This was posted early in this post by Tesla: I hope Ron Paul isn't saying this on his campaign because it is a little obvious. Obviously things like precious metals back paper currency in a fundamental level. It is like having saying you need to move your body to get to your car. Yes you need backing like precious metals just for our country to basically have currency. The things is, the faith people have in the ecomony based on real figures and numbers from the country drives the strength of the Dollar. At this point strengthening the dollar is like tuning a old radio dial (big picture: the Dollar is down pretty low right now), don't worry about the precious metal part of it, Fort Knox isn't going anywhere, worry about what needs to build the strength of the economy now, production, value of products and the quantities we can make the products, things like that.
The value of the dollar is a commodity. We constantly put more into circulation to finance government debt. More dollars = weaker dollar due to deflation. The US dollar has lost 50% of it's value since the War started. And they are printing more and more everyday to finance the war. Unless you see a way to make up 50% increase across the board in productivity, the dollar will continue to deflate under these circumstances.
But we can't just do that whenever (even though we do), the basis is the confidence and faith the markets has with the Dollar. If your on that concept that we have lost 50% of its value 50 years ago that is true but we can't go back 50 years and then start all over again. We have to use value of today which is based on the past to recover our Dollar in the present and future. We have to build the strength, confidence of our economy for the extra circulation to stand up. We got everything we need to do just that, we just need a plan our economy better.
The hard data doesn't appear to support this conclusion. You can find more hard data in the FY2007 Federal Budget.
ferret: That's a piece of data, not a conclusion. guerilla was arguing for a causation which is not supported by the facts. It's not just that correlation does not equal causation -- in this case there isn't even a good correlation.
Yeah, I get some of those cash advance checks as well which have a high interest rate which accumulates the day you write the check. I toss them in the trash. I know my bank can do better. And eventually they do. I'd personally rather have a 0 credit card balance. I did for a few months. But sometimes, having debt means a net gain overall. A huge part of out economy is based on debt. Banks go into debt by borrowing large sums of money for a certain rate. They then sell that money at a higher interest rate. So, if a bank had no debt, they'd have no income and they'd go bankrupt. Same with our government. The issue is not the debt, it's what the debt is doing. If that debt is being invested and bringing a return then that's good debt. And for a good part of it, that's what it's doing.
Sorry but government is here to do the tasks regular person can't do such as collect taxes, build roads and maintain a military not becomes a nanny because its too hard for them to take care of their own children.
As President James Madison stated, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
Yup, Fed Funds, Bonds. Debt managment based on faith and confidence in our nations commodities, economic system, economic integrity, and economic performance. I think we got precious metals are covered already as a commodity, but its just part of what is to be performing well as an economic indicator to boost the Dollar when relevant, positive or negative, depending on the conditions. Reserves are not a problem.
Kick out the illegals and USA will stop working. The US people will refuse to take those shit jobs anyway. So you want USA to be like china where the government decides the child policy, their policy is just stupid.
yeah too much in my opinion, so many people are vain shallow materialistic POS, whose self worth is totally based on what possessions they can show people they "own" The funny part about it is that don't actually "own" anything other then debt, none of their major possessions are paid for, they basically rent everything from the bank. There is a whole "how much will this cost me a month" culture in the US. When they fall ill or lose their job and can't make payments for a few months, then you see what they actually "own".
It hard to make that illegal to legal worker transaction quickly, because a lot of companies already have their budgets planned out. A lot of goverment aid to the companies will be needed to pull that off, but its hard to believe that there aren't any people out of the 900 million+ Americans in America that would work those jobs (get bums off the street programs perhaps). About the debt management, I agree that there is too much debt but that is just a matter of how you manage your debts when thinking personal debt. It does boost the economy though. Renting lifestyles isn't that bad although it is cheaper to buy outright in the long run. Not owning some things could be a good thing. You get that general lack of liability sense that some people like just stay away from that "liability" claim by your debtors by paying your bills on time is a good thing.
In a previous career, it was my job to recruit workers from such wonderful places as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, government "work" offices, and the food stamp office. I also have some experience working with illegals. It's a world of difference. I would take one illegal over a dozen of those bums. 99% of those bums are hopeless cases. They won't work. They have been told that society owes them and they are waiting to collect. They won't lift a finger to help themselves. When the idiots that believe the illegals are stealing our jobs are finally pushed out of the work force, it will tank the economy. These bums won't work -- at any price. We will have managed to destroy the most productive economy in the history of mankind. All because we didn't want to share any of the wealth with the people who made it happen.
That's true, I guess that is why they are bums but even out that their has to be a sizable amount of people that need the extra money and are willing to work these jobs to get it. There has to some bums that would like to hitch a ride to where these jobs and work it. There just needs to be some shelter initiative for them to go to after work until they can make it on their own.
I'm sure it depends on where you live, the illegals around by me are in no means these die hard workers everyone talks about. I lived in an apartment building for a few years when I was younger. The building was filled with illegals. They did not work but drove very nice custom trucks. All they did and this is no embelishment was sit around and drink beer all day long. The apartments for 3-4 people were filled with several families. The garbage dumpster was filled with their beer cans 'they could not be bothered to use the recycle containers' Their kids were picked up by a tax payer service just for them. I guess if someone can take a stance just by their experience of 'bums' then I guess someone with experience with illegals who did nothing but drink beer and live off the government can take one as well
GRIM: I worked with bums for years -- every single day. I know bums pretty well. I would be willing to bet that my excellent experience with illegals and your dismal experience with illegals centers on geography. Did you perhaps live in a city when you encountered these illegals? My experience with illegals is largely based in rural and suburban America. As you were a child, how did you know they were illegal? Also, was this before "welfare reform"? If not, how did they afford "very nice custom trucks"? Some parts of your memory are difficult to make sensible.
I worked with them as well, being a supervisor of a line where we trucked them in from the city It was AFTER welfare reform. I didn't live near them as a child, this was when I moved out on my own. Custom trucks, not hard to know. They manipulated the system, many of them bragged about it often. They collected multiple streams from the government, the specifics I do not know how they did it. Claimed to have multiple forged Social Security numbers each of which they collected their money from. Nope not a city, a small town..
Very interesting. I am unable to determine how your experience with illegals differs so widely with mine. I do not believe we will ever know.