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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jamey who wrote (20437)	3/20/2004 8:29:10 PM
From: sea_urchin	Respond to of 81821

James > appreciate the detailed reply My pleasure. Fortunately, after Ray opened the discussion on DU, I found that website and had read most of the articles there. The history and the politics of nuclear power were truly fascinating --- and, in fact, still are. Of course, also educational from a scientific point of view. It's actually an amazing story what they had to do to produce the initial 50kg of U235 (which is the critical mass and, then, an enormous quantity) needed for the first atomic bomb. (Hiroshima was also U235 but Nagasaki used Pu239) The development went on throughout the whole WWII, cost the US billions, and they didn't actually know it would work. Incredible gamble when one thinks about it. > They are underestimating the good that George Bush is doing for the economy. Which means they're missing a golden wealth-building opportunity. Yes, I know Lou Dobbs well from CNN. Very likeable person. In my opinion, the main thing W has done for the US economy is create enormous debt, in other words, print money on a scale never before seen. Why this devaluation of the currency has not resulted in far greater "official" price inflation is, to me, a great mystery because everything that I am aware of has gone up in price. In fact, the CRB index of commodity prices is at a 20 year high. stockcharts.com[w,a]dalaynay[dm][pd200,2][ilb14!la12,26,9] So, as far as I am concerned, what we are looking at is a wealth-destroying situation, not a wealth-building one. However, by hedging himself against the currency destruction/devaluation eg by the purchase of commodities, resources, real estate or other assets eg works of art, the investor could make a lot of "money". But that would also require luck --- and balls to withstand the price volatility in very unstable markets. I know you are interested in gold and I have to say that, by comparison to the chart above, gold should have been at $500 already but for some reason it has not performed now as previously. Maybe it will still catch up? stockcharts.com[w,a]dalaynay[dm][pd200,2][ilb14!la12,26,9] There's no doubt that under such conditions the rich will become "richer" but as far as the American "man-in-the-street" is concerned, he is going to have a very hard time, and for a long time to come. His purchasing power will fall, prices will rise and to counter the inevitable inflation, interest rates will also have to rise. As it is, he is already over his head in debt and this will squeeze him even harder. In addition, and as recommended by Alan Greenspan, social services will be cut back and available only at an older age than at present. Clearly, if the American consumer is squeezed the "boom" conditions which have been evident for the past few years, certainly the 1990s, will evaporate. This has to be bad for business.