Since graduating college, some of my sparky idealism has worn away. As a result, I’m realizing it’s not as easy to make a serious impact on society as I once thought. For a while, this was a bit of a downer. I still hope to make a lasting impact, as many of us do, but haven’t found out yet where I am best suited to do so.  However, in thinking a lot about this, I came to the realization that there are some easy steps I could do to improve your life and your community and help contribute to a greater good. While this notion isn’t groundbreaking, I thought I’d present some of the ways in which I am trying to make a positive difference day to day in some clear easy steps in hopes that I may inspire others to do the same.

Step 1: Move your money into a Credit Union.

It’s no secret that the greed of Big Banks have not only greatly contributed to the current recession, and furthermore millions of taxpayer dollars have slipped into the hands of BB CEO’s thanks to the botched bailout.  If this is the first you’ve heard of this do a google search and type: I have been living under a rock for the past 2 years. Continuing to leave your money in the hands of Big Banks like Bank of America and Chase only supports a crooked system and crooked businesses. This is why you should pull your money out now and join a local Credit Union.

Credit Unions are locally-based, non-profits which act like co-ops. Which means, when you open an account with one of these banks, you own a piece of the company. Here’s some internet-style bullet points which should make the decision clear.

Why should I join a Credit Union?

1. Not supporting the crooked Big Banks and their economic poison.
2. Credit Unions are local institutions, which means the money stays within the community as opposed to supporting global or national interests.
3. CU’s are non-for-profit, which means they’re not out to make a serious profit. Of course they have to survive, so there are fees, but you know where their interest lies.
4. CU’s are co-ops, which means you own a piece of the company and can vote as to what direction you want the company to move.
5. Better interest rates. You make more money.

So to recap. By joining a CU you’re:  Supporting your community, not supporting a volatile system, and making more money.

When I first considered joining a CU, I was a bit concerned that their online system may not be advanced enough to handle transactions as well as my BB. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did my local CU have a system just as advanced as any BB, they also supported green by rewarding paperless accounts with even better interest rates.

Another concern of mine was receiving money abroad or when out of state. But like all banks, CU’s give you a nifty Debit/Credit card and most of the more established ones have a wide network. My CU doesn’t charge fees anywhere, and I can deposit and withdrawal in most 7/11′s or almost any other CU around the US.

Joining a CU may seem like a stretch at first, but it’s really easy to do. If you’re nervous about it, try moving some of you money first and sit on it for a couple months. You may not realize the impact on your wallet or community right away, but trust me, this is a step in the right direction. (Cue cheesy end of sitcom music.)

If this brief, non-data supported article didn’t convince you to act, maybe Bill Maher will.

Your turn:

Have you joined already joined a Credit Union? Why or why not? Share your experience!

Comic by RR Anderson. Some other CU comics by RR.

Need more convincing?:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1520862/KPLU.Local.News/Credit.Unions

It’s rare the I actually go to see a movie in theaters. I typically like to multitask rather than focus my 100% attention on a movie which is made to direct my attention away from focusing my attention on more pressing issues, plus you’re pummeled with so many advertisements and previews that you’re not sure if you paid for a movie or the movie is paying for you (insert Yakov Smirnoff reference.) Nevertheless, the notion of someone poking fun at some of the religious absurdities I’ve come to notice was intriguing, double true with Bill Maher at the helm. Bill Maher is hilarious. I watch Real Time on a weekly basis through my CAT 5 somewhat religiously, so going into Religulous I was expecting to enjoy myself.

The Religulous preview is a pretty good summary of what Maher does in the film.  He basically travels around America and the rest of the world asking hard hitting questions of religious people. He remains cordial, but certainly goes for the neck, often telling people they are out of their mind.   Some people attempt to fight back using Maher’s logic and are unsurprisingly trashed by Maher’s wit, often stumbling to find a appropriate way to convey their wacked beliefs including but not limited to: a talking snake, homosexuality isn’t real or natural, virgin birth, being spoken to by a higher being, etc.  Presenting interview after interview, with both religious heads and everyday believers, what Maher got was a clip-show of putting a touch of pressure on some very mentally sheltered religious folks and their resulting stumbles.  It was sort of the modern “Kids Say the Darndest Things”, but with people like a US Senator suggesting that you don’t have to take an IQ test to be in senate. If it wasn’t obvious already, it became pretty clear that Maher is attacking the fundamentals of mainstream religions by hitting the extremes head on.

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On May 3, 2008 – I submitted an email to Rev. Dave Wright of The University of Puget Sound on behalf of a small group of activists. In it, I said I wanted to: “organize a group of local priests, pastors, rabbis and other spiritual leaders to hold a short prayer vigil at a local gas station (literally 15 minutes) once a week – every week – for the foreseeable future. The idea is that America is an fox-hole moment right now and neither the D’s, the R’s nor anyone else seems to know what to do about rising gas and food prices, unemployment and home foreclosures. At the center of all this is the bank-breaking experience of buying gasoline: the uniform source of power that drives this country. But we want to remind people that there is a fuel more powerful than petroleum and use faith to find a community oriented approach to navigating the recession.” Though the reverend expressed a wiliness to help, the idea died once it became apparent that I would be the only follower attending these “services.”

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