Is Silver Really Money?
Does It Matter?
I wish I had a troy ounce of silver for every time I have encountered those questions on the net! Newsflash, the prestigious ISO (International Organization for Standardization) has set the standards for international currencies. Silver and gold are listed by the ISO as currencies. A fascinating quick resource for information regarding currency ISO 4217 is Wikipedia of course. Silver's currency code is a combination of X and its chemical symbol AG; hence its currency code is XAG. Following the same logic, gold's currency code is XAU. Each currency is assigned a 3 digit numeric code. Silver is currency number 961. Its standard is set at one ounce of silver. Therefore, Silver is an internationally recognized currency and not just a figment in the fervid imaginations of suburban gold bugs. In fact, I have even traded the XAG/USD currency pair at European brokerage houses and the XAU/USD at Forex.com. Go to Forex.com and check it out. They are the only U.S. firm offering this incredible investment vehicle. It requires only about $200 per contract! But is silver money? Answer, NO. Rule of thumb, if you can't buy a candy bar with it, it is not money.
I can't just drop into my local Starbucks and buy a large cinnamon dulce latte (expensive brew) with 35 silver cents. My barista would look at me like I had been smoking some of Ben Bernanke's newly printed federal reserve notes in my Hope Bong (unfortunately, both are super abundant now). Yes, a cup of Joe at Starbucks would only cost 35 silver cents ($4.35 for a latte divided by the price of one once of silver on April 9th, 2009 which was $12.35). In this crazy world of "regulated"2 fiat currencies ("legally" counterfeit monies), currently headed by red queen Ben Bernanke (off with all your heads dear readers), all currencies are volatile including silver. But silver has lost very little purchasing power relative to the toilet paper currencies (the founding fathers called it "rag money") like the U.S. Dollar and the British Pound. Since 1913 when the U.S. Congress was manipulated into turning the Dollar over to the control of a private banking cartel, it has lost more than 95 percent of its value. We gave them a Dollar whose purchasing power had stayed fairly stable (compared to paper money since 1913) for over a hundred years and they have given us back a few tarnished pennies. Fair exchange? Heck No!
Those of you who are not logophobic are permitted, in the privacy of your own home, to use more appropriate harsher language. This is an outrage that warrants strong language and righteous anger. The purposeful debauching of our dollar is what is known as the alchemy of finance. We are currently experiencing the disastrous results of the monetary wizards (central banking cartels) trying to turn paper into gold. Great job guys. Yes, you Paul Volker and Sir Alan Greenspan3 (two previous monetary wizards who were crowned as red queens). Dear reader, next time you drop in to your local coffee shop (if you can afford to now) remember in 1913 a regular cup of Joe only cost around 5¢ to 10¢ (cents).
(Expert=Michael_R_Stoddard)
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