The rule of planned money by Garet Garrett "As the hungry dollar devours its own purchasing power we may think we are going to find out what happened to the fabulous snake that swallowed itself. But we won't; and if we did, it would add perhaps nothing to the sum of human wisdom. There is a long history of monetary experience. It tells us that government is at heart a counterfeiter and therefore cannot be trusted to control money, and that this is true of both autocratic and popular government." (10/02/07) http://www.mises.org/story/2737
Interestingly enough pre-1965 90% U.S. silver coins, at today's silver price, are valued for their silver content "melt value" as follows: 1 U.S. silver dollar (face value: $1.00) contains $10.23 worth of silver. 2 U.S. silver half dollars (face value: $1.00) contain $9.57 worth of silver 4 U.S. silver quarters (face value: $1.00) contain $9.57 worth of silver 10 U.S. silver dimes (face value: $1.00) contain $9.57worth of silver and: 20 U.S. silver 1942-45 "war nickels" (face value: $1.00) contain $14.89 worth of silver. In true value, today's paper U.S. dollar is worth just a bit more than a silver 1964 dime. The economy's just fine! Just ask your congress-critter!
Actually, Mises is not the best resource for everything. "The Government" only printed money once, under Lincoln. It would behoove any person to study what he had to say on the subject. Remember, history is written most times in an obfuscated fashion. The truth is, with one exception, the United States has always had PRIVATE banks, they weren't government institutions. This is the cause of our problems, and it is one which Mises and all Libertarians will evade every time. The only debt free currency ever made was Lincoln's greenbacks. It is true that he later placed into effect the National banking act, but he was uh...assassinated before he could do anything about it. Truth be told, that made it rather convenient, I imagine. Lincoln was pinned down, with a civil war draining his resources, foreign troops in Canada and Mexico, and promises from sinister beaurocrats which would make any man go gray. The bankers are relentless and without mercy.
Clyde's Notes: Years 1800 - 1820 -- Central Bank Established; War of 1812; Central Bank Gone in-between 1820 - 1830 1870: Civil War Era..War = Price Increases 1910: 3 years before creation of the FEDERAL RESERVE....Look at all that Inflation up to 2006. So, 11 cents could buy you $2.45 of the same goods. That means what you buy today is 2,227% more expensive today than in 1910. But, between 1774 & 1910, other than years noted, there was a 22% increase in prices (Over 135 years) versus a 2,227% increase over the next 96 years, With some years skewed based upon War. If my math is correct, that equates to a non-compounded price increase of about 23.20% per year since the creation of the FED. Is my math wrong? Please check because if it is correct, were ****ed! This chart shows the amount of USD, in a particular year, that could purchase an equivalent amount of goods that were worth $1.00 in 1980.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-12">[13]</sup> <table class="wikitable sortable" id="sortable_table_id_0" style="position: relative; text-align: center;" align="center"><caption>Buying power compared to 1980 USD</caption><tbody><tr class="even"><th width="75">Year </th><th width="75">Equivalent buying power </th><th width="75">Year </th><th width="75">Equivalent buying power </th><th width="75">Year </th><th width="75">Equivalent buying power </th></tr><tr class="odd"><td>1774</td><td>$0.09</td><td>1850</td><td>$0.09</td><td>1930</td><td>$0.20</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>1780</td><td>$0.16</td><td>1860</td><td>$0.10</td><td>1940</td><td>$0.17</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>1790</td><td>$0.11</td><td>1870</td><td>$0.15</td><td>1950</td><td>$0.29</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>1800</td><td>$0.15</td><td>1880</td><td>$0.12</td><td>1960</td><td>$0.36</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>1810</td><td>$0.14</td><td>1890</td><td>$0.11</td><td>1970</td><td>$0.47</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>1820</td><td>$0.14</td><td>1900</td><td>$0.10</td><td>1980</td><td>$1.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>1830</td><td>$0.11</td><td>1910</td><td>$0.11</td><td>1990</td><td>$1.59</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>1840</td><td>$0.10</td><td>1920</td><td>$0.24</td><td>2000</td><td>$2.09</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td>2006</td><td>$2.45</td></tr></tbody></table> US Dollar Index Main article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Dollar_Index
Clyde, your math is excellent, and your conclusion may be somewhat understated but otherwise correct...
I don't know why, but my reply area is 1cm wide and runs vertically, lol. I didn't alter any settings on my phone, either. Anyway... If we research a bit about FIAT currencies, we find a continual inflation rate. When the private banks loan money to the US Treasury, this creates an unpayable debt, which is also known as usury, or extortion depending on how you view compound interest. Additionally, the interest can never be paid off entirely, since the money is needed to pay off these loans, thus facilitating even more debt. The very first bank, appropriately named the First Bank of the United States, was a private bank, and each bank after that, and every bank since has been the same. The Nat. Bank Act of 1863 separated the private banks, to the extent we still see today. Of course, the Fed Res Act of 1913 and the changes since have consolidated the power and control of the money. The Federal Reserve is owned by private shareholders, mostly European bankers who also belong to the Bank of England. The silver and gold standard are means for these banks to gain control of a monetary system. First, they would get control of the issuance, by instituting the privatisation of banks, always done with the help of governments. Next, withdraw from circulation the tangible assets, creating a depression, and using fractional reserve banking to illicit complete control. Finally, as we have seen, the banks use their FIAT to create the illusion of wealth by monetising debt assets, and by manipulating foreign market investments. Further study into the CAFR will reveal the true trickery. By forcing a nation to bankrupt itself, with deliberate exchange of its bonds and property, the bankers gain all the true wealth, while the citizenry barter with worthless paper, which constantly becomes inflated, reducing its buying power. As foreign markets rise and national buying power decreases, the problem is compounded, and foreign investors will no longer hold reserves in US Dollars, essentially catapulting the economy into a quickened recession. The masters of money have created a global economy, which is nothing more than a massive matrix of borrowing and lending at interest. With each war, each spending cycle, th3e debt increases, until the hope of even refinancing the loan becomes a far off dream. There is no escape from this cycle of usury, except to once again print our own debt-free currency as Lincoln proved. It is the single greatest prerogative and duty of government to print money. Most people simply do not accept this, falsely believing the government to be the root of the problem to begin with. It is the private banking scheme that is the true problem.
