2012 AMI Monetary Reform Conference

Announcing the 8th Annual AMI Monetary Reform Conference
at University Center in downtown Chicago, Sept. 20-23, 2012

Discount of $170 Now Available!

Minimum donation is $225 to attend the 2012 Conference if you register before February 11.

 

Register by phone at (224) 805-2200

Scheduled Speakers for Our 2011 7th Annual AMI Monetary Reform Conference

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The American Monetary Institute is proud to announce its 8th annual Monetary Reform Conference in Chicago. Our conferences have launched the modern grass roots movement for U.S. monetary reform and thereby World reform. Make your plans now to attend this important meeting in beautiful downtown Chicago. Our money system clearly needs a serious overhaul to secure economic justice and peace as we enter the 3rd Millennium. It’s evident that true reform, not mere regulation, is necessary to move humanity back from the brink of nuclear war; away from a World dominated by fraud, warfare and ugliness and toward a World of justice and beauty. The conference focuses on minimum initial steps to begin this process and put time on the side of humanity instead of against us. You may receive this announcement amidst very depressing news and events, but we urge you to avoid discouragement and instead join with us in this adventure to achieve positive results for America and the world.

Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged because the villains who created the present crisis, have manipulated governments to bail them out, at the expense of the public. We the people have the power to end that nonsense. Once we realize that, and learn to ignore the “corrupt and corrupting” negative influences, we can understand what should be done and then act.

Main Themes of the Conference: Implementing Monetary Reform now!

 

• At the forefront of the Conference will be a description of the essential elements of monetary reform needed to “get the snake out of the house.” The American Monetary and Financial Security Act, a program for achieving the reforms will be discussed at length.
• We will focus on Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s National Emergency Employment Defense Act (NEED, HR 2990), introduced into Congress on September 21, 2011, which contains all the necessary provisions to achieve real and lasting reform.
• This conference will continue to examine the problem of usury. Is it a necessary part of “free market economics,” or is it a destroyer of nations, or is it both? The present false definition of usury as excessive interest, was foisted on economics by Jeremy Bentham, who also devised utilitarianism – dropping morality in favor of supposed results. But the real concept of usury is the anti-social misuse of the money mechanism for private gain. The conference continues to help revive this classical concept of usury and relate it to how our present privatized monetary system malfuntions, for example in creating the present banking crisis. The Kucinich Act, 2990 will limit compound interest!
• Because the world is still in danger of sliding into an unimaginable economic disaster, and warfare in the Middle-East, the conference will also focus on how a privately controlled money system such as we presently have in the U.S. leads to warfare by providing the financial motivation for starting unnecessary wars. Everyone has heard that banking and wars are related, but only a handful of people understand how.

 

A Different Kind of Monetary Conference

 

The situation in which knowledgeable monetary reformers find ourselves is that after years of studying monetary history and theory, we already know many if not most of the broad shapes that monetary reform should take. We know from experience that these views have stood the test of time and many challenges from those with less experience in the field or operating under misconceptions or pursuing non-reform agendas. Rather than merely arguing over these main themes, it is time for those of us who understand, to move forward to implement those elements that we know must be a part of good reform.

What are these broad national parameters supported by over 3000 years of history? That the control of money systems should shift away from private control toward governmental control. Away from commodity money notions; away from fractional reserve banking – monetizing private credits and loaning them into circulation at interest. Towards money issued interest free by government and spent into circulation for the common good. The system must be morally grounded in fairness. Serious reformers understand that we must replace our private credit system with a government money system, ending whats known as fractional reserve banking.

Not seeking blind trust, we’ll continue educating and explaining why the proposals are beneficial and moral and continue to present the historical evidence demonstrating that. We’ll answer any serious challenges, and those arising from plain misunderstanding. We may invite selected spokesmen for differing reforms to succinctly present their case. But we’ll do it within a context of advancing the real reform agenda, making necessary adjustments as we proceed. We will not waste our participants time! Dissenters obviously don’t have to join in the reform phase; but neither need we procrastinate, waiting for all to experience their monetary epiphanies, before moving forward. The direction of world events requires that we advance monetary reform now.

This year’s (2012) speakers will be posted as they confirm. Recent conference speakers have included the following:

• Prof. William Black of UMKC, who successfully ran the savings and loan crisis rescue in the 90s, and brought it to successful conclusion using only $150 billion of the $300 billion alloted by Congress, spoke on Fraud’s Critical Role in Producing the Financial Crisis
• Richard Cook, Formerly the NASA whistleblower on the Challenger disaster; then 2 decades at the U.S. Treasury, with a lifetime in monetary/economic studies, speaks on questions of justice in monetary and economic matters.
• Prof. Kaoru Yamaguchi of Doshisha University gave an outstanding analysis of the American Montary Act, placing it through his advanced systems analysis software, determining it would pay off the US national debt and provide the necessary funding for infrastructure (solving the unemployment problem) and do it without inflation.
• Greg Coleridge, Director of the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee (Quakers). He is on the National Steering Committee of the Move to Amend / Campaign to Legalize Democracy Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy (POCLAD) national collective.
• Michelle St. Pierre, Leader of the highly successful Ron Paul movement in north Washington State discussed how to turn talk into action!
• Prof. Nic Tideman of Virginia Tech (formerly Senior Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors) spoke on how banks will compete after monetary reforms are in place.
• Michael Hudson, UMKC professor and PBS commentator and the only economist to accurately forecast the mortgage and housing debacle, spoke on what is needed before there can be a real recovery. He also discussed reforming the international payments system.
• Chris Lindstrom, who organized the highly successful Shumacker monetary Conference in May 2005 and was deeply involved in the creation of the Berkshares local currency program spoke on The Myth of Money, The Spirit of BerkShares in Great Barrington Massachusets.
• William Bergman, Economist and Formerly an official at the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, until he became a whistleblower on Fed practices focused on the present condition of banking after the massive bailouts.
• Dr. Norman Ehrentreich, a quantitative investment analyst responsible for forecasting interest rate decisions of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee spoke on where markets go from here.
• Will Abrams of British Columbia, presented the important and neglected story of Gerald G. McGeer, the “father” of the Bank of Canada, who instituted major monetary reforms along the lines of the American Monetary Act.
• Steven Walsh, leading Chicago educator and expert authority on New England Colonial moneys, described how banks create money out of thin air.
• Jamie Walton, a knowledgeable money reformer from New Zealand described the American Montary Act and why all three elements must be put into effect. He described some of New Zealand’s experience with money reforms.
• Dr. Ed Chambers, who trained Barack Obama in street organizing when he came to Chicago’s South Side from Harvard, discussed how Power results from organized money or organized people!
• Ole Mackeprang, European Financier discussed “Money Systems & Warfare”; and updated us on practical changes the Euro has brought about. He has worked in 62 countries, principally France, Germany, Italy and Spain; discusses How the Euro Has Done.
• Dr. Cay Hehner, Director of the New York Henry George School of Social Science Discussed the End of Capitalism as we know it.
• John O’Holleran of the American Society of Civil Engineers described the infrastructure deficit now estimated at over $2.2 trillion over the next 5 years.
• David E. Kelley noted pensions expert and economic advisor presented concepts for achieving economic justice.
• Stephen Zarlenga Director of the American Monetary Institute and author of The Lost Science of Money book spoke on progress at the AMI, and the direction of monetary reform in America.
• Robert Poteat, long term and meticulous monetary researcher, certainly among the top half dozen in America in awareness of monetary systems, and leader of the AMI Chapters in Portland and Seattle and Centralia Washington discussed why monetary reform is largely a moral question.
• Randy Cook, Executive Director of National Organization for Raw Materials discussed the great importance of farm parity programs.

 

Chapter leaders will report on the developing AMI Chapters in formation around the U.S. and discuss what works in attracting and educating fellow Americans on reforming the money system. Our goal is to establish one chapter in each Congressional District.

 

The American Monetary and Financial Security Act, AMI’s proposed monetary legislation will be discussed in detail: including how to gain support for monetary reform.

 

To understand how good these conferences are, please see the report on previous conferences at our website, or get the audio CDs of the 2006 conference (see registration form). Those who attended will tell you how wonderful and encouraging it was to be together with others who understand the vision for monetary reform. It’s a valuable experience of much needed “community.”

 

Lodging Information

The Conference (and Reception and Dinner) are at University Center at 525 S. State St. in the heart of Chicago. The University’s facilities seat attendees in comfortable classroom type seating, using narrow tables.

Choose your own accommodation level from 4 nearby Hotels: (AMI will help assign attendees who want to share rooms)

All prices quoted are after 15% taxes. Mention the AMI Conference when making reservations.

1) The Travelodge Hotel Downtown at 65 E. Harrison; Closest hotel – only one block from University Center. We have obtained the same rates as last year. Rates will be from $62 per person double occupancy, after taxes, to $102 per person single occupancy. Make reservations now! Cut off date for reservations at this rate is September 16th – no exceptions! You must ask for Darren Andrews only, at 312-376-1481. and mention the American Monetary Institute Conference. Your credit card holds the reservation but is not billed until after your stay. There is no charge for cancellations by Sept. 16th. See www.travelodgehoteldowntown.com
The travelodge also offers larger suites with kitcheonettes at $144 Single, $72 per person double occupancy. We will do our best to match up participants to share rooms, on a first come first served basis.

2) ONLY $33 PER NIGHT!!! The HI Chicago Youth Hostel at 24 E Congress Pkwy, across the street from University. Center. These modern, clean, secure, dorm style accommodations (6 to a room, with lockable lockers, bring your own lock) are only $33 per night. There’s no age limit, no curfew and no membership required! A number of our attendees stayed here comfortably. It enables us to also strongly promote the conference to a young audience, who may not have much money, but have great social commitment to creating a better world than we are handing them. We’ll help them do that. We will arrange to have several dorm rooms for attendees of the conference. Call 312-583-2225 for reservations. Mention the AMI Conference. http://www.hichicago.org

3) Chicago’s Essex Inn at 800 S. Michigan Ave, features a large indoor/outdoor pool, and health club which opens onto a tree landscaped terrace with seating overlooking Chicago’s Grant Park and Lake Michigan. A reasonably priced hotel for this area (Approximately $160-$200 per double occupancy room per night- make reservations early). http://www.essexinn.com

 

Our 2010 conference was one of the most productive yet!  Click here to read Carol Brouillet’s conference report.

The entire conference was professionally video taped and edited.  Some of these videos are available for free (click here to access), and all of them are available for purchase (visit the 2010 conference videos page for online payment or mail in order).

We tend to draw a diverse range of distinguished speakers such as Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Prof. William Black, Prof. Steve Keen, and Prof. Kaoru Yamaguchi.  Click here to view a more complete list of past speakers.

 

Click here for a more in-depth explanation of conference themes.

More information on past conferences.

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