> Rome was destroyed by mob rule. The mob simply voted themselves funds
> from the public chest
> until theren't enough gold left to pay the troops to protect the empire.
> This is what is happening in
> the USA now.

Sort of. The problem is that money is like stock: it only has value
because people believe it does.

When people lose faith in their government they tend to lose faith in
their money.

> The US treasury has been looted so badly that as soon as potential
> investors realize that "the
> emperor has no clothes" it will be all over. The public debt is so great
> here that no amount of taxation
> can restore a tolerable balance, and anyone with a clear head knows it
> will never be paid back with
> specie (real money, i.e. gold), only more fake (paper money).

I also believe that the US has amassed too much debt. However, it is
possible to change this. Though I do believe that our standard of living
will drop.

And why should currency be backed with gold? Can you eat gold?

> The present US system is a "Ponsi" scheme; new funds are used to assuage
> new investers, so that
> nobody notices that there is no depth. When the real war breaks out
> against an oil-funded nuclear
> Iran, Pakistan, and No Korea, there will be no funds available to  
> fight it.

All currency schemes are Ponsi schemes.

> Luckily, my health isn't very good, so I will be gone before I see this
> happen. I give us about 5-7 years
> here.

I'm sorry; I hope that your health improves.
-- 
D. Jay Newman           ! Author of:
jay@sprucegrove.com     ! _Linux Robotics: Programming Smarter Robots_
http://enerd.ws/robots/ ! "Heros aren't born, they're cornered."
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