A Looking Bike, Hipster Tuneup, and the American Slave State- The Sunday Collage

It all started with an email from my sister and then a phone call from Late Night Dave. Late Night Dave works in a law enforcement capacity and by all accounts is a pretty nice guy. He lives in Seattle. I've only met him once.

Dave had found a beautiful 1994 Harley Davidson Heritage in the Nampa- Caldwell area about 20 miles west of Boise. He had been negotiating with the owner who had originally asked 8,000 for the bike which Dave had negotiated down to 7,000. With only 9800 miles, Late Night asked me if I would go check it out. 

I met the owner at his residence. His name is Dennis. Dennis showed me the bike. I am in awe anytime I see a motorcycle that is 22 years old and absolutely pristine. Not even a discolored pipe. The only flaw I could find was a 1/4" rock strike on the gas tank which peeled a little paint- even the tires still had the nubs on them. Dennis had just put on the second set of tires.

I often refer to bikes as "riding" bikes and "looking" bikes. This bike was a "looking" bike, nearly a museum piece. A trailer queen. I've never owned one. My bikes get ridden hard, sometimes in rain, and sometimes they swap paint or find the pavement. I've agreed to all of those terms. But the point of this story doesn't have anything to do with that pristine bike. It has to do with Late Night Dave-who at age 62 and without a motorcycle endorsement- asked me if he should be buying motorcycle.  

Have I ever heard anyone, regardless of age ever say, "gawd I wished I hadn't bought that bike." I don't think I've ever heard that- certainly not in the company of men. If someone actually regretted buying a motorcycle, that is something you keep to yourself or perhaps utter in a confessional booth. Mostly, I know people who regret not buying a bike or who regret selling a bike. That is the stuff I remember. And so it was- Dave at the advanced age of 62- bought a motorcycle. A very pristine one. I think he'll love it.

Shifting gears so to speak...

This morning my gal and I went out to eat. I've been doing my annual meat diet hoping to lose 40 pounds. We often go to this small restaurant that is quite popular and on weekends there is always a line. As it turns out, there was only one couple ahead of us. This is a seat yourself joint.

So as we stood in line, these two hipsters showed up and one of them muscles past me into the restaurant. I'm thinking he already has a seat and he just ran out to the parking lot for something. His buddy stood behind me in the line. As it turns out, the first hipster located a couple of vacant counter seats, turned around and motioned for his friend to come on in.

I suppose 25 years of dealing with assholes doesn't just wash off overnight. I wish that I could tell you that my Zen Buddhist philosophy kicked in and those of us in line hummed a few bars of "'Que Sera...Sera....whatever will be will be"....but that's not quite how it worked out. 

As soon as the first hipster motioned his friend in, I looked at them and I said "Sure you guys go ahead...you were first in line." The hipster behind me said, "you don't have to be a dick." That lit me up just a bit. I responded, "Well as a matter of fact it appears that I do and by the way, go fuck yourself." Now when you have a moment like this, and you decide to pull the trigger like that, you must accept the consequences. And for a brief instant, I was prepared to take an even more enthusiastic stand if you know what I mean. Sometimes that's how these things have to go. I am not particularly proud of how I handled this- but I'm not offering up any apologies either.

The truth is, at age 55 in my most lucid moments, I'm not sure I wanna dance anymore. I may get my ass kicked some day. Unfortunately, I just can't run away from my sense of right and wrong- it's like a part of me. I can't tolerate bullies either, I confront them. My gal was embarrassed and she's a girly girl- not much help in a scrap, so here's the deal.

People make mistakes. When I screw up, I apologize because that's what responsible people do. This sense of doing the right thing and offering an apology when you are out of line has apparently gone missing from whatever upbringing those two hipsters had. As is stands, I feel confident that those two won't be cutting in front of anyone having received that rather blunt, refresher course in manners.

For a couple of days, I've wanted to write a piece about the anger in this country as it applies to this "leadership" we have. We were conned. We had bank bail outs with tax payer money and then we had health insurance bailouts wherein our masters simply directed us to send in 6 thousand a year or more rather than simply steal it out of the treasury like they did for the bankers.

Do any of us actually think we are free?

American corporations, bankers, billionaires, the oligarchy. Winning. The rest of us....the middle class...

Are economic slaves. Our masters spend and we pay. Although I can't stand Warren Buffett, I actually like his father. His father understood well, the correlation between gold and freedom. I don't think I can explain it any better than this. Here then is a piece which will cause even the most skeptical people to pause. I think you'll like it.

https://www.sprottmoney.com/blog/warren-buffetts-father-gold-and-liberty-jeff-nielson.html

The Affordable Plumbing Act of 2014

Greg drives to President Obama's new house, which is located in a very exclusive, gated community near Chicago, where all the residents have a net income of way more than $250,000 per year.

Greg arrives and takes his tools into the house. He is led to the guest bathroom that contains the leaky pipe under the sink. Greg assesses the problem and tells Obama that it's an easy repair, that will take less than 10 minutes. Obama asks Greg how much it will cost. Greg checks his rate chart and says, "$9,500."

"What?! $9,500?!" Obama asks, stunned, "But you said it's an easy repair. Michelle will kill me if I pay a plumber that much!"

Greg says, "Yes, but what I do is charge those who make more than $250,000 per year a much higher amount so I can fix the plumbing of poorer people for free. This has always been my philosophy. As a matter of fact, I lobbied the Democrat Congress, who passed this philosophy into law. Now all plumbers must do business this way. It's known as the 'Affordable Plumbing Act of 2014'. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it."

In spite of that, Obama tells Greg there's no way he's paying that much for a small plumbing repair, so Greg leaves. Obama spends the next hour flipping through the phone book calling for another plumber, but he finds that all other plumbing businesses in the area have gone out of business. Not wanting to pay Greg 's price, Obama does nothing and the leak goes un-repaired for several more days. A week later the leak is so bad President Obama has had to put a bucket under the sink.

Michelle is not happy as she has Oprah and guests arriving the next morning. The bucket fills up quickly and has to be emptied every hour, and there's a risk the room will flood, so Obama calls Greg and pleads with him to return.

Greg goes back to Obama's house, looks at the leaky pipe, checks his new rate chart and says, "Let's see, this will now cost you $21,000."

Obama quickly fires back, "What? A few days ago you told me it would cost $9,500!"

Greg explains, "Well, because of the 'Affordable Plumbing Act,' a lot of wealthier people are learning how to maintain and take care of their own plumbing, so there are fewer payers in the plumbing exchanges. As a result, the price I have to charge wealthy people like you keeps rising. Not only that, but for some reason the demand for plumbing work by those who get it for free has skyrocketed! There's a long waiting list of those who need repairs, but the amount we get doesn't cover our costs, especially paperwork and record-keeping. This unfortunately has put a lot of my fellow plumbers out of business, they're not being replaced, and nobody is going into the plumbing business because they know they can't make any money at it. I'm hurting too, all thanks to greedy rich people like you who won't pay their 'fair share'. On the other hand, why didn't you buy plumbing insurance last December? If you had bought plumbing insurance available under the 'Affordable Plumbing Act,' all this would have been covered by your policy."

"You mean I wouldn't have to pay anything to have you fix my plumbing problem?" asks Obama.

"Well, not exactly," replies Greg. "You would have had to buy the insurance before the deadline, which has passed now. And, because you're rich, you would have had to pay $34,000 in premiums, which would have given you a 'silver' plan, and then, since this would have been your first repair, you would have to pay up to the $21,000 deductible, and anything over that would have a $7,500 co-pay, and then there's the mandatory maintenance program, which is covered up to 17.5%, so there are some costs involved. Nothing is for free."

"WHAT?!" exclaims Obama. "Why so much for a puny sink leak?!"

With a bland look, Greg replies, "Well, paperwork, mostly, like I said. And the internal cost of the program itself. You don't think a program of this complexity and scope can run itself, do you? Besides, there are millions of folks with lower incomes than you, even many in the 'middle class', who qualify for subsidies that people like you must support. That's why they call it the 'Affordable Plumbing Act'! Only people who don't make much money can get it. If you want affordable plumbing, you'll have to give away most of what you have accumulated and cut your and Michelle's income by about 90%. Then you can qualify to GET your 'Fair Share' instead of GIVING it."

"But who would pass a crazy act like the 'Affordable Plumbing Act'?!" exclaims the exasperated Obama.

After a sigh, Greg replies, "Congress ... because they didn't read it."

This will help you understand Obamacare .... And here you have it, the 'Affordable Plumbing Act of 2014'. 

The Hypocrisy of "naked capitalism"

Old bankers and old cops. Sometimes we just cling to the old ways.

Today, I thought I'd comment on a blog I love to hate. I read it although there are things I despise about it. So let's just call this a review. "naked capitalism" is a blog with 77 million hits.

The author, Yves Smith is actually a gal named Susan Webber. Ms Webber is a Harvard grad (business school, I guess) who became a Wall Street banker among other things- even working for Goldman Sachs at one point. Her sketchy bio and what little information it provides- tells you very little about who she actually is. You get the privileged child meme but little else.

I have found over the years that people who write under pen names generally have something to hide. They are like the minions, those millions of commenters who refuse to use their real names. They do that because they want to be free of the accountability and responsibility of what they write. I get that. Free speech in America does not mean that what you say won't generate nasty retaliation and sometimes it crosses the line. Some anonymous types are just scared and they see the with holding of personal information as prudent.

I tend to overlook all of that and classify it under "personal circumstances." Whether you are rich or poor, educated or not- you may have something insightful to say. That is all part of the grand birth lottery initially- you are either born to a single crack addicted mother or you catch Susan's parents. Either way it is humbling to know that your success is probably owed to the winds of chance and nothing else. I often think that way.

In the 8 years I have been writing here, I have deleted 5 or 6 comments (other than spammers) only because they were vicious attacks. I would have let them stand had they been truthful or contained content of some merit- but they were just vitriolic, nasty, personal attacks and as such- I sent them to comment hell. Sometimes the reverse is true regarding comments. Some of the commenters and readers here have become my friends. They are actually on my Facebook page. I can think of at least four of you. Some comments have caused me to set aside my own personal bias to investigate allegations and claims which ultimately changed my belief about something.

Ms. Webber doesn't like my comments. I point out flaws and sometimes lies- like the Clinton surplus which never happened but for some odd reason people still believe it did- I guess because Slick Willy said so. That surplus chat was a big piece of a recent "nc" William K Black piece.

I don't like Modern Monetary Theory much either. It is just old Keynesian thinking dressed up as something new. Yves writes about MMT. So when I write comments, the few that have made it past her controlling eyes, they are either attacked or deleted.

I have this blog. I have never tried to create an echo chamber. My skin, while certainly not the thickest, is still pretty thick thanks to 25 years of policing and about 8 more years of writing publicly. If you take shit personally- and you don't feel comfortable with a little confrontation- then policing or public writing might not be for you.

Which brings me here.

I'm not going to work in a field filled with fraud, take paychecks for 20 years or so from thieves in suits, and then suddenly realize the banking industry is full of corruption. It's not going to take that long unless you are simply co-opted. It only took me about 9 months worth of ripping people off in Las Vegas- and I returned to law enforcement. The company I worked for, ITT Financial Services, was simply the most dishonest predatory lender I could imagine. Even the manager was stealing collateral (a Corvette) and claiming it was sold at auction.

So how does a blog receive 77 million hits while rendering a fair amount of opinion and bullshit? Is it clever writing or entertaining? Perhaps marginally so. Huffington Post, the online liberal fluff generator, sold for 300 million. I still scratch my head over that.

Writers have a great opportunity to include people. Instead they exclude people. If I were going to write a credible, believable blog- here are some rules I might employ.

Rule #1. Don't take paychecks from crooks for 20 years. (Hint- they are still crooks whether they are prosecuted or not, kind of like mobsters) That damages one's credibility. It either means you were complicit, a crook yourself, or after 20 years you became a disgruntled employee. Either way- being a bank insider and then suddenly discovering what they do and becoming angry abut it twenty years later makes me wonder if you might be a little slow.

Rule #2. Let's not pretend you are in possession of some proprietary information that only Ivy League grads can understand. You are not. Many of us understand that banks and trading desks manipulate markets, make exotic bets through the use of complex strategies and trading conduits, employ strategies to inure or re-insure positions, give shitty advice that they profit from, rip off clients or taxpayers as the case may be. Only the conduits by which they accomplish this are new.

Rule #3 Print comments. If you are going to be a fearful, controlling type that must edit everything except the inaccuracies of your own featured writers- then maybe close commenting altogether. As it stands- all the comments appearing under any given piece seek only to produce one big echo chamber where agreeable ass kissers pass the gatekeeper's muster, dissenters are persona non grata. Perhaps Susan should have us fill out an online application listing our credentials before approving it.

Rule #4  Don't be a snob even if that is at the core of your being. People don't like snobs and if they do- that concerns me. It takes me back to the Dave Barry days. Pay attention to how people treat the waiter because that is how they will treat you one day. I have seen such things come to pass.

I have probably read a thousand blogs. I learn something from every one of them. I have a gold trading blog where the author has been "dead on" with every turn in the market for over a year. That is a must read for a trader like me. I have two blogs which I have quit reading because they have turned into "pay to read my stuff" sites. I have one or two blogs wherein the writers have simply quit writing altogether. I read some blogs for their great writing, Ace and Taxicab Depressions, I like the pictures and conservative attitude of the Feral Irishman.

In the end, we do and read what we want. I read naked capitalism- but it is often inaccurate. It is certainly not a free speech zone either- you can do your own investigating while reading the comments and looking for dissenters. The other hallmark of snobbery on "nc" are the rules for commenting. Read that caustic page for the true flavor of who Susan Webber is.

Each year Yves-Susan launches a campaign drive looking for money. I giggle when I see that. It reminds me of some poor broker trying to shake down his clients selling the company's book. I suppose the old ways are hard to shake off. I'd kind of like to see how much Yves receives each year and where it is spent. Those are my old investigative ways and indeed, they are hard to shake off.

There it is Frankenstein Government style. Offering opinions for nothing and expecting the same in return. Sugar free since 2008.

King Putt Nominates Gun Grabbing Judge, Quelle Surprise!

I stole the quelle surprise line from Yves at naked capitalism. More on naked capitalism in a week or two.

CNBC calls nominee "centrist." Carly Fiorina calls bullshit on live television and says he is the most liberal of the three potential picks.

Reading a lot about Obama's Supreme Court nominee today, Merrick Garland. Now waiting to hear King Putt introduce the pick on television.. Chief Justice on the D.C. circuit court of appeals.

He is a statist technician. A guy who would seek to expand federal power.

Merrick Garland is another crafty Washington insider and of course- he has the mandatory Harvard indoctrination. (His undergrad degree was the highly sought after Sociology degree) They are calling him a moderate. At first blush he looks moderate but the truth is- he is a gun grabber and wants to revisit the 2nd amendment and overturn our Constitutional right to bear arms.

http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/432716/moderates-are-not-so-moderate-merrick-garland

Mass Appeal and the No Bullshit Donald Trump- The Sunday Collage

Been awhile since I've been here.

I cannot tell you how disillusioned I've become watching the eternal campaign season and knowing that we still have 8 months of this. We have a socialist, a criminal, and an ego-maniac running for the Presidency. It appears we are going to get one of these people in the White House. God help us.

I have to take you back here, just a little bit, to explain a couple of truths about politics as explained to me by my college professors. The most relevant lesson here is that politicians try to cast the widest net while appealing to the largest voting block imaginable. Today's politician has that lesson down to a science. They know that opinions and drawn lines will cost them votes and campaign support. So today's career politicians are some of the biggest pussies around. They will drone on for hours- carefully watching every word they utter- telling voters what they think they want to hear. They are professional salesmen and liars. Obama has those nuances down to a science. Obama came off like this moderate, funny guy while gathering votes in both campaign cycles. Once in office we saw who he really is. A lazy, controlling far leftist who supports big money in industries like banking and health care. He's a war monger and a statist. In short, President Obama is the political science 101, cookie cutter politician. Had he not bailed out the banks and caused this inflationary, giant balloon economy- he would be an unmitigated disaster. As it stands, jumping in bed with the bankers has probably helped his image and his "legacy," It didn't help the country- but it helped him. We know where his priorities lie.

I heard another name for Obama just the other day that made me chuckle. King Putt.

So what is it about Donald Trump that has such mass appeal?

Oh sure people are dis-illusioned with our system. The system doesn't care about "we the people." It cares about big money and special interests. Of course it is corrupt. Congressmen all over the United States get elected and walk out as lobbyists (read paid off) or as millionaires. They get nice little loans here and there, their kids get college admissions and nice jobs. (think Chelsea Clinton's first job making 600k a year and doing nothing,)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/06/13/chelsea-clinton-in-first-journalistic-gig-paid-600000-by-nbc/

So the system is corrupt. The political process is corrupt. We desperately need campaign reform and term limits but we can't make it happen and then all of a sudden, Donald Trump arrives.

Trump is already a billionaire. He doesn't need to kiss anybody's ass for money. He doesn't even need to choose his words carefully. He is the political science 101 anti-christ. He just tells it the way it is- no dancing around, no hedging bets, no convenient little lies like Hillary or Cruz might use.

In short, Trump doesn't have to play by established rules. It gives him a huge advantage not just over his opponents but even the Republican Party can't find a way to control or rein him in. He doesn't need their advice or their support.

That's money. And money my friends- buys a lot of freedom and free speech.

For the first time in decades- we have a candidate who tells it like it is. Lost jobs, immigration, the leftist "common core" mediocre teaching methods. Trump doesn't mince words- he just lays it out. And that pisses off the left. The left is so used to controlling the conversation and the dialogue that they don't know how to stop Trump either. All that blunt truth telling about their failed programs and policies just pisses them off.

It should.

Yesterday, Trump told it like it is about the debates. He is sick of them. He is sick of regurgitating the same old information over and over again while the only beneficiaries are the networks and their ratings. Trump also received the endorsement of my favorite guy, Ben Carson. Carson is an all around nice guy, level headed, boring, and un-electable.

The mass appeal of Donald Trump is that he is a "take no prisoners, spew no bullshit" sort of guy. For millions of Americans- this is the first time we've seen someone like this in our lifetimes.

What kind of leader might he be? Well we know Trump doesn't have to feed at the special interest trough, He's not looking for handouts or speaking engagements. He doesn't need the endorsement of any moneyed interests or party support. That's not a bad place to start. Given the alternatives, Trump looks like a no brainer. You actually get the feeling he will get things done. Imagine the entertainment value! This could actually be fun to watch.

Mike Pompeo, Kansas Rep, Receives Tongue Lashing From Yours Truly

I have to quit watching television. Some years ago...in a land not so far away...

The founding fathers came up with this document called the Constitution with an accompanying document called the Bill of Rights. I think it's safe to say the documents came about as a result of all of the human history which pre-dated it's origin including the Magna Carta and it's material demise. Indeed, the Constitution and Revolutionary War came about as a result of a King still rendering taxes on those which had fled his rule.

Today while watching CNBC, I witnessed a Kansas Representative, Mike Pompeo, on national television lecturing those watching on why Apple had no right to impede the FBI and the federal governments' never ending intrusions into our lives. You see, folks like Pompeo don't get it. They don't understand that the Constitution and Bill of Rights are the law of the land. In their minds, Congressmen can simply ignore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It's as though it doesn't apply to them and they are free of those constraints.

Moreover, as they go about their business of ignoring inconvenient laws they install freedom stripping laws in their place- laws like the Patriot Act.

So today's speech on CNBC consisted of Pompeo telling the uninformed, small fry in America why it was acceptable to suspend the 4th amendment. You know that amendment, the one which states we will be from free from unlawful search and seizure without due process.

Of course, the CNBC interviewers never bring up the 4th amendment nor did Representative Pompeo. It's an inconvenient fact or truth in America- that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were taught to all of us. In fact, learning about the Constitution is still a part of becoming a citizen. I guess everyone has forgotten it or maybe they think, the Constitution has an expiration date. The ironic part, the part that always makes me shake my head- is when I observe elected Congressmen who swear an oath to protect the Constitution and then set about the task of engineering laws- which subsequently violate it.

You did a helluva job today Mike.

So after listening to Pompeo rant about why Apple has no business hindering the Federal government in it's quest to search and seize data from our phones- I got a little miffed. I looked up Pompeo's email. Here's what happened.

Pompeo has a website which attempts to restrict email from anyone other than his "constituents." I suppose Congressmen can do this and provide any number of excuses for limiting access. I am kind of ok with that if you are a state legislator- only working on state laws which effect Kansas residents.
However, when you are elected to Congress- the rules change. Now you are originating and voting on legislation which effects all of us. You are also making appearances on national television and bloviating to the bourgeoisie by telling us how we should think. That level of ego and arrogance is just one of the many reasons why Congress has the worst approval rate in history.

So I had to tell one lie. I said I lived in Wichita and I grabbed a zipcode and I wrote Mr. Pompeo an email. In it, I outlined the 4th amendment and I also mentioned the cowardly nature of an email filter which would protect a Kansas legislator from emails from a concerned Idaho resident- concerned because Pompeo clearly forgot about the Constitution while riding high for the FBI.

So here's your constitutional refresher Mike, just in case you have forgotten what it says.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

So maybe Mike, the cops can just get a search warrant like they HAVE always had to do.

I imagined as a Police Chief that it would have been nice to limit all the tourists from contacting me and rendering their opinions over the years. "I'm sorry ma'am you are from the Bay Area and do not pay property taxes here. I am so busy that I only have enough time to talk to local residents" as I handed her back her California driver's license.

It's time people. It's time to take responsibility for these ego maniacs we keep electing and it's time to hold their feet to the fire.

Or it's not. Perhaps we should just surrender the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and let these people render it useless.

I swore to uphold the Constitution once. I don't remember that oath having an expiration date but maybe it did. Or maybe guys like Mike just don't take oaths anymore. Maybe one day the press can ask the appropriate questions- ya know if it dawns on them- and maybe one day I'll get to hear an appropriate answer. Gawd it's mind numbing.

Politics done right, is just civil compromise. Done wrong, it's deceitful, harmful propaganda. It would be nice to see it done right again.

Larry Summers, Banker Shill, Suggests Eliminating the 100 Dollar Bill

With an honorable mention to Ernest Hemingway for a proprietary concept- I must admit that thirty years seems like a long time. For me, it was 1986.

Some 30 years ago, my best friend who is now deceased, explained to me how he believed that bankers controlled the United States and he said that one day- bankers would desperately try to eliminate cash altogether. Whoever controls the money supply controls commerce and people he explained. Ultimately he said, banker leverage would far exceed the claims on cash in the event of a massive bank run. That would cause a cataclysmic bank disaster not unlike the one that unfolded in 2008. Given their choice, bankers would love to force everyone onto a credit card where the banking industry and government could monitor every transaction, eliminate cash transactions that avoid scrutiny and taxes, skim every transaction, and shut off your card whenever government deemed fit to do so. (We are seeing this with passports right now) In addition, electronic currency would allow banks to operate with impunity. There is no end to counterfeiting and leverage when bankers can convert a tangible form of money into largely intangible, electronic digits. Think about that. No more bank runs. Just add a few zeroes to your card. In an odd way, the currency that bankers created has become a heavy chain and burden around their necks.

I thought Craig was nuts at first but he was simply ahead of his time. And like most people who can see the future- Craig and his family were ultimately ridiculed. When you arrive first with a proprietary idea which speaks truth to power- ridicule, harassment, and prosecution will surely follow and it did.

Craig's father ultimately went to prison for engaging in the the same balance sheet tomfoolery that banks have been engaging in for ever. They called it bank fraud. When stealing money it seems, bankers don't like any competition.

So when I saw a CNN piece about Harvard educated and would be Federal Reserve chair, Larry Summers, suggesting the elimination of the 100 dollar bill- my thoughts immediately flashed back on my old friend. http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/16/investing/hundred-dollar-bill-larry-summers/index.html?iid=hp-stack-dom This is how it starts. Seemingly intelligent, credentialed people telling us how it would be a good idea if we eliminated the 100 dollar bill. There must always be some demonstrated need to sell a big change- and in this case Mr Summers uses the "curtailment of crime" as his conduit. Drug dealers and money launderers would be the target. What a noble premise! Well except that...

Getting rid of the 100 dollar bill would actually have the opposite effect. It would enable crime to flourish. It would be the first step in eliminating currency altogether. If eliminating currency and evolving it into something digital become the end game- not only would audits become useless- but counterfeiting would become effortless. Leverage would go bonkers, reserves would never be disclosed. The greatest thieves- the ones in suits- would be dancing in the streets. And crime would just shift from one relatively small group of drug dealers and money launderers- to a giant horde of bankers skimming every transaction with money they don't even possess.

Precious metals would be outlawed. Guaranteed.

And the government? Wouldn't it just love to exert complete control over your bank accounts as it slowly goes broke, withdrawing taxes and shutting off your ability to transact whenever it deemed necessary? The government could simply declare you a domestic terrorist and seize your assets without due process. Kind of like they are doing with passports right now- rescinding them if you owe 50k in unpaid taxes- a number which will surely ratchet down in the years to come until they seize your right to travel altogether.

The sad truth, the one Craig understood, was that all things are accomplished incrementally with a long range plan. You can't simply outlaw currency altogether- you have to do it slow and incrementally- one little piece at a time offering a reasonable explanation for every step. That's been the slow drip of an ever oppressive Federal Government and the resultant erosion of our constitutional rights over time. One day we will be stripped of everything, mostly our freedoms, and while scratching our heads we shall wonder how it came to be.

My friend Craig died in an explosion a few years ago. It was a devastating loss for me. I wish he were here to see this. I can almost see him now- laughing and nodding his head- knowing full well that a nation of gullible and uneducated people might just concede the 100 dollar bill. Buying into some Harvard bullshit offered up on behalf of the banking cartel.

I must give credit to Ernest Hemingway for the general idea and observation which I have re arranged just a little bit... How did we lose our freedom? Two ways. Slowly at first, and then suddenly.