Re: [PLUG] Interesting thread on SEUL-EDU mailing list...

["eric@lucii.org" <eric@lucii.org>]

On Thu, Apr 25, 2002 at 09:16:06PM -0400, gabriel rosenkoetter wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 25, 2002 at 07:51:30PM -0400, Paul wrote:
> > Come to think of it, money used to be backed by something real, like 
> > gold.  Now its value is just assigned.  How does that work?
> 
> Ah, the gold standard. Quick, convert all your cash at egold.com!
> 
> The gold standard went away because it was *way* too difficult to do
> business efficiently when the price of gold fluctuated drastically
> on a regular basis. It caused tides of inflation and deflation that
> moved much faster than anything we're used to. And there's always
> the "six men in a smoky room in London" theory. ;^>

<rant>

Ah, fiat currency.  Way more convenient to convert the masses into corporate
slaves by that mechanism.  What you could buy for 4 cents in 1912 now costs one
dollar.  That's more "stable" than gold backed currency only if you believe
that a 25 times loss in value over a century is "stable".  Oh, and it's lead to
the most expensive government in the history of the world.

Gold is, and always was, a manipulated commodity.  But unlike the German mark 
of the 1920's and other fiat currencies, it never reaches zero value.  On the 
other hand, fiat currency is, by definition, a manipulated "non-commodity" that
_must_ reach zero value if it's inflated continuously.  (Predictions redacted).

Economics is an interesting area of study.  Unfortunately, it appears to me
that most of it's practictioners are into hyperbole and demagogurey as much as
actual study.  When I started reading about economics (as a personal interest)
it was boring and dry as dust.  I had a hard time staying awake.  Now that I
have a rudamentary understanding of fractional reserve banking and fiat
currency I have a hard time going to sleep. :-)

</rant>


May I respectfully suggest that we take these discussions off of PLUG?  We are
a diverse community.  Some of us own guns.  Others are deathly afraid of them.
We voted for SelectOne(Bush|Gore|Nader|Browne|NOTA) in the last election.  Some
of us believe that Abortion on demand is cool.  Others of us believe it's
murder.  Some of us are libertarians - some are authoritarians - some are
anarchists - some are socialists.

Last year I made this same basic speech when a listmember started in on gun
control.  I am adamantly opoosed to "gun control" except to the degree that
"gun control" means "hitting what you aim at."  

I say:  "This is PLUG".  We should agree to focus on the things we have in
common -  things like Linux & Unix & BSD & programming & systems & technology
in general - and leave politics, economics, gun control, abortion, drugs, etc.
for different discussion groups.  Occasional off topic excursions are fun
(remember speeding tickets?) but we should avoid lingering on topics that will
divide us for no benefit.

What say ye?

Eric

-- 
#   Eric Allan Lucas 
# "Oh, I have slipped the surly bond of earth
#  And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings..
#              -- John Gillespie Magee Jr.

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