Common Food Finance, which was set up to create Common Good Banks, strives to be as transparent, open, and honest as humanly possible. We wholeheartedly believe that an honest society is a fair one, and that without honesty there can be no democracy. So, we are letting you know how the project is going and getting you up to speed.

The project has been going on some form or another for six years now and we're prepared to work as long as it takes to get the bank off the ground. We recognize that most of the social problems we have today, poverty, education underfunding, war, etc., stem directly from a lack of democracy in the economic arena. How likely would this war in Iraq have been if communites were directly deciding how to spend their tax dollars? Common Good Banks will give people the opportunity to democratically decide how to spend the community's hard earned resources. And, in time, as more and more branches succeed and communties strengthen the growth will become exponential and most people will have a community-owned bank.

If we looked at society as a single individual, he or she would appear to be a lunatic, investing time and energy into Raytheon Missle Systems and Shell Oil instead of projects for renewable energy and a sustainable society. Our goal is to rehabilitate our person of a society by giving the more reasonable voices in her head energy, namely those that care more about people's welfare and happiness than profits. And moreover, understand that profits do not equal happiness.

This rehabiliation process begins by getting the bank chartered. The chartering process is difficult, but we're up to the task. We're in the middle finding 1.5 million dollars in private investments from accredited investors, and we're one sixth of the way there. While you may not be able to invest if your not a millionaire, you can donate to an organization who can and earmark it for our project, but all that's on the bank's website.

This Saturday we're going to a sustainable energy summit to present the idea to some folks and spread the word. Well let you know how it goes.

Until then, remember to find time to breathe deeply and think deeply to keep your fire bright.