The government spend a lot of time and money destroying the idea of barter back around the beginning of the last century. The powers that be discovered that they could be getting a piece of every transaction in the country if they controlled the method of payment. But, there is no exchange of representative value in a barter transaction. You decide that you will give them X and they will give you Y in return. So, they went on a propaganda spree, making sure to deride and ridicule barter as completely exploitative and predatory. They also made sure to make laws that remove the ability to get anything without using their printed paper. By the end of 1950s, large scale barter had been all but removed from our society thanks to the desire of the rich to stick their nose into your life so that they can take as much from you as they can get away with.
Of course, as humans, we are prone to taking advantage of anyone we can, so barter was problematic at best. However, it was an accepted methodology for centuries. It can be done correctly, just as capitalism can be done correctly. But, it requires serious restrictions to curtail those who would corrupt the practice for their own gain. And, serious consequences for those who would usurp it for their own gain. One cannot simply try to always rook others in the name of their own greed.
But, it is the American Way (r)... 
Edit history
Recommendations
3 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
= new reply since forum marked as read