Things that make your blood boil...

[WoVeU]

Note on all of this. I'm talking M1 in all of this. Putting a standard to all money M3 and having reserves to meet all federal debt is quite another of course. But covering M1or M2 would be a meaningful step in backing money in circulation (M3 would be a real pain to deal with I think...every kind of monetary instrument there is being included).

[donovan]

So a friend says to me the other day...you need to buy gold. I say, "Why?" He says, "It always has great value." I say," In tough times, bring me over some cases of peanut butter...

[Spence]

So a friend says to me the other day...you need to buy gold. I say, "Why?" He says, "It always has great value." I say," In tough times, bring me over some cases of peanut butter...

If no one has food, peanut butter has more value. I agree.

[WoVeU]

I looked into buying gas. But storing 2000 gallons would be expensive!

Something like PB and Coffee would allow you to get a higher value cubic foot per dollar in store. But I could only keep like 4 jars of peanut butter and be able to eat that before it expires should the big dip not come. Now Coffee I could keep like 55 as I use a bit over a can a week, just me. But I have never drank 1 year old Coffee. I have drank 4 month old Coffee. It was fine. I bought 22 cans about this time last year when I caught on sale, like $3.50 off per can.

Not a big fan, but I guess 30 cans of Spam, 20 cans of PB, and a 50lb sack of flour with a few dozen cans of 5 or 6 veggies would go a little ways in hard times.

[Eric]

I'm a libertarian who finds sympathy with the right and the leftist attitude to be insufferable. I like some liberal viewpoints like fewer laws that enforce moral judgments on minorities, but they are obsessed with controlling things as long as it doesn't deal with Christianity. They've grown up with influences that are generally hostile towards Christianity and wealthy capitalism that they actually go out and try to find problems. They, sorry in advance for lack of a better way to put it, get off on criticizing these institutions.

Anyway, I have my personal beliefs about freedom but am even more upset at the size of the federal government. The South was right about one thing: This country is a set of states and commonwealths that has a national government to provide the essentials. I don't think institutions like the Department of Education or the EPA are warranted. I believe there are 2.5 million bureaucrats employed by the government. They don't really do anything of value, they just suck up tax money. I'm a Federalist/consequentialist libertarian who has right-leaning deontological libertarian personal viewpoints. I think that's a valid description

[WoVeU]

The Dept of Education is a waste. I could say the same for the EPA except for protecting bodies of water from pollution, as these cross state bounds. However, I'd add the "Rivers and Waterways Protection" to the US Forestry service.

[Derek]

They aren't trying to fix anything. They want a government take over of the banks. At least nationalization. Let them go for all the marbles early on. Then we can kick this bunch of idiots out in two to four years.

I agree. They don't want a long term fix...this is about wrecking the country to the point of where the American people will gladly accept ANYTHING that is offered to them...."Let us take over the banks...We'll get them lending again....and they WON'T be able to discriminate against you. WE ARE FAIR!!"

This is going to end badly.

[Derek]

If the bank is indoctrinated,founded, and held by the public (tax-payer) it is then a full-fledged government institution. The board not being seated by chief investors but government oversight selection. That is Socialist!

Every solution being floated around now is socialist. The non-socialist solution is to allow the banks to fail, abolish fannie, freddie and the Fed and restore the gold standard. Then let the whole mess sort itself out.

If the People's bank is owned by the US Treasury Dept then it's socialist. If it is owned and directed by individual americans then it isnt. If it's owned by individuals but directed by the Treasury Dept or the Fed then it's fascist. I don't have enough info to know which it is, but what I read is that the shares would be held by the public, not the government so it cannot be called a socialist institution.

What an utterly amazing and simplistic plan....It just might work!

it's too bad that when someone brings up a solution like this, that they are shouted down as racists or any other name they can think of.

[WoVeU]

From the responses here it at least sounds like Consumer Confidence is doing a far cry better than Government Confidence!

[Spence]

I am a believe that if a business can't make it we should let them fail. Generally, something stronger will always take it's place. It may not come without pain, but it would be better in the long term. Giving money to people who run their business into bankruptcy, doesn't make much sense to me. Letting someone get to "big" to fail, seems to me to be the problem. Fannie and Freddie are much bigger problems then AIG, Citigroup, or any of the auto companies, because they did the will of congress. They incouraged lending people money, that they couldn't possibly pay back. There are reasons why some people will always rent. They have nothing to do with opportunity.

[WoVeU]

I am a believe that if a business can't make it we should let them fail. Generally, something stronger will always take it's place. It may not come without pain, but it would be better in the long term. Giving money to people who run their business into bankruptcy, doesn't make much sense to me. Letting someone get to "big" to fail, seems to me to be the problem. Fannie and Freddie are much bigger problems then AIG, Citigroup, or any of the auto companies, because they did the will of congress. They incouraged lending people money, that they couldn't possibly pay back. There are reasons why some people will always rent. They have nothing to do with opportunity.

Agreed. Even Citi, AIG, and the rest are all because of the Government as well. One thing the Gov is supposed to intervene upon is Anti-Trust. They not only allowed them to...I think they advocated the hole movement of super mergers.

And when they went to inject money...at least give it to smaller and a few of the better big ones. This at least shows some discern, and we don't open another welfare line. Then we should have also only thrown 1/3 of the money we did at it...and think it would have went further and done much better already!

[WoVeU]

I'm a Federalist/consequentialist libertarian who has right-leaning deontological libertarian personal viewpoints. I think that's a valid description

Thanks for making me aware that I am ethically challenged.

If I recall correctly, the Super Friends said, "Knowing is the first part of the battle!"

[Eric]

That may have been GI Joes, but I don't know

[Derek]

So a friend says to me the other day...you need to buy gold. I say, "Why?" He says, "It always has great value." I say," In tough times, bring me over some cases of peanut butter...

The only people saying buy gold now, are people that have gold to sell.

The best time to buy gold passed about 2 years ago.

Although it will still have value when the paper you have in your wallet is worth no more than your roll of Charmin.

[WoVeU]

That may have been GI Joes, but I don't know

Yeah! I could have sworn....???? But the Super Friends were cooler.