Yes! We're #1!

What in the hell are you talking about now, strabo? What time period are you bitching about?

-- Ed Huntress

How? If each thirty five (pick your number) dollar bills were backed by one ounce of gold in Fort Knox, there is no way to create more money without acquiring more gold.

Demonetizing first silver and then gold have left the dollar backed by nothing but our full faith and credit and the productiveness of the American worker. Since the American worker now flips burgers in a service job, no new wealth is created. America makes very little and our dollar is now backed by our outstanding good looks and a very winning smile.

Tying currency to gold was the way to prevent that state of affairs. We cut it loose - with predictable results.

Actually, the US Military did indeed adopt the Barrett 50 cal. See:

The ability to take out a bad guy (or good guy, depending upon your point of view) at over a mile is really cool! As a hobby gunsmith, I've built several 1000 yard rifles, but nothing that compares to one of Barrett's 50's.

Mike Eberle> > > >> Speaking of which..I note the IRA used stolen British arms and

you kinda just proved the case beyond doubt ...

yanks ... thicker n two short irishmen

Oh yeah! Special lever action rifle that he could fire really fast; played by the late great Chuck Connors.

Seems he played the hero in "Branded" after that, where he was accused of running away in a battle, and had to clear his name in every episode by killing bad guys.

So, basically, this part of the thread is about how we tried to help some Arabs (Iraqis) who promptly took what we gave them, sold it on the black market, and then asked for another one.

Like that should have surprised anyone with even a passing familiarity with Arab cultures.

And we're blaming the US for being naive and trusting, right? We had some silly belief that these Arabs were something more than a bunch of thieves but would sell out their own mothers if they thought they could find someone who'd buy the old bitch.

And what are those results -- besides the longest run of economic prosperity in American history?

-- Ed Huntress

Read a newpaper lately?

Every day. What would you like to discuss? How about the rise of GDP since we untied the connection between currency and gold?

-- Ed Huntress

Im still waiting for citations that these are the same weapons you are blithering about.

The ruddy glow of you immolating yourself is pretty.

Cool.

Now its almost 200, it was 60, then it was 200,000.

When are you going to make up your mind? Assuming you have one...

So the guy had a pyschotic episode and ate a gun. This means what?

No..you provided something...but hardly cites. Circumstancial evidence perhaps..but hardly graven in stone.

If I have anything to do with Rove, Ill send you a napkin from the country club.

I did vote for Bush, both times. I dont think Ill do that again. Least..not for President.

Snicker

Gunner

What would I like to discuss? Oh, I don't know. Let's see.

The collapse of the mortgage market followed by the equity, commercial paper, and both domestic and commercial real estate markets.

The low economic growth in the last decade.

The rising unemployment.

Rising welfare. Rising homeless.

A dollar that's worth a nickel by 1913 standards.

The way the world is dropping the dollar as the reserve currency.

The way we own so much money that China is threatening to crash the dollar. And the fact that they can do it whenever they want.

The way we have had to pump $100 billion of equity to keep liquidity in the last month or so.

The way the government has stopped reporting the M3 supply a few years ago. Guess why? So they can print money and not get caught.

The way inflation is reported low by changing the market basket for each report and excluding luxuries like food and energy.

The way oil is being priced in euros instead of dollars.

The way oil has tripled in the last decade.

The exporting of every job possible to offshore.

The importing of massive amounts of illegal aliens to do the jobs that can't be moved off shore.

The way corporations with international business are making money every where in the world except in the US.

The virtual end of the American automobile industry.

The social security plan that will collapse in a decade.

The massive unfunded pension plans that will collapse in a decade.

The skyrocketing cost of health care and the growing percentage of people without it.

The declining income in terms of buying power.

The fact that two or more people in a household now work to live the way a family could do on one income.

Probably I've missed a few.

Yes, we have had a pretty good time running up the bill on daddy's credit card. Play now; pay later. Now it's time for a payment.

Pretty rosy picture, no?

Holy cow, you've talking yourself into a depression. . I'll bet your great-grandfather would have killed to have the economic "problems" we supposedly have today.

You've got a real mishmash of currency issues and banking issues mixed together there, Winston. What's your basic complaint? Does it concern the gold standard, or fractional reserve banking? Because most of what you're complaining about would have to be discussed in terms of the latter. But you can have (and we historically did have) both at the same time.

Look, here's the bottom line: From 1900 to 2000, average household income in the US, in unadjusted terms, has multiplied by a factor of 44. The price of a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a dozen eggs in that same time has multiplied by a factor of 9 in unadjusted terms. So, regardless of what flavor of inflation adjustment you prefer, you have to agree that real incomes have multiplied at least by a factor of 5 or so. In fact, by any reasonable measure, it's much greater than that.

Over that century we have been off the gold standard for all intents and purposes. Currency was not convertible, so the "gold standard" was pretty much meaningless except as a way for countries to set currency exchange rates.

So, again, what's your complaint? Are you upset because the mortgage-fund speculators on Wall Street have been getting hammered over the past few weeks? Or are you complaining that you can't get enough hay to feed your plowhorse?

Your assertion, which I questioned, is that we have faced "predictable results" by cutting our currency free of the gold standard. So, if you have a response, it makes sense if you tell us how the gold standard would have left us in a better position than the one we're in today. Because the situation we're in today is that we're much, much better off economically than we ever were under the gold standard.

-- Ed Huntress

History is not one of your strong points is it dear lady?, No Brit is going to name himself after some third rate american TV series, Rifleman is the designation of rank used in the British Light Infantry, You know the unit its the one that captured you silly little capital .

Failed how so The Empire ruled a quarter of the world and evolved into the Commonwealth a league of over 150 closely linked democratic nations. the US empire has Puerto Rica and is hated by most of the world, BTW What language are you writing in? Oh yes "English"

A Yank with a rifle mmmmmmm how many friendly fire incidents were in the series or how many school kids did he slaughter

Hardy Har Har Har

Myal you silly old abo, You offend the interlectually disadvantaged, you aiming far to high for the average american intelect to grasp.

The Brits went for the Accuracy International AW50 F and the AW50 FT in the end