Did going bankrupt in 1991 prepare Donald Trump for the office of President?

paul1149 said:

Most interesting. I grew up being taught private script was illegal, just as your story bears out. But then Bitcoin came along, and to this day I wonder how they are getting away with it.

It's clear from the story that freedom works, but the government, and by extension the economy, is in the hands of self-interested bankers. A very corrupt system. They don't want private script because they can't tax it, which in turn they use to pad the elite nests of crony capitalism and profitable militarism. Were I the mayor, I probably would have complied overtly but then encouraged private bartering. But without the script, the whole thing is severely crippled.

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The Constitution prohibits individual states from printing and issuing paper money as legal tender, but they are allowed to use coins as currency, said Gatch. Individual communities, however, are able to create their own currencies -- including paper notes. Anyone can do it -- as long as the money is easily distinguishable from U.S. dollars and values are tied to the U.S. dollar so that income remains taxable.

Fear factor: Francis Ayley, the founder of Life Dollars, a currency started in Bellingham, Wash., in 2004, said fear of a shortage of U.S. dollars and frustration with the growing wealth gap in the country are driving more people to his currency. Since a majority of the transactions occur online and funds are directly transferred between members, the supply of Life Dollars is unlimited, he said.

The number of people or businesses signed up to use the currency, or members as Ayley refers to them, had remained relatively stable at 250 to 350 for years. But in the past two years, membership has doubled to more than 700. The currency's use has expanded beyond Bellingham to Seattle, too, where 75 new members have signed on in the past six months. Ayley estimates that more than $1 million worth of transactions have been made so far.

Funny money? 11 local currencies
"Many people are short of cash because they are unemployed or under-employed ... many are questioning what they have been told about the economy and the way the free market supposedly works," said Ayley.

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paul1149 said:

Reading the wiki page on the Liberty Dollar affair, the legalities seem hopelessly complicated. First it says the only illegal aspect of private currency pertains to fraud; but then it cites a law that prohibits using any coin as money. The two statements seem quite incompatible. And the guy behind it was branded a terrorist, no less insidious as a violent terrorist, deserving of being put away for 23 years?

Any law this complicated has one purpose: to usurp power from the individual and give it to the state or to vested interests in bed with the state. We now have a name for this sort of thing: Deep State. It's when the government gets too powerful and begins to serve its own interests rather than those of the people. It's real, and it's tentacles extend very far, as we are daily finding out.

Rick Joyner recently wrote a piece on how the legal system has been divorced from common sense and through the exploitation of esoteric technicalities is being used to divide and conquer the people in the US. I think you might enjoy it.

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yeshuaslavejeff said:

< shrugs > ...

the same reason the government does anything.... ?

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paul1149 said:

He's a tremendously gifted writer. I've read The Final Quest and some other things.

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Rick Joyner... .The Final Quest.....
"As I approached the Judgment Seat of Christ, those in the highest ranks were also sitting on thrones that were all a part of His throne. Even the least of these thrones was more glorious than any earthly throne many times over. Some of these were rulers over cities on earth who would soon take their place. Others were rulers over the affairs of heaven, and others over the affairs of the physical creation, such as star systems and galaxies. However, it was apparent that those who were given authority over cities were esteemed above those who had even been given authority over galaxies. The value of a single child was more than a galaxy of stars, because the Holy Spirit dwelt in men, and the Lord had chosen men as His eternal dwelling place. In the presence of His glory the whole earth seemed as insignificant as a speck of dust, and yet was so infinitely esteemed that the attention of the whole host of heaven was upon it.

Now that I stood before the throne, I felt very much less than a speck of dust. Even so, I felt the Holy Spirit upon me in a greater way than I ever had. It was by His power alone that I was able to stand. It was here that I truly came to understand His ministry as our Comforter. He had led me through the entire journey even though I had hardly noticed Him.

The Lord was both more gentle and more terrible than I had ever imagined. In Him I saw Wisdom who had accompanied me up the mountain, and felt the familiarity of many of my friends on earth. I recognized Him as the One I had heard speaking to me many times through others. I also recognized Him as the One that I had often rejected when He had come to me in others. I saw both a Lion and a Lamb, the Shepherd and the Bridegroom, but most of all I saw Him here as the Judge.

Even in His awesome presence, the Comforter was so mightily with me I was comfortable. It was also apparent that the Lord in no way wanted me to be uncomfortable; He only wanted me to know the truth. Human words are not adequate to describe either how awesome, or how relieving it was to stand before the Lord. I had passed the point where I was concerned if the judgment was going to be good or bad; I just knew it would be right, and that I could trust my Judge.

At one point the Lord looked toward the galleries of thrones around Him. Many were occupied by saints, and many were empty. He then said, "These thrones are for the overcomers who have served Me faithfully in every generation. My Father and I prepared them before the foundation of the world. Are you worthy to sit in one of these?"

I remembered what a friend had once said, "When an omniscient God asks you a question, it is not because He is seeking information." I looked at the thrones. I looked at those who were now seated. I could recognize some of the great heroes of the faith, but most of those seated I knew had not even been well known on earth. Many I knew had been missionaries who had expended their lives in obscurity. They had never cared to be remembered on earth, but only to Him. I was a bit surprised to see some who had been wealthy, or rulers who had been faithful with what they had been given. However, it seemed that faithful, praying women and mothers occupied more thrones than any other single group."
(Rick Joyner, The Final Quest)

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