The fun is in the grey shadows that fill the little gaps Mq ;)
You mention "full faith" when indeed "enough faith" is all it takes. And given the basis on which the majority of the people I've met on this planet appear to worship... well, seems like the word "full" is overstating the case considerably.
Many people try to avoid the opportunity to dip out french-fries from the boiling oil with their fingers based on no more than faith that it will be a bad idea. Not from first-hand experience, but from extrapolations. Not full faith (as any emergency room physician will tell you), just enough (based on the ratio of people who have tried this to those who have not).
And "just enough" faith is readily engendered. Wouldn't you agree? LOL
On to >>[Uncle Al] promises to dilute holders by [between 1% and 3%] each year<< - not unlike the track record of Mr Chambers or Dr. J et. al. is it?
Are you trying to kid yourself (or me) with tabloid factoids to mention 5 of several thousand publicans whose lives are under a 7x24 scrutiny of the media? Seems to me that the difference between those you cite and others in positions of governance (public or private sector) is that one group has been caught and the other hasn't. You point to Clinton, then I'll point to Enron. Tit for tat, or X for Y as the case may be.
In the dimness of another nook you bring up Socialism vs Capitalism and democracy versus communism. Is your thesis that a socialist economy underpins the stronger currency? That a close knit clique of the buddy-system appointed and self-interested makes "better" decisions? I think not.
Both good points, but in your shoes I wouldn't have introduced either to light. But you did, so let's go there. First, capitalism versus socialism. At heart these two economic theories differ in the principles of resource allocation. Do you conjecture that some invisible hand guides the expenditure of R&D at Qualcomm? Or does some central planning authority ultimately decide how much of the R&D gets allocated to which boondoggle? Pause for a second, but the modern incarnation of the firm is not capitalistic in its economic policy. Hmmm...
So let us not even begin to pretend that the internal economy of firms in the public sector is capitalist, or even democratic. Which brings us to the second point. Sure, perhaps there is a 'shareholder vote'. However, if you check the minute book of the company you will see an election ballot, voting record and power structure within Q! that made the Soviet Union look positively capitalist by comparison. We don't have to look too far into Q's executive ranks to smell a hint of nepotism, do we?
When we get right down to it, I still maintain that these public and private animals are equal Mq. Is your counter merely that some are more equal than others? If so, how should the balance be decided?
In this race it is Democracy that is selecting the USD (and Gold). In the truest of the American Way: the populace is voting with their wallet!!
I'll see your far seeing future view, and raise you current reality.
As to the supply and demand for gold, another good point. I suggest you do some digging into what is called the "Gold Carry Trade". Which I first heard about through SI, fyi. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that the world's annual consumption of gold exceeds the annual production. Which, by the way, is not as apparently true in the case of vector-orthogonal spread spectrum bit-transport protocols.
In closing, yes, perhaps we differ in what we see in the shadows. But I will agree fully with you that our responsibility is to create our own bright futures. Indeed, it is only if we dare to dream the impossible dream that it can come true.
And each of us is the vessel of an infinite number of hopes and dreams, some loftier than others. I believe in a great deal of chaos, luck and uncertainty. Plus a certain amount of serendipity. It is indeed good fortune to dream of a future and see it happen around us.
But like others on this board, the genes in my bloodline have survived a rather darwinian process and thus in balance I draw a fine line between aspirations in reality and dreams in fantasy.
But that's a whole different discussion for another rant on another day.
John |
