Slay the Creature From Jekyll Island!

Posted by straightlinelogic 8 years, 9 months ago to Government
10 comments | Share | Flag

What would private money look like? Undoubtedly any transition from government money to market-determined money would be complicated. Multiple forms of money would probably evolve in a private-money world. Specie-backed bank notes are almost certain, which might not be the end of fractional reserve banking but would certainly curtail it. Some of the newer cyber-monies might meet the market test. Money, whatever its forms, serves economically useful functions. Taking money away from central banks and governments and leaving it for market determination takes it away from the two institutions most responsible for impairing or destroying its economic value. Markets will determine the most efficient and trustworthy forms of money, some of which are unforeseeable at the present time (almost by definition, innovation is unforeseeable until it happens).

This is an excerpt, for the entire article please click the link above.
SOURCE URL: http://straightlinelogic.com/2015/07/31/slay-the-creature-from-jeckyll-island-by-robert-gore/


Add Comment

FORMATTING HELP

All Comments Hide marked as read Mark all as read

  • Posted by coaldigger 8 years, 9 months ago
    I think this is a snapshot of the development of civilization. We have advanced in technology and in our understanding of many things but have not adopted moral principles that are in the rational best interest of all mankind. The religions have proven to be a shorthand solution that worked somewhat for primitive societies but were flawed and not applicable for a world where people can not only read and write but can exchange ideas with each other around the world at the speed of light.

    Fiat currency is irrational and trying to manage it with more regulations and bigger computers is insanity. Paper money tied to deposits of rare metals is only necessary to impose physical discipline on the operators of the printing press. Transitioning to a private monetary system would be incredibly painful and the corrupt players shifting from the public to private sector would cause extreme harm. I think that the world has grown too large and our transactions are too complex for flying by the seat of our pants. I fear that until we develop beliefs that govern our behavior based on objective principles that we will not be able to build modern societies that are even as stable as we have had in the past.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
    Have there been any private monies that you find acceptable thus far? Bitcoin's prices appear to have bottomed out from the hype of prior years and now are very gradually going up. Is it time to make a longer term investment in Bitcoin yet?
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
      The question isn't what I find acceptable, but what people and markets find acceptable. I think owning physical gold and silver is a fine idea, because I regard them as real money. I have never used Bitcoin, but I'm not opposed to doing so and I may delve into cyber-currencies in the future.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
      • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
        I have some physical gold, and have lost a decent percentage of the increase in value since President Zero took office. It's possible that the rise was an overcorrection, but I certainly don't think so. By my calculations, if one prints $1 trillion per year out of a $15 trillion per year economy, that is a 7% currency devaluation. Multiplied by 6-7 years, that should be about a 40-50% ROI. Right now, it's more like a 25% ROI. The price of Au looks like it is being artificially kept low to me. Two large banks have bought derivative plays on Au and Ag. I think, but am certainly not sure, that these derivative plays are what are driving the values of Au and Ag down lately. The fact that the dollar is going up against all commodities in an era when interest rates are zero and the printing presses go ad infinitum defies logic. I can understand that America's economy is more stable than Greece's or Zimbabwe's, but it still makes no sense (or cents).
        Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
        • Posted by 8 years, 9 months ago
          I don't know if or how much the precious metals markets are being manipulated via futures markets. I don't think over the long term that governments can ever consistently push markets in directions they don't want to go. I do know that Robert Prechter has pretty much spot on called the big turns in precious metals, up and down, since the 1980s, including the top in 2011. That indicates that the precious metals respond to the same forces of psychology that every other market does. He is currently calling for a countertrend rally that takes the price of gold back above $1300. It will be a countertrend rally only, though. Longer term, gold and silver will be caught in the same deflationary undertow that will drag down the prices of almost all assets, and which has already crushed many commodity prices--oil, iron ore, coal, etc.
          Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  

FORMATTING HELP

  • Comment hidden. Undo