MONEY: What have we allowed to be done?

Sunday, December 9, 2012

http://www.cmi-gold-silver.com/blog/government-money/

Book Review: What Has Government Done to Our Money?

*** begin quote ***

In the United States we currently have a stated policy by the Federal Reserve to create higher levels of inflation while artificially lowering interest rates. This is a policy devastating to savers and those attempting to live off of the proceeds of their capital. How did we arrive at the point where a government created agency can arbitrarily opt to destroy the value of people’s savings?

Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? lays out the step by step process by which the commodity based monies of the free market are slowly and deliberately usurped by governments and their central banks. The end result of this control is the ability of government to take purchasing power from the savings of its citizens through inflation.

Understanding money and its creation are essential to understanding how inflation originates. Rothbard assumes no prior knowledge of the subject and begins with first principles to derive what money is and how it is used in a free market. He then covers the manipulations used by government to wrestle control of money away from the free market. Finally he finishes with a two hundred year history of money and currencies in the Western world. It is through this history he demonstrates how government abuse has resulted in a series of breakdowns of the dollar with respect to gold that have inevitably led to our current global monetary crisis.

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We have allowed the politicians and bureaucrats to inflate the paper currency and silently steal from everyone — rich and poor  alike — their wealth. For the poor, it’s the value of their labor. For the rich, it’s the value of their savings.

argh!

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ECONOMICS: Tweedle dee and Tweedle dumber!

Monday, October 22, 2012

http://cafehayek.com/2012/10/no-debate-both-are-economically-ignorant.html

No Debate: Both Men are Economically Ignorant

by DON BOUDREAUX on OCTOBER 17, 2012

in SEEN AND UNSEEN, TRADE

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Each man insists that America’s economy can be harmed by inexpensive imports – in other words, harmed by opportunities for voluntary exchanges that lower Americans’ cost of living.

By promising to raise taxes on Americans who buy Chinese-made goods, Mr. Romney again promised to break his campaign promise to not raise taxes. That he is unaware of the contradiction isn’t promising.

Mr. Obama is no better. He bragged that he “saved a thousand jobs” with his “tough” trade action that – by raising taxes on Americans who buy Chinese-made tires – ensured “that China was not flooding our domestic market with cheap tires.”

By this logic, the President’s policy is inexcusably lame. If creating more jobs in U.S. tire factories justifies forcing consumers to pay higher prices for tires, the Obama administration should also outlaw the sale of used tires (which, like low-priced imports, are “flooding our domestic market”). Indeed, the president should seek legislation mandating that all rubber used to make tires be non-vulcanized. The resulting decline in tire durability will create even more jobs in U.S. tire factories by “protecting” our market from being “flooded” with cheap tire durability – that is, with tires that last for tens of thousands of miles before needing to be replaced.

*** end quote ***

It’s hard to imagine that there is any rationale for restrictions?

Do we want to be a nation of tire makers?

In the Sixties were more expensive for a poorer quality. Now they are “cheaper” and more durable.

(Remember that the value of money has been inflated away. Gas is up by a multiple of 100 in dollars but about 50% cheaper in silver. Tires in the Sixties ran about $20 each; some more some less. Priced in gold a tire was 20/35 = 4/7 = 0.57 oz. So today, just recently I paid over 100$ per tire; where as I should have paid over a 1k$ each. SO tires have gotten 90% cheaper. It’s the value of money that obscures our vision.)

I want Americans to have cheap tires so they can spend their money on other needs and wants.

If it means the tire industry has to go to China, all well and good.

If the Chinese are so dumb as to give us tires for worthless green pieces of paper, great!

The market will peacefully decide what gives us the most bang for our buck. With out a politician “helping”.

Argh!

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MONEY: Financial planning with old memes

Sunday, October 21, 2012

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-coming-retiree-crisis-2012-10

Take Action Now To Prepare For The Great Retiree Crisis

Jeff Voudrie, See It Market | Oct. 10, 2012, 8:30 AM

***** begin quote *****

The financial planning community has largely relied on assumptions regarding equity, debt and inflation percentages that have been experienced over the last 30 years.

There are 3 problems with these assumptions:

Equity returns the last 30 years have been extraordinarily high as a result of the longest and greatest Bull market in the history of U.S. stock markets. Accordingly, many financial plans used projections that assumed equity returns of 8-10% a year.

Debt returns over the same period are equally skewed. Remember the double-digit interest rates of the 1980’s? In 1989, as a young broker, I was selling 30-year TVA bonds yielding 10%! Financial plans the last 5-10 years have used interest rate assumptions around 5-6% a year.

The scenarios that led to the historic markets the last 30 years are very unlikely to EVER be repeated in today’s retiree’s lifetime. And those who are taking distributions based on these outdated assumptions may soon run out of money.

For instance, let’s assume that someone retired 5 years ago at age 60 with a $500,000 investment portfolio. Based on financial plans popular at that time, the retiree is taking $2500 a month in distributions—money they need to maintain their current standard of living. Since the plan anticipated the ability to average a 7% return on a portfolio with close to 50% in equities, the retiree expects to be able to take those distributions and never run out of money.

Adjusting those assumptions based on what many believe resembles more reasonable assumptions going forward requires decreasing the rate of return assumption for a similar-risk portfolio to around 4% and increasing the inflation assumption from 1-2% a year to 3-4% a year (which may still be too conservative). Suddenly, the portfolio that should last forever is now projected to be exhausted in only 16.8 years! That means that the entire nest egg and what it earns cannot sustain the current withdrawal rate. Since the retiree started the withdrawals five years ago, now they are down to 11.8 years—running out of money around age 76!

***** end quote *****

Clearly, the political class has screwed up the American economy.

Pity the poor, the elderly, the middle class, those on fixed income.

Inflation is grossly understated by the “official” stats.

Are we headed to be like Europe or pre-WW2 Germany?

Clearly, everyone needs to update their financial plans.

I’ve recommended to my turkeys that they adjust their “money reserve requirements”.

Everyone better plan to work for a longer time.

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MONEY: PT is less than AU?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

KITCO Metals quotes

 

 

Take a look at the price of platinum versus gold.

What does this signal?

Price manipulation in the commodities markets in advance of the election?

Wonder when we’ll hear about the derivative contracts that are used to move the market.

Argh!

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FUN: Luddite submits a “gas” joke!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Every once in a while, Luddite comes up with a good one!!!

LUDDITE GAS PRICES

 

Yeah, and there’s no inflation!

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MONEY: How can anyone not count food and gas in the CPI?

Sunday, February 12, 2012

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/02/05/hows-that-change-working-out-for-you

How’s that “change” working out for you?
Sunday, February 5th, 2012
Posted by Ed Mattson

*** begin quote ***

These government “number slingers” are the same bunch that tells you the Consumer Price Index increased 3.0 percent before seasonal adjustment to end 2011. Let’s see… 3% inflation. Do you really believe that? Have you been shopping lately? Have you purchased gasoline or diesel for your vehicle so you could go to work (if you still have a job)? Oh, that’s right.  THEY DON’T COUNT GAS AND FOOD IN THE INFLATION RATE!  I guess we don’t need food or gasoline.

In most families the women do most of the grocery shopping right? Men usually aren’t always up to current grocery store prices. Next time anyone talks about politics and how things are going, just ask them if they have purchased ten pounds of potatoes this past year, or stopped in at a gas station.  In 2009, 10 lbs of potatoes cost about $3.50 in Western Michigan (about $3.00 at Wal-Mart). Today the cost is over $5 any place you want to shop. Gas was $1.79/gal when Obama’s entourage slithered into Washington and today, down at the local discount gas station here in North Carolina, it’s $3.59. Is it any wonder they DON’T CALCULATE FOOD AND GAS INTO THE CPI?

*** end quote ***

Excellent point. If they did then they’d have to give a COLA to all the old folks.

It’s like the scam with ZERO interest rates by the FED. That keeps Uncle Sam’s 15T$ debt as a near zero expense.

When do “We, The Sheeple” wake up?

When does the World wake up?

You’ll know the scam is over when we have to pay for oil in gold or someone else’s national currency.

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MONEY: Confiscation Through Inflation

Thursday, February 2, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DObOzOMhXvE&feature=colike

Confiscation Through Inflation

Uploaded by DollarDazeDotOrg on Dec 8, 2010

Through continual issuance of the currency, the U.S. dollar has depreciated in value when compared to gold.

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Spot on!

It gets even worse when you consider the debt being run up. It can never be repaid.

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MONEY: No meaningful way to save

Sunday, January 29, 2012

http://www.forbes.com/sites/charleskadlec/2012/01/23/gingrich-the-gold-standard-and-the-florida-primary

ForbesOp/Ed|1/23/2012 @ 4:33PM
Gingrich, The Gold Standard, And The Florida Primary Charles Kadlec, Contributor

*** begin quote ***

There is no meaningful way to save for your retirement, for your children’s education, or for the future if you don’t know what the dollar will be worth when you will need to spend it.  That makes us insecure and more dependent on government.  Sound money — a dollar that can buy the same amount 10, 20 or 30 years from now — increases our ability to take care of ourselves, our families and to be far less dependent on government.  That goes to the heart of our ability to live in liberty.

The gold standard also reinforces the constitutional limits on the power of the federal government.  When the dollar is linked to gold, the Federal Reserve cannot finance federal government deficits by printing excessive amounts of money.  If it were to try to do so, holders of dollars could over-rule the Fed by turning in the extra dollars for gold, forcing the Fed to reverse its policies.  Except in times of war, the Federal budget deficits were tiny.  From 1947 to 1967, they averaged just 0.1% a year.  In today’s economy, that would be the equivalent of $15 billion.

Finally, making the dollar as good as gold, and restoring gold to the center of the international monetary system, will give the Unites States an enormous boost in soft power.  According to a recent study by the Bank of England, when compared to even the flawed, post World War II gold standard, the paper dollar standard has been a disaster whose true dimensions have been disguised by the time over which it has been inflicted on people all over the world.   Since 1971, real per capital growth rates have been cut by 1 percentage point a year, even as world inflation increased 1.5 percentage points to average 4.8% per year.  Meanwhile, the frequency and severity of economic downturns have increased, as have the number of banking crises.

*** end quote ***

As far as I know, Gingrich doesn’t support a Gold Standard; only Ron Paul wants to start the process. And, it would have to be a process. A complete process of unwinding the “Era of Big Government”.

There’s a TV commercial on about the old couple at the bank being congratulated about their retirement. The teller is counting out blank pieces of paper. How true is that? In my mind, very.

Social Security was sold to “We, The Sheeple” as “insurance”. Unlike real “insurance”, the politicians and bureaucrats took the “contributions” and spent them on the welfare / warfare state. And, put IOUs in the “lockbox”. What a joke! A fraud. At least Ponzi didn’t force people to participate. If MetLife did what the Gooferment did, all the executives would be jail. The politicians and bureaucrats collect a big Gooferment pension for <synonym for the act of procreation in real time> us.

And, Social Security was never supposed to be taxable. And, inflation adjusted. Until the Gooferment decided that energy and food shouldn’t count towards inflation. Right!

And, good luck saving on your own for your retirement. The FED, to hold down the Gooferment’s borrowing costs, has by diktat keeps interest rates at zero. Or pretty close to it.

401Ks and IRA were introduced to induce savings for retirement and take pressure off Social Security. Since “it was never intended to entirely fund a person’s retirement”. That would surprise “We, The Sheeple” circa 1935.

But then a lot would surprise them!

So, perhaps, youngsters might be better off saving for their retirement in gold or silver bullion coins.

Remember that in ancient Rome two gold coins would buy a fine man’s outfit. Pretty much the same today.

Remember that in 1964, three silver dimes would but a gallon of gas. I can PERSONALLY attest to that. And, they cleaned your window, gave you a free class, and trading stamps. Today, those three silver dimes would be worth about SIX DOLLARS; enough for almost TWO gallons of gas.

So, what has changed?

The dollar!

So returning to that old couple at the bank with a lifetime of paper savings. They’ve been defrauded by society. Hard to imagine, but visualize if they’d put those savings into gold bullion coins that they kept in a kitchen pot. Each week, instead of “saving” with paper, they put some gold or silver away in that pot. Hard to imagine that they would nt be better off.

Finally, returning to Gingrich, I agree he could ignite a fire of reality. But, that’s not going to happen. Because at the end of the road, these guys are all suits who want to control people.

Vote Ron Paul. A return to sanity begines with a single step.

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LIBERTY: Gooferment fails to protect property rights

Friday, January 27, 2012

http://lewrockwell.com/napolitano/napolitano37.1.html

How Much Economic Freedom Do We Have in the United States?
by Andrew P. Napolitano

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The root of economic freedom is the recognition of the right to own private property. That includes the right to utilize it unmolested, to dispose of it without anyone’s permission and to exclude anyone from it, even the government. Suffice it to say, no American president since the advent of the income tax and the Federal Reserve 100 years ago has fully accepted or meaningfully defended that right. The more the government extracts in taxes and the more it inflates the money supply, the more it rejects and assaults property rights.

*** and ***

There is not a single example in human history of central economic planning producing more prosperity than a free market. The framers understood that. That’s why they wrote a Constitution that prohibited an income tax, forbade the states from interfering with contracts, and prevented the feds from taking life, liberty or property without due process. All those constitutional prohibitions have been nullified by amendment or disregarded by consensus.

*** end quote ***

From the diktats (i.e., what the politicians call “laws” and “regulations”) that deprive folks of their property, to the taxes and inflation to just steal their wealth, we have no property rights.

In New Jersey, the real estate property tax mostly to support the Gooferment Skrules turns owners into defacto “renters.

How can you think we are free?

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GOLD: Unfunded liabilities

Monday, January 9, 2012

http://lewrockwell.com/spl3/gold-chart-walk-2012.html

Gold Chart Walk 2012
by Morris Hubbartt

*** begin quote ***

Unlimited government requires unlimited funding. The unfunded liabilities of the USA are staggering. Over the next 20-25 years there is probably a gigantic $75 trillion unfunded liability problem for the US government. Think of the move in gold against the dollar with a debt of $15 trillion. Can you imagine the action in gold with a debt five times the current size?

The United States could be headed towards decades of dollar devaluation. With all of the problems in Europe, why isn’t the euro hitting new lows? Why can’t the dollar mount a real rally, instead of this tiny bit of strength?

The answer is that the dollar isn’t really very strong at all. If America goes into a crisis like you’ve just seen in Europe, the fall in the dollar could dwarf the euro’s fall, because America is the largest debtor nation in the history of the world.

The nature of all fiat currencies is to be competitive, with each currency group looking for an advantage in trade, and more importantly, an advantage in debt relief for the governments that issue these currencies. Fiat currencies are designed to be depreciated over time. Buy Gold in this time of gold price weakness, because your opportunity won’t last forever.

*** end quote ***

Regardless of how you feel about gold — the magic mineral, an obsolete anachronism, or something in between — this quote should strike fear into the heart on anyone who understands “real life”.

As if “unlimited government” was NOT scary enough, “unlimited funding” should be down right terrifying.

The national debt stands at 15T$ and growing every second.

Then you hit the guesstimate of 75T$ of unfunded liability, which should knock your socks off. It does mine.

How did “we” get in this mess? Even a crooked accountant, with two sets of books, has one that tells him the truth. Even Bernie Made-off knew he was “underwater”. We don’t even have ONE set that tells us the truth.

“Jobs created or saved”, “unemployment” stats that don’t account for the “99 week”-ers, and an inflation rate that doesn’t include food or fuel.

These are the statisticians that you’re looking to tell you “the truth”.

Can you even handle “the truth”?

“The truth” is that we’re going to be like Japan, the Soviet Union, and Zimbabwe all rolled into one.

As one of those war movies said: “Tell everyone to get small in their holes because trouble is coming.”

Argh!

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