Ep. 240 Why Putin’s Moves Won’t Strengthen Ruble
Bob argues that Putin’s moves to link the ruble to gold and to insist on ruble payments for natural gas won’t be very effective in strengthening the currency. He then critiques a recent listener comment who argued that one’s views on taxation are important for determining moral worth as a human. Mentioned in the Episode and Other…
Ep. 212 The “Nixon Shock” Was Only the Final Nail in the Coffin of the Gold Dollar
Bob gives a brief history of money in the United States, explaining that the dollar was much “harder” in, say, 1810 than it was in 1910. This explains why there was significant consumer price inflation even in 1970, the year before Richard Nixon officially severed the dollar’s link to gold. Mentioned in the Episode and Other…
Ep. 140 The Theory and Brief History of the U.S. Gold Standard
Bob explains some of the highlights of his newly released chapter for the Mises Institute book on “Understanding Money Mechanics.” He explains the operation of the classical gold standard, as well as some of the issues of U.S. bimetallism during the 1800s. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Bob’s new essay on the…