I read today that at the height of the recession crisis the US gov loaned 9 trillion dollars to various businesses including foreign ones.
Where the heck did they get the 9 trillion to loan? I am really starting to believe our entire monetary system is one big shell game and soon will collapse.
Where did the 9 trillion come from? Did we just print it and not tell the American public? Can they do that?

Modern economies run on money. Money is backed by one thing: Faith.

We used to be on a gold standard. These days, however, that's impossible because not enough gold is ever mined to 'back' an economy that has grown to the size ours has (and by 'ours' I mean 'the world').

commodity it is based on what the world thinks it is worth. Faith, is not an accounting term used by banks and governments, although that may be what it can amount to in the end.
Just remember the more money that is printed or available, backed by nothing only means your current dollar and buying power becomes less. And yes, they can do it. Would the do it and not tell the American people......of course they would and did and do.
For every dollar we pay out we are borrowing 40 cents on the dollar to make it happen.
Just think for a moment, assuming these good faith loans are being made outside the USA. Then think about every headline you have read where there are firemen, police, teachers being let go because communities do not have the money.
Or the USA space program that has to be truncated/cancelled because they do not have the money.
Or the state parks and libraries that have to either cut back or shut down because they don't have the money.
And the list could go on for a long time.

Then ask yourself again would our government at the expense of maintaining it's own needs, loan money to outside the USA? They do it every single day.
If we the people would rebel we will be labeled as protectionists. And Obama himself in his recent overseas fiasco meetings said to the other nations, we need to guard against protectionism. (And of course they all laughed at him again).

The rest of the world knows they are very protective of their needs for their country is their first priority be it political or for their people. They also know the USA is not a protectionist country and are the first on the scene with the check book which by the way has no balance (which does not stop the check writing because they just print more money). And then the non USA entities buy USA goods and services including military needs with our worth "less" every day dollars. And they laugh again.

The question is: where are the priorities of the USA government? Clearly not in the best interest of or the priority of maintaining the best interest of the country or we the people.

Watch what they do every day....not what they say!!!!!!!

btk

on a lot of what we the people had no knowledge:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...T2010120106876

Be sure to go to page two of the article and note the last two sentences, especially the very last sentence of the article:

"Sanders, for one, said these banks got off easy while receiving extraordinary aid. In rescuing these firms, the Fed never required them to lend to small businesses, modify the mortgages of homeowners or invest in a way that would create jobs.

"We bailed these guys out, but the requirements placed upon them had very little positive impact on the needs of ordinary Americans," Sanders said."

And the priorities of our government are? Hopefully there will be no rhetoric about how much worse off we could have been without the actions...please!

btk

Wall Street article explained that the government has a difficult understanding of the value of money. So if displayed as units of time in seconds 1 million equals 11.5 days, 1 billion equals 30 years and 1 trillion equals 30,000 years. So the 9 trillion you question equals 270,000 years. With interest that is probably how long American taxpayers will take to pay it off.

JimJoe -

Your post surprises me. First, someone in Iowa reads a newspaper - even if it is the Des Moines Register - and secondly, you do not fully understand the magnitude of the Treasury.

Iowa needs you, JimJoe, and your ideas. Do not disappoint them.