Politics and Religion COMBINED - The Thread for Lent

[patches70]

Are we forgetting that the federal reserve prints money that has no value at all? It doesn't exist..

Gold has little value whatsoever. (Really, push comes to shove, can you eat gold?) It supply only increases slowly over time. Fiat currency can increase rapidly.

When you get down to it, lots of things have "value" only because people believe it has value.

Gold has tons of uses, it's one of the most amazing elements in the universe. All the Voyager spacecraft carry a golden record so that in the event that anything finds the probe and plays the record they will learn about us human beings. Why was gold chosen to make the record with? Because it's eternal.

In the early days of stealth technology designers had a big problem. They could make most of the aircraft virtually invisible to radar except for the pilot. Radar waves went right through the cockpit and illuminated the pilot's helmet bright as day. The solution? A thin film of pure gold. Gold scatters the radar waves.

The eternal nature of gold is what makes it so valuable in addition to it's rarity. It's one of the best conductors of electricity. Every computer has a little bit of gold in it. It's corrosion resistance makes it better than silver and copper for electricity conductivity.
Gold is used in medicine, has been for thousands of years and even unto this very day. Gold is a superior material than porcelain in restorative dentistry. The electron microscope wouldn't be possible without gold.
And as you say, gold is edible, though for the life of me I can't understand why anyone would eat it. There is no nutritional value, it just won't poison you. Inside the body, gold is inert to all body chemistry. Stomach acids won't bother it, it can't be absorbed either.

Gold doesn't mind the vacuum of space or the ravages of time. It doesn't tarnish, it doesn't rust. It's incredibly malleable and easy to work with. It can be shaped into just about any shape imaginable and it can also be formed into thread for embroidery.

Those who say gold has no intrinsic value are full of shit.

[warmonger1981]

If gold had no intrinsic value then why would multiple civilizations around the world, who had no known contact, all value gold as sacred or valuable? It seems humans have a certain bond with gold. It's like it came from the Gods like silver and its many uses.

[tzor]

Gold has tons of uses, it's one of the most amazing elements in the universe.

Of course gold has "uses" but not for the average person. There are lots of materials that have "uses" but are not used as a medium of exchange.

Consider titanium, for example.

"Price of Titanium is fluctuating between US$3 to US$6 per pound. By comparison, the price of Gold is currently US$13598 per pound."

So uses is and the real reason for the price of gold on the market. The average person has little need of either gold or titanium.

[patches70]

Gold has tons of uses, it's one of the most amazing elements in the universe.

Of course gold has "uses" but not for the average person. There are lots of materials that have "uses" but are not used as a medium of exchange.

Consider titanium, for example.

"Price of Titanium is fluctuating between US$3 to US$6 per pound. By comparison, the price of Gold is currently US$13598 per pound."

So uses is and the real reason for the price of gold on the market. The average person has little need of either gold or titanium.

The average person has a cell phone. The average person uses a computer. By your logic you can say virtually anything is of "little need to the average person". People just don't realize how much they need or use something.

I didn't even get into the financial aspects of gold. The average person can certainly use some gold as gold is the ultimate hedge against inflation, deflation, recession and depression. There is a reason gold is selling like crazy right now because of the fear of economy tanking. Central banks are making record purchases of gold themselves even though you have the Ben Bernanke saying in front of Congress "Gold isn't money". Ha! Gold is the ultimate money. Where currencies lose value and eventually die gold always retains value no matter what happens. Collapsing civilization? People still want gold and will trade just about anything to get it.

I don't know why you mention titanium, it's a lot more plentiful than gold. The difference between the price of gold and titanium is not only it's rarity but more importantly which is more desired by people? Gold obviously, hence the far greater price. If gold had no use for the average person or no intrinsic value then why is it so desired by people?
The average person who has a retirement account should have a percentage of that account in PM's which include gold obviously.
The average person has little use for gold, pfftt. The average fool has little use for gold, I'll give ya that.

[notyou2]

Tzor where have your charitable christian values gone? What happened to turn the other cheek? Live and let live? Judge not others?

I keep seeing your devout hypocrisy. You sir are not a christian even though you profess to be. You can drop your charade, we all see it.