Rival to the dollar springs up near US capital

As Americans become frustrated with the US economy, more and more people are getting creative with their money, like Larry Chang and Nick Williams, who make their own currency.

A small community near Washington DC is slowly giving up the greenback for something new.

Larry Chang is a money maker, but he doesn’t wear a suit and tie like Wall Street tycoons. He prints and designs an altogether new currency right in the comfort of his living room.

“I think the government is doing everything it knows, but they are still following the same playbook they know,” Chang said to RT, adding, “We are at a stage where we have to have a new paradigm. This is really what a local currency is. It is the answer to all of the uncertainty and insecurity around the economy.”

His new creation is called the “Potomac”. It is legal, taxed, and to many Americans – it makes sense.

“Wall Street is really a casino and people are just really gambling with lives there, and the rest of the world is starting to realize that,” Chang believes.

With some predicting the demise of the American dollar, Chang is not the only one who is attempting to buck that trend.

Nick Williams also took things into his own hands by designing his own bills, called the “Anacostia Hours”.

“People express a lot of skepticism about the limits of what the government can do and the problems of shoveling boatloads of money out of the treasury to bail out this or that industry.”

The makers of the cash say small businesses could get a real boost by accepting their money over the American dollar, especially in this recession.

Joel Finkelstein, for instance, owns a small coffee shop and cashes in on the Potomac everyday.

“As a small company we do not have a lot of profit margin, so we need everything that we can get. The Potomac helps people hedge against the recession as well create an added benefit for our customers,” said Finkelstein.

Chang explains that the whole point of the Potomac is to circulate money within the neighborhood.

“Our currency is designed and aimed at local businesses, mom-and-pop stores, and professional service providers who are very local and who are here to stay,” notes Larry Chang.

Until the economy picks up, both Chang and Williams will continue to employ what they think is a panacea to the crisis.