I guess thats how the world works. And I don't think its going to change anytime. Its not just America, but in all the countries. Thats the side effects of signing the Magna Carta. I'm sorry, I know little about how the monetary system should have been, but IMO, its better to learn the tricks of how the Rich do it, so that you don't end up in an ever-shrinking Middle Class.
If they didn't publish currency rates around the world, how would you know that the dollar is falling in value?
Why is a dollar earned today potentially worth more tomorrow? And actually the dollar has gone up in value recently. I'm invested in a Canadian Royal Trust and I think there was only one or two months where the Canadian dollar was worth more than the USD. I usually get a penny or two less per unit. http://googolplex.cuna.org/32412/ajsmall/story.html?doc_id=404 then = 1970, now = 2006 Loaf of bread (One pound, whole wheat): then $0.30 now $1.59 Men's athletic shoes: then $11.70 now $62.15 New car: then $5,694 now $30,244 A loaf of wheat bread can be had for $0.94 at Wal-Mart You can buy a pair of athletic shoes for $15 You can buy a brand new car for around $12,000 When Airwalks first came out the news was all over them because they were $30 a pair and excellent quality. Shortly after they went up to $60 a pair. You can't confuse "inflation" with money grubbing. Now, instead of being the hot thing you can find them in discount stores. If they hadn't be greedy morons they'd probably still be popular. I don't know what "average" car costs $30,000. Cars today also come with air conditioning, fancy radios, fuel injection, etc A car with all those features back then either didn't exist or cost a fortune. The market value of a dollar may be less but you get a lot more for your dollar these days. The cost of oil is up but so are profits. If oil companies would accept less of a profit, oil would cost a lot less money. Increased taxes also affect the price at the pump. Ethanol is the driving force of rising food costs. Not inflation.
It won't if people don't educate themselves and others, and push for change. There was probably a time when people were not allowed to learn or work above their caste, or practice the art of writing, or follow a particular religion etc. Nothing stays the same, the only thing that I am sure of is that it will not get better if people don't care. You're missing a big point. While you are practicing tricks, someone has to hurt. If most everyone was rich, they would really be middle class. I wouldn't care, because if I was Swiss or British, I would have no interest in a currency I cannot exchange. Answer my question about whether today's average income, as cited by you is net after tax, or gross.
No it hasn't. When you combine exchange rate changes with inflation, the dollar continues it's 90 year sink. This has already been debunked by the WSJ article I have posted several times. You see, this is the stuff that makes me want to scream. No one can see more than skin deep, nor do they have an interest in doing so. Ethanol subsidies have driven up the cost of corn, subsidies are paid for by inflation.
There's no risk if your goal is to keep up with inflation. You can obtain a high risk-free rate by laddering safe debt securities.
I'm really not interested in playing more word games, and then you disappear at the end. But you refuse to explain the economic phenomenon of constant and prolonged inflation without deflation. So here we go again, Why have we had uninterrupted inflation, instead of the historical inflation/deflation price stability of the past? Why can't my savings today retain their value for tomorrow?