MONEY: A dollar bill, it has no objective value

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/p/what-happens-when-intelligence-outgrows?publication_id=2863167&post_id=181390292&isFreemail=true&r=58ecz2&triedRedirect=true

The Big Think Interview with Yuval Noah Harari

  • What happens when intelligence outgrows its creators
  • We built genius machines, and gave them our blind spots.

Big Think
Dec 13, 2025

*** begin quote ***

If you consider, for instance, a dollar bill, it has no objective value whatsoever, at least not for human beings. Maybe termites can eat it, but humans can’t eat dollars, they can’t drink them. There is nothing useful you can do with them. They nevertheless have value because the greatest storytellers in the world, the finance ministers, the bankers, the investors, they tell us a story that this piece of paper is has value. I can use it to buy bread or potatoes or bananas or anything else.

As long as millions of people believe in this story, they are willing to work, for instance, on constructing and nuclear reactor because at the end of the month, they get these few colorful pieces of paper. Today, of course, it’s not even paper. Most of the money in the world today is not paper notes and metal coins. It’s just digital information moving between computers. But as long as people still have trust in the story about these digital information, it works.

*** end quote ***

As the tin foil hat survivalists preach, at some point in time, “We, The Sheeple” will recognize that:

  • “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon” — Milton Friedman

  • “Inflation is theft, you’re stealing value from people who save money.”-Ron Paul

  • “The gold standard did not collapse. Governments abolished it in order to pave the way for inflation. The whole grim apparatus of oppression and coercion — policemen, customs guards, penal courts, prisons, in some countries even executioners — had to be put into action in order to destroy the gold standard. Solemn pledges were broken, retroactive laws were promulgated, provisions of constitutions and bills of rights were openly defied. And hosts of servile writers praised what the governments had done and hailed the dawn of the fiat-money millennium.” — Ludwig von Mises

And, when the SHTF, people will seek band aids, beans, bullets, and bullion.  The farmer, the carpenter, the electrician, and the plumber will thrive.  The politicians, bureaucrats, celebrities, and influencers will starve.

Hope I never have to live thru it.

But it seems unavoidable.

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MONEY: Remember penny candy? I do!

Thursday, November 20, 2025

https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5602348-why-the-us-is-minting-its-last-penny-and-what-happens-now/

Why the US is minting its last penny, and what happens now
by Addy Bink – 11/12/25 3:10 PM ET

*** begin quote ***

(NEXSTAR) — The day has finally come: the U.S. Mint is pressing its last pennies on Wednesday. It comes as retailers across the country are already facing empty penny slots in their cash registers.

*** end quote ***

https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/11/12/what-fdr-did-to-our-money/

What FDR Did to Our Money
By: Jacob Hornberger|Published on: Nov 12, 2025

*** begin quote ***

For more than 125 years, the United States had a gold-coin, silver-coin monetary system. No, it was not a paper-money system backed by gold, as so many mainstream commentators have been taught to believe. It was a system in which gold coins and silver coins were the official money of the American people.

*** end quote ***

# – # – # – # – #

Penny candy, Nickel cigars, Dime store comics, and Quarter a gallon gas!

Hopefully, this action by the mint will drive home to “We, The Sheeple” that they have been robbed of their birthright.

Prior to FDR, one could stack gold coins and save for your old age secure in the knowledge that your wealth could nit be silently stolen by the Gooferment via “inflation”.

The Dead Old White Guys knew what we have apparently forgotten as a society.  Having lived thru an era of “not worth a Continental damn”, they knew that papa money was the Devil’s spawn.  

I’ve posted many blog posts about “pony candy” and well-remember life was better when money was “honest”.

Perhaps, ₿itcoin will replace the “Federal Reserve Note”?

Save your nickels because they are the next to disappear.

Argh!

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MONEY: A suggested little L libertarian boycott of small change?

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

https://survivalblog.com/2025/10/29/survivalblog-readers-editors-snippets-236/

survivalblog.com
SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets
Pure-Gas.org has a list of gas stations that sell ethanol-free gasoline.
James Wesley Rawles
October 29, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Libertarians have many of the right answers to the problems facing the United States and need to be heard loud and clear above the confusion disseminated by the mainstream media and their lackeys in government, all bought and paid for by the crony capitalists of Wall Street.

If all of the nickels and pennies in circulation rather suddenly disappeared, it would generate a lot of media attention and curiosity on the part of the public. It would be a brilliant protest against the devaluation of our currency and the debasement of the Republic by the bankers and their ilk. Change could be made only to the nearest dime.

There are roughly 140 billion pennies and 28 billion nickels in circulation. It would “cost” only $2.8 billion dollars to remove them all from circulation. If we can find 2.8 million libertarians to each accumulate $1000 of pennies and nickels, we will be heard loud and perhaps clear. I use the quotes on “cost” to indicate that it actually could be quite profitable to remove these coins from circulation.

*** end quote ***

I’m in for that boycott!

And, the Mint is stopping making pennies soon.  Next year? 

Count me in!

— 30 —

p.s., Shoprite in Marlboro is also requesting that if you have any extra pennies to spare, donate them at the customer service counter so they can continue to make proper change. 2025-Oct-31 1036

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MONEY: The Social Security check is now (or soon will be) referred to as a Federal Benefit Payment?

Friday, October 24, 2025

https://x.com/michellemaxwell/status/1951822943446614464?s=12

Michelle Maxwell ™
@MichelleMaxwell

*** begin quote ***

A woman dies at age 65 before collecting one benefit check. She and her employer paid into the system for almost 50 years and she collected NOTHING. Keep in mind all the working people that die every year who were paying into the system and got nothing.

*** and ***

The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a “Federal Benefit Payment.”

This is NOT a benefit. It is OUR money , paid out of our earned income! Not only did we all contribute to Social Security but our employers did too! It totaled 15% of our income before taxes. (This should be enough for you to forward this message, If not read on.)

If you averaged $30K per year over your working life, that’s close to $180,000 invested in Social Security.

If you calculate the future value of your monthly investment in social security ($375/month, including both you and your employers contributions) at a meager 1% interest rate compounded monthly, after 40 years of working you’d have more than $1.3+ million dollars saved.

This is your personal investment. Upon retirement, if you took out only 3% per year, you’d receive $39,318 per year, or $3,277 per month.

That’s almost three times more than today’s average Social Security benefit of $1,230 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.

And your retirement fund would last more than 33 years (until you’re 98 if you retire at age 65)! I can only imagine how much better most average-income people could live in retirement if our government had just invested our money in low-risk interest-earning accounts.

Instead, the folks in Washington pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madoff ever did (or Lyndon Johnson).

*** end quote ***

I love beating a “dead horse” or in this case the BIGEST Ponzi scheme.  Makes Ponzi, Made-off, and every two-bit fraudster look like a chump in the comparison.

Social Security “Insurance” is just a racist inter-generational wealth transfer (Ponzi) scheme that transfers wealth from poor minority men to rich white women. Note that if it was a privately held investment account, then upon the early death of the exemplar poor minority man, his heirs would receive his estate.  Building capital formation with his family heirs.  It could be to fund buying a house, getting an education, or invest in some productive asset.  Anything like a substantial estate of some number of millions could fund multiple priorities.

Anything would be better that allowing the Gooferment to waste the blood, sweat, and tears of the working class.

Argh!

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MONEY: Arizona GOLDBACKs Limited Early Release – Now available

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Interesting. 

Goldbacks are now coming in new denominations  —  3, 2, and ½ of a goldback. 

This to me indicates that there is some demand.  I know in Keene that at least 120 businesses are taking them.  And, not just the odd balls running businesses.  I see that there are also more merchants taking them in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona.  Seems like a groundswell to upset the FRBies. 

Last time something this big happened was when Bernard von NotHaus started NORFED and the FEDs railroaded him into jail and seized all the assets. They hung their charges on the fact that he called it a “dollar”.  I wish I was on that jury. 

Notice how the folks behind the GOLDBACK have avoid that particular pothole!

Wonder how they will try to suppress this rebellion?

# – # – # – # – #

Interesting fact is that “dollar” is a corruption of the German word “Thaller” which was a one ounce silver coin minted by Joseph Thaller way back when.  So where does the FED get off usurping that word for their paper fiat junk.

# – # – # – # – #

The Federal Reserve Bank is a misnomer. IT ain’t “federal”. It reserves nothing. And, it ain’t a “bank”. It is a private cartel of the elite banks run for their benefit and that of the entrenched politicians.

# – # – # – # – #

Article I, Section 10, Clause 1: No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

So clearly, the Dead Old White Guys didn’t intend for the Federal Gooferment to issue money?

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MONEY: What to hold and in what form?

Thursday, October 9, 2025
<<PRICES ARE AS OF 2025-10Oct-03>>
 
In my mind, what form of “gold” should I be buying?  
  • Dollar cost averaging into ₿ at Swan.com has been an easy winner.  
  • GOLDBACKs despite a significant seigniorage  —  now with 1 oz gold spot $3,892.75; then 1000 GOLDBACKS is about $7,820 per ounce equals about 100%  —  makes it unsuitable for holding any significant amount of gold in GOLDBACKs. But one can have extremely small (i.e., ½ GOLDBACK = 1/2000 T Oz. for $3.91 for 0.0005 of an Oz) amount of gold that can’t be replicated in a physical form at any price.  Smallest physical gold product is 1 gram = 0.0176 of an ounce for about 90$ which equates to 15K$ per oz.
  • SILVERBACKs have even a worse ratio.
  • SILVER can be held in 1 ounce rounds or pre-1964 US Coins aka junk silver.  One ounce rounds can be bought at about $50 per oz which is about $2 over the spot price.  Seigniorage is about 4.25%
  • GOLD can be bought in 1 ounce generic rounds for $4,002.85; spot is 3,893.85. Seigniorage is about 2.79%
It’s a hard call because of the high cost barrier to entry.  To be practical, 20 oz of gold (one sleeve) is 80k$ and a sleeve of silver is $1k.
 
Feels like silver is the way to go.
 
YMMV
 
— 30 —

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MONEY: The Federal Reserve has been unable to “provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system”

Thursday, September 25, 2025

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

*** begin quote ***

Federal Reserve Cuts Rates

The Federal Reserve announced a quarter-percentage-point cut in benchmark rates yesterday, bringing the range to between 4% and 4.25%—the lowest level in almost three years. The bank signaled the possibility of two additional cuts this year.

The decision saw the Federal Reserve prioritizing a hiring slowdown over inflation. A sluggish 22,000 jobs were added last month; weekly jobless claims reached their highest level in four years last week. The US has also downwardly revised job growth by 911,000 for the one-year period ending in March. Those concerns trumped sticky inflation, with consumer prices rising 2.9% annually last month.

The bank voted 11-1 in yesterday’s decision, with the only dissenter being newly appointed Fed Governor Stephen Miran, who preferred a half-point cut. Governor Lisa Cook participated in the meeting after an appeals court ruled the White House lacked authority to fire her. The White House plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.

*** end quote ***

“Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless.” — Milton Friedman

"Paper money eventually returns to it's intrinsic value, zero ...

Why do we have a “Federal Reserve Bank”?

The Federal Reserve Bank is a misnomer. IT ain’t “federal”. It reserves nothing. And, it ain’t a “bank”. It is a private cartel of the elite banks run for their benefit and that of the entrenched politicians.

Why do we need them to “set” interest rates?

We don’t,  In essence, they are “price fixers”.  And, as we know, no one can know the correct “price” of anything.  The free market allows buyers and sellers to set a price where they are both “satisfied”.  Otherwise, it “win-win” or “no deal”.  

Why is there one “prime rate” of interest?

Because that allows the Gooferment to manipulate the market.  By hiding the “true cost” of money (i.e., the interest rate), buyers and sellers are making decision based on a fiction.  Everyone loses.

Why do we have “inflation”?

Milton Friedman: ‘Inflation is taxation without legislation.’  The FED “prints” money and the market reacts to the change in “the supply of dollars”.  It’s a silent thief that steals wealth from everyone who has an “old dollar” especially the poor, those on fixed incomes, and savers. 

# – # – # – # – #

As gun-owning pro-life pro-choice little L libertarian, the market for money should be free from Gooferment.  The Federal Reserve has been unable to “provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system” which is its intended purpose.  So let’s follow Andrew Jackson’s lead and end the Federal Reserve Bank.

FYI, he was the last President to have zero debt.

Argh!

— 30 —

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MONEY: Why can’t I have cheap gas?

Saturday, September 20, 2025

I can hope!  I remember 25¢ a gallon with full service, trading stamps, glassware, and a clean windshield.  Then Gooferment “counterfeited” more dollars.  That quarter translates to $5 today. Argh! 

———- Forwarded message ————

From: New Jersey 101.5 <nj1015@trenton.mail.townsquarenewsletters.com>

Date: Fri, Sep 12, 2025 at 6:31 AM

Subject: The truth about NJ gas prices

 New Jersey top news… View in browser Don’t expect $2 gas in New Jersey — expert calls it ‘a fantasy’Gas prices in New Jersey have jumped 11 cents since Labor Day, driven by rising oil costs and refinery maintenance with hopes for lower prices as winter blends roll out.

— 30 —

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MONEY: Walmart and Amazon are going to “mint” Stablecoins

Thursday, June 19, 2025

https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/walmart-amazon-stablecoin-07de2fdd?st=Uj2rA8&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=tldrnewsletter

Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins

  • Corporate coins could take payments activity away from banks and the traditional financial system

By Gina Heeb, AnnaMaria Andriotis, Josh Dawsey
Updated June 13, 2025 4:51 pm ET

# – # – # – # – # 

FROM TLDR 2025-06-16

*** begin quote ***

Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins

Several multinational giants, including Walmart and Amazon, are discussing potential efforts to issue stablecoins. Whether these initiatives will go ahead depends on a bill still yet to clear the Senate and House called the Genius Act, which establishes a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Stablecoins could allow merchants to bypass traditional payment rails, which cost them billions of dollars in fees each year. A regulatory framework for stablecoins would enable an alternative payment type for merchants that could significantly lower their expenses and create competition against Visa and Mastercard. 

*** end quote ***

# – # – # – # – # 

To me this is BIG (<synonym for the act of procreation in real time>) deal.

I never understood why Walmart was allowed to establish its own bank.  The politicians and bureaucrats are always whining about the “poor unbanked”.  But Walmart could solve that problem quickly, cheaply, and easily.  So could Amazon.

Stablecoins by either of them could serve the same purpose as a bank without the regulatory hassle.

Let’s wait and see.  Competition in the “traditional financial system” for JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Visa, and Mastercard could certainly be good for the consumers.

—30—

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MONEY: ZELLE’s use case doesn’t fit me at all

Monday, June 9, 2025

https://www.zellepay.com/

What’s Zelle®?

Zelle® is a great way to send money to friends and family, even if they bank somewhere different than you do1. That means it’s super easy to get paid back, or split the costs of things like dinner. With Zelle®, the money goes directly into your bank account. And when money goes into your bank account directly, you can live delightfully. Zelle® is already in lots of banking apps, so look for it in yours today.

# – # – # – # – # 

So, it all works great  —  sort of — if you have one bank, one cell phone, and one email account.

What happens when you have Bank#1, Bank#2, Bank#3, and one cell phone?

Chaos!

I’ve had to enroll in Zelle three times.  Bank#1 and email#1, Bank#2 and email#2, and Bank#3 and email#3. Good luck keeping that all straight.

Argh!

—30—

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MONEY: A surveillance masquerading as currency?

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

https://www.theadvocates.org/beware-the-ecb-digital-currency-is-coming/https://www.theadvocates.org/beware-the-ecb-digital-currency-is-coming/

Beware: The ECB Digital Currency Is Coming
By Daniel Lacalle
Published in Economics – 5 mins – Apr 25

*** begin quote ***

The digital euro, which Lagarde described in 2022 as “a digital banknote with a little less anonymity than the paper banknote because it is issued and guaranteed by the central bank,” is an unnecessary and dangerous tool.

Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) have been gaining attention as the technology of the future for monetary systems, but beneath their promise of efficiency and innovation lies a more pessimistic reality: they can serve as tools for surveillance, eroding personal privacy and financial freedom.

In the European Union, where limits to freedom of expression and the cancellation of elections are already a concern, a CBDC can be seen as surveillance masquerading as currency.

*** end quote ***

From the people who made the stereotype Nazi “Vere Is UR Pa-pers!”, they want to know and control the every actions of the people under their thumb.

Even the movies made a issue of it.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/odds-ends/odds-ends-april-25-2025/

*** begin quote ***

… … movies from our teenage years: Swing Kids. Set in pre-WWII Hamburg, it follows a group of German youth who rebel against Nazi conformity through their passion for forbidden American swing music.

*** end quote ***

Coming soon to a country near you?

Argh!

—30—

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MONEY: Nagging everyone about “three silver dimes” again and agian

Friday, April 11, 2025

https://www.theburningplatform.com/2025/04/05/gold-price-forecasts-inching-toward-4000/

Gold Price Forecasts Inching Toward $4,000
Guest Post by Peter Reagan

*** begin quote ***

Already off to a breathtaking start this year, gold’s price continues to climb. Amid fears of a trade war and the global dedollarization drive, here’s how much higher analysts think it will go…

  •     $4,000 gold hints from big institutions are here
  •     Why faith in the U.S. dollar is going on all sides
  •     Gold vs the greenback: who will win?
  •     Bosnia’s central bank now owns the most gold it has since year of establishment

Gold’s unpredictable trend toward $4,000

Axel Merk, CEO of Merk Investments, said a lot in a recent (brief) segment on the relationship between the price of gold and the U.S. dollar.

Merk says we are now seeing perhaps the biggest shift since the end of World War II, one where the U.S. will no longer be the world’s police force. (The turning point was the invasion of Ukraine, when the greatest weapon in our economic arsenal, weaponizing the dollar against Russia, failed spectacularly.)

*** end quote ***

​A silver quarter is worth $6!!! (That’s 24 times face value.)

So my three silver dimes for a 70’s gallon of gas is ~$7.20 today or ~2½ gallons of much “better” gas.

Minimum wage was 5 quarters in the 70’s so that means it’s 30$ in today’s “valueless” money.

When do “We, The Sheeple” wake up?

I’ve been on this since 2009!

Just to refresh your memory:

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2014/07/07/money-those-same-three-silver-dimes/

*** and ***

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2023/02/17/goldbug-when-priced-in-gold-beer-was-3-a-litre-in-301ad/

*** and ***

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2009/10/20/money-dont-save-your-wealth-in-fiat-money/

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MONEY: ₿itcoin as opposed to 529?

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-01/bitcoin-btc-college-savings-plan-parents-ditch-529-funds-for-crypto?leadSource=uverify%20wall

Parents Ditch 529 Plans and Embrace Bitcoin for College Savings

  • Despite the risks and volatility, some families are investing in cryptocurrency to build wealth for their children. 

By Charlie Wells and Claire Ballentine
February 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM EST

*** begin quote ***

Most parents typically worry about funding 529 college savings plans, brokerage accounts or high-yield savings vehicles for their kids. Now, a subset are eschewing the old ways, pushing instead to pile up enough Bitcoin to help their children in the years ahead.

Some say it’s because stock gains aren’t good enough. Others view it as reasonable diversification. Plenty are true believers — convinced that, despite a more than 500% gain since the depths of the last “crypto winter,” Bitcoin’s climb has only just begun. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency surpassed the $100,000 mark for the first time in December, having changed hands for less than $16,000 in November 2022.

Still, these parents argue their children have long enough time horizons to stomach Bitcoin’s intense volatility.

*** end quote ***

Anytime I blog on financial topics, I always disclose faiwwypfi (Free Advice Is Worth What You Pay For It! ?zero?) and I have no hidden interests.  I am willing to buy and sell ₿, goldbacks, and bullion.

Before jumping into this topic, you must be absolutely sure that you won’t lose the keys to the kingdom.  Your wallet should be backed up and secure.  

And, remember you may not be around to extract the value.  Everyone dies  —  sooner or later.  Remember the guy in the UK who threw away his back up hard drive with his ₿itcoin keys on it.  Millions of dollars in a landfill.

It also should NOT be an exchange wallet since “not your keys; not your coins”.

So you are going to have to have a young person to understand and hold keys.

A hardware walled that multi signature is essential.

Remember the Ukrainian tech guy who escaped Ukraine with nothing but his clothes and his twelve word pass phrase?

YMMV

That being said: (1) ₿ is an inflation proof asset; (2) it avoids the Gooferment; and (3) might be a hidden “lottery ticket”.

—30—

 

 

 

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MONEY: What about “where’s george” and political messages in the margins or stamped

Friday, November 22, 2024

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/dollar-bill-wont-be-accepted/8835/

This dollar bill won’t be accepted as of November: This will happen if you try to pay with it
by Sarah I.
11/20/2024

*** begin quote ***

Dollar bills have consistently gone through updates to increase security. As of October this year, new parameters were introduced stipulating what cash will be accepted at major retailors, banks, and ATMS. As we head into the final month of November and families begin preparing for the upcoming festive season, you may need to ensure that your cash is up to scratch with new standards set by the U.S. government.

*** and ***

As we enter into the final few weeks of 2024, certain dollar bills will no longer be accepted. These new regulations are tightening stricter measures with regards to damaged bills. Walmart, Target, and Dollar Tree have already begun implementing these new measures. The following damage to cash will not be accepted or exchanged at major retailers, banks, and ATMS:

  •     Mutilated banks notes with tears or missing corners
  •     Bills which have become significantly distorted or damaged where it become difficult to determine their authenticity. This could be from through water damage or from being burnt as an example.

*** and ***

If you find yourself with a mutilated bill which will not be accepted or exchanged, you will need to contact the Bureau of Engraving and Printing directly. From there, you will need to file a mutilated currency claim. “The BEP will evaluate the note. They have special tools to examine the authenticity and assess the full value of the note. After they do that, they can issue a check back to the consumer,” a Fed currency representative explains.

*** end quote ***

Well, what happens to those bills with political messages stamped on them or written along the edge?

Will those be declared “mutilated”?

That’ll be “yet another way” “they” take away or First Amendment rights.

What happened to only gold and silver would be money?

 

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MONEY: Why are “savings” taxed at all?

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

https://www.cato.org/blog/penalty-american-savers-how-usas-fix-it

September 26, 2024 9:44AM
The Penalty on American Savers and How USAs Fix It
By Adam N. Michel and Joshua Loucks

*** begin quote ***

For many young and low-income Americans, the limits discourage them from using the accounts at all. Americans who use these accounts and then have to access their money early for a family emergency or job loss face new layers of taxes. Many low-income workers are automatically enrolled in these programs by their employers, following government incentives or mandates.

Money deposited in qualified accounts cannot be used flexibly based on an individual’s or their family’s immediate needs. If someone cannot confidently commit to leaving their savings untouched until the government-designated time, it may be wiser for them to avoid using a qualified account altogether.

IRS data show that for the lowest-income taxpayers, penalties for improper use of retirement savings make up a significant portion of their tax liability. Using an average from tax years 2017–2019, Figure 1 shows that 43 percent of all taxes paid by taxpayers with adjusted gross income (AGI) below $5,000 went to penalties for accessing their own money. About 19 percent of income taxes paid by taxpayers with AGI less than $25,000 went to penalties on qualified accounts.

*** end quote ***

Why not let Walmart offer “banking services”?  Why not allow Credit Unions offer tax free savings?  Why aren’t Treasuries (i.e., Bills, Notes, Bonds) tax free like Municipal Bonds?

It doesn’t take a degree in Economics to figure out that America has a “savings problem”.  “We, The Sheeple”, responding to incentives, is deeply in debt.  No taxes on debt; taxes galore on any kind of savings/

Argh!

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MONEY: USA “sanctions” spur tech solution to SWIFT

Thursday, July 11, 2024

FROM TLDR Crypto 2024-07-05

https://cryptoslate.com/russia-contemplating-permanently-legalizing-stablecoins-for-cross-border-payments/

Russian government considering legalizing stablecoins for cross-border payments (2 minute read)

  • Russia is considering regulating the entire transaction chain, from transferring these assets into the country to accumulating and utilizing them for cross-border payments.

Assad Jafri
Jul. 3, 2024 at 8:48 pm UTC
Updated: Jul. 3, 2024 at 8:48 pm UTC

*** begin quote ***

Russia is considering legalizing stablecoins for international transactions to improve cross-border payments and mitigate the effects of ongoing sanctions. The Russian Central Bank is looking to regulate the transaction chain from entry to utilization. Its initiative would primarily target facilitating transactions with BRICS countries effectively integrating stablecoins into the national framework for international settlements. 

*** end quote ***

This is another nail in the coffin of the USA dollar and the SWIFT funds transfer system.

Our politicians and bureaucrats have really screwed the pooch this time.

Now assets will move bypassing and being transparent to the USA.

Good job, Guys.  Incentivize the rapid adoption of a competitive technology.

Argh!

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MONEY: Use the two spot to be remembered?

Friday, May 3, 2024

https://www.fark.com/comments/13229234/169639654?f=Fbfk8hp58iagSRQf806IOS7POTFNsWMDwq52f#c169639654

*** begin quote ***

In years past, when the commanders of a US military base would feel like the locals were becoming less than appreciative of their presence, particularly local law enforcement, they would order up a huge stack of $2 bills and pay the lower-ranking soldiers in cash that pay period. And they did it precisely for one of the reasons on this list. There’s no real place in the cash drawer for them, so they stick out like a sore thumb when doing deposits. And since those local shop owners all knew the source of those $2 bills, it served as a stark reminder of how dependent the local economy was on the base for income. 

*** end quote ***

I love the concept.

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MONEY: 100% reserve gold backed banking is the only way to get to freedom

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/04/lew-rockwell/bring-back-gold/

Bring Back Gold! 
By Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

*** begin quote ***

If we want a true gold standard, can we get back to it? Of course we can. The inflationary monetary policy we have today is the key to the financial elites control over us. Without it brain-dead Biden and his gang of neocon controllers couldn’t function. We must prevail, and we can prevail.

*** end quote ***

Sure we might have to pay for “banking services” like we did for travelers’ checks or like do now for using credit cards, but isn’t that better than the “hidden taxes” of inflation.

I’d sure like to try,

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MONEY: Penny candy, Nickel cigars, Dime store comics, and Quarter a gallon gas

Monday, March 18, 2024

DNF

# – # – # – # – # 

Penny candy, Nickel cigars, Dime store comics, and Quarter a gallon gas.

I remember.  Do you?

—30—

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MONEY: Will the Gooferment admit that they are “counterfeiting”?

Sunday, January 21, 2024

https://www.kiteandkeymedia.com/videos/should-the-us-mint-stop-making-pennies/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email

Making Change: Do We Need Pennies?
When making money involves losing money
January 2024

*** begin quote ***

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

  •     It costs around three cents to produce a single penny.
  •     The United States lost over $93 million producing pennies in 2022 alone.
  •     Eliminating the penny likely wouldn’t raise costs for American consumers.

*** end quote ***

I doubt the Gooferment will ever stop making pennies because then they would have to admit that they have been stealing the people’s wealth.  Silently and surreptitiously.  At least when you are robbed by a mugger, you know it. 

Penny candy, a nickel cigar, and dime a gallon gas are bright neon signs that the Gooferment mafia has robbed you.

Wake up rube and see the road map.

—30—

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MONEY: “Labor Day” is a reminder of the effect of fiat money on the labor wage rate — Where is the $ 22-per-hour minimum wage?

Monday, September 4, 2023

https://schiffgold.com/commentaries/we-dont-need-better-government-policies-for-workers-we-need-better-money/

We Don’t Need Better Government Policies for Workers; We Need Better Money
August 31, 2023 by Michael Maharrey

*** begin quote ***

Labor Day is coming up. That means we will hear a lot about the plight of American workers. And we will undoubtedly hear calls for new policies to help make their lives better. But we don’t really need more government policies to help workers.

*** and ***

When he announced the closing of the gold window, Nixon said, “Let me lay to rest the bugaboo of what is called devaluation,” and promised, “Your dollar will be worth just as much as it is today.”

This was also a lie.

The dollar has lost more than 85% of its value since Nixon’s fateful decision, based on the CPI calculator. The purchasing power of a 1971 dollar is equal to less than 14 cents today.

*** and ***

Johnson promised removing silver would have no impact on the value of US coinage. “[The] Treasury has a lot of silver on hand, and it can be, and it will be used to keep the price of silver in line with its value in our present silver coin,” he said.

He was lying, just like Nixon.

When LBJ signed the 1965 act, the value of a dollar was almost exactly the same as it had been in 1792—0.77 ounces of silver. By 1980 the dollar had plunged to 0.02 ounces of silver. Today, a dollar today is valued at about 0.06 ounces of silver.

What does this have to do with the minimum wage?

Consider this: In 1964, the minimum wage stood at $1.25. To put it another way, a minimum wage worker earned five silver quarters for every hour worked. Today, you can’t even buy a cup of coffee with those five quarters at face value.

But today, the silver melt value of those five quarters stands at over $22.

That’s a $ 22-per-hour minimum wage.

Now flip things around. Today, it takes 88 quarters to pay a $20 minimum wage. If you paid that in 1964 silver quarters, the value of the metal would be something in the neighborhood of $390!

*** end quote ***

That’s a $ 22-per-hour minimum wage.

So it you’re asking for a higher “minimum wage”, remember that the same Gooferment asking is the one that screwed you in the first place!

Focus on the true cause of “inflation” and why you can’t make ends meet.

Argh!

Happy “Labor” day, suckers.

—30—

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MONEY: What does it take to be a moneychanger?

Saturday, August 12, 2023

 

Image 8 5 23 at 11 27 AM

 

Front

MyBTC

 

I don’t want Jesus to show up and beat me.

Laugh!

—30—

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MONEY: Is the E-Krona money or, like the CCP, a method of social control by Sweden?

Friday, May 12, 2023

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/sweden-cbdc-for-financial-surveillance?utm_source=Bitcoin%20Magazine&utm_campaign=b4c3ecc573-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_05_11_08_21&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f7d45fbb67-b4c3ecc573-357073741&mc_cid=b4c3ecc573

With The E-Krona, Sweden Is Attacking The Virtues Bitcoin Is Built To Protect

  • As they increase financial surveillance and control, Swedish authorities are inadvertently making the case for Bitcoin as an alternative.

Peter Bistoletti  —     May 11, 2023

*** begin quote ***

E-krona is, at present, a pilot project, testing the technical platform and the cooperation of banks, companies and end users. The e-krona will preserve several functions of cash but not anonymity. The volume of e-krona created will not be determined by mining (like it is for Bitcoin), but by the central bank. Positive or negative interest rates will also be determined by the central bank. In a deeper sense, the e-krona without a function like Bitcoin mining is merely a central database controlled by the central bank. 

*** end quote ***

IMHO, it’s the worst of all worlds.

Grab the popcorn and settle in for the show.

Where bitcoin allowed people to avoid capital controls and escape with their wealth, this will not!

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MONEY: Remember penny candy?

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/20/uncle-sam-loses-money-making-money-producing-penni/

No money to spare: Uncle Sam pays more than face value to mint pennies, nickels
By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times – Thursday, April 20, 2023

*** begin quote ***

Inflation may make a penny worth less — but it also makes that penny cost more.

The rising prices of raw materials have sent the costs of manufacturing coins soaring over the past two years, adding nearly a full cent to the cost of producing each penny. It now costs more than 2.5 cents to mint and distribute each penny coin, the federal government said in a report to Congress.

Making a nickel now costs more than 10 cents.

*** and ***

“It’s absolute non-cents that American taxpayers spend 10 cents to make just one nickel,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican. “Only Washington could lose money making money.”

*** end quote ***

Anyone realize that the FED’s inflation and the “spend and borrow” Congress has made money worth less?

Penny candy, Nickel Newspapers, Dime comic books are all casualties of the parasitic class extracting more and more of the Taxpayers’ Wealth.

Get out the pitchforks and light up the torches, it’s time change the discussion.

—30—

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MONEY: “Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value – zero.” -Voltaire, 1694-1778

Thursday, March 16, 2023

FROM AN EMAIL FROM BITCOIN.COM

*** begin quote ***

Unlike dollars, there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin

“Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value – zero.” -Voltaire, 1694-1778

The history of fiat money (ie. money issued by government decree) shows that governments consistently increase supply far beyond demand. This invariably leads to devaluation of the currency over time, something that we experience as inflation. Looking at some examples:

    The U.S. dollar has lost 96% of its value since 1913

    The euro has lost 40% of its value since 1997

    The pound has lost 99.602% of its value since 1751

“It’s going to be very hard to unseat bitcoin as a store of value, because it’s got a 14-year brand, and there’s a finite supply.”  — Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller

*** end quote ***

I have put some spare change into ₿ and bullion on the off chance that the USA goes into a hyperinflation.  Based on the spending by Congress and the “printing” by the FED  — The Federal Reserve Bank is a misnomer. IT ain’t “federal”. It reserves nothing. And, it ain’t a “bank”. It is a private cartel of the elite banks run for their benefit and that of the entrenched politicians.  — I think more and more that this is a distinct probability.  Look at Turkey, Venezuela, Nigeria, and many other countries.  That’s what a runaway inflation looks like.

YMMV FWIW FAIWWYPFI 

“Bullets, beans, bandaids, bullion, booze in a safe retreat”  — Unknown

—30—

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MONEY: Fractional Reserve Banking is troublesome at best; fraud at worst

Thursday, March 2, 2023

https://bullionmax.com/blog/news/gold-past-present-future?&utm_campaign=campaign%3A+2023-02-26-weeklybulletin+%2863f52e64bdd59f001de41acb%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=omnisend&omnisendContactID=63557c12377bc800196f0944

 bullionmax.com
The Past, Present and Future of Gold
Posted on February 16, 2023

*** begin quote ***

Amsterdam had the first truly centralized monetary entity, as it opened shop in 1609, but the Bank of Amsterdam lasted longer without trouble, having “only” started collapsing in 1790. In essence, the BoA took our love of growth a little too seriously. It expanded from being mostly a storage intermediary for gold and silver to a lender. And, when it turned out it had nowhere near the gold and silver holdings it should to lend the amounts it has, a crisis hit… until banking was made very modern once again, with banks being able to lend far and away in excess of what they have.

*** end quote ***

It seems that a “bank” mixes up a “100% reserve custodian” and “fractional reserve lender”.

“We, The Sheeple” need to insist that the Gooferment differentiate between the two types of entities.

—30—

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