Common Planet
a re-imagining of the control, use, and access to all the land, buildings, houses, and resources on the planet.
Sovereignty, Opportunity & Liberty
… for every person on Earth!
It’s a global, alternative currency system that can be used if/when the people need or want to evolve. It’s a plan for a new game of life, but this time, without debt, without taxes, and without Masters. It’s time for supreme rule of one’s self. With these steps, we can unite humanity.
It’s a global reset; delete all debts. Give each person a Personal Credit account with a guaranteed minimum starting balance based on their age. Transfer and add values of existing monies and net assets of some properties too. Then give everyone a monthly payment for life of Personal Credit and the game begins. Anyone can earn more Credit when they learn, play, create, invent, or work. Using an open proof of work architecture, the Credit goes directly into your account. You get to participate and decide what is necessary, worthy or valuable in society. And Bonus Credit to reward all kinds of special achievements to make life more fun. To recap: Personal Credit is created as 1. monthly payment, 2. When you earn it, and as 3. Bonus.
The Credit is a digital currency, a unit of measure of value, which is used to buy either limited goods or activities in the open market. Personal Credit is for personal use only, it can not be transferred to another. Credit is not treated like a physical object like today’s Money. You’ll soon learn how this change to a Credit currency strips away the evil power of Money. It eliminates most coercion, corruption, and robbery.
When you buy a product or an activity, the Credit is deleted from your account and is either consumed by you, on food, clothing, activities, or becomes your personal Property. You can sell your personal Property for up to its cost or even gift it. In this way, Credit is retired from circulation so it’s a stable, non-inflationary system.
Every adult becomes guaranteed caretaker of housing, free with no debts, no insurance, no rent, and no taxes. Your house will be yours for free for as long as you want, and you can move to a similar quality anytime, anywhere on the planet. When you select a new house, the previous house becomes available for someone else to choose. Credit is used to improve housing and to compete for higher quality housing.
Electricity, water, internet, tv, and mobile mostly free. Products and services that are almost unlimited (medicines and healthcare) can be free as can things with zero production costs like digital music, movies, games, books, classes and more all free. Recall, the producers claim their work time and earn Credit directly, then receive Bonuses on back end for the most popular, inventive, productive, etc.
All commercial land, properties, and resources become the commons, using an open mapping architecture. Corporations and Government agencies transform operations into co-op Groups with free lease to their equipment and properties. Anything unused becomes free from the City like a library today to use resources most efficiently. There is no need for debt, rent, taxes, or labor costs for any Group Enterprises. Here, labor is an opportunity to earn Credit, it is not an expense, no one pays for it, it’s simply created when it’s earned. For Groups, the main costs to account for are the cost of raw materials (physical resources).
Since Corporations and City Government functions still require currency (a unit of exchange) to buy physical goods in the open market, how do they get funds since they are no longer selling things for Credit?
Each City gets a Community Credit account funded monthly with equal amount times # of citizens; think of it like a direct UBI for the City, replacing the need for taxes. Local citizens organize themselves, give this Community Credit to fund the Groups in their City so they can buy the materials for housing, buildings, roads, whatever they want or need. We also give you your own Community Credit account, funded with equal monthly amount, so you can use to direct and give to whatever Group you want to support.
To recap: the Personal Credit is used only for personal transactions. The Community Credit can only be spent by Groups or Cities, so it’s safe and probably fun to allow it to transfer from person to person because it can only be spent by Groups in the open market. All Credits are equal value competing in the open market, with no inflation of circulation (UBI amounts are within our total control).
It starts with a global reset; the deletion of all debts. Each person gets a new global, digital Personal Credit account with a starting balance based on their age. Next, people convert the net asset values of all their property (cash, bank accounts, land, houses, buildings, stocks, bonds, etc.) and add that amount too. The important part here is to make sure everyone has Credit to start with. Yes, every person on Earth, even kids.
Common Planet is a re-imagining of the control, use, and access to all the land, buildings, houses, and resources on the planet. Using open Geographic Information System (GIS) to model and become caretakers of housing or property as a guaranteed right. You will be responsible; it will be yours free from all debt, insurance, rent, or taxes for as long as you like. You will enjoy upward mobility with the opportunity to move anywhere on the planet, trade, swap, or upgrade.
Since there will be no need for Banks, Insurance, Investing, Tax Collecting, Real Estate agency, Advertising, Sales, other middlemen or any financial ‘services’, these houses, offices, and buildings currently in use will become available for citizens and Groups to use.
Utilities such as energy, water, internet, TV and mobile service will mostly be free. Anything with a production cost of zero, will be free, of course. This includes all digital content: music, books, movies, games etc. As we build and improve technologies, ‘costs’ will go down, and eventually more and more ‘things’ will become free, like food, clothing, products, even transportation; maybe this can lead Society toward that elusive dream of the Resource Based Economy (RBE).
Sovereignty
Every month, everyone gets a Universal Basic Income— an automatic payment of equal Credit for every person, regardless of age. This amount should be enough to pay for basic necessities like food and clothing. As an example, let’s say it’s 300 Credit per month.
If you currently ‘own’ your primary home or have a mortgage, you become instant Title holder. Whatever ‘equity value’ you have in the property is credited as additional Credit currency in your account. The house is now yours for as long as you want it— no more mortgage, insurance, rent, or taxes. If you own more than one house, those Titles are added to your list of property too, but you’ll have some decisions to make. If they are vacation homes, you might choose to keep them for yourself. If they are rental properties, you’ll have to release the Title for others to choose from first before getting any ‘equity value’ added to your Credit account. Why would you want to be caretaker for something that is of no use to you? Because it is your property, you could have the option to grant first right to Title to a relative or friend if you like or choose whichever as your primary house.
Do you currently rent? If so, then you will be first in line for Title selection should the ‘owner’ release the house. The ‘owner’ gets more Credit in exchange and you get the Title free.
Housing that is currently owned by banks, investment funds, REITs, Insurance, or ‘public’ companies becomes part of the Commons under open direct-democracy control by the region in which it exists. Recall that ‘investors’ of those companies have already exchanged their ‘equity assets’ into Credit, thus have no more claim to these housing units. They become available for real people to select as caretaker.
Everyone will receive a personal Housing Level from 2 – 10, based on various factors like your age, previous addresses, current home net value, demand, current inventories among other factors. It will be based on a universal algorithm with value inputs by people. Your Housing Level will determine which housing units you can choose from as all houses will be valued from 1 to 10. Don’t worry about where you start because this number will increase throughout your lifetime and you can always ‘buy’ up in levels using your Credit currency.
If you get a personal Housing Level of 6.5, what does that mean? It means you have qualified to select any house with a value up to 6.5. You will use the App to find available housing anywhere in the world, choose the date you wish to move, then select a Title to a home. As a result, your previous home becomes available for someone else to choose from. The App will even allow you to get in line for a house you really like should it ever become available. We can build in functions like temporary swaps, other uses too.
There are three ways to increase your Housing Level. The first is to directly ‘buy-up’ using your Credit; for example, the market price could be 50,000 Credit per 1 Housing Level increase. We imagine the algorithm will be a sliding market scale that may cost more as Level increases, factoring in supply/demand. You could also use your Credit to upgrade your house, which also upgrades your Level. For example, your personal Housing Level is 6.5, but your house is valued only at level 5 and you decide to spend 50,000 Credits on a major renovation. In this example, your personal level will increase +1 to 7.5, and the house value also increases +1 to 6.
As newer, better housing is built and inventories become more plentiful, everyone’s Level can be adjusted upwards.
It is illegal to develop nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It is illegal to assault, rape, or kill any person, except in self-defense. If you do or cause harm to others with intent, either physically or by lying, you will be personally responsible for these crimes against humanity and will be judged by a jury of peers.
Opportunity
Now that you have a Credit currency account, universal basic income, and guaranteed housing, what about work? In Common Planet, how you choose to spend your time becomes an opportunity for you to earn more Credit. When you work any job; go to school; read; teach; write; take classes; create art; play music; exercise; play sports; care for children, the needy, or elderly, you will earn more Credit.
Needless to say all work is done on a volunteer basis. You work where you want to work and you help to create work too. This can be a free market of labor. Finally, society can Reward people for doing good instead of allowing Masters to coerce and force people to do bad.
Level 1: $1 to $10 Credit per hr
These are any Personal & Amateur Activities
School, Class, Sports, Fun Work, Entry Level Jobs, Coaching, Teaching
Level 2: $10 to $20 Credit per hr
Activities requiring more commitment or experience
Mid to advanced level jobs, Advanced Study, Semi pro, Undesirable work, Coaching, Teaching
Level 3: $20 to $30 Credit per hr
These are experts, professionals, and top leadership roles.
As a currency of exchange, Credit can be used to buy things like food, clothing, furniture, products, and more. When you spend Credit on something, it is deducted from your account and the value of the product gets listed among your Titles. It is now your personal property to do with what you want, give away, trade, sell, up to you.
Although most things will have a market Credit price, many things will also be free in Common Planet. Events like a showing at a movie theater, a concert, skiing, or air travel have the potential to be free as well. For example, if a movie theater can seat 400 guests and only 300 people say they are going to a show, then it’s completely free of charge. When demand exceeds capacity, though, the order of who gets to go will be arranged in a number of different ways to accommodate everyone in a fair manner in an open market, all built into the application itself with Individuals and the Community all having input. We’ve come up with many exciting ways this could be handled.
Similar to crowd-funding, you get to direct your personal allotment of Community Credit to fund any Groups of your choosing anywhere on the planet. In addition, your local city will also receive 50 Credits per citizen per month in a Community Credit Account. All citizens of your city can then organize and vote on how the monies in the Community Account get allocated to the various Groups within your city. This way, we can be sure to fund essential services that may not be ‘popular’.
For example, a school might request an annual budget of 1,000,000 Credits to buy supplies. If they are unable to raise all the funds from Individuals, they can request funding directly from the Community Credit Account. With adequate support, they can buy all the supplies they need.
No person or Group has to pay you for your time, thereby eliminating the biggest ‘expense’ most Groups face in society today: labor costs. A school is no longer limited by how many teachers it can have due to a lack of money. It is only limited by how many people are able or willing to teach— this is at NO cost to the school. The school need only collect enough Credit to fund the purchase of real supplies like paper, computers, and renovations— not labor.
The same goes for any Group. Labor is now an opportunity for people to earn Credit rather than an expense the Group has to pay for. This eliminates most coercion and corruption that is rampant and built-into today’s system. This also allows more flexibility in the ‘labor’ pool in cases of emergencies. Right now, if there is a fire, flood, or hurricane, there will be a limited supply of ‘labor’ because there is never enough ‘money’ to pay for it. In Common Planet, what needs to get done can get done quickly because those that do the work will get paid directly.
Under Common Planet, all corporations, non-profits, governments, sports teams, schools, police, etc will be referred to as Groups. These Groups will function as co-operatives where the members run everything democratically. This is well researched and defined as ‘Parecon’.
Groups do not have to “own” Titles. They are allowed use of property and equipment that is owned by either individuals or the Community. These Groups exist and are formed only to produce products or provide services as deemed desirable by the individuals in their Community. This way, anyone can start a Group, find available land, property, equipment and request ‘use’ by loaning it out free from the Community, like a lease. A budget is created and Credit is requested so they can buy whatever they need to operate. Upon dissolution, all property and Credit balance is returned to the Community and available for other Groups to use.
Recall that every person and Corporation has cashed out their equity holdings on all land and buildings, thus they have no more ‘ownership’ claims to those; the City is now Title owner. The original ‘owners’ become care-takers and directors of their business group (if they want) and for this extra responsibility they will earn more pay in Credit. There is no rent, debts, property tax, utilities, insurance, or labor costs to pay anymore. The land and building can continue to be used by the same business simply by registering to lease free from the City. The business group is run by existing workers cooperatively and/or new workers who choose to work there for Credit direct by the system. In the example of a movie theater, it already exists, the workers work, they all have a say and they can organize it however is best to run it. They will have some expenses, they’ll need to buy cleaning supplies, bathroom items, and generally repair and replace things over time. For this they will have a Credit account. Any person or the City can give them the Credit they need. The drink and food at concession could be paid for by user Personal Credit rather than from Community Credit in this case.
Liberty
Liberty = Freedom with responsibility
You have the right to freedom of speech, mind, and religion. You have the total right and responsibility to control your own body. These rights shall never be challenged again. You don’t want someone telling you what to think, say, do, or put in your body– neither do we. The United Nations declaration of human rights can be used to construct a global Constitution.
You will have the right to vote directly on matters that concern you locally or globally. Don’t worry about the ‘majority’ in your City passing stupid rules, because you can easily move. We imagine Cities will ‘compete’ to attract citizens.
Right now there are many organizations who are building the technical applications that will allow for this, and we will continue to collaborate with these open-source developments and introduce these tools to begin the conversations that will lead to consensus.
Sovereignty
- Self Rule
- Direct $ creation when you earn it
- Free water, energy, internet, healthcare, medicines, and more
Opportunity
- Guaranteed Housing
- Live, work, play, anywhere you want
- free Credit to fund things directly
- Start a co-op with free access to any unused land, office, or building
Liberty
- Decentralized Power
- Live anywhere with fluid, direct democracy
- Local & global voting
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re a non-profit seeking to model an alternative global Credit currency system.
The plan does not call to take away anyone’s real world possessions, or their necks as have past Revolutions. Everyone keeps what they have, using digital Titles, so we can move forward with the existing infrastructure under a better game of work rules and local property ownership and decision making.
We believe it will not require enforcement, but rather enactment. If many people can agree and choose to accept the new currency and claim their digital titles, then this is a step toward enactment. The digital technology is almost ready.
The faster we collect the Property data, the faster the membership grows, the faster we can make this a reality and give each person the opportunity to contribute how best they can.
The Rewards Menu activities and their pay-rate can be set and readjusted by either fixed or fluid global vote. Once rates are set globally each City will have the opportunity to either raise or lower pay moderately to adjust for local market conditions. Experts, who each collect Credit for their time, will form groups to study, investigate, maintain, readjust, there is one constant always: everything is open, live, and recorded.
It’s user driven within a local and global product market pricing system. There’s only one Personal Credit account per person so we trust people to enter their Credit activity directly into the Application to claim their currency. Consider, most activities are group based, easily confirmed and verifiable. Worst case scenario, someone collects a little more Credit than they deserve. If caught, they could be fined. Even so, it’s nothing compared to the horrors of Capitalism: theft, robbery, kidnapping, bribery, coercion, sexual predation, murder, poaching, etc. What’s someone going to do in Common Planet? Steal your car or kidnap your daughter? In exchange for what exactly? Your digital Credit currency? Can’t, it is non transferable without an exchange of goods and even if it were technically possible the transaction would show up on both accounts; would be self incrimination.
No. It needs further development then mass approval before it can be used at future date, however, we do plan to set up a system to reward members with Credit currency soon, see the Member page.
That’s the beauty of this. Blockchain technology is now being developed that can manage all of this data and more and it’s secure, incorruptible, verifiable, open, and so much more, plus this is easy because everyone basically only has 2 accounts, a simple ledger for Personal Credit and one account for Community Credit. How easy would it be to randomly store a pdf or jpg of users accounts across dozens of mobile or other storage for archive/backup use, unlike today where we each have dozens of accounts, some in LLCs or C-corp and even secret shell companies.
The current equation of private ownership for profit of Capitalism is the main driver greed. The problem is exacerbated further in that the reward itself, money, happens to also be a tool of Power. Common Planet does not do away with greed, however, we have eliminated most of the power of money, you can’t buy people’s time or service (it’s non-transferable) and have curbed the reward for greed has a limit of how much you can get paid, so it’s fair and equitable while still allowing for bonus, advancement, achievement, however much the individual wants is made available by the rules and in the control of the individual and communities.
Recall that every person and Corporation has cashed out their equity holdings on all land and buildings, thus they have no more ‘ownership’ claims to those; the City is now Title owner. The original ‘owners’ become care-takers and directors of their business group (if they want) and for this extra responsibility they will earn more pay in Credit. There is no rent, debts, property tax, utilities, insurance, or labor costs to pay anymore. The land and building can continue to be used by the same business simply by registering to lease free from the City. The business group is run by existing workers cooperatively and/or new workers who choose to work there for Credit direct by the system. In the example of a movie theater, it already exists, the workers work, they all have a say and they can organize it however is best to run it. They will have some expenses, they’ll need to buy cleaning supplies, bathroom items, and generally repair and replace things over time. For this they will have a Credit account. Any person or the City can give them the Credit they need. The drink and food at concession could be paid for by user Personal Credit rather than from Community Credit in this case.
“We have to plan what can be planned, according to our common decision. But the emphasis of the idea of culture is right when it reminds us that a culture, essentially, is unplannable. We have to ensure the means of life, and the means of community. But what will then, by these means, be lived, we cannot know or say.”
Raymond Williams “Culture & Society 1780-1950”