Friday Afternoon Cigar

Rocky Patel Sun Grown

I'm still studying the gold standard.  Today's book is Currency Wars by James Rickards.

His book touches on the gold standard and other monetary policies as they relate to global monetary cooperation and the risk of financial warfare.  Very interesting, and very well written. 

UPDATED 8.9.14 11am:

This Currency Wars book is #5 (I think) in my gold standard study.  All books are less than 3 years old, so I'm only reading current thought on the subject.  This is telling, because, to my dismay, I have discovered more questions than answers with every page turn.  I have also discovered there are MANY variations of gold standards out there.  So many, in fact, that I will not debate this topic with anyone until we agree on what standard it is we are debating.

One of the key problems I've struggled with has to do with the 100%-backed gold standard, where ever dollar is backed by a dollar's worth of gold and can be traded for said gold.  How do we implement it?

America has $360b in gold stocks, yet $4T in currency.  See the disconnect?  Do we buy/mine $3.6T in gold, or do we reduce our currency supply by that much?  Let's just say Ron Paul was unavailable for comment....

Finally, here in book #5 on P 108, an author addresses this dilemma:

America has, in fact, run trade deficits large enough to wipe out its gold hoard under the old rules of the game.

Would you agree with me that a 100%-backed gold standard is impossible for the US?  That we should eliminate it from the options for a post-default US, where the crisis may create an opportunity for major monetary reform?