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"I suppose I always knew America would eventually break the planet, like some ghastly, hyperactive toddler that gets hold of a mobile phone and then smashes it repeatedly against the edge of a table". Quote from british journalist.

No, Med ... I'm not "being plundered." Commission splits are freely negotiated between the agent and the broker. Its a private contract between two willing participants. The broker pays for the everyday expenses of the office like the light bill, phone bill, office help, etc. I, in effect, "rent" my office space and get to keep the majority of the commissions I generate. What I "give" to the broker provides me with a cheerful office in which to meet clients, a nice private office for myself, a computer, a color printer and phones ... and provides a profit for the broker. That profit keeps the doors open and provides a nice life style for the broker. Everything else, I pay for myself. Its a business arrangement ... and no plundering takes place.

Now then, if all the other brokers in town were to elect a "Head Broker," and that "Head Broker" decides, under threat of violence, to extract some of the commissions that I bring through my broker's door for capital improvements in the other broker's offices, THAT would plunder.

Vi

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Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

Well, you are all over the map here.

First, let me say that I agree with you about the printing of the money thingie. The rest of your post, I don't agree with.

The reason our currency was converted from Gold Certificates to Federal Reserve Notes was so money could be inflated, through printing, to pay for the Welfare State. This began in 1933 under FDR's administration.

FDR outlawed the ownership of gold ... any gold, other than what was to be used for industrial and dental uses. Americans were told that if they didn't turn in all gold coin, and bullion, and stop honoring gold clauses in contracts, they would be arrested, thrown in prison for five years ... and/or fined ten thousand dollars.

Why was this done? As I said, so the government could print money out of thin air without having to dig more gold out of the ground to back the amount of currency being printed.

It IS the "poor looking for handouts." And it IS the abused government programs. It's also the middle class looking for handouts ...and its the rich looking for handouts too ... all at the expense of someone else. These are the "abused government programs" of which you speak. These are government "promises."

All of these "promises" have to be paid for somehow. They can be paid through taxation, borrowing or printing money.

Taxation is driving corporations, and the jobs they create, off shore. Inflating the money supply is driving the worth of the dollar into ground. Borrowing is turning our resources over to foreign powers.

All this in the name of "free" government cheese.

Vi

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Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

haha... every political thread i read, vi and med.. you two are always going at it. its like watching hannity and combs.

i think our economy is about to collapse. its time to run for cover, stock up on canned food items, and shield your assets!

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you cant just put something in the mailbox without a stamp. thats a federal offence. - Hank Hill

I agree with your post almost to a T , from what i read i previous sounded like you said

This is the reason why our economy is falling "because of people looking for handouts"

while i think that isn't helping our cause, it's also not the main reason IMO.

correct me if im wrong, but don't private companies do the printing, and loaning of our currency?

Here, read this: Money Created Out of Thin Air

Vi

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Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

LoL, i was just visiting that site thanks for the linkage though!

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/182...cast_on_K-TALK

Excellent bit, on yesterday, about the gold standard, monetary policy, us currency, economics, etc. About 40 min total.

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Loving women since 1979!

all these doom and gloom prophecies blow. its as apparent as a chic that gets accidentally pregnant with a baby lying to herself about it going away if you ignore it. when the fuck is the u.s gonna grab a fuckin grip on itself...i wanna do something so bad but i have no idea what. if i call a lawyer up, and provide footage of the president/vice president/anyone who really is in power for the sole reason of pushing themselves up and ditching the country behind perjuring themselves, will it hold water? i wish i could just hijack a tv satelite and just show the country something that will move it towards action against a few fucking men who think they are grander than an entire country... i swear, there is probably less than 100 people who are jepordizing the country for the other 299,999,900 that live here.

Very good read Vi, touched on some elusive subjects there, everyone wants someone to point the blame finger toward and I guess that scapegoat is Bush.

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Am I supposed to have some sort of disclaimer here?