Part 4

You like DIAMONDS?...

This is the type of "diamond" that most people have on their minds....

But this is the type of "diamond" I want everybody to think about....

This is an electron microscope photo

of a DIAMOND NEEDLE

PLAYING A PHONOGRAPH RECORD !!!

A diamond needle!!! 

Take a good long look at it --

 THIS IS ONE OF THE MIRACLES OF THE UNIVERSE --

it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING that dragging a diamond needle down those groves can produce "music"!!!

AWESOME!!!

Diamonds were not made just so people can wear them in rings and necklaces to inflate their egos and show off how "rich" they are -- diamonds are SPECIAL in other ways -- but it's up to each of us to see it.

Whenever people tell me that something "can't be done," I like to remind them that we live in a world where several extremely AMAZING THINGS can be accomplished -- is it "impossible" to solve our banking system? 

Was it "impossible" to drag a diamond needle down a jagged grove and produce MUSIC?

IT HAPPENED!!!

Is it "impossible" to put together a Bank that won't foreclose on people??

Miracles CAN happen, and this can

apply even to FINANCIAL MIRACLES!! 

I say we CAN FIX our banking system!

My opinion about this has NEVER changed!

If anyone from the news media would like to contact me, please do so!

 *******

CLOSING COMMENTS Part 1

All I have ever wanted was to hold an OPEN DISCUSSION about this banking solution in the public arena where EVERYONE CAN JUDGE ITS MERITS -- I honestly think that the people of this country would be VERY INTERESTED to know that there may be a way for us to set up a banking system in the United States that could finance "unlimited" new housing and NEVER FORECLOSE on anybody!

*   *   *

PS -- An amazing thing that happened while I was working on this Banking Project in 1981

This is Susan, my girlfriend during my 1st year at Sacramento State College in 1968/1969. The next year she did not return to Sac State and we ended up going our different directions -- we totally lost touch with each other for over 10 years.  In 1981 I was living in Davis, California -- (about 10 miles or so from Sacramento) -- I had done my interview with the reporter fromTHE SACRAMENTO BEE newspaper about my banking project, and I was waiting to see if they would run it . . . I had no idea "when" the story was going to be run . . .

The phone rang -- IT WAS **SUSAN** CALLING TO TELL ME SHE SAW MY BANKING SOLUTION IN THAT DAY'S NEWSPAPER !

I had not heard from her for OVER 10 YEARS, and then she "just happens" to call me to tell me SHE SAW MY ARTICLE -- and I didn't even know that my article was out! The reporter from the paper did NOT call to tell me, so it was a real surprise to hear about it from an old girlfriend whom I had not seen or talked to for over a decade! Hearing her voice that day was an affirmation to me that there was something "VERY SPECIAL" going on with this project of mine -- I felt that "God" was right there tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "I did this to show you that this is a very, very unique project."

I went down to the store and got myself some copies of that SACRAMENTO BEE newspaper dated December 9, 1981 ! And now it's been 28 YEARS since we talked on that phone!

AMAZING!  Now I am 59 years old -- what an amazing life it's been!

*********

My Banking Project in a Comic Strip

As many know, I am a CARTOONIST -- and back in 1981-1984 I did a series of 80 comic strips that discussed my banking project. The title of the strip was "BRIGHT IDEAS" -- I had hoped to get this strip picked up by a syndicate and printed in the nation's newspapers, but, as everyone knows, the odds of selling a new strip to the newspaper syndicates are about a billion-to-one!  I thought that this would be a very unique and"fun" way to begin a discussion of this project, but it never happened. Here is a sample:

(NOTE:  I have decided to post these strips on Page 6 of this website!...)

Garry Trudeau's comments

I sent my BRIGHT IDEAS banking solution strips to Garry Trudeau, the creator of DOONESBURY -- I tried to impress him with the importance of this strip, and asked him if he could put in "a good word" for me with his syndicate -- and Garry Trudeau wrote back and on 2/21/84 I received this card:

Here's what Garry Trudeau wrote on the card:

"Jim -- While there's something appealing about your idea, the execution is a bit labored and the strip is too didactic. You have to give the readers some characters to care about and get involved with -- Still, even if I thought the strip might find a national audience, my recommendation is not too meaningful at UPS [his syndicate]. I'm no editor -- Good luck, though, all best, G Trudeau"

I appreciated Garry taking the time to look over my work and to write back -- but I really disagreed with him that his recommendation would not be "meaningful" with his syndicate! After all, he had enough "leverage" to sign a special contract with his syndicate that guaranteed that his DOONESBURY daily strip would be printed "larger" than normal strips in papers, which was quite an accomplishment! DOONESBURY was a very admired comic strip -- did he really think he had "no power to influence his publisher"? Come on, Garry -- you know that that is not really the case!

Garry pointed out that my 80 strips that talked about the banking project were "too didactic" --  one meaning of didactic is "designed or intended to convey instruction as well as pleasure and entertainment" -- so yes, those banking strips were perhaps a bit "too didactic," but they were intended to be a clever and "edgy" presentation of a very important presentation!  I did it that way to be sure that I would get the readers' attention as they read that story sequence over a 3-month time period -- and, as everyone knows, being a bit "controversial" also helps to get people's attention!

The other BRIGHT IDEAS strips would have covered other topics and introduced other characters -- not all of them would deal with the banking project! Hey, here's one that was published in THE TWILIGHT ZONE magazine in their February 1984 issue:

It looks like my BRIGHT IDEAS strip will never be"syndicated" in the nation's papers -- but will my BRIGHT IDEAS strips ever be published as a book?  MAYBE -- here is the cover sketch I did for the book back in 1984 -- I fully intend to finally publish this book at some future time -- it's really too bad that the syndicates blew their chance to run this comic strip -- because if I am right about this banking solution, THIS COMIC STRIP WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT COMIC STRIP TO HAVE EVER APPEARED IN OUR NATION'S NEWSPAPERS IN THE HISTORY OF COMICS !

(NOTE: I have posted these strips on Page 6)

As everyone can see, I have put in a LOT OF TIME and EFFORT into this banking project! I still look forward to the day when we can hold a nationwide discussion to talk about the merits of this banking solution.

**********

Continued in PART 5....

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