Gary Christenson wrote this article for Miles Franklin. The addictive behaviors of drug addicts are similar to the actions of a modern “Keynesian” economy addicted to “money printing” by central banks and fractional reserve banking.
From Psychology Today on Addiction:
“Addiction is a condition in which a person engages in use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects proved a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences.”
Addiction to monetary stimulus and “money printing” results from central banking and fractional reserve banking practices. Larger profits for the banking cartel is a compelling incentive. Such “Keynesian stimulus” increases wealth disparity, consumer price inflation and mal-investments. Power and wealth concentrate in the financial industry, government and the banking cartel.
Cocaine creates a temporary high, feels fantastic, and creates a compelling biochemical desire to use more. “Money printing” temporarily boosts the economy as people and businesses feel wealthier. The financial euphoria is a compelling incentive to “print” more dollars regardless of dangerous consequences.
“Both substance use disorders and gambling behaviors have an increased likelihood of being accompanied by mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety…”
CONSEQUENCES OF ADDICTION:
- Substance use disorders: Snorting cocaine and Quantitative Easing.
- Gambling behaviors: Put a $10,000 bet on “red” or buy a “red-hot” stock “certain” to return 10 to 1 profits. The Wall Street casino offers many opportunities to speculate and gamble, including futures markets, margin loans, triple leverage ETFs and crypto currencies.
- Mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety: The emotional low follows the cocaine high. After the boom comes the bust. After a credit-induced inflation, such as Internet stocks in 2000, comes the crash of asset price deflation. The NASDAQ 100 Index crashed 84% high to low.
A person who avoids cocaine, meth, ecstasy and other stimulants is less likely to suffer a deep depression. If the economy is not hooked on credit induced stimulus, the bust phase of the credit cycle (it always comes) is less destructive.
Drugs, fractional reserve banking, and “printing money” create a vicious circle of destruction and waste. Don’t expect the drug addict, banking cartel or government to “just say NO!”
From National Institute on Drug Abuse:
“Addiction is a lot like other diseases, such as heart disease. Both disrupt the normal, healthy functioning of the underlying organ, have serious harmful consequences, and are preventable and treatable…”
“Printing money” is like other policies, such as socialism and give-away programs to buy votes. Both disrupt the healthy functioning of the economy and create harmful consequences.
Why do people take drugs? Why does the banking cartel create debt and devalue currencies?
- Drugs create a pleasurable feeling. The addict soon needs larger doses to produce the same response. The “drug” of debt based “money printing” creates wealth and power for the politicians addicted to spending other people’s dollars. More debt is soon needed to pursue wars and buy votes.
- Drugs enhance cognitive or athletic performance. The “drug” of debt based “money printing” can enhance “Gross Domestic Product” and banking cartel profits. Deficit spending and QE supposedly stimulate the economy, but who repays the debt?
Borrowing today reduces spendable income tomorrow. The average person earns many times more in nominal dollars than in 1971 but is poorer because the devalued dollars purchase less and his debt has increased. The horrific devaluations in Argentina (ten trillion to one in seventy years) and Venezuela have not arrived in the United States, but we are not immune to consequences of fiscal and monetary nonsense.
“However, drugs can quickly take over a person’s life… and taking the drug becomes necessary for the user just to feel normal… These are the telltale signs of an addiction.”
The drugs of “money printing” and QE encourage borrow and spend policies and unpayable debt. Inflation and devaluation are necessary in our post 1913 central banker controlled economy.
These are telltale signs of addiction!
Vocabulary to understand drug addiction and banking cartel “currency printing:”
The “Candy Man” is the drug dealer, the Federal Reserve or the commercial banking cartel.
“Mainlining” is injecting cocaine or heroin into a vein for quick biochemical “high” from the drugs. “Mainlining” also describes injecting $trillions of “funny money” into the banking cartel, “shovel ready projects,” wars and favorite boondoggles.
“Freebase” speeds cocaine absorption into the brain via smoking. Debase is a banking cartel process that devalues existing dollars by creating new dollars.
“Hooked” is a slang term that describes a person’s addiction to a drug. “Hooked” is also a term that describes an economy’s addiction to injections of “printed money.”
CONCLUSIONS:
An addiction, whether for government spending, cocaine, heroin, cigarettes, gambling, or “printing money” is destructive. The drug euphoria feels good but the consequences are dangerous, life-changing or damaging to the economy.
Individuals are unlikely to abandon their addictions. Governments will not abandon “borrow and spend” policies or deficit spending.
We adapt. I suggest:
a) Save honest money – gold and silver. The purchasing power of the dollar is declining as it has every decade for one hundred years. Unless we use honest money, eliminate central banks, and balance budgets, the dollar will devalue further.
b) An obsession with honest money, sound economics and fiscal sanity is healthier than an addiction to a continual stimulus via borrowed currency units.
c) Don’t expect governments or the banking cartel to “just say NO!”
d) Silver and gold will rise in price as the dollar devalues.
The Piper Must Be Paid, which is why I encourage purchases of silver and gold from Miles Franklin. Call 1-800-822-8080.
Gary Christenson
