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RE: Usury and Cryptocurrency
Thanks Glen! Hope I can keep it interesting and fresh... I'm a fan of this, but realize it might be a bit dull for some.
Thanks Glen! Hope I can keep it interesting and fresh... I'm a fan of this, but realize it might be a bit dull for some.
I wouldn't consider it dull. I've been learning. I wasn't aware that usury was even a thing for Catholics. While I'm not one, I've been around the Mexican strain of it for decades and this is the first I'm really hearing about it outside of the Jewish and I guess Muslim religions. That in and of itself doesn't mean anything, really, other than I've either not been that observant (quite possible), or there's never ever been a reason for it to be brought up. :)
It is generally not a hot button issue for Catholics, and TBH, the past 40 years or so have been abysmal for Catholic formation. Many of us have had to learn our faith by reading on our own.
I asked a few friends of mine who are also passionate about their faith and they all tended to think usury was just charging high interest rates. The topic has been mostly ignored the last century, and that's a problem.
I could see that. I suppose with all there is to be concerned with in the world, take your pick, that usury could end up lower on the priority list. Although, I suppose if the intent of usury, among other things, is to avoid taking advantage of others, that concept should be among the foremost thoughts of everyone. But in the western world, where money is the primary motivator for a lot of things and people, usury would still be marginalized.
A big part seems to be the misunderstanding of the difference between full recourse and non recourse loans, and the fact that the global banking system relies on usury to exist.
There's a reason banks are the biggest buildings in most modern cities.
And to be sure, there has been an enormous amount of economic growth, and we see that people have more access to resources and healthcare today than 100 years ago.
But I'm not sure it is sustainable. Our $20 trillion debt, for instance, won't get smaller, and when the population begins to diminish there could be a serious contraction in the economy (Depression level).
Debt really ought to be a higher priority than it is, but because we've handed over economic policy to the banks, what else would there be? As long as the payments keep coming in, keep riding the debt train.
There's the deficit, the debt and then unfunded liabilities. Over $210 trillion of the latter. Those are all crushing weights just waiting to happen.
Loans have a proper place, I suppose, but on such a large scale, where you're essentially deficit spending and collecting taxes to make loan payments—it's not much of a way to run most businesses (some it might be the only way), so I don't see the advantage of having a government do it unless the banks are in charge. Then it makes perfect sense! To them. :)
You've outlined a great number of examples on how usurious policies have created an insane amount of debt that can never be repaid.
Debt is good when used to leverage a business up; for instance, if you have 10k orders to fill and you don't have the capital to buy supplies fast enough. But it's a terrible public policy tool, as we just end up borrowing from our children and grandchildren for stuff now... usually stuff that is just graft for politicians.