Many pundits have made the following statement, in one form or another, driving a car is the ultimate expression of freedom in America. Yet, your freedom to drive a vehicle is endangered by the political left and the neo-socialists who want to steal and destroy your freedoms. Mention economics, and most people’s eyes gloss over, brains disconnect, and they hope the pain will end shortly. Please, fight this impulse. I will attempt to make a highly complex topic simple and easily understood. While I might not get all the specific details correct, I aim to communicate economics to a general audience that is free and empowered to further research the topics for themselves. My links are reflected in the article for more information.
Money was discussed in a previous article and found here. In simple terms, money is the tool used to transfer goods from one entity to another, showing a legal purchase was made to change ownership, hence opening the first crucial role of money, legally transferring ownership of goods and services from one person to another. Unfortunately, legal ownership transference is where the government exercises its first controls, regulating cross-border commerce. When the government went on a growth spurt in the 1930s, ballooning into the behemoth, we have right now, the government used the excuse of maintaining cross-border commerce to steal products grown by farmers, regulate prices, and set up means and methods to ensure the government was the only winner.
The 1930 legal battles that wound up in the United States Supreme Court over price controls saw the citizen’s first attempt to reign in the government and failed miserably. Worse, these first moves by the citizen were the first exchanges in an economic war that has raged ever since—money stores value. Think of the money found when you do laundry. You have no idea how long that money was lost, but the value of the money has not changed, you presume, and you celebrate finding the money. Except, the value of that money has changed through inflation, and the government’s hidden tax (inflation) has robbed you of value.
Let’s say you found $20 in the laundry. When you first lost that $20 bill, it had more value, e.g., you could purchase more with that money than you can now. Sure, the value printed on the money still has $20 worth of goods or services, but the cost of those goods and services went up, restricting your ability to purchase. Hence the economic warfare being waged by your government. The government essentially said we would not worry about inflation. Meaning they will devalue the money you hold for their own political purposes.
An idea was floated by an economically challenged person to print a $5 trillion bill and use this to pay off the Chinese debt. The problem is the devaluation of the money printed will capsize American citizens due to the hidden taxes of inflation. Making that $5 trillion bill or bills would devalue the dollar and crash the American economy. The stored value in the printed bill would not stand up to and be accepted, as a medium of stored value sufficient to pay the debts incurred. Is the problem more clear; when money is printed, each dollar, pound, euro, etc., devalues the stored purchasing power of the money you currently hold in hand.
Stored value is the second tool for waging economic warfare by the government against its citizens. Consider all the money printed to pay for the supposed Coronavirus Tax Relief and Economic Impact Payments the world’s governments made to their citizens. If you had $100,000 in savings when these monies were printed, your savings were devalued by the inflation rate, which is currently at a 40-year high in America. The government is reporting inflation at 7.9%, so your $100,000 in savings lost the equivalent of $7900. But, the government does not ever report inflation at the actual level, and the actual level of inflation is ranged between 8% and 45% depending upon the purpose or product you are trying to purchase. Meaning your $100,000 could have a value of $92,000 to $55,000 in real value. A hefty tax indeed!
Stored value, the number printed on different bill faces of currency, is static. The actual value, e.g., the number of goods and services purchasable, is not fixed, and the government allows an annual inflation rate of 2% as “normal and acceptable.” Thus, your $1 will have a purchasing power of $0.98, which is compounded year-over-year. Thus, over a decade, that 2% inflation rate is now reducing your $1 to $0.80. Multiply that for the $100,000 and a decade of saving, receiving interest that does not equal inflation to compensate means your money in your savings account has lost $20,000, just from the government allowing inflation at 2% annual growth. Let’s say your bank is generous for savings account holders and provides a published interest rate of 3%, subtract the inflation taxes of 2%, and you are only earning 1% interest on your money. Is this the bank’s fault or the government’s?
Do you see how the government is robbing you through economics? Your 5% raise is only 3% once the inflation devaluation has been factored into your budget. Play the lottery; the taxes alone might kill you, but the devaluation of the money reduces the actual purchasing power of your winnings. If you do not understand the economic warfare being waged against you by your government, you will lose more than you ever gained in winning the lottery. Yet another reason why lotteries are a tax on stupid people, for even when you win, you lose!
Cash has another problem beyond inflation, money supply. The money supply is the technical term for ensuring banks can replace worn-out, ripped, and damaged money. Money supply plays a role in how much money your local store has on hand to provide change and cashback to customers. For employers who pay employees in cash, the money supply is a significant problem with extremely high costs. The government regulates those costs and passes them onto consumers through banks and lending institutions. Are you struggling to get a loan; this is another by-product of money supply woes. Paying higher fees to change money to another currency for your trip is another money supply product. Money supply remains another weapon of the government to affect economic warfare, and many people do not understand this principle, making the government’s policies more effective.
Have you noticed the decline in the availability of $10 dollar bills? I asked for two $10.00 bills when I broke a $20.00 at a Walmart recently, I was denied because Walmart has instituted a policy to only accept $10.00 bills, not give them. Albertson’s, Staples, the in-store bank in Walmart, and the local credit union, all have a similar policy. What is the government doing forcing a reduction in $10.00 bills in circulation? In researching this single policy, I can find no written information on this issue; yet the evidence is clear, there is a manual currency reduction in process and the government needs to explain why.
Before 1980, the basic money supply was measured as the sum of currency in circulation, e.g., cash, traveler’s checks, and checkable deposits. Currency serves the medium-of-exchange function but denies people any interest earnings. However, as discussed, interest earnings are not all they are cracked up to be due to inflation. Cash under a mattress, lost in pockets of clothes, stuck in a book in your library is black money; it is as dead as yesterday’s fish and constantly devalued by inflation. The money supply tries to regulate the cash on hand to lend as a tool to protect your money from inflation. Except, the government constantly allows a 2% inflation rate, negating a lot of savings accounts and other interest-earning propositions.
Want a new car, consolidate your credit card debt, or try to buy a house; all of these loan products are an extension of the money supply and the regulation of money supply by the government. Important to note that your credit cards and bank-issued or employer-issued debit cards are not affected by the money supply, and this is another reason why credit cards and debit cards are so dangerous. These tools are agreements between you and the issuer, where money is transferred when the tool is used, and the consumer is responsible for all the fees the government insists upon to help pay for the money supply.
Conclusion
In waging economic warfare, it remains imperative to know about economics, identifying what money is, its role, and the fiduciary controls the government exerts to attack its citizens. Some may call my language inflammatory, but tell me, do the inflationary costs right now not feel like your taxes have skyrocketed? Inflation is a hidden tax, a tax fully controlled by the government, and the value of your money decreases yearly because the government says 2% inflation is acceptable. Who made this decision, an unconstitutional entity called the Federal Reserve Bank. Since its inception, Congress has tried to obtain transparency and accountability from the Federal Reserve Bank to no avail. Do you understand why I take umbrage with the Federal Reserve Bank?
The governors of the Federal Reserve Bank decided your money could be taxed at 2% inflation annually as a normal condition of doing business. These people set the interest rates you pay for your credit cards and are not paid for your savings accounts. Looking into the history of interest rates since 1900, there is always volatility; the Federal Reserve’s actions have since the 1980s to not allow savings rates over 5%. When adjusted for inflation, that’s a 3% interest rate for those trying to save money. What does this mean; fewer people are saving money. Look where those trying to beat the 3% have invested their money, the stock market, where volatility is a minute-to-minute occurrence, higher risks against less interest, where your money remains subject to taxes, fees hiding other taxes, government fingers, and inflation.
Your government did that to wage economic warfare against you, to empower them to steal your rights, freedoms, and liberties. There is no other way to describe what is happening globally in all governments. China plays games with the value of its currency to power trade deficits. This, in turn, changes prices and increases costs. These actions are taken to “compete,” when in reality, the activities cover massive debt problems in China. If the CCP cannot keep the tap turned wide open on trade deficits, their money supply drys up, and debts come due in a bankrupting tsunami!
The European Union has never been fiscally sound because the various members of the European Union are taking advantage of the productive members to cover the costs of the fiscally useless members. France cannot survive as a country without the European Union’s largesse; Greece, Portugal, and several other countries are all in the same boat. Their governments did this intentionally as political games to stay in power. When these countries run out of other people’s money, they will be forced to change socially, and the tsunami of debt to the World Bank and other nations will not be pretty.
Economics drives these problems mainly due to the lack of knowledge of the lines of congruence between economics and the psychology of governing. The enemies of freedom understand economics, and this is why these tools have been so successful in waging war and stealing freedom, rights, and liberties through monetary policy. Until we, the rightful owners of government, understand what is happening, we will all be at the whims of our enemies.
© Copyright 2022 – M. Dave Salisbury
The author holds no claims for the art used herein, the pictures were obtained in the public domain, and the intellectual property belongs to those who created the images. Quoted materials remain the property of the original author.
The Daily Signal reported some news that tickled my irony bone this morning, and I had to share. 
Where freedom of religion is concerned, I believe The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints says it best in their tenth Article of Faith:
Most societies fail because leaders have violated the core fundamental principles those societies were built upon. The people have lost the way to hold the leaders accountable to the fundamental principles that originally built the society. In modern societies, these principles are codified laws from founding national documents, and holding the leaders accountable would involve lawyers and judges, as well as time and other leaders committed to holding together the system to ensure those who broke the system are held liable and accountable before the law, and not a mob.
What do you want most? What government is most important to you? Is your government system sufficiently powerful enough a motivator to propel you to action to save it and pass it along to the next generation? America has had leaders who have been quoted as saying something to the effect of, “The blood of current generations must renew the tree of liberty to remain free.” What will you sacrifice for liberty today, for your children to experience freedom tomorrow?
Act with haste, prepare with confidence, and move with speed. Get loud! Stand like a rock! I was told standing is not an activity. The person proclaiming that has never stood still and faced down an enemy, or they would know just how arduous standing can be! Seek learning through study, discussion, questions, and faith. Seeking learning through faith means that you will actively believe until you can prove otherwise, even if it means waiting patiently for a while to learn more.
The VA-OIG conducted a 
The last time I discussed being a 
Loyal Oppositionists never use violence to control the thoughts of others. We refute ideas with more potent ideas. We employ words, conviction, and confidence. We love the freedom found under the “Rule of Law.” We are constructive in our comments, truthful, and we research and report, even if it means we must improve our individual actions to meet our ideals. Now, more than ever in American History, America needs loyal oppositionists to step forward, answer the call, and defend liberty against the tyranny thrust upon us.
While not precisely a ranked principle, a person’s character is witnessed; they are not spoken, not listened to, observed, and judged by others.
Confucius makes a powerful statement here for loyal oppositionists and their leaders.
I was working in a call center for a prominent online adult educator, where I questioned the software being changed and the rollout of the new software system. The software would not be finished and thoroughly user-friendly for an additional five years after the initial rollout. I expressed my dismay at rolling out a partially completed product when time and energy should have been put into finishing the software before rolling it out for all the employees. My director felt this was disloyal to the organization, trumped-up fallacious claims, and wanted to punish me for disloyalty. I walked out of that job; I was not disloyal then, I am still not disloyal to the brand. I am not loyal to that director or the supervisor who craved a promotion and signed off on my being punished on fallacious claims and charges.
M*A*S*H 4077th was a TV show, and in my humble opinion, one of the best TV shows ever. Running from 1972-1983, M*A*S*H featured the Korean War/Conflict, a mobile Army surgical hospital, and some of the funniest stories I have ever laughed at. The central character was Hawkeye Pierce, who held a no-neutral zone policy where death was concerned. Not that death did not arrive occasionally, but that as a surgeon on the front line between life and death, he refused to be mediocre, refused second place, and refused, utterly, to quit as long as there was any chance that his skills could save a life.
In nature, there is no neutrality. Never has been; never will be. A flower cannot decide one day not to bloom or delay blooming, for then it dies. The same is true of animals, show me a neutral animal, and I will show you the predator who hunts that animal. Why the human race thinks there can be neutrals is beyond my kin. For humans must also answer to the laws and rules of nature, there is no neutral zone. Nowhere on the planet can you find a gray spot where darkness and light do not conflict. The place is either light or dark, hot or cold, dry or wet, with no middle ground, safe spot, or protected zone. Go to the Jungles of Vietnam and find a location where the air is not humid, the temperature is not hot, and the jungle is friendly, kind, and supportive of all creatures, without regard for predator and prey; and I will sell you a bridge to the moon, made by rainbows and unaffected by gravity.
The United Nations was a failed idea from the beginning and remains a bad decision to this day! Worse, the bullish ignorance of the rules of nature, coupled with the failure of the Rule of Law, has left many a representative government across the world wondering who their allies are. If a nation wonders who its allies are, it absolutely knows who the enemy is, but too often, the line between enemy and ally is murky and distorted. With trade, global banks, globe-spanning businesses, and government interests constantly shifting, charting a course through these environments for a country is not an easy job. However, the problem is not so much outside one’s borders as inside one’s borders.
Truth be told, even in Eragon and M*A*S*H, there were never any “safe paths.” The main characters had to realize this truth before they could grow mentally sufficient to overcome their dilemmas. The same principle holds for every person in the world; we must realize there is no such thing as neutral zones, safe spaces, and safe paths. We must individually choose a side, know why we chose that side, and then defend our choice from continued attacks. LIC is war, and this war will only worsen until bigger weapons and nations fight against nations and begin actively throwing ammunition at each other.
Seek opportunities to practice standing for that which you know is right and will defend. The US Army’s official motto is, “This we’ll defend!” What will you defend? Why will you defend it? Who are you defending it against? When you know these answers, then the US Army’s motto becomes your personal motto, your brand, and your courage to defend it will increase!
There many ideas I embraced as a child that brings me short mentally and cause some discomfort. The biggest of these was the support of labor unions. As a kid, I thought labor unions were the best thing since sliced bread. I learned in K-12 how the 
Because of the hold, the Labor Unions have on government, the line between government policy and labor union influence is generally so blurred that confusion is bred as to why things work the way they work in government. Unfortunately, every country with a representative government and labor unions has the same problem. Labor unions are 
Public-sector labor unions are the number one reason many states in America have seen their credit ratings drop. The debt of the retirement packages and 
Returning to the pattern discussed on 16 March 2019, 
Last week, while scrubbing my SPAM folder on Gmail, I discovered that Google had arbitrarily been sending several emails containing news of a more conservative slant straight to SPAM. Why would Google arbitrarily act in a manner to thwart the delivery of email? A topic for discussion later in this article.
Join me! Join with your neighbors and family members! Let us for a community of responsible and intelligent citizens, who are informed, and active in halting the government abuses at every turn! As a united front, we can win! Believe that, and we are halfway to restoring America to the ”Shining city on a hill!”
The following is the second part of the series on the proper and improper role of government. First, imperative to the discussion is a quick recap on the purpose of a government, and then we will discuss the actual role of government. Second, the following cannot be stressed enough, America was founded upon a Judeo-Christian understanding and philosophy. Other representative governments have removed the influence of religion globally, but America, thankfully, continues to keep it around. Third, nothing herein is to be misconstrued as supporting any single religion, including atheism and agnostics. My religious beliefs are not your business, just as your religious beliefs are not my business; we are not here to debate theology, philosophy, or anything but the government’s proper and improper role.
From many Judaic and Christian sources, one can find various systems of government in place throughout history. From despots of the most vile to the judges of Israel, which brought liberty and freedom instead of kings, one can find just about any form of government represented in historical texts of ancient date. More specifically, one can find the proper role of government, which is stated most simply in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints, specifically Section 134:2.
The founding fathers, and several of the first presidents in America, were considered statesmen. However, statesmen are not merely politicians, and politicians are never statesmen! A statesman is a person who is well versed in the principles or art of government, actively engaged in conducting the business of government or in shaping its policies. The statesmen are respected for their skill, diplomacy, power to communicate ideas, and being principled. Thus, the statesmen are morally upright and can be trusted to understand why they are morally principled and why the law should be morally centered. It cannot be stressed enough. The true statesmen values principles over popularity and works to create popularity for political principles in government operations that are morally sound and bring the most freedom to the most people.
Now, returning to the proper role of government, any form of government instituted by man, we find the following as guidance in measuring said governmental role. From D&C 134;1-2, 5:
The improper role of government begins with refusing to accept that government power is limited to only those powers the citizens grant the government. Thankfully, there is a simple test for understanding what powers the government has or does not have. The test: Can you order your neighbor to pay for welfare for another person? If not, the government does not have this right or power. Can your neighbor call you to pay subsidies to them for keeping their lawn and home maintained? If not, the government does not have the right to spend taxpayer money to subsidize another person’s housing. This simple test relates the power of government, the government’s improper role, and reasonable government restrictions.
Legal plunder is theft through the misuse of the power of government. Consider the following example, your paycheck. On that paycheck, the Federal and State governments demand money from you, not earned but forced through jurisprudence and legislative fiat, and those funds are given to another person. As a private citizen, if I took your wallet and removed money from it, I would be guilty of theft and liable to the penalties of criminal and civil law, even if I did not keep your cash but donated it to a charitable organization. Remember, the simple test that details the difference between the proper and improper role of government.
Why does it matter?
DNC-Consulting 