After the Peace of Westphalia came the glory of the nation state — one people, one place, and one King...typically united by one common language, one God, one law.
In theory, I've always thought that a combination of the two might work: a dictator who must be a strict constitutionalist could be a way to go. Bonner always says "When the money goes, everything goes," but my version of that is that when consensus goes, everything goes. When the US got to the point where the two sides were split roughly equally, consensus became a casualty, and we have been politically and culturally adrift ever since. Best always. PM
In the 70s I was serving on the central committee in Minnesota for the Republican Party and it was impossible to win an election after watergate. We hired a consultant to discuss the future of the party and his conclusion was that we had to stop shooting Santa clause. That is when the Republicans joined the democrats in uncontrolled spending
Well, sure. That's one way to go - join the Democrats in the destruction of our civilization. Or.... you could have explained the facts of reality to the populace and tell them that human flourishing comes from productive effort and that nothing is for free (and, of course, explain all the reasons why this is true). You could have also realized that our education system was being taken over by progressive collectivist leftists and countered that (a point that the novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand made over and over in the 60s and 70s).
An argument can be made that the Big Loss came and went. We have seen gold go from $35/(troy) ounce to over $4000/(troy) ounce, with a concomitant loss of value of the Dollar from 100% down to less than 1% in that span. It's similar to the tortoise and the hare: while we were all focussed on the overnight-wipeout version of the Big Loss, the slow-but-steady stealth version of TBL (The Big Loss) was gradually winning the "race". Best always. PM
The reaper is a clever devil. Shrouded in his cloak of many devices, he’ll sneak around unseen and do his thing secretly. When the time is ripe, and man has gone to seed, he’ll throw off his cloak and attack in broad daylight. He acts just for spite. Instead of recognizing the perils, people listen to the soothing jargon of politicians. Therein lies the death of a society. The reaper and the pols are in cahoots and we opening cheer them on. La fin.
Fiat is the root cause of all the world's ills. If this fake money and the global banksters like the IMF who issue it didn't exist, there would be billions fewer useless eaters wandering the earth, many of whom are now gravitating toward and living off handouts from the bankrupt welfare states of Western Europe and the US.
So it's a catch-22 - an attempt to return to sound money would mean billions of people would die.
And with our Congress whose members seek re-election by spending year after year money we don't have and a unrestrained chief executive willing to give everyone $5000, the worst is yet to come.
Among the worst are Democrat Socialists championing Robin Hood wealth-taking economics.
Mystifying to me why no one pitches policies designed to enable more wealth-making
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer...
vs
Unbridled immigration and cultural chaos, one world order, global tyrants...
-
I'll take what's behind curtian number 3
In theory, I've always thought that a combination of the two might work: a dictator who must be a strict constitutionalist could be a way to go. Bonner always says "When the money goes, everything goes," but my version of that is that when consensus goes, everything goes. When the US got to the point where the two sides were split roughly equally, consensus became a casualty, and we have been politically and culturally adrift ever since. Best always. PM
There were some awesome word arrangements in there; Bill at its best.
I was looking at stock charts yesterday; Bill hits home runs with the trade of the decade.
One practical solution, to mitigate disaster, end gasohol and subsidize rice and beans.
Every solution, like a trip, starts with the first small step.
Without the ethanol boondoggle, there would have been a crisis in the farming sector years ago. It's coming, anyway. Best always. PM
I am trying to avert an eating crisis.
In the 70s I was serving on the central committee in Minnesota for the Republican Party and it was impossible to win an election after watergate. We hired a consultant to discuss the future of the party and his conclusion was that we had to stop shooting Santa clause. That is when the Republicans joined the democrats in uncontrolled spending
Well, sure. That's one way to go - join the Democrats in the destruction of our civilization. Or.... you could have explained the facts of reality to the populace and tell them that human flourishing comes from productive effort and that nothing is for free (and, of course, explain all the reasons why this is true). You could have also realized that our education system was being taken over by progressive collectivist leftists and countered that (a point that the novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand made over and over in the 60s and 70s).
https://mikelilley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Franciscos-Money-Speech.pdf
In the 70s I was serving burgers & fries at Jack-in-the-Box, buying used Ford Mustangs for
$600, and dating beautiful beach girls in So. Cal. I think I got the better deal!
An argument can be made that the Big Loss came and went. We have seen gold go from $35/(troy) ounce to over $4000/(troy) ounce, with a concomitant loss of value of the Dollar from 100% down to less than 1% in that span. It's similar to the tortoise and the hare: while we were all focussed on the overnight-wipeout version of the Big Loss, the slow-but-steady stealth version of TBL (The Big Loss) was gradually winning the "race". Best always. PM
The reaper is a clever devil. Shrouded in his cloak of many devices, he’ll sneak around unseen and do his thing secretly. When the time is ripe, and man has gone to seed, he’ll throw off his cloak and attack in broad daylight. He acts just for spite. Instead of recognizing the perils, people listen to the soothing jargon of politicians. Therein lies the death of a society. The reaper and the pols are in cahoots and we opening cheer them on. La fin.
Fiat is the root cause of all the world's ills. If this fake money and the global banksters like the IMF who issue it didn't exist, there would be billions fewer useless eaters wandering the earth, many of whom are now gravitating toward and living off handouts from the bankrupt welfare states of Western Europe and the US.
So it's a catch-22 - an attempt to return to sound money would mean billions of people would die.
Is it fiat or love of fiat? No matter. Like the Inquisition, fiat is here, and it's here to stay! Best always. PM
Semantics 😉
Hard to believe, as Bill implies, that this is the beginning of the end.
Surely, indebted governments -- ours in particular -- can reduce spending as a simple means to exhibit fiscal discipline.
Perhaps to tame the bond market, whatever Bush, et al, did in 2007 can be tweaked and employed again.
At a minimum, DJT should declare victory and bring the troops home.
Jimm, how many beginnings do we get? I thought closing the gold window was the beginning. Best always. PM
Yes; you're right.
And with our Congress whose members seek re-election by spending year after year money we don't have and a unrestrained chief executive willing to give everyone $5000, the worst is yet to come.
Among the worst are Democrat Socialists championing Robin Hood wealth-taking economics.
Mystifying to me why no one pitches policies designed to enable more wealth-making