AOCS Blog

1. Director’s Update: As the year wears on, not much in the political or economic landscape has changed. But since you have Silver, very little of that matters for you. In fact, the dollar value of silver is up nearly 75% over the last year. Not only that, but the economic and financial crunch is encouraging both individuals and businesses to get back to barter!

The human spirit will always crave freedom. We will always want to create and innovate. Even when the deck is stacked against us, we will find a way to survive. The most basic evidence of this are the 33,000 community currencies that circulated in towns across America during the Great Depression. Humans will find a way to survive, thrive, and be happy, regardless of what barriers or legislation may stand between us and our freedom.

Unfortunately, we’re also creatures of habit. We’ll tend to do something a certain way, simply because that’s how it’s always been done. If you’ve ever tried to stop smoking, stick to a diet, not pick your nose, or chew with your mouth shut, you know first-hand just how difficult it can be to try breaking a habit, regardless of how bad the habit may be.

Change, whether it’s breaking a bad habit, shopping locally, or trading Silver, usually follows a certain level of pain. And our neighbors are going through quite a bit of it these days. We’re working harder, having less time to relax, taking pay cuts, and watching our savings continue to wither. On one side of the coin, this is very discouraging, especially as it’s hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. On the flip side, however, this pain is encouraging Americans to re-think the way we think, work, shop and interact with other people and systems. So, the struggles of today may just be the Silver Lining of tomorrow: people are waking up and becoming more conscious of the consequences of ignorance.

For us, our glass is so much more than just half-full.

2. The Ag Trading Post is open! As you may have seen in the short video created by New Hampshire Free-Stater Dave Ridley of the Ridley Report, the Ag Trading Post is open and ready for business. Since the website is under development and not yet completely online, I will share a few key details as to why the Ag Trading Post will succeed:

- There are 2 central themes for the store: first, Ag exists to encourage folks to “think outside of the box”…the big-box retailers, that is, and instead to begin considering local vendors. Second, the store entices patrons to invest in better quality products. Look for both of these themes to be explained in detail on the Ag Trading Post website, where you can sign up for the newsletter to know when it’s live! Read more…