Money is very much 'owned'. The government 'owns' a lot of money for instance, and it has tricks up its sleeves like releasing cash into the market to readjust inflation rates and what not.
Money is not just money. There's a whole fucking market behind it.
Loans introduce money that doesn't exist onto the market. Then people go and make money off of it, and pay back the loans. Now there's new money on the market.
It sounds like the perpetual motion machine, but really, it's not. You just need to read about economics. The essential thing to keep in mind is that money represents something... most often gold, crude oil, but human services too for example. And we just keep harvesting that out of the earth, or out of nowhere...
Think of the joke in austin powers, when doctor evil says I want 1 billion dollars, and his board of directors say there isn't that much money on earth.
The essential thing to keep in mind is that money represents something... most often gold, crude oil, but human services too for example.
While money may be a measurement of the value of something (which is what I think you're trying to say) it does not represent anything more than the confidence in the entity that prints the money. At one time all of the money in the US represented an amount of gold held in reserve. No additional money could be printed unless gold reserves were increased. Today, we can print money at will with the only thing backing the cash being the confidence in the government to back the notes it prints. Thats part of the reason there are such wide variations in the value of currency - because it is no longer tied to a standard (gold). Confidence rises and your cash is worth more. Confidence nosedives and your cash is worth less (or worthless.....).
Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:1)
Isn't wide circulation the point of money? Or do you mean "who gets to circulate money?
Re:Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:3, Insightful)
Money is not just money. There's a whole fucking market behind it.
Re:Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:2)
Re:Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:0)
Re:Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:2)
Re:Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:2)
It sounds like the perpetual motion machine, but really, it's not. You just need to read about economics. The essential thing to keep in mind is that money represents something... most often gold, crude oil, but human services too for example. And we just keep harvesting that out of the earth, or out of nowhere...
Think of the joke in austin powers, when doctor evil says I want 1 billion dollars, and his board of directors say there isn't that much money on earth.
Re:Who gets to own money in the future? (Score:1)
While money may be a measurement of the value of something (which is what I think you're trying to say) it does not represent anything more than the confidence in the entity that prints the money. At one time all of the money in the US represented an amount of gold held in reserve. No additional money could be printed unless gold reserves were increased. Today, we can print money at will with the only thing backing the cash being the confidence in the government to back the notes it prints. Thats part of the reason there are such wide variations in the value of currency - because it is no longer tied to a standard (gold). Confidence rises and your cash is worth more. Confidence nosedives and your cash is worth less (or worthless.....).