Mr. Moderate

One of the early community-based organizations needs to be some sort of a community credit union. There are going to be many self-dealing transactions between community members, so we could issue our own credit cards and avoid a lot of expense by processing our own transactions. Structuring this as a credit union allows the community to have a great deal of control over its pooled financial resources without the expense and regulation required to establish a full-fledged bank. Perhaps eventually the community will need its own bank, but certainly not at the beginning.

One of the great strengths of a joint community is the ability to say that we truly are our brother’s keeper. We will look after their finances, and if charity is necessary, we will grant it so long as the recipient remains worthy. If a person or family is doing everything reasonable to improve their financial outlook, then we should not be about evicting them or denying them necessaries of life (food, clothing, etc.). We should just run up their tab and hope that they recover in a reasonable amount of time.

Of course, at some point charity becomes dependence, and we don’t want “lazy bums” sitting around and taking advantage of our generosity. Perhaps one of the most difficult questions that the community might face would be the choice to evict somebody who has fallen on hard times but seems unwilling to dig themselves out. It is a decision that ought to be considered only when counseling and other forms of intervention have failed to produce any meaningful change(s) in behavior.

Short of eviction, however, we depend on each other’s financial strength. Those who have lived long and saved much can supply capital to those who are starting out and need financial help. But always, the idea is to foster a good work ethic and the recognition of the value of turning a profit on a regular basis. I’m sure that the community can tolerate a few persistent failures at the game of life. After all, supporting that kind of charity (in the absence of an organized government program, anyway) is part of what the community ought to be all about.