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John C. "The Engineer" Turmel (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is well-known as a champion of "usury-free" economics. That he loves to refer to casino bank as the perfect model of a functioning "usury-free" banking system is commonly known and his renowned gambling accomplishments and marijuana advocacy intrigue voters from all political spectrums.

Exerpts from his 1991 booklet "The Affidavit And Ballad Of The Banking Systems Engineer" are frequently recited by John at All Candidates meetings at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of politics. These are some of his often cited lines about "usury" - the design flaw in the banking system:

FLAW IN THE BANKING SYSTEM
The banking system is the brain of our economy,
Which regulates our enterprise, responsibility.
What's slowing down our enterprise is feedback on our debt,
World debt is what's preventing when to working we should get.
In the banking system there's a flaw that's got to go.
There's feedback that is positive that forces debts to grow.
The flaw is in the software while the hardware's working right,
It makes debts exponential with a limit out of sight.
And as the debt increases, bankers move in on their prey,
They close down our capacity and it is only they.
The one Destroyer Industry that kills a source of wealth,
The only industry that is a peril to our health.
Just look around and you will see the debts that burden all,
The debts of brothers, sisters, parents, plagued by debt, we fall.
Our nations, towns and provinces are burdened all to tears,
By an exponential function overlooked by engineers.

No voter can hear/read these poetic words and not be motivated to ask questions and question answers of our (employees) elected politicians and their so-called economic advisors.

In the mid-1980’s, as publisher of the LEADS Newsletter I published John’s first analysis of the nagging problem of "usury-greed" wherein he first exposed the design flaw of "usury."

HOW MONEY WORKS
How can a substance man creates be kept in short supply?
Why is there insufficient for our industry to ply?
"Where does our money come from?" has an answer known by few,
The source and sink are hidden from the ordinary view.
The Governments do not create the money that they use,
All Governments are deep in debt, we need some other clues.
The media do tell us when supply of money grows,
But very few do ask ourselves and wonder "Where's the hose?"
"Supply of money must come down," we hear it constantly.
But "Where's the drain" is contemplated so infrequently,
The banking of liquidity is understood by few.
But there must be a tap and drain which money must go through.
The engineers are "plumbers" called, a nickname they have earned,
Mechanics of the flows of fluids are what we have learned.

Then he played the LETS (Local Employment Trading System) software trump card as the optimal solution so that all players (local, national and international) in the "economics game" could be "usury-freed."

LETS
Best move of all was giving funds for interest-free accounts,
They're known around the world as LETS. To barter it amounts.
"Local Employment Trading System" is the name it got,
To run the banks' computers right, a way once vainly sought.
Greendollars are the currency used in a LETS account,
Without the interest that forces growth of due amount.
A friend who'd joined LETS barter system made the accolade:
"Our trade of goods and services more easily is made.
A member who is spending may go negative at will,
A positive goes to the one who makes use of his skill.
And though we use no money, we have found a way to trade,
A giant step in the reform of money has been made.
A butcher bought some pastry at the bakery one day,
And called the LETS exchange recorder. He was heard to say:
"Please debit 20 dollars Green from my account for cake.
A credit to account of baker, you, in Green, should make.
The baker took his family to the restaurant one night,
And called the LETS exchange recorder and was heard to cite:
"Please debit 20 dollars Green from my account for meal,
And credit the account of restauranteur in this deal."
The restauranteur, needing meat, had Green with which to buy,
And called the LETS exchange recorder to so testify:
"Please debit 20 dollars Green from my account for meat.
And credit the account of butcher. Circle's now complete!"
Some didn't like to call for every deal they wished to make,
And so agreed each other's check in Green they all would take.
The butcher went to bakery to buy some loaves of bread,
And used a check on which "Worth 20 dollars Green" it said.
The baker took his family out to dine and eat their fill,
And used the butcher's $20 check to pay the bill.
The restauranteur paid for time he spent in dentist's chair,
The dentist used the $20 check for car repair.
The check from the mechanic paid for caring of a nurse,
Her plumber gladly nodded when she took it from her purse.
The plumber's children's music teacher, for the check was keen,
Because he knew his seamstress happily took all his Green.
To her account the check was duly credited at last,
And 20 dollar debit to the butcher was amassed.
But had she spent the check back at the butcher shop, we'd see,
Completion of the circle meant the trades were all for free."
In the States the use Timedollars, like in other lands,
With chips based on the the hours serving members' all demands.
They've Quarter-Hour bills and Half-an-Hour bills, it's true,
With bills worth One full Hour, even bills worth Hours two!

Since its creation in 1983, the LETS software has gained world-wide recognition and respectability as the perfect software for establishing and maintaining a "usury-free" banking system.

After reading and re-reading John’s conclusions about the design flaw of "usury" and how it causes malfunctions in our orthodox system of "usury-bearing" economics I (as have many others) have been committed to playing our respective roles in helping to usher in a new age of abundance and prosperity by teaching others "what they don’t know they don’t know" about "usury greed" and "usury-freed."

The truths that I have learned and am still learning resonate with me. I am now 52 years young. I have been aware of the "usury-free" LETS software since 1983 and I am an active trader within the Ottawa LETS network of people who regularly exchange goods and/or services using a "usury-free" community currency known as "eco dollars." I have been trading approximately 2000 eco$ annually for the past three years.

As an advocate of the "usury-freed," I promote the Ottawa LETS in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada market and at The Cyberclass Network, on the Internet, I advocate the concept of a Global LETS whereby everyone can exchange a "usury-free" time currency locally, nationally and globally.

I have hosted seminars/workshops for groups of up to 100 people where John C. "The Engineer" Turmel and other advocates for the "usury-freed" reality of living have re-educated those whose presence indicates that they were ready and willing to be re-educated about "usury-greed." Many of us have also re-educated smaller groups and/or individuals at restaurants and in kitchens and living rooms.

We teach those who are willing and ready to learn the "truth" because as excited students armed with a gnosis of having the truth, we enjoy being beacons of light in a wilderness of ignorance and indifference. We enjoy, not only the challenge of re-educating, but also the opportunity of challenging people in positions of authority to take leadership and implement political action to expedite and maximize the benefits of the "usury-freed" concept of economics so that the greatest number of people may experience the maximum benefits in the quickest possible time.

We also learn everyday how little we know and we contemplate how the so-called economic experts demonstrate that they know nothing of the differences between the "usury-greed" and the "usury-freed" economic concepts despite being referred to and respected as "experts."

New ideas conceived with input from listeners/readers inspire unique possibilities and offers of support (financial and/or otherwise) are greatly appreciated. This ongoing learning process has not been an exercise in futility as family, friends, and close associates often warned.

Indeed, we learn from our adversaries as much as from our supporters and whatever knowledge we acquire can be applied to the eventual implementation of a "usury-freed" economy which can be established and managed by any level of government to ensure that all citizens have access to a "usury-free" currency for the mutual benefit of everyone.

Though any level of government can implement a "usury-free" currency for its constituency I am of the belief that the initial model will have to be created and developed as a pilot project within the infrastructure of a municipal government. It will prove itself in a very short time period and then the politicians from other levels of government (provincial, federal, global) will beat a path to the doors of those newly prospering municipalities to ask: "What are you doing to overcome "usury-greed" and how are you helping you constituents become "usury-freed?"

How does one keep the dream of creating a economy which will be "usury-freed" in spite of very little noticeable progress for the past 20 years? This question is often asked of those of us who are actively advocating the concept of a "usury-freed" society BUT it is asked more often of a leading activist such as John C. "The Engineer" Turmel who has been speaking of the "usury-freed" concept publicly in 52 election campaigns.

Our repeated response continues to be that one day in the not-so-distant future we will expand our database of people who understand the power of being "usury-freed" to the magical 3% required to effect change and there will emerge a political will to initiate action at the municipal level of government.

This long and arduous journey of teaching the truth about the significant differences between "usury greed" and "usury-freed" - when "lies, deceit and deception" have become so engrained in the psyche of the populace - is a grave challenge indeed. Understanding that forces of "mind control" and/or other means of conditioning paralyse most ordinary citizens into a mode of acceptance of the orthodox, "usury-greed" economic system is essential to furthering the cause. The first step in moving beyond what David Icke refers to as the "hassle free zone" is to re-educate people and then motivate them to action. One of the best steps is to encourage people to join and/or create a local LETSystem and commence trading immediately so that they can experience being "usury-freed."

Once you admit that "you’ve been had" by a "usury-greed" system that you bought into as a youth and you believed in until now – only then can you address the issue of re-education by committing to follow self-imposed course of study to teach you how to become "usury-freed." You will question your years of formal education which has so-conditioned you that you have resisted questioning any authority about any topic - especially those so-called complex economic theories.

The resources now available on the Internet make this re-education process possible at a minimal cost. Jeff Rense hosts a very informative radio talk show wherein he interviews guests that are never invited as guests on the mainstream electronic media. He archives these radio talk shows and everyday he posts news and information as resource material for those pursuing the "truth." There are numerous "re-educational" websites with much relative information.

Over time, meticulous research will verify the "truth" and expose the "lies, deceit and deception" about the "usury-greed" economic system that you have been accepting and following.

I guarantee that you cannot accept "usury" as a necessary component of a "usury-greed" economic system when you learn the "truth" about how "usury" is a devious, design flaw and that it can be completely erased with the benefits of modern technology so that you can truly experience "usury-freed" living.

Substantial "truth" awakens a gnosis within the individuals who grasp the simple fact that "usury" is the killer machine driving our "usury-greed" economy. The "truth" becomes woven into our being "usury-freed" and it expands our minds as we get more confirmation of its possibilities.

Much conversation has been made of John C. "The Engineer" Turmel’s passion for the creation of a "usury-freed" society. His relentless 20 year mission (though it may not be the way you or I would have done it) has awakened many people to the point where they are asking questions and questioning answers about "usury-greed" and "usury-freed." In his recent 50^th, 51^st and 52^nd election campaigns during the fall of 2000 the concept of "usury-freed" was given a higher status and more credibility.

Towards the end of John’s 51^st campaign (The Municipal Campaign in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) the newly elected Mayor of Ottawa, Bob Chiarelli, agreed to meet with John C. "The Engineer" Turmel, myself and other "usury-freed" resource persons to explore how the LETS software might be used for funding municipal programs. During John’s 52^nd campaign, the federal election of 2000, John challenged both the mainstream fringe political parties to openly endorse the LETS software as the perfect model of a "usury-free" banking software.

John C. "The Engineer" Turmel is a champion for a "usury-freed" economy and his example speaks loudly to anyone who dares to commit to a re-education process to learn the "truth" about "usury-greed" orthodox economics. For me, John has it right – he correctly identified both the problem of "usury-greed" and he has had a significant role to play in funding and promoting the "usury-free" LETS software as the "usury-freed" solution. To know that abundance and prosperity of a "usury-freed" society is knocking at our door is indeed an inspiration to experience.

On examining the brief history of LETS development and one notes the correlations between "usury-free" community currencies and the evolution towards prosperity and abundance within the participating communities and the struggle with scarcity and lack within those communities which are still fully dependent upon "usury-bearing" federal currency. It appears that more and more of those who participate as traders within local LETS communities are experiencing the differences of "usury-greed" and "usury-freed."

Any municipal, provincial and/or federal politicians who take note of the evolving history lessons of these "usury-freed" communities which are trading with "usury-free" community currencies ought to be motivated to take immediate action to ensure that their respective municipal communities trump "usury-greed" and win with "usury-freed" thereby assuming a leading role in establishing the new age of abundance and prosperity for all.

John wrote the "Mayor's Problem" to demonstrate the challenge facing any mayor with rising costs and shrinking revenues.

MAYOR'S PROBLEM
A mayor faced with rising costs and shrinking revenues,
To study any proposition, he would not refuse.
"So many think the job of being mayor is a snap,
But the decisions that I'm faced with are an ugly trap.
With tools, materials and trades that cover total range,
Yet one ingredient is lacking, money to exchange.
If snowstorm hits the city and there are no funds to pay,
What does my council have to do to clear the snow away?
We pledge a million dollar bond to banks to get the cash,
With which we pay the skillful men who clear snow in a flash.
The merchants gladly take the funds for soon they'll have to pay,
The taxes for the snow removal that was done that day.
But though a million principle was spent, we must request,
That citizens be taxed for principle and interest.
To budget who gets scarce resources isn't ever fun,
But interest on city's debt is always number one.
Whatever rate the bankers set is due amount I pay,
Unhappily, which projects live or die's my only say."

Then he aptly demonstrates how any Mayor can solve the dilemma with the "usury-free" LETS software.

MAYOR SOLVES DILEMMA WITH THE LETS SOFTWARE
The mayor said that if Greendollars served as Locals tell:
"Why shouldn't government be one to try it out as well?
Another snowstorm hits the city with no funds to pay,
We'll test the LETS and see if we have found a better way.
This time we pledge the million dollar bond to LETS instead,
And see if use of Green will get us very much ahead.
The merchant should accept the Green for it's another way,
His taxes needed for the snow removal, he can pay.
Again we spent a million but the tax to be assessed,
Included only principle without the interest.
We'd offer Green to fix a pothole to a company,
Wishing to pay their tax with unemployed capacity.
Today in our society where money clearly lacks,
Who could refuse some paper anyone may use for tax?
Greendollar paychecks could be earned by all desiring work,
The opportunity to pull their weight so few would shirk.
Before the budget allocations are completely spent,
Can LETS Greendollars help reverse project abandonment?
If council members for their tax took part of pay in Green,
We'd have some cash left over which is something rarely seen.
If civil service took some Green at least for taxes due,
The extra cash would guarantee that extra jobs ensue.
The only question left is how the tax should be assessed,
For goods and services? A simple formula to test.
For services, we'd levy tax at end of every year.
For assets, tax to pay depreciation. It's so clear.
With Green we'd pay for road repairs and I would gladly take,
Greendollars from the working men so payment I could make;
And we could built our hospitals and I would take as pay,
Greendollars to buy medicine and service they purvey.
The government that spent the most and had the highest tax,
Would be the government providing citizens the max.
And best of all we'd have the Green to save environment,
A way to pay to save our lives and make us affluent.
With Green the unemployed throughout the world could save the day,
Without it they will idly sit and die their lives away.
We let the State run things for us. In banking they should too.
Creation of the money is a service they should do.
The LETS can be adapted to most any database,
Municipal, provincial, federal. In every case.
No need to understand the simple program for we know,
Computer pros in government can surely make it go.

And he challenges the youth who have most at stake as being most likely to be equal to the task.

THE YOUTH HAVE A STAKE
The ones who should decide on this are equal to the task,
The ones who've just learned algebra should be the ones to ask.
The younger generation who have most at stake in this,
I've heard them demonstrate about the poverty abyss:
"We need more money right away, our planet's really dying.
Won't someone do what should be done? Seems no one's even trying."
Some of the mathematics may be new to some of you,
But find someone to check it out, it's worth the time to do.
You might seek out an engineer and show him what I've learned,
You cannot wait till it's too late, until the planet's burned.
This is the question of the greatest engineering test,
Their duty as an engineer mandates their interest.
If biosphere is ruined and they haven't done a thing,
They certainly are engineers unworthy of the ring.
The question you must pose to them to put this to the test,
"Is exponential faulty and is linear the best?"

I look forward to meeting with Bob Chiarelli and the Councillors of the City of Ottawa in the not-too-distant-future to discuss how the City of Ottawa can implement "Ottawa Hours" to the optimal and mutual benefit of the municipal government and the citizens of the City of Ottawa.

Readers are invited to read the Proposal forwarded to Bob Chiarelli and the Councillors of the City of Ottawa on November 30, 2001. Furthermore, readers are encouraged to draft a similar Proposal and deliver it to the Mayor and Councillors of your respective local governments. Take it two steps further: draft similar Proposals and send them to (a) the Premier and the Provincial Members of Parliament in your province and (b) the Prime Minister and the Federal Members of Parliament in Canada.

The Cyberclass Network's Lessons on LETS and other information related to usury-free "community currency
www.cyberclass.net/bartable.htm

LETS (Local Exchange Trading Systems) - A Contemporary Model of Globalization Counterpractice?
www.sane.org.za/article6.htm

A new edition of the International Journal of Community Currencies Research has just been published. This is freely available at: www.geog.le.ac.uk/ijccr New articles include subjects such as community currencies in the Majority World, the relationship between LETS and welfare benefits, and a potentially controversial article on the theory of local currencies.

The ESRC Project that has been evaluating LETS as a vehicle for tackling social exclusion www.geog.qmw.ac.uk/lets