Gold IS Money

Did you here the news?

We have a new president.

God bless him.

Did anybody remember to tell him that one man cannot save a sinking ship?

Banks sink deeper into crisis on Obama's first day
NEW YORK (AP) -- The banking crisis took an ugly turn for the worse Tuesday.

Shares of major banks plunged as investors feared that Washington's bailout efforts were stalling, potentially forcing President Barack Obama's newly installed government to take far more dramatic steps to prop up the U.S. financial system.

No major bank was spared the carnage. Bank of America's shares plunged 29 percent; Citigroup's 20 percent. State Street Corp., which reported sharply lower earnings, saw its shares plummet 59 percent.

"The financial stocks got murdered," said Jack A. Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago. "They were basically cut in half."

At the core of the free fall in bank shares were concerns that U.S. officials would need to overhaul their program of shoring up financial institutions, a day after Britain announced its second financial bailout package for its own struggling banks in three months.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090120/banks_stocks.html

Oil reversed early losses and ended higher “on wintry weather in the northern hemisphere and on reports that OPEC was tightening supply.”

The U.S. dollar index rose as other world currencies fell on the view that their host countries are worse off than the US going forward. The United Kingdom’s sterling was perhaps the weakest on concerns over the UK’s banking sector and the loonie also dropped markedly after the Bank of Canada cut their rate to just 1% and indicated they may need to cut rates further in the near future.

Treasuries fell on concerns over whether or not the market will be able to absorb the massive supply of debt coming out in the near future in order to attempt to resuscitate the economy.

The Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P fell over 4% on continued worries over problems in the banking sector.
-The Gold Seeker Report

Now those of us who have been accustomed to watching the action of gold on a daily basis would have generally expected gold to drop alongside of the Euro especially as the Dollar went on another of its rip-roaring short squeezes amid panic buying. However, something happened related to this currency movement that caused a complete reversal of the norm. Gold in Sterling terms shot to a brand new all time high at the London PM Fix coming in at 612.307 while Gold priced in Euro terms came in at 661.383 coming in just shy of its all time high PM Fix of 663.352 made back in October of last year. Gold traders in New York looked over at that and decided that they needed to get out if they were short or get in if they were out! In other words, what looks to be a genuine flight to the safety of gold has begun in Europe. And why not? With US Treasuries paying next to nothing and several European nation government bonds being downgraded, where else can those who are fearful of what is occurring go with their life’s savings? If I were a bond holder and looked ahead at the plethora of new debt being issued, supply of such magnitude that the numbers send the mind reeling, I would seriously doubt that demand would be able to keep up with it.

What we are seeing is gold trading as a currency – something that has repeatedly been echoed at this site now for years especially in the face of repeated deflationist claims that gold would sink alongside of the rest of the commodity world. Keep this important fact in mind. Gold is a currency; it is only a commodity when there is general trust in paper money. Any fears or concerns about the stability or trustworthiness of any fiat currency will send money scurrying into gold. It is now evident that is occurring in Europe. It WILL OCCUR here in the US at some point in the not too distant future.
- Dan Norcini, More at JSMineset.com

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last year's Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consis ted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company.. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinance d their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. W hen you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrilla te and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed,

Your boss