I can't remember if it was Chris Maden or Michael Acree who
recommended this book. Thanks for recommending it. I bought it and
have been reading it on my trips. I'm about halfway through it.
Here are my comments:
1. In all, I like the book, especiall the parts about bailouts, the
IMF, and the history of money.
2. I do think he goes too far with his conspiracy theories converning
the CFR, the Trilateral Commission, and the Fabian Society. I have no
use for either of these three groups, but I find it not very credible
that they were set up by the money elites who want to usher in a One
World Government based on socialist principles.
3. I am now moderating my stance on the gold standard. Before I had
expressed support for a Friedman-style constant and disclosed rate of
increase (say 2 1/2 to 3%) of the money supply. Although this would
be superior to the current situation, I now believe that the mere
existence of a central bank makes it too easy for government to
confiscate wealth from taxpayers through inflation. We're better off
not having that machinery in place.
4. There are practical difficulties in establishing a gold standard,
but I do think we would be better off with a hard-asset backed
currency. As first step, the legal tender laws should be repealed.
-Derek