Montana Legislator wants to be paid in silver and gold

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by tulianr, Nov 14, 2012.


  1. tulianr

    tulianr Don Quixote de la Monkey

    Legislator wants to be paid in silver and gold


    Posted: Monday, November 12, 2012 9:30 pm | Updated: 9:02 am, Wed Nov 14, 2012.

    By JIM MANN/The Daily Inter Lake

    State Rep. Jerry O’Neil, R-Columbia Falls, is spooked enough about the country’s fiscal picture to request that his legislative pay come in the form of gold and silver coins.

    In a letter sent to Montana Legislative Services this week, O’Neil cites Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution, which states in part that no state shall “make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts.”

    He said that in his 10 years as a legislator, he considered it a “trivial matter” and he “did not want to be branded as a fanatic over an issue of no consequence.”

    But now he says he is looking at the value of the dollar “in a new light.”

    The country’s $16 trillion debt “is a warning sign we can only ignore at our peril,” he wrote. “It is very likely the bottom will fall out from under the U.S. dollar. Only so many dollars can be printed before they have no value.”

    Contacted at his Columbia Falls-area home, O’Neil said that he did not contact Legislative Services prior to sending the letter to see if there may be any logistical barriers to providing his legislative pay in gold and silver.

    He said he doesn’t know what to expect in the way of a response.

    “They might just go to the coin shop and get me gold and silver coins, or they might say I have to do it myself,” he said. “I don’t know.”

    O’Neil said he is largely trying to make a point and get “people to start thinking about what will happen if our money collapses. Also, I would like the state to think about the logistics of actually following the Constitution when it comes to gold and silver coin.”

    The clause that he cites in the Constitution fell to irrelevance in all states, O’Neil believes, starting with the passage of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.

    “One of the arguing points of passing that was to make money more elastic,” he said.

    In his letter, O’Neil points out that he does not want to be paid at the face value of $50 American Eagle gold coins or $1 silver American Eagle coins. He stipulates that he should be paid at their market values, currently $1,801 for the gold coin and $35.28 for the silver coin.

    “Let’s say I made $1,800 in a month. They could give one gold American Eagle” or multiple silver American Eagles, he said.

    “Hopefully this will be an example for our Montana citizens and prompt them to also have some of their own wealth in money that has intrinsic value,” his letter concludes.

    Legislator wants to be paid in silver and gold - Daily Inter Lake: Local/Montana
     
  2. scrapman21009

    scrapman21009 Chupacabra Hunter

    I think i might ask for my tax return in coin this year, lets see if that happens!
     
    JABECmfg likes this.
  3. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to


    Or they might just tell him to go pound sand, fearing that if they did it for him all the gov employees would demand the same. Could be interesting to see how it plays out. Heh, imagine if it had been the State Comptroller making that demand.
     
  4. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    I always thought that politicians preferred to be paid in "filthy lucre"....usually in a non descript brown paper bag. ;)
     
  5. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Irate tax payers have delivered their treasure in the form of pennies, on occasion, promoting gubernaunt to define "U.S. Tender" as a minimum of a dollar. Taxes can not be paid in "coinage", So I believe they will tell him to pound sand.
     
  6. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    So coinage is not legal tender
     
  7. VisuTrac

    VisuTrac Ваша мать носит военные ботинки Site Supporter+++

    here is my question, what is he an idiot? He can easily take his FRN's down to the local coin store and swap 'em. Hell, he could do a bi-weekly wire transfer to apmex. I think he just needs a brain or join the unemployment line.

    PM or FRN's not a big deal to exchange. All this is, is grandstanding. What he needs someone to think of this for him. If so, He needs to be out of a job.

    and yes i know, he's trying to bring the debt and it's effect on the dollar to light. It probably would have been better if he just said, "I'm going to take this fiat currency and turn them into real constitutional money". Now that's something I could get behind, but saying "pay me gold or silver" is a bit over the top.

    And yes, if given the choice, i'd take constitutional money over FRN's anyday. I can always convert them to legal tender when i need to pay bills :)
     
    ditch witch and tulianr like this.
  8. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    "here is my question, what is he an idiot? "

    Not if his intent, is to draw attention to himself, or
    Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution. He could make a name for himself, if he can stir up controversy.With this one play, he can align himself with the Founding Fathers (at least in the press) and have a leg up on a rival at election time. Anyone who opposed his stand would be opposing the Founding Fathers (political suicide) and it cost him nothing.
    He could easily buy his own gold and silver, but no one would know.
    Plus, if any changes was made as a result of his request, it would bare him name/ mark forever. Politicians live for that.
     
    oldawg, tulianr and VisuTrac like this.
  9. VisuTrac

    VisuTrac Ваша мать носит военные ботинки Site Supporter+++

    As you stated, politicians live for that. I guess i'm just tired of the grandstanding of politics. All he really had to do was say:
    "I'm going to take your worthless and worth less everyday after paper funny money and convert it to gold and silver just like the constitution says" that would have been good enough for me.

    hey, I'm not bashing the guy, PM>FRN any day in my book. So if they say no does that mean he's just going to stay in paper? Inquiring minds want to know!
     
  10. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    "or they might say I have to do it myself,”
    “Hopefully this will be an example for our Montana citizens and prompt them to also have some of their own wealth in money that has intrinsic value,” his letter concludes".

    Taken together, I would say No, he will not stay in paper, he will put all or more likely, most of his money in metal. Paper is easier to use, but metal keeps it's value better.
     
  11. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    The Federal Reserve is a privately owned corporation.
    The Internal Revenue Service is a privately owned corporation.
    In fact, pretty much everything is a corporation today, even your local fire and police department, to the fictional representation of YOU.

    Find out for yourself: D&B® Small Business Credit Solutions - Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.

    But don't let all that confuse you. Just take a look at the Code of Federal Regulations, Uniform Commercial Code and United States Code --all are arbitrary codes which are "colorable", having the appearance and substance of law only. The jurisdiction of these courts is Admiralty, defined by a court to be "Statutory", and exist under the law of merchants, not common law and the Constitution.
     
  12. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    "As you stated, politicians live for that. I guess i'm just tired of the grandstanding of politics."

    That is the difference between a politician and a statesman. A politician thinks "How can this help my side?" A Statesman thinks " How can I help the most?"Statesmen are damn rare, and usually (politically) killed off early.
     
    tulianr likes this.
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