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Ricador
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Ricador
3,722 posts
Shepherd

I think that money can sometimes be and evil thing that people created. A lot of times is it not what people crave so crimes are commited to get more. Or maybe they need it to survive so they do more crimes.

But on the other hand it keeps order and helps us get the good we need to live.

But then isn't there also trading goods.

I am not sure i have formulated an opinion on this and i am sure a lot of other people have not either.

What do you guys think.

  • 11 Replies
Crunk88
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Crunk88
123 posts
Nomad

Its true moneys not really real, its somthing we have made to organize and controle people. The government is another thing we have created which doesnt really exist, unless you want to be apart of it and not live on the streets, or in a forest.

nobody123
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nobody123
2 posts
Scribe

It's true that money is the root of all people. People will go for high extremes only to get a little of it.

It has also become a part of life. There were simpler times when there wasn't any money. Just simple trading. But that's the thing of the past.

Just be careful in handling money or it will control you.

Armed_Blade
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Armed_Blade
1,492 posts
Shepherd

You're all forgetting something. Money is real. Money is backed by our trade market, stores of gold and silver. Years of working. Thats what gives money its value. Now you can see that were making more than our reserves hold and our market is falling, causing the dollar to fall. Its all value. Obviously its a peice of paper, but that peice of paper coulda been a lump of gold.

Also, trading goods doesn't work, as many times goods don't come by the hundreds. And Goods can't get it all. Lets say I wan't your PS2, your looking for a gamecube, Instead I offer you the Xbox. But you want a gamecube.. deal over.
Odd example.

Money has led people to do bad stuff. It rules over our lives, its how we live. Sadly, It can't go away. Its what the money influences is the problem. Money can influence drugs, influencing guns, influencing poorness, influencing desperation. At desperation is when all hell breaks loosee.

Sorry, Its willpower. You're better than a peice of green paper.

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

Uhm, a semantical point which is worth noting:

Money isn't real, so much as it has influenced our behavior such that it now signifies real value.

You can think of it this way: 'money', or the notion thereof, is a liquid asset which improves versatility of trade of goods and services (and balance of power). Anthropologically speaking it probably was derived from bartering (trading goods/services directly), while societies formed around this system enough to form a network of market values. Armed_Blade provides a nice example above.

This is not to say bartering is useless- if we could cut out the middle man, in certain cases there would be no need for money.

Here's the important part: money is the signifier of value. What most people think money is i.e. green, moolah, dollar bills, paper etc. etc., all that? This is representation of money. And yes, all your notes on what money 'does to people' is quite right.

So money has real effects, while not being real itself. An example of people thinking "money is real" would be (now ex-)president Mugabe thinking he can solve his country's trade deficit by...printing more money! This doesn't change the country's worth as it didn't change the value of what the money was backed by: capital. All it did was make the same unit of money worth less, hence stupid high inflation rates reminiscient of the post-WWI German currency meltdown.

Armed_Blade
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Armed_Blade
1,492 posts
Shepherd

Yeah. The US is only in 3% inflation. I say, we quit printing long enough just enough to kill the inflation. xP
Because by us not printing, the money left over will gain value. Since you can only print what you make. They say countries run on power, that power runs on cash.

DaKurlzz
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DaKurlzz
26 posts
Nomad

Ha, money made us terrible once it turned fake. We are using paper money. Not worth anything. Most of you probably already know this, but it also takes 10 cents to make a penny. Does that show how economically knowledgable we are? Of course other cou8ntires have flocked to the use of paper money. Yen in china, Deutsche-marks to any other fake currency. If anyone think it is the scourge of us, it is. But if we didn't have it, we would be in anarchy.

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

Hahaha, well, it's a nice idea in theory, but now consider that money changes hands and circulates. Imagine what happens if you freeze the influx of money.

First, old money eventually disappears one way or another. If there is no new bills distributed, the banks will be unable to provide for the demand in hard cash via withdrawals. This will incite a mass panic as people suddenly lose the ability to live their daily life. Crime will skyrocket as desperation mounts, and people will resort to any means with which to gain cash.

I'm no economist, but I think stopping the printing of money is a strategy used only in the direst of circumstances xD As you've probably figured, economists are scared of high inflation right now because if left unchecked, it may lead to a recession (i.e. the economy kinda "implodes", meaning less for everybody all around!) However, since the market is basically a representation of the collective fiscal mindsets of various peoples, inflation and growth, like depression and shrinking, is a natural part of the cycle, and it's monitored by different signs and statistics and having both ups and downs...to place too much stock in any single index would be to mislead yourself.

Armed_Blade
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Armed_Blade
1,492 posts
Shepherd

Dude, Penny = 1.3 cents. I asked my dad about that, but he said that somehow the government gets money from it. I'll search it up later.
Also, to kill a teeny bit of inflation with all the paper $$ we have now will have no trouble. But killing zimbabwe's inflation or something would be killer. See, America is prosperous, prosperous enough to last even a few months without printing.

I just think, as long as cash is controlled its okay, it keeps the world running. Sadly, people are idiots. Some, anyway. And that some gets you these problems.

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

America is prosperous, prosperous enough to last even a few months without printing.

Even if this were true (I wouldn't rightly know whether it was but I suspect not!) this is where politics comes into it...stop printing money and the world will beat a path to your door armed with pitchforks and torches...

America is not actually that prosperous, you know. Most of this alleged &quotrosperity" was based on a smoke-screen of dodgy credit. Hence the significance of the "sub-prime crisis", where the fairytale came tumbling down. One thing leads to another and it is very possible that America may no longer be able to call itself the leading economic power.

We may end up referencing all our currencies to the Euro, at this rate.

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

Yes, SwitchFoot provides a perfect example of such a "dire situation".

Now, another factor in all of this is the value of companies i.e. bodies of people who provide/channel goods/services. Different countries have different amounts of power (depending on constitution and legislation) over what one can do with such companies.

America, being a highly capitalist nation, is largely the land of privatised companies, and so it is very possible that some Chinese interest may eventually own Starbucks if that's the way the current owners of Starbucks want it.

Foreign interest and outsourcing has been the subject of some debate in other countries such as Australia: Australia has a more regulated capitalism in that there is significant resistance to the privatisation of public companies- which were public (government owned) because they provide infrastructure i.e. goods/services which are integral to our base quality of life i.e. gas, electricity, water, and maybe even telecommunications and media. A few years ago, there was significant debate over whether to sell one of the major Australian telecommunications companies, Telstra. The pros could be summed up as "we need the money, and based on a profit model, they'll have to provide competitive service". The cons were &quotrofit-seeking behavior means they won't act in the best interests of the public."

There's also out-sourcing of jobs, and this discussion then goes into the topic of labor markets.

"They tuk our jaeeeerbs!"

florglee2
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florglee2
1,778 posts
Peasant

i hafta say, i love money. id clean my entire house just for five bucks, i love money so much. im kinda addicted to money. which is scary, cuz i know that money is tha root of all evil. ever since i started gettin my own spendin money i love money too much. it mite actually be makin me evil-ish. i used to never swear, or even call people names, an frowned on any violence. now, i swear more than most ppl on south park, and am a huge resident evil/grand theft auto fan.

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