Dreams and Topics

 

Last blog, I said this one would not be on political thinking... I meant it at the time and had a blog from something at our desert home, but then a dream happened. I don't ever ignore dreams and what they might be telling me; so I'll share that here-- well, part of it.

A person is trying to get a friend to change their bad habits. They might say they would but then it'd not happen. There are two ways someone might change. One is love of someone. Another is reading something that convinces that person this is going the wrong way. 

Well, there is a third when they see it for themselves and the change then is more permanent.

Then I realized this applies to a country when it's going the wrong way. It has to see it for itself, cannot be forced from outside as it won't last.

When I woke up, I knew this applied to my country with its massive debt, which last I read was $34 trillion. Let that sink in as to how much money that is; and although we are a wealthy country, by many measures, what does it mean to owe that much? Who does the government owe it to? More on that below.

When the Fed increases the money supply, which is part of its job description when needed, what does that mean for inflation or the value of the dollar?

People talk about inflation but what causes our dollars to be worth less and less? I have some books I bought years and years ago that cost under $2 (price still on the cover) that today would be $20. Was it that they cost more to make, or the lack of value in my dollars-- more likely they cost more because dollars were worth less? When America went off the gold standard, supposedly for trade and freedom of marketing, what replaced it? A nebulous concept of the country's net worth? Who decided that?

I am no economist and only know what I read, which can go many different directions. but I do understand our dollars are constantly losing value.

When Congress figured out it could borrow from the Social Security Trust Fund, it forgot to clarify how it'd pay it back or if it would. When Congress made a law that it did not have to vote in their own wage increase but instead it was automatic with cost of living, it left out the rest of us, including SS, which is supposed to relate to cost of living, but not what people need to buy but rather a lot of other things that don't relate to the real cost of living for the elderly.

Our biggest debt holders were China and Japan. Added of course, with ourselves with bonds, which get paid when and by whom? What if we can't pay? 

Finally, do either of the current Presidential candidates have proposals for the debt or is it all about gimmes to voters, which will get them votes? That should not have been a question. Who is seriously looking at the debt or will that all come after disaster strikes, and we know it can based on other countries. BUT not on my watch is all many care about...

They might though care about this if they took the time to look, which I doubt. If you want to see how inflation might be linked to money supply, check out this link that Ranch Boss found: How M1 Money Supply and Inflation are Linked.  Research it further if inflation is of concern to you.

image on top is one of our barrel cactus. Such fun to watch them take on their full identities.