Not the stuff in the picture (courtesy the folks at Consilience LLC and Addison Wiggins) – that’s play money.

No, we are talking about the product of the world’s (and history’s) biggest counterfeiter: the FedGov itself. Well, technically, the Federal Reserve.

Indeed, the stuff is just as bogus as pretending that the Federal Reserve is really a private organization, and not part of the FedGov.

In fact, if you believe that thing is “real money” then those Federal Reserve types – and FedGov types – have some candidates that they want you to vote for in November. Politicians that make the guys that try to sell the Brooklyn Bridge look lie the rank amateurs that they were.

We here at The Price of Liberty subscribe to Robert Kiyosaki’s concept: real money (God’s money) is silver and gold. (See him talk about that here.) Why do we call it God’s money? Because it cannot be faked.

(Note, please, that Robert (and TPOL) do understand what Jesus was teaching to the Pharisees and Sadducees that spring day in the Temple there in Jerusalem. “Give unto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Although that tribute coin literally was the property of Tiberius as the head of the Julian (imperial) family, God created and owns everything. He gives these things to us to use.)

The official name for our FRNs (Federal Reserve Notes) – whether paper or electrons – is fiat money. Fiat means “an arbitrary order or decree.” It is worth only what those who issued that order claim it is worth – and convince millions of people (even billions) that indeed the emperor IS wearing clothes. It is make believe. Yes, you can still buy a McDonald’s burger with it (well, with several of them, now) because almost everyone is willing to pretend it is money.

But it is fake. Every time we use one of those little green pieces of paper, we are lying to ourselves and others that it is real. Just as fake as that play money. Just as fake as those “wooden nickels” western towns give out – well, sell – to use in and around their community. And just as real as the stock market gamblers that tell us that Company X which never made a DIME (real, silver dime, 1/10 troy ounce silver; or even a fake clad dime) is work XXX billions of dollars.

It is, simply, a scam.

And ultimately, scams come to an end: for good and bad, enough people realize they ARE being scammed and decide to stop playing the game. And all too often, things get really chaotic – and even collapse! And the longer it takes to for the scam to come to an end, the worse things happen.

Officially, governmentally, this fake money scam has been going on since 1971: 51 years since dear, departed Tricky Dick published his fiat. In reality, it can be traced back to at least FDR and his devaluation of the dollar from $20/troy ounce to $35/troy ounce – and then inflated the money more and more to pay for his “saving” the nation and then the world. Of course, we see this scam done over and over – go back to WW1, and then back to Honest Abe in the War Between the States (and don’t forget Jeff Davis there in Richmond, also!). And go all the way back to the Continental Congress – it ain’t worth a continental, now, is it? Fake. Lies. Wishes. Dreams.

I wonder if Ben Franklin every ponders the wisdom of his getting Congress to put the motto “Mind Your Business” on the almost-real (copper, that is) penny issued by the revolting (well, rebelling!) States way back then? Like a New Year’s resolution, that didn’t last long, did it?

Just a final thought: just a few years ago, a 16.9 or 20-ounce bottle of soda at the cashier’s stand or a vending machine cost a buck – an FRN buck, that is. Since silver was buying about $20 FRN at that time, that soda really was costing about a nickel in pre-1933 money – God’s real money. That was, in a way, showing the growing wealth and productivity of Americans: in 1932, that nickel would buy 5 ounces of Coke (6 of Pepsi), but in 2012, that equivalent of a nickel would buy 20 ounces! Neat, eh? Today, of course, that 20-ounce bottle at a supermarket costs TWO FRN – “$2” – and silver is down a bit as I write this: 18.86 FRN/troy ounce. So that soda costs almost a pre-1933 dime: nearly 1/10th ounce. Is that because our productivity has dropped? No, we know it is inflation: printing MORE fake money while the quantities of supplied goods and services is stagnant. Or dropping.

Keep that in mind, please.