Mises, Cancer, Gold, Guns, God and the bigger picture.... How I see it.

tanstaafl72555

tanstaafl72555

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This article from the Mises Institute is great. It is the essence of why this crazy, paranoid, lunatic ranter has literally impoverished his family at times and lived like a (relative) pauper by fanatically buying silver and gold since 2004, and am, even now, relatively cash poor, even after having a very healthy income from my business for over 10 years. I hoarded silver and gold with every spare dollar (at times very sinfully, and at my wife's distress when she found out!) because of this. It is also why I have invested in bitcoin and other alt-currencies. It is at the root of why I became interested in guns and invested in them, and led to me joining this forum. It is why I started gardening, began doing contract work as a handyman, and even now have a list of a gazillion things I need to learn. It is all because of money and banking and an impending monetary collapse. https://mises.org/wire/when-fiat-currency-stops-being-money

I think of myself as a Michael Burry, who made the right call, just way early, where I may in fact be just a paranoid lunatic, and a pathetic deluded loon, who is sitting on a pile of silver gold and worthless digital strings of data and will die and folks will cluck in pity over the fool who "could have done something with all that."

Two things have been recent life changers for me:

1) My wife has gone (quite independently of my rantings, interestingly) from thinking I am crazy, to thinking "we need to make preparations for this stuff" and has enlisted in the urge to take the above very very seriously. We are now a team. It may be a team of lunatics, but a team, nonetheless
2) Cancer has shrunk the threat of a genuine societal collapse (always happens with a monetary collapse) to a "so what?" thing. The important thing is not "survival" as no one survives. The thought that God takes care of His people has become far more central in my thinking and planning. The difference is that I am less strident, harried, and fear driven. This leads to a more measured, trusting and peaceful approach to things. The phrase from the Older Testament "each man under his own fig tree" is comforting, with sort of mashup of a visions of security, independence, and self reliance in faith sort of mixed together.

I did want to share this article, though, as Proverbs 27 states the principle clearly "the wise man sees the trouble coming and hides himself, and the naive go on and suffer for it."

I realize some will skip over this "wall of text" and/or roll their eyes about this "not THIS again!" stuff, and that is ok. I hope though that some will find comfort that "I am doing the right thing here and it will pay off..... am going to consider this and make plans to do what I can." A little preparation is going to put us in an entirely different category than the vast throngs around you who are assuming things will just go on as usual..... maybe :)

Take it for what you think it is worth.
 
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MacEntyre said:
I wish I had a few Argentine Pesos to play with during discussions with young'uns who jus' don' get it...
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A few years ago, I bought a collection of paper currencies which have evaporated into nothing in the 20th century. I was going to frame them around a (fake) gold coin to illustrate the point. Never got around to it.

Here they are:2014ad9c-5dbe-44c8-a146-15186c9257ce.jpeg
 
tanstaafl72555 said:
A few years ago, I bought a collection of paper currencies which have evaporated into nothing in the 20th century. I was going to frame them around a (fake) gold coin to illustrate the point. Never got around to it.

Here they are:View attachment 405809
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I don’t see any US dollars there.
 
I believe it’s called New Monetary Theory. The idea is that by “printing” money you create growth. Unfortunately, history is full of examples to the contrary. The USD is being intentionally devalued through inflation, with HUGE cash injections into the hands of the bourgeoise class (think hedge funds, private jets and yachts) while stealing it from the people.

This is beyond criminal and voting harderer in moar elections isn’t going to stop it.
 
You need to add some of the fake physical versions of the crypto currencies. I’ve got some worthless equities, have thought about doing a similar display.
 
my wife is the same way: i WAS crazy, now she sees.

the only problem, so far, is that she goes a little too far. (in my opinion)

as a result of the PLANdemic,she has a closet full of Kleenex, and tp, and paper towels, etc.

currently, she has "come around" to silver and gold. those just might be a Christmas present to ourselves. (silver and gold...old Christmas song)

finally, and obviously, ammunition is part of HER plan. if she would only allow us to SHOOT some of it....
 
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When I got to Brasil in 1975 it was 7 cruzeiros to a US Dollar. When I left in 1983 it was around 1500 to a dollar. Since then Brasill has gone through. SEVEN difference currencies.

The big difference between the United States and the rest of the world is that we print the currency that the world lives by. And that is why inflation is kept at bay and also the value of the dollar.

When the world stops buying and selling oil and most major commodities in dollars... it's over man.
 
Goofyfoot2001 said:
When I got to Brasil in 1975 it was 7 cruzeiros to a US Dollar. When I left in 1983 it was around 1500 to a dollar. Since then Brasill has gone through. SEVEN difference currencies.

The big difference between the United States and the rest of the world is that we print the currency that the world lives by. And that is why inflation is kept at bay and also the value of the dollar.

When the world stops buying and selling oil and most major commodities in dollars... it's over man.
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pending legislation in Brazil would make bitcoin an official currency AND make mining BTC tax free. The canary is dead.
 
For the sake of argument and a little comedy I wonder what the value of the paper dollar would be if things really went downhill. From my simple observations very few of my friends and family "own" much cash. They may have a few dollars here and there but I would say 90% of their transactions are electronic and are nothing but electrons floating from one electronic account to another. They do not own any hard currency (metals) and very little soft currency (paper). I have observed that during times of calamities such as severe storms when power is lost many businesses switch to "cash" only. Those who have cash do ok. Those with nothing but plastic fair poorly. That's why you are told to always have some emergency paper money on hand during those emergencies. I have yet to see one merchant take a pencil and write "gold or silver only" on a sign. For one thing no one has any but they may have a few dollars in their pocket...or not. So, should one invest in hard currency or soft currency or both? And in what "denominations? Silver or gold in oz. of grams? $20 bills? These are the things that will become the norm in the event of a major meltdown. Will a pound of flour sell for an ounce of gold? If so, how much gold does one need to live? Ten pounds, a hundred pounds? If I own $10,000 in gold today that would constitute roughly 5 1/2 ounces of gold. Or when the system collapses 5 pounds of flour depending on where you shop. 😁
 
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They call it investing when they tax and spend. What they don't talk about is printing more currency.
 
Downeast said:
For the sake of argument and a little comedy I wonder what the value of the paper dollar would be if things really went downhill. From my simple observations very few of my friends and family "own" much cash. They may have a few dollars here and there but I would say 90% of their transactions are electronic and are nothing but electrons floating from one electronic account to another. They do not own any hard currency (metals) and very little soft currency (paper). I have observed that during times of short term calamities such as severe storms when power is lost many businesses switch to "cash" only. Those who have cash do ok. Those with nothing but plastic fair poorly. That's why you are told to always have some emergency paper money on hand during those emergencies. I have yet to see one merchant take a pencil and write "gold or silver only" on a sign. For one thing no one has any but they may have a few dollars in their pocket...or not. So, should one invest in hard currency or soft currency or both? And in what "denominations? Silver or gold in oz. of grams? $20 bills? These are the things that will become the norm in the event of a major meltdown. Will a pound of flour sell for an ounce of gold? If so, how much gold does one need to live? Ten pounds, a hundred pounds? Same with silver and the rest.
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Almost all our retirement and investment items are priced in USD. The inflationary policies of the fed are exclusively responsible for the eye popping returns of the DOW/SP/QQQ over the last 10 years or so.

This means that when the world wakes up to the fact that the prices are illusory reflections of "value," you are going to see a crash of the equities market that will make 1929 look like a sneeze. The "price" may be $100,000 Dow, but the dollar will no longer be a metric of value.
 
Schattenreiter said:
No, not everyone. I had a best friend who died around 40. He just lived life. Never once thought about the future. Some I know now live for the moment and never prepare for the future. I am starting to think that way.
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:)



My experience is that this was possible only when I had no responsibilities. I promise you won't find another person who lived this way more intensely than me... until I had kids.

I remember a guy trying to sell me life insurance when I was about 24. I was married, young and living FAR FAR FAR below our income, as I had a disdain for "material things." I quoted the proverb "he who is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him" and just blew him off. A lot to be preferred in that mindset, for sure. I am not sneering at it. Just saying that kids forced me into an awareness of needing to plan for the future. Whether I kept a good perspective on financial stuff is something that God himself will have to sort out. I am positive I screwed up on some stuff, for sure.

I think bohemian hippie nonsense is just that, nonsense. Not sure what the "balance" to all this is. I know that Jesus himself said "no man can be my disciple who does not give up ALL his possessions" and I think He was serious about that. Best I can do is wake up every day, and in my mind take everything I have and say "this is Yours. All of it. If you ask me to distribute it to some cause/person/group, I will do so, but extraordinary acts call for extraordinary confirmations. Nevertheless, I won't complain. It is all yours. Please increase or decrease it as you see fit, and instruct me on how to live."

I don't claim to have it all sorted out, for sure.


YMMV
 
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Downeast said:
That's why you are told to always have some emergency paper money on hand during those emergencies. I have yet to see one merchant take a pencil and write "gold or silver only" on a sign. For one thing no one has any but they may have a few dollars in their pocket...or not. So, should one invest in hard currency or soft currency or both? And in what "denominations? Silver or gold in oz. of grams? $20 bills? These are the things that will become the norm in the event of a major meltdown. Will a pound of flour sell for an ounce of gold? If so, how much gold does one need to live? Ten pounds, a hundred pounds? If I own $10,000 in gold today that would constitute roughly 5 1/2 ounces of gold. Or when the system collapses 5 pounds of flour depending on where you shop. 😁
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There are two components of "value" in a commodity for sale. One is the desirability of the commodity (flour). The other is the desirability of the currency (money) one uses to purchase it. These two affect each other, but I am not focusing right now on the relative scarcity and demand of the commodity (flour). I do believe a disruption in the money system of a country causes fluctuations in both the supply and demand for commodities. The underlying "cause" of this, though, unless it is a time of war/famine/drought etc is money supply. The commodity value swings just exacerbate the effects of bad monetary policy.

I believe your point is excellent. I am not talking about preparing for drought or famine, though.
 
Downeast said:
For the sake of argument and a little comedy I wonder what the value of the paper dollar would be if things really went downhill. From my simple observations very few of my friends and family "own" much cash. They may have a few dollars here and there but I would say 90% of their transactions are electronic and are nothing but electrons floating from one electronic account to another. They do not own any hard currency (metals) and very little soft currency (paper). I have observed that during times of calamities such as severe storms when power is lost many businesses switch to "cash" only. Those who have cash do ok. Those with nothing but plastic fair poorly. That's why you are told to always have some emergency paper money on hand during those emergencies. I have yet to see one merchant take a pencil and write "gold or silver only" on a sign. For one thing no one has any but they may have a few dollars in their pocket...or not. So, should one invest in hard currency or soft currency or both? And in what "denominations? Silver or gold in oz. of grams? $20 bills? These are the things that will become the norm in the event of a major meltdown. Will a pound of flour sell for an ounce of gold? If so, how much gold does one need to live? Ten pounds, a hundred pounds? If I own $10,000 in gold today that would constitute roughly 5 1/2 ounces of gold. Or when the system collapses 5 pounds of flour depending on where you shop. 😁
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My head is pretty much in the same place. It’s one thing to weather a hurricane or an ice storm where all systems are down “for awhile”. Like two weeks. Cash will definitely be king.

But when the supply chains completely collapse, and we have seen just a small sampling of this in the past two years, what then? That’s kind of a rhetorical question.

Paper currency, or even gold, are worthless on a day to day basis if no one has what what you are trying to procure. Can PMs protect any accumulated “wealth” long term? Sure, but if what you need or want is nowhere to be had, you’re pretty much SOL the way I see it, no matter what.

I was listening to a sweet interview that a grown grandaughter did with her now deceased 95 year old grandmother who grew up between Fuquay Varina and Apex NC near us. My wife knew that grandmother and grew up with her kids in southwest Wake county in the sixties and seventies.

The last four generations of my family have grown up “in town” in the Carolinas so I don’t know what I don’t know when it comes to “sustainable living”.

But for that grandmother who was born a century ago and has just passed, she’d tell you that “back then” they kept two pigs for meat through the winter, 75 chickens, and a vegetable garden. While my wife doesn’t think I’m nearly as crazy as she did ten years ago, she’s not going to start “farming", so my plans might cover me in the short term, but...
 
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I don’t think the idea that metals will replace the USD in everyday commerce le realistic, now or even post SHTF. They do however, serve a couple of purposes. One is an offset against the criminal behavior of this cartel called the federal reserve that is stealing the people’s wealth and transferring it to their buddies. The other is that as things start going south, you may be able to trade some of it for some last minute items, possibly even big ticket items with others who’ve managed to prepare.
 
Balance is the way to go. I keep a set amount of each denomination from 1's to 20's for power outages and shirt term preparedness. Very little precious metals just as barter or buying off aggression as I see it. Firearms and ammunition with enough ammo to hold out for a while. I never farmed, but my small backyard is going to turn into hopefully mostly a garden over the next couple of years. I'll have to teach myself as I go. It is a lot harder to prepare like I should due to kids eating finances and being single income, but I've really felt a pressure to start up the skills part the past year. That is so why the only debt we have is our house.
 
noway2 said:
I don’t think the idea that metals will replace the USD in everyday commerce le realistic, now or even post SHTF. They do however, serve a couple of purposes. One is an offset against the criminal behavior of this cartel called the federal reserve that is stealing the people’s wealth and transferring it to their buddies. The other is that as things start going south, you may be able to trade some of it for some last minute items, possibly even big ticket items with others who’ve managed to prepare.
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Abslolutely. However, one thing to realize for those who think that they can play musical chairs and rush to get a seat when the music stops is this. It is not like 15 kids for 14 chairs, and then narrowing down to two, three or four contestants for the final chair. That is, everyone in musical chairs KNOWS THE GAME IS GOING ON. Imagine the rush of 50 people for one chair, all at once. This scam has been going on so long, and so forcefully that when it collapses, it will be precipitously. There will be mountains of paper that no one wants, and a dearth of supplies that everyone wants.

This is already starting to happen in the precious metals markets. I have picked up a couple of thousand dollars and thought,"maybe I should buy a little silver.... can't hurt" and logged on to various brokerage/retail sites. AGEs are going fro THIRTEEN DOLLARS PREMIUM over melt value! That is 59 per cent markup, and folks are just now learning how to spell "i-n-f-l-a-t-i-o-n." You cannot imagine the stampede that will go on once it finally gets thru the thick skulls of these fools who imagined the good ole dollar was just safe and secure.

I really liked your comment that metals won't "replace" the USD. This is true, I believe The USD has ALWAYS been represented by paper script, which is why older dollars said the US would "Pay" one dollar to its bearer. It was assumed that there was "something" back there (it used to be gold and/or silver), and the paper was merely a depository receipt for that commodity. It is cumbersome, inefficient, and clumsy AND DANGEROUS to be demanding that we secure gold bullion or silver bullion. Instead the paper dollar was merely a way of trading WAREHOUSE RECEIPTS "representing" that tangible asset. This is the model for honest money.

We no longer have honest money. Since 1971, the dollar has been completely decoupled from any tangible "backing," relying only on "the full faith and confidence of the US Government"..... which is obviously to anyone with two functioning neurons to be a dry well. The dollar is "backed" by nothing except that "confidence"... and this is the very definition of a "con" game.

So, who is getting conned?

Figure that one out folks, and get back to me.
 
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