Huh, you are correct. I was mainly wondering about the “why accept payment in such a volatile currency unless you’re going to immediately convert it to USD” angle so did some lazy reading but you’re right in that the “36 cities” claim is largely bunkum.
If your utility bill says you owe fifty dollars, they will damn sure accept fifty dollars in payment. If it says you owe five chickens or two ounces of silver or five hours of hard labor or 600 pesos, then maybe not.
How does that work with something like a gas station that doesn’t except $100 bills (I am pretty sure I have seen this)? What if I don’t know ahead of time, pump my gas, and try to pay with a $100. I have debt, and they say they won’t except my money.
Which may be why in most places I drive, gas stations now require prepay for cash. (BTW The word you’re looking for is ACcept. Your gas station IS excepting $100 notes, as in we’ll accept any notes except 100’s.)
Gas stations that accept $100s are a rare exception, and have been for as long as I can remember. And I started driving in the mid 70s. Until the price of gas broke $2.00 most wouldn’t even accept $50s.
The reason that gas stations require you to prepay for cash sales is generally not because they don’t accept large bills but because some people will pump and then drive away without paying.
In any event, though, requiring prepayment also makes it not-a-debt, and therefore frees them up to refuse Grant if they so choose.
One such kernel may be that my county will let people (retirees & unemployed) pay off their county taxes & assessments by doing work for the county. they have been doing this for years, as have several other counties.
But that’s basically just another way to pay, it’s hardly ‘abandoning the dollar’. But saying that wouldn’t sell whatever these websites are selling.
How about some kind of barter system involving sexual favors? 'Cause I could totally get, uh, behind that.
What if the payment is that they’re, uh, getting behind you?
Well, I guess we’d have to negotiate, wouldn’t we…?
Ithaca resident here. Use of Ithaca Hours is pretty much limited to the hippie/crunchy/granola crowd now, and even then it’s uncommon. Forget about using Ithaca Hours at national chains or mainstream businesses. At a local herbalist, shaman, henna artist, or whatever, maybe, but not like 10 years ago.
That’s a brilliant idea. I think you’ve just invented a brand new profession!
Politician?