
This is what nations pay each other in.
It gives a reference to how the local currency relates.

UCC

Live mid-market rates as of 2005.05.06 17:35:16 UTC.
85.50 USD
United States Dollars = 0.200562 XAU
Gold Ounces

All right Why didn't I start with wages/hr?
Minimum wage in OR. is $7.50/hr. minus fdic (social security) and taxes.
at approximately $36% for total taxes state, federal, fdic, road tax. hidden taxes,
etc. So that means your $9.38 for the hour and 15 min.
Actually = $6.01 received.
You might get part of that back at the end of the year or 65, but it doesn't pay this months rent.
At that rate of pay it would take you 125 hrs to make the $750.00 for rent.
That = 15 days, 1/2 of the month! That's not counting something to eat.
Figure 2 $5.00 meals and one $10.00 meal per day thats $20.00 x 30 = $600
There goes the rest of your month, just for a place to sleep and something to eat.
JOB = Just Over Broke.

Converting to gold
Live mid-market rates as of 2005.05.06 17:44:16 UTC.
$6.01 USD
United States Dollars = 0.0141014 XAU
Gold Ounces

The apparent problem is if you value your labor in $/hr,
(this can cause you to have a very low self esteem.)
When the value of the money changes you are short changing yourself drastically.

(In 2000 when Bush took office, gold 1 XAU = $270.00/oz)
as of right now. {2005.05.06 17:44:16 UTC} gold 1 XAU = $426.200 USD

There may have been some inflation, in gold.
In 1890, 1 oz of gold ($20 gold piece) = 1 months rent.
Maybe it was just a cheaper hotel

The gold didn't change,
the chicken fried steak didn't change,
the place to sleep didn't change.
But the value of the money did!
So what is money?
Its a measure of the trust the people have in the government.
The less trust they have, the more they shift to barter.
Which comes down too:
Buy or trade, locally from people you trust.
Be a good citizen of your local community.

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