Tariffs and sky high audio prices.

To get to know your 'enemy' inviting him for 'dinner' is an excellent idea even if a little risky.

@oregonpapa - The only reason we have an economy; the US Dollar is currently the world’s standard currency. Too bad, it’s backed by nothing but trust that we can repay the debts, incurred by the government and owed by every American citizen, whether they’re aware it’s owed or not. China has been hoarding gold for decades(if not centuries) and it’s currency/economy is backed by gold. The US Dollar is backed by imagination("fiat money"). Just wait, ’til the rest of the world catches on, the Juan takes center stage in the world economy and renders your, "money" worthless. Keep your eyes open/coming soon, to a neighborhood near YOU(unfortunately/hope I’m wrong)! (https://www.rt.com/business/453600-china-gold-dollar-shift/) (https://moneyweek.com/499249/how-much-gold-does-china-have-a-lot-more-than-you-think/) and (https://www.dinardirham.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-fiat-currencies/)

rodman99999 ...

You are exactly right in every respect. There is a reason that the money issue isn't taught in our government schools. It has been said that if Americans were to ever wake up to what has been done to their money, there would be a revolution by morning. 

Look at the effects ... In 1965, at the age of 25, I bought a brand new home in Huntington Beach, California. I paid the grand sum of $24,750 for it. My payments were $147.00 per month, and that included taxes and insurance. That same home today would top $600,000 easily. The question is ... did the value of the home increase, or did the value of money decrease? I suspect by your above post that you know the answer. :-)

And by the way, in addition to that new home, I had two cars, one of which was new. It was a 1965 Plymouth Belvedere hardtop coupe with the 383 engine. I bought it right off of the showroom floor for $3,500.

I had two kids, and my wife stayed home with the kids as a full-time Mom. It wasn't necessary for her to work. What did I do for a living that afforded all of this? I had a bottled water route and worked on a 100% commission basis. One of the last of the hard physical jobs. 

They still guard Fort Knox, but not to guard the gold. They guard it to keep the secret that there is no gold left in Fort Knox.

Here's a good book for those interested to read: 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Creature-from-Jekyll-Island-A-Second-Look-at-the-Federal-Reserve/192932931805?epid=111597646&hash=item2cebb2e8dd:m:mDRwSYEPazkKkqKmNBMs1cQ

 Frank

PS: Even though I'm a good cook, I no longer have dinner parties. But, if anyone is interested, give me a heads up for a listening session. 

If anyone is going to the Long Beach show this coming weekend, give me a heads up. We'll be there on Saturday and we can tip a beer together. 

Monetary policy can be pretty complicated and frankly, who cares if the dollar is backed by gold or not. The whole premise of gold backed currencies is the promise that its backed by gold. You can always take all of your cash and buy gold(or British pounds, or the Euro, etc), still a free country. The US population has almost doubled since 1965 and if dollars were finite(as defined by being backed by a set amount of gold), you would have a crazy supply/demand imbalance. Lastly, I don't necessarily want to hold commodities where other humans are grossly exploited to mine it. Sometimes there's no alternative (some rare earth materials are inhumanely harvested, some not). The mining history on the African continent is bleak (and originated by non-Africans) and don't get me started on diamonds.

Its awesome that in 1965, housing was so affordable. The post war boom in Cal and elsewhere made alot of people who purchased real estate look pretty smart. At the end of the day though, the neighborhood where you purchased was probably red-lined to people of color. The good old days were not that great and the best of times lie ahead.

@oregonpapa Thanks for the offer of a listening session. I rarely get out but if and when I decide to hit the Ventura area, I'll give you a ring.

Alas, I have to agree with @ghasley when it comes to our monetary policy. Living in the past is a fine way to reminisce but it's an untenable argument to enforce such regulation based on today's way of doing things.

All the best,
Nonoise