When asked this question 25 years ago, “What action can each of us take to make this world a better place?” Carl Sagan replied, “Plant a tree.” That was a brilliant answer then, it still is. With 7.5 billion new trees, this world would be a cooler place, a cleaner place, and a more beautiful place. And those three major changes would bring about a lot of smaller improved changes here, there, and everywhere.

I do not place myself in the same league with Carl Sagan, but I nevertheless have a really good answer to this question I am often asked: “What action can I take to help our economy so that everyone benefits from it?” My answer is this: “Move all your disposable money from a bank to a credit union.”

If we could shift $1 trillion dollars away from corporate interests and into the hands of ordinary people like you and me, that would boost the economy by nearly $4.2 trillion in new GDP. And that would create $3.5 trillion in new incomes; and 25 million new jobs. It would also generate $2.4 trillion in new tax revenues (local, state, and national).

The reason for all this new prosperity would be simple: Every dollar in circulation is spent 6 times per year, and that is what makes any market economy work a lot better.

But…

I don’t belong to a credit union. Bad answer. There is a credit union for almost everyone. Go online and find yours.

I have only $2,000 in my bank. Good partial answer. Move it to a credit union and make it a complete answer.

Why don’t politicians know about credit unions? You have just shifted the conversation into the domain of abnormal psychology, dysfunctional group behaviors, and puppet shows. All these subjects are beyond the realm of rationality. The only effective antidote to them that I can think of is to vote smarter.