Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Money system in perilous condition, getting worse
Money is the most important thing in the world for good reason. Before money, if you had a cow and needed a pot, there was no way to make an equitable trade.
With money you could sell your cow and use the money for different things. You could get a good deal on a copper pot, and also buy new shoes, seeds to plant next year, a plow, and all kinds of neat things. Maybe even a pretty fancy new ribbon for your wife’s hair! Money enabled commerce, trade and specialization. Without money, civilization isn’t possible.
Today we have a very complex monetary system. But every system has limits. They have a point beyond which improvement is impossible and they fail. It is reality and our banking and financial systems are no different.
Mathematically, limits can be proved using calculus. Our monetary system is very complicated, so the question is exactly, what is the breaking point? Are there geniuses out there who have figured it out? Maybe. President Donald Trump may have given it away when he mentioned the figure $24 trillion in remarks he made recently. Was it a slip?
It is obvious to anyone with a scrap of common sense that our growing national debt is dangerous, especially for future generations. Are we riding a train headed for a bottomless chasm where the bridge is out? Can we stop the train in time or is it just a matter of time?
We are at $20 trillion. That $24 trillion is just a few years away. If you have money, you might think about using it soon. Beans and bullets will be the new currency if we don’t get busy and put some brakes on this train. JEFF COOK Springdale