I've been involved with Madison Hours since it started in 1996. In addition to using the currency, I've also been active as a Board Member and volunteer. Additionally, my business, Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, accepts and uses Hours. I really value the system although I often feel that there is a lot of potential that is not being realized. Obviously, the more people that get involved, the more goods and services exist in the network and the currency becomes stronger.

Here are some photos I took at the holiday trade fair at the High Noon while vendors were setting up. I meant to get back around but got busy at the info table and never did. Which is too bad because there were some excellent handmade ornaments made in the shape of 3D electron microscope images of viruses. We bought "Salmonella" which made a great gift! But alas, no photos of that - or many others who weren't quite set up when I made this quick photo tour.

Alan Rosenblith is a musician, currency activist and permaculture enthusiast.

His new documentary, The Money Fix, presents a strong case that our money system itself causes many of the seemingly impossible problems we face: Poverty, unemployment, debt, etc. He shows how money is created in a central bank system and then shows the ridiculousness of the debt-based system that we labor under. The film earns points for creative use of simple computer graphics. I really enjoyed watching the banks shoot money into people's heads, to site one example.

As a supporter of a Single Payer plan for national health care I've been depressed watching the "reform" debate in Congress and reading about all the secret meetings at the White House with Insurance and Pharmaceutical companies. (I can't help but be reminded of the secret Cheney Energy meetings.)

I'm interested in adding a LETS (Local Exchange Trading System) component to Madison Hours. I intend to submit a formal proposal to move forward on this in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from members with ideas or concerns in order to make sure any potential pitfalls are addressed.

PROPOSAL TITLE: Adding a LETS system to Madison Hours and a few changes to our membership structure.

DATE: February 28, 2009

SPONSOR: Jon Hain and Erin Schneider

Thanks everyone who came to or vended at the Holiday Trade Fair last weekend.

The High Noon, as always, was a great space with more people hanging out and socializing than in past years. They also became the first bar in Madison to accept Madison Hours. They were accepting 1/4 Hour towards any Ale Asylum beer.

As our economy continues to stumble, the housing crisis deepens and our national debt skyrockets the government has decided to try to sweep it all under the rug.

Here's an animated video that explains how money works. There is a short section on Hour based money systems and on interest free money.