Fiat Money: The Monopoly Game of Life

Playing Monopoly was a favorite activity on rainy days with my brother Mike and sister Nancy. It was a sublimely magical game, especially for me, because it allowed a middle class kid to become instantly transformed into a real estate tycoon. One minute I'm foraging around for a quarter to buy some candy or a comic, and the next minute I'm buying up properties in Atlantic City like I was Donald Trump on a bender! What made possible my sudden climb from small city kid to rich landed gentry? Paper or fiat money. The game was jam packed with it...and it was all-to-easily acquired. I never thought for a moment about who printed up the money and just why it could be used to purchase real estate, a way out of jail, utilities, railroads, pay taxes etc. I don't recall questioning if it was "backed" by any real items of value, but everyone else playing the game accepted it's worth, so who was I to make waves? Besides, it was just the one of the rules of the game, right? Now that I'm an adult, I know that our Federal government is the "man behind the screen" that plays the part of the mysterious money printer. The definition of fiat money is according to InvestorWords.com:

Money which has no intrinsic value and cannot be redeemed for specie or any commodity, but is made legal tender through government decree. All modern paper currencies are fiat money, as are most modern coins. The value of fiat money depends on the strength of the issuing country's economy. Inflation results when a government issues too much fiat money. Well, that definition about sums up the US paper money situation nicely, don't you think? It's funny money with no actual value of its own, other than the strength of the faltering US economy. Even the currently circulating "silver" pocket change falls under the same category since it's made from base, not precious metals any longer. The definition goes on ominously with a final warning about the risk of inflation if the issuing government prints too much fiat money. Inflation, of course, being the silent robber in the night who steals your hard earned money only to replace it with an identical, yet debased copy, that buys less goods and services than the original note.

To further illustrate the inherent inflation mechanism of fiat money, let's return to my Monopoly game. Once to spice the game up my siblings and I started the game with 3x as much starter money as the rules indicated. The result? We bought the same properties, but the bidding wars launched the real estate prices into the stratosphere. Even low rent properties like Baltic went for multiple times its stated value. Without realizing it, of course, we imitated the irresistable force of monetary inflation inherent in and unavoidably linked with the fiat money pantheon. At my family's last Thanksgiving I wanted to test the awareness level of the above basic economic truths (yes, I'm available for parties). A short conversation with my usually very intelligent brother-in-law, Bill, confirmed the consensus in the room. He thought the dollar was backed by gold in Fort Knox (nope), and that today's coins still contained silver (nope again, they haven't since 1964). I believe a countrywide survey would show the vast majority of Americans have similar misconceptions about the real value of their negotiable currency. The current American debt is now a whopping $13 Trillion dollars, and will likely reach 19 Trillion in 2015. The money supply in the US has also been growing alarmingly as the government seeks to stimulate the economy. By fiat money definition, inflation, and even hyperinflation, are axiomatic. The US Dollar is holding strong for the moment, because the world presently lacks another easy replacement to pay for their oil, etc. However, inevitable signs of serious inflation will undoubtedly undermine the confidence of Americans and foreigners alike in the US Dollar. Once that happens...game over man. Speaking of game over, guess how my siblings and I treated the Monopoly money once the game was finished, and we awoke to the fact that it was all just paper and therefore inherently worthless? We threw it in the box (no tidy denomination segregation) and chucked the whole kit and kaboodle into the closet. BUY PHYSICAL GOLD AND SILVER COINS OR ROUNDS NOW! Gold and silver have had value in human society for 5000 years! Let's see if the US Dollar will maintain it's value for a fraction as long. Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles. Rick

Global Warming: Cooking Up The Facts

I ran into a news story today that had it's genesis a few years back that is still pretty valid...at least in the minds of some people.

The scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, did a study in 2003 on Global Warming and it's alleged impact on the health of children in developing nations. The two paragraphs below summarize their scientific findings.

"We estimate that climate change may already be causing in the region of 160,000 deaths...a year," Professor Andrew Haines of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told a climate change conference in Moscow.

"The disease burden caused by climate change could almost double by 2020," he added, even taking account of factors like improvements in health care. He said the estimates had not been previously published.

Wow, pretty frightening conclusions, right? Yes, it's terrifying to me that scientists are just pulling these numbers out of the most rarefied of airs without any scientifically quantifiable evidence. These paragons of scientific reason went on to claim that...most deaths would be in developing nations in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, which would be hardest hit by the spread of malnutrition, diarrhea and malaria in the wake of warmer temperatures, floods and droughts.

Did you get all that? It reads more like the Apocalypse of The Book of Revelations or the writings of Nostradamus than any scientific journal I've ever seen! In my high school science class my teacher taught me that in order for a thought or conjecture to take on the mantle of a scientific theory, it must be falsifiable. In other words, you have to provide me, the skeptic, with enough facts that you used to formulate your theory so that I have all the information I need to try to prove your theory wrong. It doesn't sound fair, but those are the rules. For instance, if you claim 160,000 children are already dying each year from diseases, malnutrition, hail storms, late night TV, meteorites etc., that are directly attributable to rising global temperatures, whether artificially caused or naturally occurring, you've got to provide me (and the world) with a pretty impressive amount of paperwork to back up such an extraordinary claim!

So, you may be wondering, just what proof did these men of science proffer to back up their 160,000 number. Nothing! Bupkiss! Zilch...well... you get it. You see these distinguished (or is it extinguished) men of learning say we can't wait for the facts to be properly compiled. We need to leap now into the void and do something before it's too late!

Funny, I tried the same sloppy approach when handing in my science lab report at the last minute as a teenage student. I just didn't have the time to do the experiment properly using a valid scientific method, but heck, I knew what the end result was supposed to be anyway! If I had waited to do the work the right way, the school might've already been closed and the lights out for the day. I had to act immediately, and scientific methods be damned!

I failed that lab report. I can still see the big red "F" on my paper, and the glowering look of disappointment and disgust on my science teacher, Mr. Arturo's face. He didn't accept my lazy approach to his class, and he gave me the poor grade I so richly deserved on the lab paper.

We should give the same treatment to these quacks as well!

I assure you, if Mr. Arturo had them in his class today they would be on the receiving end of some fearsome scowling!

Rick

Obama: Thug in Chief?

President Obama said he wanted to know "whose a** to kick" over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, adding to the pressure on energy giant BP as it sought to capture more of the leak from its gushing well. Do you think his words crossed the bounds of good taste, or were they appropriate under the circumstances?

Personally, I think there are times or situations when "cussing" may be appropriate. Stubbing your toe on the way to the bathroom late at night is one. Getting your hand caught in a closing car door is another. While bestowing a beating on a guy you just caught crawling out of your wife's bedroom window after arriving home unexpectedly early from work - qualifies. Lastly, catching a vandal using a key to write Prez Obama's recent BP speech into the door of your car!

We all know he and the entire country is upset about the BP oil spill. It's a major catastrophe - no question. But is even this extreme situation adequate reason for the inheritor of the office of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln to curse like "a hood" in front of the nation and the world? Is it possible for the American mind to even dream of the wise and dignified General Washington threatening to "kick the a**" of the British? I have a fertile imagination, but even I can't conceive of the word "a**" being mentioned in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Can you?

If this "incident" is some carefully planned tactic to appear tough and in control, it's immature and reprehensible. If the "gutter-mouthing" was unplanned, I'm even more appalled. Because that means we've elected a man who is perhaps better suited for the title, "Thug in Chief"!

SHAME!

Rick

Who's Your Daddy? The Evils of Governmental Paternalism

Who's your Daddy? It's a funny saying / question with a genesis in the mid-20th century African-American culture. It does bring up a thought-provoking subject, however, in the early 21st century. Just who is our father (and mother)? The US Government or the people we call Mom and Dad?

Traditionally, the role of parents is to help you learn to make good decisions and protect you from yourself. This parental authority is largely moral, as are many of the decisions they assist you in making. If you violate the parental rules and regulations, a parent's recourse is limited (especially today). Groundings and extra chores are the typical punishments handed out. When you leave home and / or reach 18, you may chose to hold to what you were taught by Mom and Dad or not. Either way it's your choice. If you want to smoke cigarettes, do drugs, live in an unhealthy way, cuss, and watch late night TV, they simply lack any compulsory authority to dissuade you from these questionable choices. Your mom's nagging not withstanding.

The scene changes markedly, though, when the Federal and State governments begin to assume the mantle of parental moral authority. In the past, the Federal government's job was to protect us from foreign powers, and insure domestic security on a broad scale. The state's job was to maintain order, roads, commerce, and protect the citizens from one another through law, police enforcement etc. Another major difference in governmental authority over paternal is now and always has been in the province of punishment. Mom could send you to your room, but the government could send you "up the river" and forcibly seize your assets! Big, big difference to my mind. But, the government's role in the past was minimal, and if you didn't rob, rape, or kill your fellow state residents, and declined to invade the USA, you were pretty safe from jail. At any rate, no state legislature or President ever considered it their province to take over your father's job once you reached 18!

In the 21st century our government has now taken on a decidedly paternal aspect. Today, the state government feels the need to protect you from yourself by enforcing state seat belt and motorcycle helmet laws, the violation of which can lead to hefty fines. Now, my Dad taught me to always use safety belts, and I personally think they're an indispensable part of driving. But Dad never threatened to pull me over and forcibly take hundred of dollars from me if I ignored his advice!

The Federal government, in it's new role as my Mommy and Daddy, is telling me I'll soon have to buy health care that meets their standards, or else! Why? To protect me from myself, and making bad decisions. How much I drink, smoke, exercise, and maybe even cuss, is now their business because my taxes (otherwise known as the government's money) are on the line. Hefty fines (and maybe even imprisonment) await me if I act the "willful child" and fail to comply.

Fellow citizens, Tea Party members, and patriots of America, we need to loudly and clearly tell Obama and Company the following; "You're not our Daddy, dammit!"

Oh, no...I just cussed. I guess they'll be coming for me soon!

Rick

No Prouder Father on Earth!

This morning Alanna, my daughter, prepared to recite the daily pledge of allegiance at her high school. Three girls ignored the proceedings, and continued to talk amongst themselves near her place. Indignant, she exclaimed, "maybe some people would like to be quiet, or better yet continue their conversation in Iraq!"

For a blessed moment, the sound of idiotic chattering ceased.

A father just couldn't be any prouder.


Alanna will be a Biology Major at Drexel University in the fall.

Rick
(Beaming Dad)

Get Girly MJ off my Lady Liberty

The Garish and Girlish face of Michael Jackson superimposed over the lovely and historic Lady Liberty on the American Silver Eagle coin. Yes, this "product" is actually being sold right now, as the contents of my stomach struggle violently to be released! What cold-hearted, avarice-soaked monster would commit such an atrocity on an American treasure? I would heartily support any new law that would sentence such an vandal to a mandatory lifetime term without the possibility of parole for this vile crime (and I'm only a little kidding about this)!

So, what's next America? A figurine of the Statue of Liberty in streetwalker makeup? A poster of Uncle Sam in fishnet stockings and heels?

Ouch! Sorry for that last mental image. Besides, I don't think Sam's got the legs for it.

PS. I want everyone to know I kept it classy, and avoided the obvious jokes about the unlikely picture of MJ on top of any woman, lady or not. I even resisted with titanic moral strength the temptation to indicate that "he" might be more at home atop a Boy Scouts of America collectable.

Oh...wait. Never mind re classy claim.

Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles.

Rick

My Country, Right or Wrong!

I have always approved of the sentiment embodied by the quote, "my country, right or wrong"! I know some people view the saying as a jingoist, extreme right-wing sentiment mindlessly rubber stamping any and all actions by one's country. However, I think it instead expresses rather an old-fashioned loyalty that recognizes the value of standing up for what you believe in or belong to, even when the fickle winds of fashion and politics begin to blow in a contrary direction. Finding support from a friend or ally is always easy when you're firmly in the majority and the "right". Heck, folks will line up around the block to fly the colors when the "home team" is popular and having a winning season.

The true test of man and his character, though, comes when he's asked to stand with his family, friends, or countrymen when the odds are decidedly not in their favor, and the world has roundly condemned their cause as most certainly in the "wrong".

Rick