Forget Bernie Madoff. The biggest Ponzi scheme in history is unfolding before your very eyes. If you have money in the bank, you will be a victim.
The rot set in on 15 August 1971. That was the date on which the Nixon administration, reeling from the costs of the Vietnam war, unilaterally took the dollar ‘off gold’, ending fixed convertibility between the US currency and the precious metal. From that day to this, the currencies of the world have been backed by nothing more substantial than politicians’ promises.
It was not always thus. Throughout history, man has used a variety of things as money, including cattle, shells, tobacco and cotton. But over time, precious metals won out over all their rivals on account of their scarcity, durability and beauty. Paper money itself is a comparatively recent phenomenon.
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