Gas Prices.......weeeeeeeeeeee

[Dude Love]

No problem. Just find whatever financial instrument you're comfortable with to maintain your purchasing power in the future because the dollar is being destroyed. This Japan situation isnt going to make it any better either. Japan is probably going to have to sell their U.S. treasuries in order to help finance their rebuilding. The only buyer out there right now is the FED (got to keep the game going). That means that the FED will be buying those for free because they're going to push off the payment to us via inflation. Thats my opinion anyway.

Your opinion is correct.

Quantitative Easing is a euphemism for money creation. Money creation is, by definition, inflation. Eventually inflation produces higher commodity and other prices.

Friedrich Hayek's A Tiger by the Tail: The Keynesian Legacy of Inflation was published in 1978. It seems an appropriate description of what Quantitative Easing (QE) has produced. We are far along on a journey that cannot be stopped without enormous damage.

[Dude Love]

...and that is a good thing. If that would happen the next generation will be owing more to themselves and less to foreign entities. Let's get China to sell some of our debt back to us too while we are at it.

No, they will still be in debt.

Debt is debt, whether the IOU's are held by Japan, China, or the US Federal Reserve.

[Bergen Jet]

No, they will still be in debt.

Debt is debt, whether the IOU's are held by Japan, China, or the US Federal Reserve.

When we are paying off that debt it will be money that will remain in our economy. When paying off debt to Japan or China we are still paying off the debt but the money is being added to their economy. Big difference....

[Dude Love]

When we are paying off that debt it will be money that will remain in our economy. When paying off debt to Japan or China we are still paying off the debt but the money is being added to their economy. Big difference....

Not quite. Right now, the US Treasury and Fed Reserve are engaged in a policy of devalueing the us dollar. In terms of paying off debt, it is called monetization.

Right now, as each day goes by, the US IOU's held by China and Japan (and other nations) are depreciating in value. Transfering the IOU's from one central bank to another does not stop that.

Your argument only works if the principal is paid off, which it is not.

Oh, and one of the side effects of monetization is hyperinflation.

You may have screwed over your creditors by rendering the money you owe them worthless, but you have also screwed your own citizens over by making the purchasing power for goods and services worthless as well.

Imagine if you will if right now the money in your pocket, and your bank account was rendered worthless. You couldn't use it as an exchange for goods and services. Your credit cards no longer work.

What are you going to do?

One day, in our lifetime, that scenario will become reality.

[villain_the_foe]

...and that is a good thing. If that would happen the next generation will be owing more to themselves and less to foreign entities. Let's get China to sell some of our debt back to us too while we are at it.

It sounds like a good thing, until you realize that the FED is private. It isnt a government entity in any sense of the word. Government doesnt have shareholders (generally speaking lol). Also, the FED is the only private entity in the country where it's shareholders are not made public.

No part of that is good.

We wouldnt be owing ourselves, we'd be indebted to the shareholders of the FED....whoever they are.

[villain_the_foe]

Your opinion is correct.

Quantitative Easing is a euphemism for money creation. Money creation is, by definition, inflation. Eventually inflation produces higher commodity and other prices.

Friedrich Hayek's A Tiger by the Tail: The Keynesian Legacy of Inflation was published in 1978. It seems an appropriate description of what Quantitative Easing (QE) has produced. We are far along on a journey that cannot be stopped without enormous damage.

Never read the book but I'll check it out though. I began learning about economics from a guy named Peter Schiff from his book "Crash Proof 2.0". Once I sat down and learned the keynesian philosophy I began to see the fallacy. Keynesian economist would probably see the japanese situation as a great opportunity because it requires money to rebuild (adding to GDP growth). The reality is that Japan will now have to borrow as well as inflate to rebuild (debt). Quantitative Easing is literally "kicking the can" down the road.

I tell you this. NEVER has there been so much worthless paper money printed in the history of mankind. When QE doesnt work any more, watch out. IMO Silver is going to hit prices unthought of. Its $35 dollars now, just 8 months ago it was $18. You tell me whats getting you that type of return on your hard earned dollar and I'll make sure to buy it lol. Seriously though, it really isnt about the price...the name of the game is ounces. Silver can drop back to $15 an oz and to me it'll be nothing more than a buying opportunity. As long as we keep printing money, keeping interest rates at 0% and avoiding a 14 trillion dollar elephant in the room, i'll be buying.

[Bergen Jet]

It sounds like a good thing, until you realize that the FED is private. It isnt a government entity in any sense of the word. Government doesnt have shareholders (generally speaking lol). Also, the FED is the only private entity in the country where it's shareholders are not made public.

No part of that is good.

We wouldnt be owing ourselves, we'd be indebted to the shareholders of the FED....whoever they are.

While it functions as a private entity it certainly is a government agency. They derive their authority and autonomy from Congress and their shareholders are not typical shareholders in any sense of the word as ownership is not transferrable. The shares are there for right to participation and no matter how many shares a private banking entity has it would only get one vote. The board is selected and ratified by a process created and controlled by our government.

Or we can all say that it is owned by the illuminati and call it a day...

[Bergen Jet]

Never read the book but I'll check it out though. I began learning about economics from a guy named Peter Schiff from his book "Crash Proof 2.0". Once I sat down and learned the keynesian philosophy I began to see the fallacy. Keynesian economist would probably see the japanese situation as a great opportunity because it requires money to rebuild (adding to GDP growth). The reality is that Japan will now have to borrow as well as inflate to rebuild (debt). Quantitative Easing is literally "kicking the can" down the road.

I tell you this. NEVER has there been so much worthless paper money printed in the history of mankind. When QE doesnt work any more, watch out. IMO Silver is going to hit prices unthought of. Its $35 dollars now, just 8 months ago it was $18. You tell me whats getting you that type of return on your hard earned dollar and I'll make sure to buy it lol. Seriously though, it really isnt about the price...the name of the game is ounces. Silver can drop back to $15 an oz and to me it'll be nothing more than a buying opportunity. As long as we keep printing money, keeping interest rates at 0% and avoiding a 14 trillion dollar elephant in the room, i'll be buying.

Just because Keynesian philosophy alone cannot correct the current problems it had it's place during the great depression. People were hoarding their money and as such something had to be done to infuse money into the circular flow of our economy. There was no consumer confidence after the great depression and negligible investment by private individuals and firms. The government had to step in and become consumers and create demands for jobs for the 25% of the citizens that were unemployed. They had to get the cycle rolling again because it was spiraling out of control.

The bottom line was that based on the circumstances of the time Mr. Keynes was indeed correct and his philosophy sound. The circumstances are completely different today but to disregard his philosophy as broken is discrediting an individual whose views when adopted corrected the worst contraction, deflation, unemployment and ultimately recession that this country has and hopefully will ever see.

[Dude Love]

I tell you this. NEVER has there been so much worthless paper money printed in the history of mankind.

Yep. That in and of itself is enough to crash the system. But then you factor in the derivitaves market and it's trillions of virtual dollars, the billions in cash in overseas criminal enterprises (Mexico et al), and our unfunded "future" (right now) entitlements liabilites, and what we have is a completely out of control financial system that has an apocolyptic date with destiny in our lifetime.

Everything has been and continues to be make believe. You cannot perpetually spend borrowed money. You would think this would be a simple concept to grasp.

[Dude Love]

Just because Keynesian philosophy alone cannot correct the current problems it had it's place during the great depression. People were hoarding their money and as such something had to be done to infuse money into the circular flow of our economy. There was no consumer confidence after the great depression and negligible investment by private individuals and firms. The government had to step in and become consumers and create demands for jobs for the 25% of the citizens that were unemployed. They had to get the cycle rolling again because it was spiraling out of control.

The bottom line was that based on the circumstances of the time Mr. Keynes was indeed correct and his philosophy sound. The circumstances are completely different today but to disregard his philosophy as broken is discrediting an individual whose views when adopted corrected the worst contraction, deflation, unemployment and ultimately recession that this country has and hopefully will ever see.

Let's look at it piece by piece---

People were hoarding their money

Who are these "people"?

What was per capita income in the twenties and thirties?

What was GDP?

What was CPI?

What was the unemployment rate before and after Keynesian policy was implemented?

[villain_the_foe]

While it functions as a private entity it certainly is a government agency. They derive their authority and autonomy from Congress and their shareholders are not typical shareholders in any sense of the word as ownership is not transferrable. The shares are there for right to participation and no matter how many shares a private banking entity has it would only get one vote. The board is selected and ratified by a process created and controlled by our government.

Or we can all say that it is owned by the illuminati and call it a day...

The FED doesnt simply function as a private entity...IT IS a private entity, and the most powerful one in this country. The FED jacked congress....and with the FED owning a very large portion of this country's debt as well as printing the countries money (at interest) they're making sure that it stays that way. As for them playing as a govt agency, that only comes into play when its time for "plausible deniability" on the account of our govt....such as QE. They're a private corp doing business with the govt that they now own. It isnt a federal agency, Im not going to argue that fact. The bottomline is as I stated, to say that we'd be "owing ourselves" is incorrect. We will be indebted to a private corporation that we cant even audit ran by the illuminated ones.

[villain_the_foe]

Just because Keynesian philosophy alone cannot correct the current problems it had it's place during the great depression. People were hoarding their money and as such something had to be done to infuse money into the circular flow of our economy. There was no consumer confidence after the great depression and negligible investment by private individuals and firms. The government had to step in and become consumers and create demands for jobs for the 25% of the citizens that were unemployed. They had to get the cycle rolling again because it was spiraling out of control.

The bottom line was that based on the circumstances of the time Mr. Keynes was indeed correct and his philosophy sound. The circumstances are completely different today but to disregard his philosophy as broken is discrediting an individual whose views when adopted corrected the worst contraction, deflation, unemployment and ultimately recession that this country has and hopefully will ever see.

The reason why we HAD the great depression was because of Keynesian economics. The FED intervening (like its doing now) was the problem. Not letting the markets fix itself was the problem. Look at how the markets fixed itself back in 1920. No government interference and in a year the problem was over. The FED exaserbated the problem in the 30's, just like its doing today.

[villain_the_foe]

Yep. That in and of itself is enough to crash the system. But then you factor in the derivitaves market and it's trillions of virtual dollars, the billions in cash in overseas criminal enterprises (Mexico et al), and our unfunded "future" (right now) entitlements liabilites, and what we have is a completely out of control financial system that has an apocolyptic date with destiny in our lifetime.

Everything has been and continues to be make believe. You cannot perpetually spend borrowed money. You would think this would be a simple concept to grasp.

You would think that it would be something easily grasped. But I must admit, we're the generation that has been taught that kicking the can down the road for future generations to deal with is the right thing to do. It keeps the credit card going. :suic3:

As for derivatives, its like Warren Buffet said "they're financial weapons of mass destruction". Brooksley Born (former head of the CFTC) seen this coming back in the 90's. Check out "The Warning" Doc on her.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/view/

[Dude Love]

You would think that it would be something easily grasped. But I must admit, we're the generation that has been taught that kicking the can down the road for future generations to deal with is the right thing to do. It keeps the credit card going. :suic3:

The tragic, almost laughable thing about it all is, there are people in this country who think that "the rich would never allow this beloved democratic republic fall", that if it ever came to it, the uber-wealthy would just turn over their trillions of dollars to save the economy.

It never occurs to these people that the wealthiest people on the planet live in countries like Russia and Mexico.

The rich could care less what happens to the rest of us-- whether they speak english or not.

[villain_the_foe]

The tragic, almost laughable thing about it all is, there are people in this country who think that "the rich would never allow this beloved democratic republic fall", that if it ever came to it, the uber-wealthy would just turn over their trillions of dollars to save the economy.

It never occurs to these people that the wealthiest people on the planet live in countries like Russia and Mexico.

The rich could care less what happens to the rest of us-- whether they speak english or not.

What I've learned is that the mega wealthy makes a huge amount of money on the way up and A MEGA TON of money on the way down. There's no recession for the "too big to fails", only for the "too small to succeed". What I believe we're seeing is a massive wealth transfer. 2008 is going to look like a cake walk in comparison to what's coming financially.

[JetsFanInDenver]

Today is the day yen carry trade died. RIP!

[villain_the_foe]

Today is the day yen carry trade died. RIP!

Then we better take heed. The US Dollar is also a carry currency.

[Dude Love]

We have now gotten to the point where if national defense, interstate highways, national parks, and all other discretionary programs somehow became absolutely free, we’d still have a budget deficit. The White House Office of Management and Budget projects that in the current fiscal year (2011), mandatory spending alone will exceed all federal receipts. So even if we didn’t spend a single cent on discretionary programs, we still wouldn’t be able to balance our budget this year — let alone pay off any of the $14 trillion in debt that we have already accumulated.

And how tragically ironic that the things we call "discretionary spending" ie national defense, judiciary and legislative overhead, foriegn affairs, were the very things--- THE ONLY THINGS--- our founding fathers intended to finance. "Mandatory spending" is all unconstitutional entitlements and crap.

Basically we have bankrupted the country because we have broken our own laws.

And nobody is going to jail for it, never mind the gallows.

[Dude Love]

Then we better take heed. The US Dollar is also a carry currency.

You heard of liberty dollars:

http://avstop.com/march_2011/bernard_von_nothaus_convicted_of_minting_his_own_currency.htm

I'm just finding this out now.

[villain_the_foe]

You heard of liberty dollars:

http://avstop.com/march_2011/bernard_von_nothaus_convicted_of_minting_his_own_currency.htm

I'm just finding this out now.

Funny you posted that. I came to Jetnation specifically to change my sig to this below. And as usual the "crazies" are always right.

Check out this link and tell me if you should have some liberty silver coins in your pocket right about now lol.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42155444

And yes, gas will be going through the roof too.

[JetsFanInDenver]

The dream that was based on illusion.

What is really surprising is the kleptocrats have doubled down on their stealing of people's money and the people are so freaking ignorant they do not know about it.

So now the FED has allowed bailed out banks to start paying dividends to their shareholders with taxpayer money. And most big banks have already started making announcements of dividends.

But i am sure people are all caught up on why they hate the other party and what Charlie Sheen is doing or who Charlie Sheen is doing.

[villain_the_foe]

The dream that was based on illusion.

What is really surprising is the kleptocrats have doubled down on their stealing of people's money and the people are so freaking ignorant they do not know about it.

So now the FED has allowed bailed out banks to start paying dividends to their shareholders with taxpayer money. And most big banks have already started making announcements of dividends.

But i am sure people are all caught up on why they hate the other party and what Charlie Sheen is doing or who Charlie Sheen is doing.

You hit it on the head 100% Another thing that I dont get is WHY IN THE WORLD are the middle class/lower class arguing amongst each other about finances as if anyone of those classes control the flow on currency. I can see plain as day how the super wealthy use the lower class to funnel money away from the middle class. One obvious example is section 8. Now, I grew in section 8 housing, but I took the time to learn how this section 8 money is taken from the middle class via taxation to fund these govt subsidy programs in which the wealthy land owners receive all that guaranteed money converting to section 8 housing (dont have to worry about late rent payments. Plus you get tax breaks). So while the middle class are pointing the finger at the lower class, and the lower class cant afford a finger to point...the wealthy land owners are cashing in big time at the expense of the middle class and the suppression of the lower class.

I really wouldnt have thought that it would have been this easy for them to get away with this. I mean its as PLAIN AS THE DAY IS BRIGHT, but very few take the time to stop arguing amongst each other to see it. Then again, a few wealthy bankers can go to jekyll island, create the most criminal organization in human history (The FED) and no one sees that sh*t either.

I bet we'll find a way to blame libya for the $6.00 per gallon gas coming our way too.

[JetsFanInDenver]

You hit it on the head 100% Another thing that I dont get is WHY IN THE WORLD are the middle class/lower class arguing amongst each other about finances as if anyone of those classes control the flow on currency. I can see plain as day how the super wealthy use the lower class to funnel money away from the middle class. One obvious example is section 8. Now, I grew in section 8 housing, but I took the time to learn how this section 8 money is taken from the middle class via taxation to fund these govt subsidy programs in which the wealthy land owners receive all that guaranteed money converting to section 8 housing (dont have to worry about late rent payments. Plus you get tax breaks). So while the middle class are pointing the finger at the lower class, and the lower class cant afford a finger to point...the wealthy land owners are cashing in big time at the expense of the middle class and the suppression of the lower class.

I really wouldnt have thought that it would have been this easy for them to get away with this. I mean its as PLAIN AS THE DAY IS BRIGHT, but very few take the time to stop arguing amongst each other to see it. Then again, a few wealthy bankers can go to jekyll island, create the most criminal organization in human history (The FED) and no one sees that sh*t either.

I bet we'll find a way to blame libya for the $6.00 per gallon gas coming our way too.

That's a very good example of what's happening in this country.

But at the end of the day the poor and the middle class should have some blood left in them to be sucked by the wealthy. When there was not enough left we invented the credit bubble to keep enriching the wealthy. And this attempt to keep enriching the wealthy goes on even as of today. All at the taxpayers and future generations expense.

Its great we have a ignorant population that's dumb enough not to see whats happening. And deeply divided along political lines. Maybe its all a coincidence.

[villain_the_foe]

That's a very good example of what's happening in this country.

But at the end of the day the poor and the middle class should have some blood left in them to be sucked by the wealthy. When there was not enough left we invented the credit bubble to keep enriching the wealthy. And this attempt to keep enriching the wealthy goes on even as of today. All at the taxpayers and future generations expense.

Its great we have a ignorant population that's dumb enough not to see whats happening. And deeply divided along political lines. Maybe its all a coincidence.

Well, we'll see reaction when Gas is $6, and bread is $5. But never fear, Satan is working this hard because he knows he's on his way out!

However, we do have some extremely troubling times ahead of us. Prepare, while you can still afford to...mentally, financially, physically and most importantly spiritually.

[Dude Love]

The dream that was based on illusion.

What is really surprising is the kleptocrats have doubled down on their stealing of people's money and the people are so freaking ignorant they do not know about it.

So now the FED has allowed bailed out banks to start paying dividends to their shareholders with taxpayer money. And most big banks have already started making announcements of dividends.

But i am sure people are all caught up on why they hate the other party and what Charlie Sheen is doing or who Charlie Sheen is doing.

Dude, everyday we read about all these banks going under or PUSHED by the feds, meanwhile 54% of all private assets are controled by two or three banks-- CITIBANK AND BANK OF AMERICA bailed out by the taxpayer who were fleeced by the federal govt. ITS SICKENING and nobody gives a ****. It's astounding watching this sh*t. You take America's most notorious criminals: Jesse James, Al Capone, Bernie Madoff--- PEANUTS compared to what these bastards in these banks and our government have done. What the third reich n a z i 's did to Germany is what these bastards did to the USA.

Everybody just sits there with there thumb up there us like nothing happened. It's like the whole country is Peter Griffin.

You hit it on the head 100% Another thing that I dont get is WHY IN THE WORLD are the middle class/lower class arguing amongst each other about finances as if anyone of those classes control the flow on currency. I can see plain as day how the super wealthy use the lower class to funnel money away from the middle class. One obvious example is section 8. Now, I grew in section 8 housing, but I took the time to learn how this section 8 money is taken from the middle class via taxation to fund these govt subsidy programs in which the wealthy land owners receive all that guaranteed money converting to section 8 housing (dont have to worry about late rent payments. Plus you get tax breaks). So while the middle class are pointing the finger at the lower class, and the lower class cant afford a finger to point...the wealthy land owners are cashing in big time at the expense of the middle class and the suppression of the lower class.

I really wouldnt have thought that it would have been this easy for them to get away with this. I mean its as PLAIN AS THE DAY IS BRIGHT, but very few take the time to stop arguing amongst each other to see it. Then again, a few wealthy bankers can go to jekyll island, create the most criminal organization in human history (The FED) and no one sees that sh*t either.

I bet we'll find a way to blame libya for the $6.00 per gallon gas coming our way too.

Dude there is so much truth to what you say and for you to come out on the winning/wisdom end of all the crap you must have went through as a kid is awesome.

Prison is a microcosym of society as a whole. We are kept divided by race and class because it's so easy to control us that way. Even when people figure it out they can't come up with a solution because the paradigm always shifts.

It's maddening.

[villain_the_foe]

Dude there is so much truth to what you say and for you to come out on the winning/wisdom end of all the crap you must have went through as a kid is awesome.

Prison is a microcosym of society as a whole. We are kept divided by race and class because it's so easy to control us that way. Even when people figure it out they can't come up with a solution because the paradigm always shifts.

It's maddening.

Thanks. I was always skeptical of particular societal circumstances given that I always felt that they were artificial....not that people were just "unfortunate". I think I was fortunate to have that point of view given that the people I grew up around generally seen money and material things etc. as a high level of interest. It wasnt however until 9/11 and the power of the internet to really explore information that was I able to really put facts and truths to my personal intuition and feelings.

Growing up I could feel something was totally wrong, but given the lack of information I couldnt put it together. The internet changed all that. I tell people all the time I've learned more things of importants from my laptop and a internet connection than I ever did in front of a professor taking out thousands in debt. Now im not saying that school isnt good, but I realized that I was being "trained", not educated.

I was able to dive into the endless sea of info, take in both legit and propagandized info and through time and due diligence (and sometimes being flat out wrong on my assumptions), dissect and cut off the bullsh*t info and find people (Edward Griffin, Bob Chapman, James Turk etc.) that have established track records. I've been able over the past 10 years to really learn so many things simply by listening to regular people. We're not stupid, we've just been divided by frivolous sh*t like race.

[Dude Love]

Thanks. I was always skeptical of particular societal circumstances given that I always felt that they were artificial....not that people were just "unfortunate". I think I was fortunate to have that point of view given that the people I grew up around generally seen money and material things etc. as a high level of interest. It wasnt however until 9/11 and the power of the internet to really explore information that was I able to really put facts and truths to my personal intuition and feelings.

I dunno if I had to sum it up on an internet post, my childhood was kind of like Mo's tavern, a lot of drinking and not alot of intellectual conversation. Our kitchen, my grandma's kitchen, my uncles kitchen was all the same when we had family get togethers, smoke, ashtrays, beer and pinochle.

My dad came home from work, ate supper then sat in front of the tv and drank a six pack. every night. for as long as I can remember. The only interaction he had with his sons he'd watch the Rangers on channel 9 or 11 I don't remember (13 channels remember that ? LOL) with my older brother Jim but it's weird because Jim never drank, even to this day he's not a drinker, but me and my other brother who couldn't stand pop drank.

Growing up I could feel something was totally wrong, but given the lack of information I couldnt put it together. The internet changed all that. I tell people all the time I've learned more things of importants from my laptop and a internet connection than I ever did in front of a professor taking out thousands in debt. Now im not saying that school isnt good, but I realized that I was being "trained", not educated.

I didn't have that problem as a kid. I loved the library. We would go there and look at all the crime books and it scared the crap out of me. I remember I was like 8 or 9, thumbing through books about the St. Valentines Day massacre, Helter Skelter and WW2-- all those Hitler books!--- and it was like whoa what the ****. I would just walk through the aisles and grab books and random. Whenever we learned something in school, I'd go to the library and do my own research.

The thing with the internet was finding people who actually thought like me. That I wasn't alone. I would say mostly the internet has just been a validation of what I already knew, or has challenged some of my preconceptions.

But I still say the greatest treasure is a library card.

I was able to dive into the endless sea of info, take in both legit and propagandized info and through time and due diligence (and sometimes being flat out wrong on my assumptions), dissect and cut off the bullsh*t info and find people (Edward Griffin, Bob Chapman, James Turk etc.) that have established track records. I've been able over the past 10 years to really learn so many things simply by listening to regular people. We're not stupid, we've just been divided by frivolous sh*t like race.

Yeah, it makes me sick. I think about it every day. I go to church and it's always a part of my prayers, giving up my prejudices and bigotry. It's an easy thing to rationalize.

Jesus always reminds me that narrow is the gate.

Right now, I'm reading TJ English's The Savage City. I recognized the author of The Westies on the shelf of new releases and checked it out. It's mostly about George Whitmore and how the NYC cops railroaded him into confessions (prior to to Miranda).

There was sh*t cops did to me when I was a kid that I won't talk about on the internet, or anywhere else, except to a psychiatrist.

The sh*t I told her about that and my childhood she said It's amazing you didn't grow up to be a serial killer.

[visajets]

19 gallons of diesel fuel $75.00.

[villain_the_foe]

19 gallons of diesel fuel $100.00 by summer.

^^^^even worse

[war ensemble]

Right now, I'm reading TJ English's The Savage City. I recognized the author of The Westies on the shelf of new releases and checked it out. It's mostly about George Whitmore and how the NYC cops railroaded him into confessions (prior to to Miranda).

Check out Paddy Whacked if you're interested in the history of the Irish-American gangster/mob history etc. I think English has the perfect mixture of facts and anecdotes--he manages to tell a story via nonfiction without requiring much background knowledge, which I feel is one area where most non-fiction books fail. Historians tend to assume too much knowledge and it just makes the whole story falter.*

Granted, I'm woefully ignorant of non-fiction. The extent of my knowledge is stuff I've read by like English, Solzhenitsyn, and someone on Stalinist Russia. I either read the whole thing or put it down within like a half hour. The problem either way is that I don't remember much outside of general impressions...fiction is my forte.

And I agree with you about a library card. Two summers ago, before I had a summer job, I would go weekly. I would pick up four or five books and finish them all by the weekend. Thinking about it, I was reading at an absurd pace. Dovstoesky, Solzhenitsyn, Camus, Tolstoy, etc. all within a summer--there's a class in school that's a whole trimester about one book I read in those months, when I read everything by the author and more in that time frame. (And none of this information is at all relevant to anything. I be reminiscing.)

[Dude Love]

Check out Paddy Whacked if you're interested in the history of the Irish-American gangster/mob history etc. I think English has the perfect mixture of facts and anecdotes--he manages to tell a story via nonfiction without requiring much background knowledge, which I feel is one area where most non-fiction books fail. Historians tend to assume too much knowledge and it just makes the whole story falter.*

The thing I admire the most about TJ is his ability to write about a true subject that you can't stop reading. It's hard to put the book down. But the one thing I have to admit to--- his subjects/protaganists generally are not endearing people--- but he makes it so. I'm a skeptic at heart and let's face it, Mickey Featherstone was a degenerate scumbag, but TJ makes me like him, or feel something besides disgust. It's weird but at the same time, I think that's what a writer must do. It's like Moby Dick, do you "hate" Ahab or connect with him?

Granted, I'm woefully ignorant of non-fiction. The extent of my knowledge is stuff I've read by like English, Solzhenitsyn,

I read a day in the life Ivan Denisovich recently at Army infantry training in Oklahoma. I feel the horror at the same time I dread it. It's strange--- the cold. Being cold and not being able to run away or escape. Or wake up from a bad dream. I wonder is that what I fight for? Is that what I want to save others from? Protect others from? Or simply surrender to the inevevitable--- hell on earth.

And I agree with you about a library card. Two summers ago, before I had a summer job, I would go weekly. I would pick up four or five books and finish them all by the weekend. Thinking about it, I was reading at an absurd pace. Dovstoesky, Solzhenitsyn, Camus, Tolstoy, etc. all within a summer--there's a class in school that's a whole trimester about one book I read in those months, when I read everything by the author and more in that time frame. (And none of this information is at all relevant to anything. I be reminiscing.)

I know you, and you a very smart young man. It's obvious you are a reader. You have a very bright future and your presence in it and the impact you will have makes me an optimist.

[Dude Love]

The cost of living in the United States is as high as ever, even worse than before the financial meltdown during the past few years. A Labor Department index measuring the actual cost of living, known as the chained consumer price index, hit 127.4 in February, beating a previous record high 126.9 in July 2008, just as the housing crisis began to tighten its grip, CNBC reports.

That's bad news for most Americans, especially considering the record comes at a time of weak economic activity and high unemployment rates.

"The Federal Reserve continues to focus on the rate of change in inflation," says Peter Bookvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak, according to CNBC.

Food prices continue to rise. The regular inflation rate, known as the consumer price index, increased 0.5 percent last month, the fastest pace in 18 months, although the Federal Reserve tends to set interest rates at inflation rates stripped of food and energy, which rose by just 0.2 percent.

Some say a new methodology is needed and needed now.

"This speaks to the need for the Fed to include food and energy when they look at inflation rather than regard them as transient costs," says Stephen Weiss of Short Hills Capital.

"Perhaps the best way to look at this is to calculate a moving average over a certain period of time in order to smooth out the peaks and valleys."

Even though headline inflation rates may have been nominally much higher in the past, most notably in the early eighties, rising consumer prices hurt just as bad today with incomes remaining flat, if not worse.

Thirty years ago, people earned raises to cope with higher prices and investments returned more: banks would pay nearly 16 percent on a six-month CD. Today, however, money market rates are a fraction of what they were, wages are essentially frozen if not dipping and Social Security recipients have gone two straight years with no increase in benefits.

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com...Id=631&yr=2011

[villain_the_foe]

The cost of living in the United States is as high as ever, even worse than before the financial meltdown during the past few years. A Labor Department index measuring the actual cost of living, known as the chained consumer price index, hit 127.4 in February, beating a previous record high 126.9 in July 2008, just as the housing crisis began to tighten its grip, CNBC reports.

That's bad news for most Americans, especially considering the record comes at a time of weak economic activity and high unemployment rates.

"The Federal Reserve continues to focus on the rate of change in inflation," says Peter Bookvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak, according to CNBC.

Food prices continue to rise. The regular inflation rate, known as the consumer price index, increased 0.5 percent last month, the fastest pace in 18 months, although the Federal Reserve tends to set interest rates at inflation rates stripped of food and energy, which rose by just 0.2 percent.

Some say a new methodology is needed and needed now.

"This speaks to the need for the Fed to include food and energy when they look at inflation rather than regard them as transient costs," says Stephen Weiss of Short Hills Capital.

"Perhaps the best way to look at this is to calculate a moving average over a certain period of time in order to smooth out the peaks and valleys."

Even though headline inflation rates may have been nominally much higher in the past, most notably in the early eighties, rising consumer prices hurt just as bad today with incomes remaining flat, if not worse.

Thirty years ago, people earned raises to cope with higher prices and investments returned more: banks would pay nearly 16 percent on a six-month CD. Today, however, money market rates are a fraction of what they were, wages are essentially frozen if not dipping and Social Security recipients have gone two straight years with no increase in benefits.

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com...Id=631&yr=2011

I like you dude. Let me share some of my info sources with you. I visit Financialsense.com, silvergoldsilver.blogspot.com and kingworldnews.com everyday for updates. I also listen to EVERYTHING that Bob chapman does (youtube him). Wealthcycles.com I have a subscription there as well. Thats Mike Maloney's website. Another guy to check out is David Morgan. You're one of the few that I dont have to argue with when it comes to obvious corruption lol.

I was talking to people about this in another chat room that I frequent and I get the " " type remarks back as if sh*t cant happen here and im just a nutcase. Truth be told, I cant believe that we're this far down the road of kicking the can and there's people who still cant see the writing on the wall.

Well, Its seems like after my wife and I purchased of our 700th+ ounce of silver this week and a year+ worth of storage food (which took a year to do) we're looking less like morons....though some will still fight the fact that as a country we're dead broke.

But anyway. Lets do some math. Silver last week had a low of 33.93, right now Silver is at 37.50 which makes the spread 3.57. Now 700 oz times $3.57 is $2,500 that the wife and I made being " " in a span of 10 days. See how that worked out? lol. Thats literally a 3rd income right now, and we're adding to the position weekly. We got in at alittle over $17 an ounce and just threw in everything we could afford into it. Got to find a way to afford that $5.00 gas you know.

To be truthful, im not at all concerned about the dollar amount of silver, because im NEVER trading it in for paper. I expect that when this next financial crash comes, the metals are going to take a nasty hit. Thats simply a buying opportunity...because when the physical silver finally separates from the paper (stock/etf/futures) silver manipulation....the sky's the limit because people will finally realize that the amount of silver that they thought was really in the world was only a paper ponzi scheme. Silver is so SEVERELY undervalued even at these prices that when the actual value of silver is reintroduced, coupled with the fact that for the first time in modern history there's less investment grade silver then there is Gold above ground....and add in Bernanke's inflation that is destined to come,..... CRAZY is all I can say.

I'll stop buying when Bernanke and the rest of the world stops printing. lol

[Dude Love]

I like you dude. Let me share some of my info sources with you. I visit Financialsense.com, silvergoldsilver.blogspot.com and kingworldnews.com everyday for updates. I also listen to EVERYTHING that Bob chapman does (youtube him). Wealthcycles.com I have a subscription there as well. Thats Mike Maloney's website. Another guy to check out is David Morgan. You're one of the few that I dont have to argue with when it comes to obvious corruption lol.

I put those all in my favorites. Thanks!

As far as the corruption I think it's Stockholm Syndrome or something not sure if thats applicable but it's DEFINITELY a pathology, the denial that citizens have acquired. I think fear plays a part, too. I mean, everybody in Bensonhurst knew John Gotti was a cold blooded murderer and thief, but they sure did enjoy the annual 4th of July fireworks displays.

I was talking to people about this in another chat room that I frequent and I get the " " type remarks back as if sh*t cant happen here and im just a nutcase. Truth be told, I cant believe that we're this far down the road of kicking the can and there's people who still cant see the writing on the wall.

Like is says in the bible, "the same rain falls" so whether you can see it coming or you can't, or you are in denial, it doesn't matter. It's coming. I argue with people who actually come up with these solutions that make sense, but I always ask well why haven't those ideas already been used? And then they go into some litany about why, and I ask them well whats going to change? Nothing. Well, there you go then.

Some clever genius even figured out where we could pay off the national debt by raising taxes 46%. The math looked kind of fuzzy but just taking that at face value, I explained to him that there are people who already pay half their paycheck in taxes if you add up state, federal, payroll, sales, property and sometimes city/municipal taxes.

Get this, he didn't believe me. LOL

I told him some homeowners in my town in NJ pay in excess of $12,000 dollars a year in property taxes. He couldn't believe it. LOL I told him people are already paying 50% in taxes and we're borrowing another 3 trillion this year. LOL "Just raise taxes" LOL

The fact is, the general population of the US is ignorant when it comes to basic economics and finance. They say ignorance is bliss, I guess we'll find out but if Weimar Germany was the precedent, it didn't look like all that great a time, to me.

Well, Its seems like after my wife and I purchased of our 700th+ ounce of silver this week and a year+ worth of storage food (which took a year to do) we're looking less like morons....though some will still fight the fact that as a country we're dead broke.

But anyway. Lets do some math. Silver last week had a low of 33.93, right now Silver is at 37.50 which makes the spread 3.57. Now 700 oz times $3.57 is $2,500 that the wife and I made being " " in a span of 10 days. See how that worked out? lol. Thats literally a 3rd income right now, and we're adding to the position weekly. We got in at alittle over $17 an ounce and just threw in everything we could afford into it. Got to find a way to afford that $5.00 gas you know.

That sounds great. Just diversify. Look into the foreign exchange markets, too. Keep an eye the price of an ounce of silver in British pounds or German Euros. Try to invest in Brazil oil.

To be truthful, im not at all concerned about the dollar amount of silver, because im NEVER trading it in for paper.

I'm curious, how do you intend to avoid all cash transactions (which will be ideal in a hyperinflationary period)?

For example, we can stock up on food, but we can't stock up on gasoline.

To be truthful, im not at all concerned about the dollar amount of silver, because im NEVER trading it in for paper. I expect that when this next financial crash comes, the metals are going to take a nasty hit. Thats simply a buying opportunity...because when the physical silver finally separates from the paper (stock/etf/futures) silver manipulation....the sky's the limit because people will finally realize that the amount of silver that they thought was really in the world was only a paper ponzi scheme. Silver is so SEVERELY undervalued even at these prices that when the actual value of silver is reintroduced, coupled with the fact that for the first time in modern history there's less investment grade silver then there is Gold above ground....and add in Bernanke's inflation that is destined to come,..... CRAZY is all I can say.

I'll stop buying when Bernanke and the rest of the world stops printing. lol

Always remember one thing, eventually you will need a market, you will need a buyer to match your seller, and both have to agree on the price even if the market says otherwise.

For example, today I have a Tom Seaver Mets baseball card the market says is worth a $1000 bucks, but it's value is nothing if I can't find a buyer.

You got your head in the right place, keep up the good work, and always expect the best but PLAN FOR THE WORSE. Adapt and improvise.

[villain_the_foe]

I put those all in my favorites. Thanks!

As far as the corruption I think it's Stockholm Syndrome or something not sure if thats applicable but it's DEFINITELY a pathology, the denial that citizens have acquired. I think fear plays a part, too. I mean, everybody in Bensonhurst knew John Gotti was a cold blooded murderer and thief, but they sure did enjoy the annual 4th of July fireworks displays.

John Gotti was a murderer???? NOOOOOO.

The fact is, the general population of the US is ignorant when it comes to basic economics and finance. They say ignorance is bliss, I guess we'll find out but if Weimar Germany was the precedent, it didn't look like all that great a time, to me.

Hyper inflation is in the cards. This isnt a situation imo where its just enormous inflation. We have massive inflation now...in a country where I believe 70% of the FED's paper is out of the country given its a world currency. Weimar didnt have that issue. On top of the QE3 digital money, debt etc., we're going to have all that money out of the country flooding right back into the states like a paper tsunami.

That sounds great. Just diversify. Look into the foreign exchange markets, too. Keep an eye the price of an ounce of silver in British pounds or German Euros. Try to invest in Brazil oil.

You're right, I keep my eyes on silver priced in USD/ pounds and Euros...as well as the spot price of sterling silver in the UK.

I've been looking into the oil market, I just dont know much about it (given that I am new to shares), on top of the fact that with oil (unlike precious metals) you have to deal with stocks...and when doing that its less about the commodity and more about the management of that company. You can be invested in a great commodity, but if the management level sucks at that company you've made a bad investment. However, there's other ways to invest in oil (it takes oil to mine precious metals...so the price has to reflect that).

I have a very small shares position in PM Mining companies (as a hedge). Also, the money that I have in the market is "pocket money" that I simply didnt buy something with if you will. I decided to make a speculative play so this is money that if I lost 100% I wouldnt be pissed (well, that pissed lol). Anyway. my play is this. I have one undervalued company nicely priced shares with concentrated product in the ground, long term debt already paid off and production already in the process. I compared its anticipated numbers from their sample findings to other companies that are producing that amount...and I see that this company's stock should be atleast $30-$45 a pop...but its at $11. Its market cap just hit over 1 billion last week yet its shares was made available to the public this past December. Most importantly, the CEO of this company took his old company from a market cap of 200 million to almost 2 billion during his time there. Cant argue with that!

My more "speculative" play is one company that the shares are "penny stocks" however, they have multiple properties with positive samples of gold and silver, but are preparing to start drilling in the next 3 months. Their market cap is below their shares outstanding (which is why I feel its very speculative), however, their shares are trading nicely below their 52 week high with actual metal in the ground, and imo this could be very nice opportunity . With this play, I can rack up on .50 cent shares like no one's business. And if that share goes to $50, I made 100 times my money, however, if Silver went from $37 to $500 I only made 13times my money (which im more than content with)....thats the hedge. I also do not invest in any mining companies in the US. I have a feeling they're going to be nationalized. Everything I deal with is either in physical possession or in the case of shares, in other countries.

Having longer exposure to the PM's I've gotten to know the players in the game. Investing in the companies that I've researched given my understanding of the market and the people in it is my way of diversifying in a sense. I dont know much about oil or the bankers position in it at the moment, however, I do know their position in the precious metals game...and they're naked shorting like nobody's business (check out JP Morgan naked silver shorts and the COMEX). Meaning that im not seeing a destruction of wealth this time around in the mining/metals shares this go round like we seen in the 2008 crash...given that these guys were long the market, and the first thing that they sold was their gold/silver/mining shares. Now they have to stay "short" to keep the price from exploding. Miners have also taken the hedge off of the metals that they mine because they recognize the trend as well.

I'm curious, how do you intend to avoid all cash transactions (which will be ideal in a hyperinflationary period)?

I dont really intend to avoid all cash transactions...Im trying to avoid as many as I can though. This is why Im storing up on the necessary sh*t now. Bottomline, there will simply be stuff that you cannot find anymore. If you dont have it, it doesnt matter if you have the cash for it at that time. Its just not there.

For example, we can stock up on food, but we can't stock up on gasoline

.

You cant stock up on gas, but you can stock up on pre 1964 Washington quarters...that will buy you more than a gallon of gas right now. If we have mass inflation I'll still be able to find someone willing to buy my silver. remember, less than 3% of this country is in PM's. when this inflation is in full swing, EVERYONE will try to get in...so if I need cash it wont be hard to find because the market was established overnight. And if its a HYPER inflation, then I can just give them the washington quarter and probably get like 5 gallons of gas for it in that situation. Bottomline, outside of bill paying, im not in federal reserve notes in any sense of the word.

Always remember one thing, eventually you will need a market, you will need a buyer to match your seller, and both have to agree on the price even if the market says otherwise.

For example, today I have a Tom Seaver Mets baseball card the market says is worth a $1000 bucks, but it's value is nothing if I can't find a buyer.

You got your head in the right place, keep up the good work, and always expect the best but PLAN FOR THE WORSE. Adapt and improvise.

I appreciate that. You're on the right track yourself. The Tom Seaver card could be worth $1000, but it has no intrinsic value whatsoever, thats the difference with gold and silver.

As for the market, it'll be there. as stated earlier, around 3% (if that much) of our population are even in PM's right now. I bet that number is going to rise for the next decade. Oh, and if I need cash, it will be for more immediate purposes. Overall, when the time comes to get out of PM's that will be when the real estate market is at the absolute bottom....guess where im going? lol. "Real assets" for me from here on out Dude. Thats the plan.

However, let me further explain, that I will not get out entirely. Remember, there's only about 700 million oz of investment silver available RIGHT NOW. Its also a highly consumed industrial metal. The more rare silver gets....well, you get the point. I'll be keeping a nice amount stashed away somewhere in the world just in case.