Economics Questions

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

CrazyCoot — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:01:41 GMT

Just get the government out of the way, enforce fraud laws and remove taxes commodity transactions.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Chyd3nius — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 11:01:53 GMT

Ok, why are people posting to these old topics?

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Anenome — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 10:49:44 GMT

Oil isn't scarce enough to serve as currency.

Let's say it did become a currency, and due to demand went to $5 a gallon. Do you know how many oil wells are viable at $5 a gallon? Like, many multiples of $4 or $3.

Also, it's possible to create oil fairly cheaply.

Oil is not viable, because it's not scarce, and soon to arrive tech like breakthrough in solar power could render is far less valuable than it is today.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Clayton — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:35:07 GMT

@RP: Yeah, you had us confused for a second there... not.

We don't need any "standard", we need a free market in the production of money. Consumers will choose the money that works for them, whether that be gold, silver, copper, whatever. Oil would not make a very good money.

Clayton -

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Ron Paul — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:11:39 GMT

i would not advise the gold standard because that would immediatly mean the largest holders of gold would insto facto rule the world. (big banks hold trillions worth of gold in their vaults). also china has more gold than the united states. the oil standard is an interesting idea but i think it could be improved by making it an energy standard. this would creat incentaves to produce energy through much more efficient and clean ways. (hydroelectric/solar/wind/thermal/tidal) this would over time decrease our dependance on oil. if money = energy people could in theory make their own generators from scrap materials and contribute to the grid for cash. this is just an idea i though of a while back. also it would force people to think of new ways to store energy which would benefit the world in many ways.

silver would be better than gold aswell. just ask lincoln and jfk.

btw this is not really ron paul speaking (he wants the gold standard) or silver

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Eduard - Gabriel Munteanu — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:06:54 GMT

Now, everybody that still believes Hayek's idea that there is such a thing as price levels and that currency minters can control it should read this: http://mises.org/money/2s10.asp and http://mises.org/rothbard/genuine.asp (section 'The "Commodity Dollar": A Critique')

To put it shortly: stable money is impossible. And you can't fine-tune it to make one price go up or down unless you actually buy/provide that commodity in exchange. If you tune the money supply, everything will go up or down. However, it's rather unworkable in a free society, it only works in states which have no problem with spending your money "for the greater good".

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Chris — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:44:53 GMT

Juan, I thank you for your advice and appreciate your positions. Now, regarding a 'work group' does anyone know of anything that is currently up and running or have any experience on how to develop one? I think that the US citizens and others around the world are open to alternatives to current economic thought (planned societies) and it seems it is easier today to 'connect the dots' to show historically what has happened and why we're in the mess we are in. thanks.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Juan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:33:06 GMT

ChrisM:
IMHO, I think you have that backwards.

No doubt my position is the opposite of yours - in that sense, I have it backwards. The things is, you fail to acknowledge the true nature of political power.

I'm interested in joining a study group or forming one to start with educating people to alternatives.

Maybe before educating other people you should try to better understand what's going on ?

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Rubén — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:30:27 GMT

I agree with you, CHrisM, let us make that grass roots movement global since I wish to help out but I do not happen to live in the US.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Chris — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:24:40 GMT

IMHO, I think you have that backwards. Also, I recently signed up to this website to see if there's constructive ways to look for real answers to our financial and political problems. It seems most times 'Libertarians' and other outside the popular culture groups fight and argue (I mean discuss) among themselves and very little is accomplished. I would love to see a grass roots movement of limited government (constitutional) and honest money start to sweep our nation. I'm interested in joining a study group or forming one to start with educating people to alternatives.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Juan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:12:09 GMT

In order to actually steal wealth you need violence - that's the core business of politicians and the military. Bankers are only a facade. I'm not saying they are not part of the system -- I'm saying that their power is granted to them by the government, that is, politicians and the thugs that protect them -- cops and the military.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Chris — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:00:19 GMT

And who do you think are behind those politicians and financing those wars?

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Juan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:53:53 GMT

ChrisM:
Thomas Jefferson: I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies

That's just one more thing that Jefferson got wrong. Bankers can only print pieces of papers. Soldiers on the other hand are people who kill other people when politicians tell them to.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Juan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:49:47 GMT

Julio:
Imagine we take gold as money,

We don't need to imagine it -- just check any history book.

...then new discoveries are made and each human in the planent can get 10 pound of it. ITS WORTHLESS.

No it is not. Besides the chance that huge amounts of gold will be discovered all of a sudden is pretty slim.

Re: Alternatives to fiat money & the gold standard

Chris — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:47:48 GMT

I'm all for printing money, as long as I own the printing press and I'm all for Monarchies as long as I'm the King. It's good to be King!