The Root of All Money

Posted by vggrafe 9 years, 8 months ago to Books
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I’d appreciate your feedback from an Objectivist view of the book “The Root of All Money.” Feedback on any part is welcome, but two parts especially: (1) I think that Rand didn’t consider voluntarily altruism broadly enough, and the book offers an alternative view of wealth that (I think) integrates moral arguments for altruism (with your own money, not forced by someone else) with the idea of value for value (page 41). (2) Galt’s Gulch relies on gold as an alternative to fiat currency, but the book makes a case that all currency is fiat currency (about page 98).
Disclaimer – I wrote the book. Early reviewers have said that it was very thought provoking, so I think it will be worth your time.
It’s at Amazon, on Kindle, and at https://www.createspace.com/5680753 (use discount code KDDSCHPZ for $1 off). I priced it about as low as those channels will allow, hoping to make it accessible to spur deeper thinking about what money really is, and how to get control of its power, and help with a solid foundation for countering the forced redistributionist folks.. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!


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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 8 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The behavior may have been logical. The next time a buyer is negotiating with him and thinks the seller can't walk away from a deal, the seller can say, "I'm totally prepared to walk. Why I'm going to do with these perishables if you don't buy them? I'll freaking torch them!" And people will know the seller means it. They'll know he's truly prepared to walk.
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  • Posted by not-you 9 years, 8 months ago
    Looking forward to perusing your book. Sounds thought provoking. So many people today appear "owned" by their possessions instead of the other way around. That baffles me. I have always regarded money as a tool and something to be both earned and paid fairly. I believe my view had to do with a somewhat unique upbringing by parents who survived and were shaped by the Great Depression. They were incredibly versatile people in addition to having chosen careers. My father told some interesting tales, and one that stuck with me for a variety of reasons was that as a young man during the depression he had worked in tomato and cabbage fields in the Deep South (truck farming). He noted that most days he took bread to the field (wrapped in paper or often fabric even) and that his lunch consisted of a tomato sandwich made on the spot. He told tales of produce buyers from the north who would 'fix' prices among themselves that didn't even allow farmers to break-even... much less make any profit. He vividly recalled huge box car sized piles of cabbages that farmers dumped alongside the railroad tracks and doused with kerosene to make them unfit for human consumption because they would rather destroy the produce than sell at a loss. When I noted that not only had they lost the investment of their time and what ever money they could have gotten, he said. "The difference is, we knew we weren't going to starve-- that we could farm, hunt, and take care of ourselves--and we were not going to be beaten into submission by those who refused to trade value for value because they believed they had us over a barrel. Money is only a tool, child. Your mind and your ability to develop a wide variety of useful skills are the most important things you have. Be versatile. Be competent. Never take advantage of another, but never sell yourself short either."
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 8 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You hav' e one of those pesky false premises. The quote is incorrect.

    It is the love of money that is the root of all evil.' The short version of your conversion is 'cui bono.' Follow the money. Especially if you have just walked or driven by Bank America within six blocks or Washington DC within 6 states.
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  • Posted by SaltyDog 9 years, 8 months ago
    I for one will take a look. Thank you.

    As an aside, I've often wondered if the quote, "the wanting of money is the root of all evil" could be altered to read "...the route of all money". In today's environment I think 'route' might be more appropriate.
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