Freedom Is Like Inflation: You Lose 2-3% Every Year

Freedom Is Like Inflation: You Lose 2-3% Every Year

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black)  March 13, 2025

My grandfather was born on April 19, 1915 in a dirty, one-room shack in the town of Bonham, Texas. Given the era, they had no electricity and no running water. And the family considered themselves fortunate that both mother and baby survived childbirth.

Pretty much everyone in the area was a farm laborer; they worked long, hard days in the unforgiving Texas heat trying to beckon life from ungenerous soil. But it was a living-- one that my grandfather joined at an early age.

He was 14 years old-- considered a “man” by the standards of his time-- when the Great Depression struck.

Few people, including my grandfather, would have understood that the worst economic crisis in American history was a manmade virus cooked up in the laboratory of political incompetence. All he knew was that banks in his home town failed… and many of his neighbors lost their life savings overnight.

This led to a lifelong mistrust of the banking system-- not just for my grandfather, but for an entire generation.

Throughout his life he kept his savings in an old coffee can. It wasn’t a lockbox or combination safe. He didn’t even bother hiding it; my grandfather literally just stuffed bills and coins into a metal can under the kitchen sink. He didn’t worry much about security because everyone in town knew and trusted one another, and no one would dare violate another man’s home… let alone his coffee can.

The other thing he did was save. If there was one thing my grandfather hated, it was spending money. On anything. You name it.

Food? He grew it himself and fished at the nearby lake. Medical care? The man barely ever went to the doctor in his entire life. Insurance? He had no concept of what that even was. Recreation? No one had time for such trivialities.

So, he saved just about everything he earned, depositing his meager wages with a satisfying and encouraging ka-ching into the ‘Bank of the Coffee Can’ week after week.

Whenever the coffee can became overly full, he knew it was time to invest his savings into something more durable and long-lasting.

But I’m not talking about stocks. In fact, given that he lived through the Crash of 1929, my grandfather believed that only a reckless, crazy person would buy stocks. And this trauma was shared by much of his generation.

So instead, he emptied out the old coffee can and invested in the one thing that he truly understood: land, i.e. one of the realest of real assets.

He always knew, worst case, he could plant more food on his new land. And this security had far more value to him than any other asset.

Then the cycle would begin anew: work, save, work, save… until, eventually, the coffee can would fill up again. He’d then use that money to buy building material and then build a small house on the land. No construction crew, no contractors. Just his own two hands and some basic tools.

Once complete, he’d put the house up for rent-- I remember he typically charged by the week to coincide with the farm laborers’ weekly pay. And, again, everything was settled in cash… so the coffee can began to fill more quickly.

Soon there was enough money to build another small house. Then another. And another. This man was living a real-life version of the old board game Monopoly; the only thing he didn’t do was trade his houses out for hotels.

But he wasn’t unique. My grandfather was extremely typical of his generation: highly productive, self-reliant savers who worked hard and never expected anything for free.

In their value system, being unproductive was frowned upon. Vagrancy was a crime. If there were any jobs available, you were expected to have one, no matter what it was. If there were no jobs available, you were expected to be looking for one-- or figure out how to produce something of value on your own.

My grandmother was cut from the same cloth. And the two of them eventually had a pretty substantial real estate portfolio of rental homes.

One particular complex had about a dozen or so houses on it, and my grandmother was in charge of collecting all the rent. They built her a small office near the entrance of the property, and not being one to waste resources, my grandmother decided to open a beauty salon there.

Bear in mind, my grandmother never went to cosmetology school. She didn’t have a license. She didn’t pass through a myriad of state and local permitting inspectors. She just hung her shingle out one day and customers started showing up. And because she provided good service, the customers kept showing up.

This is the sort of thing you used to be able to do in America. The government didn’t smother its citizens with endless regulations; if you wanted to start a business, you started one. No one asked permission to produce.

This is an incredible contrast to the America of today. God help you if you want to start a restaurant in the State of California, where you’ll spend years in the permitting, licensing, and inspection process, only to have employees go on strike over Gaza while customers brazenly steal from you with legal impunity.

That may be an extreme example, but government regulation at the federal, state, and local levels continues to strangle businesses-- small and solo businesses in particular.

A few years ago, the Institute for Justice sampled 102 lower-income occupations in American and found a total of 2,749 license requirements across the fifty states, demanding hundreds of dollars in fees, exams, and an average 362 days of bureaucracy.

These are for vocations like tree-trimmer, hair-braider, fisherman, auctioneer, locksmith, upholsterer, florist, and even farm laborer.

(Neil Gorsuch, sitting US Supreme Court Justice, bemoans similar statistics in his excellent book Overruled, which I can’t recommend enough.)

But this didn’t happen overnight. From my grandparents’ era to today, the bureaucratic, administrative state crept in little by little.

The effect is much like inflation where you lose 2-3% of your purchasing power year after year. One year’s inflation is no big deal; it’s only after looking back 10 or 20 years can we see how expensive things have become.

I really appreciate the tremendous efforts by Elon Musk and the people at DOGE to cut government spending. It needs to happen-- responsible spending is critical to solving America’s $36+ trillion debt crisis.

But perhaps even more important is turning back the clock on regulations… and going back to an era where you didn’t need to ask permission to be productive.

To your freedom,  James Hickman

Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/freedom-is-like-inflation-you-lose-2-3-every-year-152295/

Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Monday Evening 3-17-25

Good Evening Dinar Recaps,

ACTING SEC CHAIR UYEDA DIRECTS STAFF TO REEXAMINE PROPOSED CRYPTO CUSTODY RULE

▪️The custody rule, proposed under the former Biden administration and when Gary Gensler led the agency, would expand the current custody rule to include any client assets that an adviser has custody over.

▪️Acting Chair Uyeda’s move to revisit the rule marks the second time this month that the acting chair has asked the SEC staff to reconsider its rules.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is considering walking back a proposal to tighten cryptocurrency custody requirements, marking the acting chair's latest move under the Trump administration.

SEC Acting Chair Mark Uyeda said commenters had significant concerns over a rule proposed in February 2023 that would require registered investment advisers to keep crypto with a qualified custodian and require those custodians to abide by certain requirements.

"Given such concern, there may be significant challenges to proceeding with the original proposal," Uyeda said on Monday at the Investment Company Institute's 2025 Investment Management Conference in San Diego. "As such, I have asked the SEC staff to work closely with the crypto task force to consider appropriate alternatives."

Uyeda's speech on Monday primarily focused on the SEC's rulemaking process, including potentially withdrawing or re-proposing rules or delaying compliance dates.

The custody rule, proposed under the former Biden administration when Gary Gensler led the agency, would expand the current custody rule to include any client assets that an adviser has custody over and would also add more protections to those assets.

Registered investment advisers are subject to a custody rule, which requires them to maintain those assets with a qualified custodian, such as a bank or broker-dealer.

The rule would extend those standards to the crypto industry, raising concerns about whether that would further limit the number of banks willing to do business with the sector.

Congressional Republicans, crypto firms and traditional finance companies pushed back against the rule when it was proposed. A coalition of bank and financial industry associations, including the American Bankers Association, said at the time that the proposal "could have a material impact on their business."

Uyeda's move to revisit the rule marks the second time this month that the acting chair has asked the SEC staff to reconsider its rules. Last week, Uyeda said he directed the agency's staff to review a proposed rule change that would expand the definition of an "exchange" in a way that could potentially loop in decentralized crypto projects.

Both actions signal a change in course for the SEC under the new Trump administration. During the previous Biden administration, former Chair Gensler said most cryptocurrencies besides bitcoin were securities.

Since the Trump administration's arrival, the SEC has rapidly changed direction on several key crypto policies. In a matter of just a few weeks, it has:

▪️Rescinded controversial crypto accounting guidance
▪️Dropped enforcement actions against major crypto industry players
▪️Created a crypto task force
▪️Issued a statement on memecoins.

The crypto task force's first roundtable to discuss "defining security status" is on Friday. 

@ Newshounds News™
Source:  The Block

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PAKISTAN CRYPTO COUNCIL LAUNCHES TO REGULATE DIGITAL ASSETS

The newly established Pakistan Crypto Council aims to integrate blockchain technology and digital assets into the country’s financial system through clear regulations and innovation-driven policies.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, serving as Chair, emphasized the government’s dedication to fostering a secure and progressive crypto ecosystem.

The initiative reflects Pakistan’s proactive stance on positioning itself as a global player in digital finance while ensuring investor protection and financial stability.

With collaboration between policymakers, regulatory authorities, and industry leaders, the council seeks to create a structured framework for crypto adoption.

Launched in Islamabad, the council will focus on regulatory clarity, stakeholder engagement, and fostering a compliant environment for businesses and investors.

The government-backed initiative is designed to support Pakistan’s economic growth by leveraging blockchain and cryptocurrency advancements.

Aurangzeb highlighted the council’s role in balancing innovation with regulation, ensuring a responsible approach to digital asset integration in the financial sector.

@ Newshounds News™
Source:  BitcoinNews

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More News, Rumors and Opinions Monday PM 3-17-2025

KTFA:

Clare:  Erbil hands Baghdad 48 billion dinars in non-oil revenues

3/17/2025

The Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Regional Government announced on Monday that the federal treasury's share of non-oil revenues for February had been transferred to Baghdad.

According to a statement from the ministry, received by Shafaq News Agency, the transferred amount amounted to 48 billion and 722 million Iraqi dinars, which were deposited in the Erbil branch of the Central Bank of Iraq.

Last month, the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Finance and Economy announced the transfer of approximately 52 billion dinars in non-oil revenues to the federal treasury in Baghdad. LINK

Clare:  To reduce speculation, a Sudanese advisor reveals a new monetary strategy.

3/16/2025

 The Prime Minister's economic advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Saleh, revealed a new monetary strategy Sunday evening that seeks to reduce speculation.

Saleh said in a statement to Al-Furat News that: "A new monetary strategy aims to gradually attract foreign exchange transactions to the officially regulated banking system."

He explained that "this strategy focuses on expanding the base of buying and selling foreign currency at fixed and stable rates, in line with the current monetary policy."

Saleh emphasized that "these steps coincide with enhancing the freedom of the foreign exchange process, with a high commitment to transparency and money governance in line with international standards."

He pointed out that "this strategy is being implemented in an organized and precise manner by the Iraqi banking system, and specifically targets large transfers, especially those related to financing wholesale trade."

Saleh also pointed out "the importance of stimulating electronic banking transactions to reduce cash circulation, which contributes to feeding the parallel market with cash dollars, thus reducing speculative operations that take place outside the framework of the law."

Raghad   LINK

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Courtesy of Dinar Guru:  https://www.dinarguru.com/

Militia Man  There are things on the table that have not been sorted.  One of them is going to be the oil.  They have to have an evaluation for that.  We know...they have to value the oil in a Real Effective Exchange Rate or they would have done it by now.  It's been two years and they've lost billions.  It's obvious, it's quite clear that they're going to do something different in the future.

Sandy Ingram  5 reasons why the IQD will increase in value.  This assessment is based on Iraq only accepting payments for shipping services in its own currency. 1.  Higher demand for IQD - when international companies pay for shipping, railway usage and port service in Iraq dinar, the demand for the currency increases.  2. Scarcity formula - As more businesses buy IQD...the supply of available dinar decreased making each unit more valuable.  3. Less dependent on the US dollar - if Iraq shifts...to the IQD instead of USD it strengthens the local currency while reducing inflationary pressures.  4.  Stronger economy equals stronger currency.  The development road will create jobs, increase exports and boost government revenue leading to economic growth and a more stable IQD.  5.  An alternative to the Suez Canal saving billions for companies exporting to Europe.

The Planned Global De-Dollarization Black Swan

Heresy Financial:  3-17-2025

TIMECODES

0:00 Trump's Dollar Devaluation

 1:15 Taleb’s Warning & the Threat

 3:00 Hyperinflation vs. Deflation

4:15 Step 1 – Devalue the Dollar via Tariffs

6:30 Step 2 – Cut Government Spending

 8:00 Step 3 – Build Strategic Asset Reserves (Gold & Bitcoin)

10:00 Impact on Interest Rates & Market Volatility

11:45 Refinancing & Bond Market Dynamics

 13:00 Global Implications: A New Financial Order

15:00 Actionable Insights: Profiting Amid Turbulence

 16:10 Conclusion & Call to Action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFlUmeYZBGI