Government is not an optimal solution
Depending on government is like trying to dig a hole with a hammer. It is possible to do (I know; I have done it), but it is far from the optimal tool for the job.
Where a free society would help the less fortunate with charity and a helping hand, government "helps" them with stolen money, and then takes away their remaining dignity and lays claim to their lives.
Where a free society would encourage children to learn how to learn, "government schooling" causes a hatred of anything deemed "educational" that cripples many for their entire lifetime.
Where a free society would ignore what a person owns and carries as long as they harm no one else, a government demonizes mere possession of myriad items and substances.
Where a free society could have many competing currencies, each valuable to certain people, governments dictate the use of illusionary "money" that loses value day by day, stealing the substance of your life's work as long as you hold onto it.
Where a free society would define "justice" as making things right for the victim, government is more concerned with punishing the person its courts "find" guilty.
Where a free society would not care what is in your bloodstream as long as you could do what you committed to do, a government encourages assault and theft of blood, and perverted, quasi-sexual collection of urine to make sure you are allowed to work.
Where a free society would "assume liberty", government assumes ownership. It demands oversight and victimhood.
In all these cases, while you can make a society run by government "work", it is a horribly sick and twisted shadow of what society could be. Devised, administered, and supported by horribly sick and twisted minds.
Hat tip: Thanks to Francois Tremblay for the "horribly sick and twisted mind" he linked to.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fiat money gets more competition every day, for good reason
Fiat money gets more competition every day, for good reason
It's a shame that the most prolific and dangerous counterfeiters work for government. That places them beyond the reach of justice or restitution. In country after country, they ply their trade with the backing of the full coercive force of the government. Government refuses to back its paper certificates with anything of value; mints its coins of near-worthless metals... and few people even notice they have been duped.
There is a way to strike back though: don't use their money except when forced to. There are choices. The amusing thing is that governments always require you pay taxes and other illegitimate tributes with their own funny-money. The joke is on them.
Money almost seems to define a society. You can learn a lot about a society or a culture by closely examining its money. When friends or family travel the world, one thing that is frequently requested is "Would you bring me some foreign money?" In this case, the "value" of the money is in its novelty.
Money, in its most common, modern form, consists of little, portable works of art that are traded for things you want or need. The symbols upon it, and the materials it is made from, tell what is important to the people who choose to use it. Or to the government that tries to give you no choice. Real money is best made of something that has never been worth "zero", and is used by voluntary consent, not government edict. Government promises, those little IOUs called "dollars" (or more accurately "Federal Reserve Notes"), don't meet that requirement. By using privately issued voluntary money, you are not endorsing the system that attempts to violate your rights more each day. That is worth a lot, in itself. That is one reason I am designing my own silver coins. Value and values combined.
_______________
For some alternative voluntary currencies: Check out the Liberty Dollar, the American Open Currency Standard, and the Silver Dubloon. These are not the only options out there, either. Expect more in the near future as confidence in fiat money declines.
It's a shame that the most prolific and dangerous counterfeiters work for government. That places them beyond the reach of justice or restitution. In country after country, they ply their trade with the backing of the full coercive force of the government. Government refuses to back its paper certificates with anything of value; mints its coins of near-worthless metals... and few people even notice they have been duped.
There is a way to strike back though: don't use their money except when forced to. There are choices. The amusing thing is that governments always require you pay taxes and other illegitimate tributes with their own funny-money. The joke is on them.
Money almost seems to define a society. You can learn a lot about a society or a culture by closely examining its money. When friends or family travel the world, one thing that is frequently requested is "Would you bring me some foreign money?" In this case, the "value" of the money is in its novelty.
Money, in its most common, modern form, consists of little, portable works of art that are traded for things you want or need. The symbols upon it, and the materials it is made from, tell what is important to the people who choose to use it. Or to the government that tries to give you no choice. Real money is best made of something that has never been worth "zero", and is used by voluntary consent, not government edict. Government promises, those little IOUs called "dollars" (or more accurately "Federal Reserve Notes"), don't meet that requirement. By using privately issued voluntary money, you are not endorsing the system that attempts to violate your rights more each day. That is worth a lot, in itself. That is one reason I am designing my own silver coins. Value and values combined.
_______________
For some alternative voluntary currencies: Check out the Liberty Dollar, the American Open Currency Standard, and the Silver Dubloon. These are not the only options out there, either. Expect more in the near future as confidence in fiat money declines.
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