MONEY: Use the two spot to be remembered?

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.

—30—

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

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,

—30—

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

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—

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?

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—

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

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!

—30—

MONEY: Remember penny candy?

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—

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

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—

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

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—

MONEY: Gooferment Debt in a “death spiral”

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/welcome-death-spiral

Welcome To The Death Spiral
by Tyler Durden
Monday, Feb 06, 2023 – 09:00 AM
Authored by John Rubino via Substack,

*** begin quote ***

And there’s nothing that the monetary authorities can do to stop it, because either choice – keep interest rates high or push them back down – leads to the same place, which is a currency crisis. Meanwhile, each turn of the wheel makes the problem more intractable and the collapse more imminent. That’s what the term “death spiral” refers to: a process that feeds on itself until the system implodes.

*** end quote ***

Assuming that they, our wise and merciful Overlords, can see that they can no longer kick the debt can down the road, what can they do?

Easier said than done, cut spending.  The Military Industrial Complex is spending the USA into oblivion.  They have to face the largest share of the cuts.  It would seem that NATO has far outlived its usefulness and should be ended.  Our participation in the UN and all its corrupt activities should also go.

Then, we need to address welfare and entitlements.  Sorry but they have to get cut too.  As humanely as possible.

The cathedral of “education” needs to be starved too.

The entire class of Gooferment drones have to be freed to take on more productive roles.

Unpleasant times for everyone.

The alternative is the fall of Rome.

—30—

MONEY: The coming default by the US FED / Treasury?

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/are-you-ready-coming-us-government-default

Are You Ready For The Coming US Government Default?
by Tyler Durden
Monday, Nov 07, 2022 – 07:20 AM

Authored by MN Gordon via EconomicPrism.com,

*** begin quote ***

The vast herd of investors are a deluded crowd. Following the Federal Reserve’s much anticipated 75 basis point rate hike on Wednesday the major stock market indexes jumped upward.

Optimistic investors keyed in on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement and, in particular, the remark that the Fed, “will take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary policy, the lags with which monetary policy affects economic activity and inflation and economic and financial developments.”

*** and ***

In other words, this bear market may not bottom out until well into 2025. What’s more, the entire dollar based financial system will likely blow up sometime beforehand.

*** and ***

But many won’t recognize heavy handed monetary policy as reasons for their disappointment. The erosion of purchasing power can be subtle over long periods. Moreover, the effects of currency debasement policies extend to all corners of the economy.

*** end quote ***

Depends upon how you define default. What happens when no one wants to buy US Treasuries?

It’s going to be ugly. As the interest rate goes up, more of the Federal budget should go to interest on the debt. If they don’t cut, then more dollar printing.

A vicious cycle.

Sigh!

But what will be the form of it? Us tin foil hats are trying to guess will they just: “print”, “default on the bonds (i.e., tough <synonym for excrement> you suckers)”, or something involving a FED version of mandatory bitcoin (i.e., cash is recalled just like gold was)?

And, then what will the sheeple do?

—30—

MONEY: Does anyone look at their coins or paper money?

https://nicenews.com/culture/rare-liberty-head-nickel-sells-for-millions/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

“Ultra-Rare” 1913 Liberty Head Nickel Sells for Whopping $4.2M — One of Only Five in Existence
October 20, 2022

AUTHOR Rebekah Brandes

*** begin quote ***

Sometimes a nickel isn’t worth just 5 cents. Last week, one from 1913 sold for a whopping $4.2 million dollars.

The nickel in question, called the Walton 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, was acquired by GreatCollections auction house and boasts “one of the greatest stories to ever be told in U.S. numismatics,” per a press release.

*** end quote ***

While I doubt I’ll ever see one of these, I have found silver quarters in my change from time to time. A true pre-1965 quarter is reported to be worth about 4$.  And I have sold some one dollar bills with unique serial numbers.  

YMMV

—30—

MONEY: Trustless Money

PayPal, Bail-Ins, & The Necessity For Trustless Money
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/paypal-bail-ins-necessity-trustless-money
— via my feedly newsfeed

PayPal, Bail-Ins, & The Necessity For Trustless Money
by Tyler Durden
Wednesday, Oct 12, 2022 – 12:08 PM

*** begin quote ***

Sure enough, the URL to the updated AUP was under the paypalobjects.com domain, which anybody in our business knows is real.

The document appeared to have been a PDF version of the forthcoming new AUP which was due to roll out in early November. It has since been replaced by the blank page however the original is still available via Archive.org

*** and ***

“It’s a bell that can’t be un-rung”.

I’ll tell you a couple other bells that can’t be un-rung:

When the Canadian government unilaterally seized bank accounts of not only the truckers who protested vaccine mandates in Ottawa (most of which are now gone anyway), but also designated the accounts of citizens who legally donated via GoFundMe or GiveSendGo as targets (sourced from a spreadsheet that somebody hacked from a third-party website, btw), that was a bell that can’t be un-rung.

*** and ***

The bells have been ringing for awhile:

In 2013, during the banking crisis in Cyprus, the first “bail-in” was enacted, when depositors’ savings were confiscated from their bank accounts to recapitalize a banking system that had over-leveraged itself through excessive bad debts to zombie companies.

*** and ***

How much of your wealth is reliant on trusting external, opaque systems and complying with their increasingly one-sided, ephemeral and arbitrary policies, expectations or whims?

Versus, how much of your own money do you have outside of the fiat banking, Big Tech operated monetary system?

Because one morning you may wake up to find out that’s all you have left.

*** end quote ***

Certainly seems that one should have some “wealth” outside of the financial / banking system.  That could be “cash”; although inflation makes that an expensive depreciating asset.  Metals that could be used as barter.  And, bitcoin, assuming that you have power and the inet.  Interesting that in Germany, “firewood” is the new gold!  Imagine not having heat or food in a First World country like Germany due to the complete and utter stupidity of their Gooferment.  

—30—

MONEY: “Blue Light Special” announcement — fiat currencies like the U$D are being stolen by “inflation”

The 5 Stages Of Getting Orange-Pilled
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/5-stages-getting-orange-pilled

 — via my feedly newsfeed

# – # – # – # – #

​I’m at “acceptance and hope” stage​.  Back when the employment model switched from “lifetime employment” to “job hopping/consulting”, I told my turkeys that there was now “Blue Light Special” announcement like at the now defunct Kmart to tell them that “the game” had changed.  So to, now, imho, the “financial game” has changed and no announcement is being made.  Bitcoin, alternative forms of money, and other commodities are replacing fiat currencies like the U$D, Euro, and others.  Only the Russian Rouble has made the shift.  All other forms of fiat are subject to “inflation” aka Gooferment Theft. 

Unfortunately, not many have gotten the “non-announcement” and so will pay the tax and take the losses.  Heaven help the bond holders who will get triple screwed (i.e., inflation, loss of income, and loss of capital value) when the 1/7 seesaw rocks against them (i.e., 1% rise in interest rate yields a 7% decrease in the dollar value a bond).

FWIW YMMV and TANSTAAFL (“There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch” From Robert Heinlein’s classic) 

—30—
 

MONEY: Can bitcoin stop the “bad guys”? Can anything?

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-the-foundation-of-human-rights?utm_source=Bitcoin+Magazine&utm_campaign=f8fa15ec24-&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f7d45fbb67-f8fa15ec24-357073741&mc_cid=f8fa15ec24&mc_eid=386b7b0895

BITCOIN CAN BE THE FOUNDATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
The bad guys can’t stop Bitcoin, but Bitcoin can stop the bad guys.
GREGOR HERBORT
MAR 18, 2022

*** begin quote ***

60 years ago, it was not Syrians, Afghans, Iranians and people from various African states who had to leave their homes and sought refuge.

It was Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Jews, Poles, Russians and Germans who needed a new home before, during and after World War II. Displaced by an occupying power, by the ruling government and by hunger and war.

Many had to leave their hometowns and were not able to take much with them, let alone transfer money across national borders. This is what happened to many Jews. Refugees were deprived of their remaining possessions in Germany. In a perfidious way, the war and the extermination of the Jews were thus co-financed.

Within experiences of these and other inhuman acts, the Universal Human Rights have been defined. A commission led by Eleanor Roosevelt worked out 30 articles under the auspices of the United Nations in 1948.

Reading these 30 articles, it becomes clear that the potential bad guy is often seen on the side of the state or government.

*** and ***

Everyone has the right to freely access a healthy international currency!

*** end quote ***

I certainly like that it’s inflation proof.  It may be a hopeless gesture to liberty, but what choice do we have?

—30—

MONEY: Has time finally run out?

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/peter-schiff-warns-tucker-carlson-inflation-only-has-one-way-go

Peter Schiff Warns Tucker Carlson: Inflation Only Has One Way To Go!
BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, MAR 15, 2022 – 08:11 AM
Via SchiffGold.com,

*** begin quote ***

Last week, we got another big jump in consumer prices with the February CPI data. Peter Schiff appeared on Fox News with Tucker Carlson to talk about the rampant inflation. He said it’s only going to get worse. Inflation only has one way to go.

*** end quote ***

I’ve blogged about this self-inflicted national disaster for decades.  Been aware of the problem since the late 60’s.

And, I hope that I don’t I’ve to see some very ugly chickens come home to roost.

The problem is 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.

When will “We, The Sheeple” wake up?

If, ever!

—30—

MONEY: “Inside Money” standard and the “Outside Money” reality

https://tomluongo.me/2022/03/13/ins-outs-whose-money-is-it-anyway/

MONEY, POLITICS
The Ins and Outs of Whose Money is it Anyway?
Date: March 13, 2022Author: Tom Luongo

*** begin quote ***

Today’s “Inside Money” standard, known colloquially as the Dollar Reserve standard, is actually what I like to call “Milton Friedman’s Nightmare.” It is nothing more than a system of competitively devalued and inflated debt-based scrips running around drinking each other’s milkshakes until everyone’s glass is empty.

FYI, there are a lot of empty glasses around the world right now and more are being created everyday as the financial system turned predatory after the Lehman Bros. collapse in 2008.

It was then that the Central Banks and governments turned fully against the people sucking up more and more outside money by inflating inside money egregiously to control more and more of the real wealth of the world.

There is only one problem with that, however. Eventually, you run out of property to squeeze out of people’s hands. The more you take, the less people are restrained by little things like laws.

Eventually two things happen. The first is what we’ve been seeing from Russia and China for the past twelve years — steady accumulation of gold and other hard assets, outside money, including the building of real manufacturing infrastructure as well as the financial infrastructure to house it.

The second is just over the horizon — the moment where all the legal claims to controlling outside money mean nothing when enforcement of those legal claims gets exposed as a bluff because there aren’t enough enforcers capable of keeping the looters from taking it.

*** end quote ***

I’m am waiting for the “Great Reset” to drop on “We, The Sheeple” of which I am part of in someways.  I know this is going to hurt the poor, the seniors, those on fixed incomes, as well as the non-super rich.

Wonder what the price of gold will go to … … (the fellow’s guess)  about 45k$.  By other guesstimates, that’ll translate to 80$/gallon for gas.  Now I’m not predicting this but even if gas goes from 4 to 8$/gallon, the economy is totally screwed.

The U$D would be near worthless.

Argh!

The future is murky and there could be a cliff in the fog.

—30—

 

MONEY: Save but in things that will retain their value

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/evil-root-all-fiat-money

Evil Is The Root Of All (Fiat) Money
BY TYLER DURDEN
FRIDAY, DEC 03, 2021 – 09:40 PM
Authored by Egon von Greyerz via GoldSwitzerland.com

*** begin quote ***

“So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money?” -Ayn Rand

Money used to be a stable medium of exchange and a store of value but that was in the days when there were sound monetary principles, mostly backed by gold or silver.

*** and ***

But these are the consequences that history teaches us time and time again. But sadly everyone thinks it is different today.

Since every currency system in history has collapsed, it is quite a certain bet that this one will too.

For the few who have savings, wealth preservation in physical gold and silver is essential as insurance against yet another failed currency and financial system.

And for everybody it is important to remember that the most important things in life are family and friends. Helping others in difficult times is critical.

Remember also that many wonderful things in life are free, conversations, books, music and nature.

*** end quote ***

At this time of peace and joy, let’s prepare for the 7 years of “famine” ahead. 

Buy some commodities and stash them away for the future.

Vote with your wallet when you spend “dollars” and vote your politics considering your wallet.

—30—

 

MONEY: The US dollar that is the fraud

>>>> I really wish I understood the crypto world better. It seems like such a scam.

There are numerous good videos on crypto, bitcoin, etherium, and other “distributed blockchain ledgers”.  Some sites will even give you coins to watch their tutorials.

Essentially a bitcoin is nothing more than having a number that is the product of two large prime numbers.   For example, 77 is the product of 7 and 11.  You prove that “77” is yours because you have a public key of 7 and a private key of 11.  This “ownership” is written in a “distributed ledger” in lots of places.  That’s all you really need to understand.  

The “mining” that everyone talks about is people finding these pairs and writing the public key found and their private key to the distributed ledger.  Then, transfers are done by someone combining that public key to your wallet’s public key using their private key and writing it to the ledger.  Copies of the ledger are then created by all the other ledgers who repeat that calculation and confirm it. 

Sounds complicated but it really isn’t.

What makes these “coins” of great interest is that, in the case of bitcoin and bitcoin/cash, there is a limited supply that can not be inflated by anyone.  Including the Gooferment.  As such, it becomes “maney”, similar to gold and silver.  Especially as it gets wide spread adoption, it will become that store of value that every one seeks who realizes that the fiat Federal Reserve Note is essentially being made worthless by the Gooferment inflating the number of “dollars” in circulation.   

Just like the Romans devalued the denarius (silver) coin and the French the (gold) franc, so to the USA is devaluing the dollar to give politicians the money to spend on our version of “bread and circuses”.

Like all empires, the USA will financially collapse … … sooner or later.

BITCOIN might emerge as the money of the future.  

I probably won’t be around to see it, but I believe it WILL happen.  

If you’re looking for a scam, it’s the US dollar that is the fraud.

Sadly.  Sigh!

—30—

MONEY: The FED is “shrinking” the value of your money silently and secretly

https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2021/10/15/yes-we-can-trust-the-fed-to-keep-devaluing-our-money/

Yes, We Can Trust the Fed. To Keep Devaluing Our Money
By: Stefan Gleason | Published on: Oct 15, 2021

*** begin quote ***

Former Fed chair Yellen wants us to trust current Fed chair Jerome Powell when he says inflation is “transitory” and merely the effect of supply disruptions.

She doesn’t want us to focus on the fact that the central bank is now buying well over 50 percent of all new Treasury debt. Nor does she want us to be concerned that the M2 money supply is growing at a 13 percent annual rate.

Sure, let’s trust the Fed.  What the Fed can absolutely be trusted to do is continue inflating.

But that means investors can’t trust fiat dollars to hold their value. Debt instruments denominated in U.S. currency will almost certainly return less than the inflation rate. Over time, bondholders risk an enormous loss of purchasing power even if the issue never results in formal defaults.

*** end quote ***

What is a “poor” “We, The Sheeple” to do?

“Poor” is used in the sense of not rich, but yet not poor enough to qualify for the Gooferment’s dole.

Well, if you’re in the bottom of that spectrum, save your nickels and stockpile your everyday needs whenever you see a bargain. I particularly like Shoprite’s “can can” sale where the Progresso soup, which is usually near $3 / can, for a dollar if you buy ten.  I was putting them under my bed and using them when I felt like soup.  Have to watch the expiration dates. But I usually write them on top with a big black sharpie.

For those who are the top of that spectrum, I recommend a monthly buying program of whatever you can afford in a 50/50 gold and silver mix.  It doesn’t take long before you can “amass” a decent portion of “hard money”.  This presumes that you have no “bad debt” (i.e., credit cards, non-zero interest car or other capital goods credits).  

You can, of course, do both. 

Be aware of “shrinkflation”!  That’s where the package size stays the same but the content is reduced. Unit costs are the key metric.

And, remember this when the politicians say “free”!

—30—

 

MONEY: The Gooferment maintains a playing filed that tilts in favor of employers over workers

https://www.cato.org/blog/new-cato/yougov-survey-health-savings-accounts

OCTOBER 6, 2021 9:11AM
New Cato/​YouGov Survey on Health Savings Accounts
By Michael F. Cannon

*** begin quote ***

Many call the “tax exclusion” for employer‐​paid health insurance premiums a tax “break.” In fact, it denies workers control over an enormous share of their earnings. It coerces workers into letting employers control roughly $1 trillion of their earnings each year as well as their health insurance. Along the way, it leaves workers vulnerable to losing coverage when they change jobs, divorce, or retire. 

*** end quote ***

Thanks to the market distortion introduced by FDR’s WW2 wage and price controls, “benefits” for employees were a way that employers could “pay” employees more without running afoul of the “law”.  

Back in the Seventies, leave at night in an AT&T datacenter watching accounting programs run, a wise old AT&T Treasury executive opened my eyes to how unfair that “benefits” were to me.  I didn’t realize that the “benefits” were more valuable to AT&T than to me.  Every benefits “expense” was a tax deduction to AT&T.  As well, all those “expenses” were added into the “rate base” used in front of the FCC and various PUCs to justify higher regulated rates.  The old exec pointed out that I was “paying” for the benefits in salary reductions.  And, the wicked kicker was that if I left my “servitude” I’d lose most and in some cases all of those “benefits”. Argh!

Now decades later, the USA has evolved to realize that while you don’t lose your car insurance if you change jobs, you do lose your “health insurance”.  (Don’t make me laugh about COBRA; who can afford those rates?)

OK, so you decide to get your own “health insurance”, and you find that expense is not tax deductible to you as an employee that has “benefits” with your master.  I meant employer.

If you have a niche that permits you, then you can become a “corporation” and the premiums for all your employees is deductible.  Just don’t have any other “employees” and you have found a loophole.  Of course, there are setup and ongoing expense to “being a corporation” but it’s no where near as much as you think.

Bottom line: The tax code needs to change to allow you to deduct your private health care insurance.  What’s good for the employer should be good for the worker!

—30—

MONEY: Inflation 101

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/peter-schiff-government-serves-grade-bs-inflation?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29

Peter Schiff: Government Serves Grade-A B.S. On Inflation
BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, OCT 05, 2021 – 01:35 PM
Via SchiffGold.com

*** begin quote ***

In fact, there is always a shortage of supply. We don’t have unlimited stuff. So, we have to ration supply with prices. The more money we have in circulation, the higher the prices have to climb in order to ration the supply. You have more dollars chasing the same amount of stuff. This is inflation 101.

*** end quote ***

MONEY: End the FED, Freddie, Fannie, and all the GSEs

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/fed-helping-facilitate-trailer-park-evictions?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29

The Fed Is Helping Facilitate Trailer Park Evictions
BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, SEP 08, 2021 – 09:01 AM
Authored by Michael Maharrey via SchiffGold.com,

*** begin quote ***

The Federal Reserve is helping corporate real estate investors evict poor people from mobile home parks.

NPR highlighted the growing number of mobile home part evictions. According to the report, real estate investors continue to buy up mobile home parks across the US. They then raise lot rents and fees, and evict residents who can’t pay.

As the report explains, the government makes this scheme possible with easy financing through agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Here’s how it works in a nutshell.

A company raises rates and fees in a park. That makes the park more valuable. So they can now borrow more money against it, kind of like when you refi your house and get cash out of the deal. They pull out, say, $3 million, and they use that to go buy another mobile home park. And then they do that again and again. It’s a cascade of borrowed money. And often, these loans are backed by the US government. They provide very, very low-cost debt for these investors to get enough cash out to go buy additional parks. The loans have super cheap interest rates because they’re guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed entities at the heart of the US mortgage market.”
NPR gets part of the story right. In fact, it’s pretty impressive that they didn’t just pin the blame on “greedy capitalists.”

Nevertheless, the story completely misses the biggest player in this game – the Federal Reserve.

*** and ***

This is yet another way the Fed distorts the economy, drives misallocations of resources, transfers wealth from the poor to the rich, and generally wreaks havoc.

*** end quote ***

OK, the problem was identified by Ron Paul decades ago in his Presidential campaign. 

Does anyone want to address the problem?

“Penny candy” is an example of the inflation of the US$.

Argh!

—30—

MONEY: Injury from a “vaccine” might be devastating financially

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2021/07/01/covid-vaccine-deaths-and-injuries.aspx?ui=f9839516412491bb1e06c9e47058c6fb81b9b9b6acedf03e65e93dfdb263c1b9&sd=20210317&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20210701_HL2&mid=DM924431&rid=1197507551

COVID Vaccine Deaths and Injuries Are Secretly Buried
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola 
July 01, 2021

*** begin quote ***

  • Reports of deaths and serious injuries from the COVID-19 jabs mount by the day. As of June 11, 2021, the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) had posted 358,379 adverse events, including 5,993 deaths and 29,871 serious injuries
  • In the European Union’s database of adverse drug reactions from COVID shots, called EudraVigilance, there were 1,509,266 reported injuries, including 15,472 deaths as of June 19, 2021. EudraVigilance only accepts reports from EU members, so it covers only 27 countries. Remarkably, about HALF of all reported injuries — 753,657 — are listed as “serious”
  • The British Yellow Card system had, as of June 9, 2021, received 276,867 adverse event reports following COVID “vaccination,” including 1,332 deaths
  • Before you make the decision to participate in this unprecedented health experiment, it may be wise to assess your personal insurance and financial ability to handle a serious injury, as pandemic vaccine manufacturers are indemnified against lawsuits
  • If you are injured by a COVID shot and live in the U.S., your only recourse is to apply for compensation from the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Act (CICP). Payouts are rare, cover only lost wages and unpaid medical bills, cannot be appealed, are capped around $370,000 for death, and require you to exhaust your private insurance before kicking in

*** end quote ***

That last point is devastating financially.

So Big Pharma gets all the profits and some random poor shlub “wins” a negative lottery!

That doesn’t seem very fair.

Time to release this “payoff” to Big Pharma for their campaign contributions.

Argh!

—30—