Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Your Money or your Life!


Anyone following the slow-moving(ish) train-wreck that is the Sovereign Debt crisis, will have noticed that France and Belgium have pledged to prop up Dexia, one of several rotten franchises in the heart of Europe. Presumably taxpayers will come to the rescue, but in the meanwhile, Dexia dropped a miserable 22 points on the Brussel's 'change. You can read about it in the SF Chronicle, if you like.


Belloc wrote somewhere that the Roman Empire was plagued with periodic financial crises brought on by usurious bankers. Interest on non-productive loans (his definition of usury) would mount up over the years until the burden became unsustainable, leading to financial collapse and ever higher tax burdens. Odd how history seems to repeat itself.


Jefferson had this to say about the banks:


"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered..."


Prescient, that Founding Father.


LSP

6 comments:

  1. Correct.

    And when did the rot really start?

    Either under the presidency of one Geo. W. Shrub, or considerably earlier.

    Wasn't it Ronnie Raygun who started it - I'm not sure ....

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  2. Alright there, Tingey. Good to see you're a fan of "Old Dutch".

    But good question, when did the rot set in?

    I'm biased towards the Weber/Tawney POV, but that's admittedly pretty old fashioned...

    Would it be OK to post your fine Beard/Defender picture?

    Cheers.

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  3. Prescient, that Founding Father

    Most of them were. And Jefferson was foremost in that number.

    But where are their like today, eh?

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  4. Very good point, Eye.

    I'll wager my fighting monkey against any two pit bulls that we're not capable of producing a Jefferson today.

    There. The challenge is down.

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  5. Any man who has a fighting monkey is not to be messed with and gets my respect.

    I can only bring some grumpy looking fish to the fight, so I'm out at this point.

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  6. Sorry about that, Eye. They can't all be winners.

    The fighting monkey is a fearsome beast.

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