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To: Errant

I would love to start a conversation about the current problems with our existing currency, DOLLARS, and a more stable valued conversion to a more stable method..

I believe we were more secure when the value of our currency was stabilized by a valued commodity, GOLD and Silver, for instance.. Removing a transferable, or valued commodity placed a floor on it’s value, at least as the value of the commodity was unambiguous by supply and demand..

Gold was not the best choice because it hasn’t a value other than that of a short supply, we think or have been lead to believe.. But other than scarcity, GOLD is only a pretty thing, and has not many applications to maintain it’s value but perception..

SILVER, on the other hand has massive applications, in manufacturing as an example.. Other commodities such as food, energy, real-estate, medicine, has real value, and could be a stabilizing effect by demand.. Hell, it could be Diamonds, which have a natural scarcity, if not for the DeBeer’s monopoly..

Not that I believe they can/would be considered a replacement, but why not something as useful, that can be a real valued and a convertible substitution in exchange of the paper in emergency..

Digital, has nothing valued other than perception, and artificial value controlled by shadows, behind closed doors that may not even exist.. jus sayin..


7 posted on 01/08/2014 9:40:39 AM PST by carlo3b (Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.. Henry Kissinger)
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To: carlo3b
When you study the cryptocurrency concept, you realize it has every other "medium of exchange" beat at almost every level (excepting unforeseen problems due to it being based on new and somewhat unproven technology) except of one, and that is its reliance on an automated ledger system (which theoretically could be made manual in an emergency).

Then what doesn't rely upon automation in this day and time. If the internet goes down, just about everything else will go with it. Without technology, the planet could not support the numbers of people it is supporting today. Our best chance is to use technology to our advantage. Look to the lesson of the dinosaur for the lack thereof.

A really huge advantage of crytocurrency is its ability to eliminate the need to trust a bank or even a government. As history has shown us, even the most trusted government (the US) eventually succumbs to corrupting influences. Any system that relies upon trusting others through some centralized control mechanism, be it gold certificates or other, is doomed to eventual failure.

What might work would be numerous independently audited private mints, completely outside the influence of a country's legislators or executives. Those certificates could be far better trusted than any issued under direction of some central power. If that become the currency, then whatever was used would have to be locked away - taken out of use. Gold, since it has little industrial use, would be the ideal candidate.

IMO, our fist mistake under the "gold standard" was to attempt to assign some arbitrary value to the price of gold (i.e., $20). It should have been denominated in weights and markets allowed to set the price. In the end, ALL currency controlled by a state is eventually debased as we've seen though history. Cryptocurrency may just put the power of gained from controlling the medium of exchange into the hands of those most affected by it, the people.

8 posted on 01/08/2014 10:12:50 AM PST by Errant (Surround yourself with intelligent and industrious people who help and support each other.)
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