Chicago is a “Good Money” – August 2028 

Most people in Chicago have two credit cards - one for dollars and the other for time. You can buy a bag of vegetables for $5, charging it to your dollar card, or for 15 minutes, charging it to your time-currency card. 

You can purchase most items with either card, but there are some exceptions, such as gasoline, which can only be bought with your dollar-based card. Most people prefer to use their time-currency card so they’ll have enough dollars for necessities like gasoline.

You can pay your monthly time credit bill by helping people or groups you know. When you help your neighbor Mary for 2 hours or help out at your local school, you debit their time account for those 2 hours and credit your account.

"Good Money" grew in 2026

By 2026, hostilities had increased between the Trump regime and people in Chicago. 

Dollars became scarce, prices rose, vital services like healthcare were pushed beyond their limits, and food deliveries to the Chicagoland had decreased.

Trump had significantly cut federal funds for safety-net hospitals, not-for-profit organizations, universities, the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois.

First one organization, then another committed to replace lost federal dollars with time currency. Momentum built, and more organizations used “Good Money,” that is, the combination of dollars & hours. 

Tom, for example, had worked at Loretto Hospital for many years, chose to receive 75% of his salary in dollars and 25% in time currency rather than be laid off. 

Tom’s neighbor, Mary, had paid $100 to see her doctor at the hospital. She now paid $75 and 1.25 of her time. 

People searched for new ways to get what they needed. For example, used items became more popular. People began to learn who knew what, who they could trust, and whom they could not. For example, they found out who could help grow food, cook, or replace a broken light switch. As a side benefit, they also got to know each other and became closer. Kindness became more noticeable. The more their dollars dried up, the more people turned to one another and their time credit cards.