Russia, Oil, & The Utah Sound Money Act & Why It Matters

It’s hard to overstate the concern that American families have regarding the economy, but one thing we all need to pay more attention to is the value of the U.S dollar. Imagine, if you will, what would happen to your families’ savings should the U.S. dollar truly crash, especially when unemployment and underemployment are both high. Families, if they can, are already desperately trying to save as much money as possible. But what if the money families have so carefully saved for a rainy day could no longer buy even the basic necessities? This is the reason behind bills such as the Utah Sound Money Act.

Although to some it may seem extreme, we do need to prepare for the possibility that there may come a day that the dollar’s buying power will be drastically reduced. And the truth is, Utah is not alone in their concern. According to State Representative Galvez, House sponsor of the bill, 11 states have either passed currency related legislation or have legislation in process. Other states passing or considering currency related legislation include: Montana, Missouri, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington…

The truth is that with the decline in the value of the dollar and the rise of U.S. debt,more and more countries are becoming concerned about whether the U.S. dollar is a good investment. And unfortunately, Washington’s printing of more dollars will not only not solve the problem , it may quicken the devaluing of the dollar.

For those who do not believe that the U.S. dollar may be in trouble, please consider the following: according to The China Daily, China and Russia have used a number of currencies in the past, but especially U S Dollars for “bilateral trades”. However according to a report in The China Daily in November 2010, “China and Russia have decided to renounce the US dollar and resort to using their own currencies for bilateral trade”. The formal announcement was made by Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian Vladimir Putin.

In addition, Russia has also been reaching out to Europe. In Putin’s appearance in front of top German industrialists at a business forum in Berlin, he called for closer economic ties between Russia and the European Union. In his speech he outlined his vision for the future and his desire to create a Free European – Russian Trade Zone. However, the most critical part of his speech came when he showed what his true intentions may be towards the U.S. In his speech Putin said, that the “Euro is slightly fluctuating, but as a whole it’s a good , stable world currency that should take its rightful position as the world reserve currency. I think over the last 10 years there has been one wrong aspect that we should definitely eliminate. It’s the excessive monopoly of the dollar as the sole world reserve currency. This is certainly something negative.”

However, whether the dollar remains the world reserve currency is not the only concern at hand. As Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins said, a more immediate concern may be the efforts that are being made to decouple the dollar from oil. If that occurs, efforts such as the Utah Sound Money Act may well turn out to produce the solution that we need.

But there is some good news as well…

While news reports by their very nature tend to focus on the negative, there are public servants working hard to find a solution to the problems that we face. Utah Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins and State Representative Brad Galvez are working hard to find a solution to protect us, and our children, from the potential fall of the US dollar. As Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins said, “inflation is hurting the ability of families to purchase the items that they need. With the buying power of the dollar going down, if we do not act the purchasing power of the American family will continue to suffer. We must begin to study potential solutions and we must act.”

And make no mistake, we can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines and hope that someone else finds the answer. As a country we need elected officials who are willing to act and willing to do the research needed to find the best possible way to protect American families and that is why the Utah Sound Money Act and efforts like it are so very important.

As for the legislation itself, The Utah Sound Money Act will not only allow gold and silver coins issued by the Federal government to be used as “legal tender” in Utah, it will exempt them from capital gains taxes. Although the United States Constitution already allows states this freedom, the Utah Sound Money Act would codify this right in Utah law. The law would not mandate that the coins be used, but simply allows people the choice. The legislation also creates a panel to study how Utah families might use the alternative “legal tender” system for every day purchases such as food or medicine. Since the value of gold and silver constantly fluctuates, a system would have to be designed that would provide a practical way for Utah families to use the new system for daily purchases, which is why the panel is being formed.

As for Utah, there’s a reason Americans may want to start taking a look at how they operate and the recommendations made by their state’s leaders. Utah has been named, “the best managed state in the nation and has been repeatedly ranked as one of the best states to do business”. And it appears Forbes agree, for in their 2010 look at the Best States For Business, Utah was ranked number one when it comes to fostering growth! Check back for more information on exactly how Utah became the “best managed state in the nation” and what public servants such as Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins and State Representative Brad Galvez are doing that is making such a huge difference for their state!

Change is always hard, and sometimes scary, but Utah’s system does not seek to replace our current monetary system. However, what it does do is start the process of designing, and planning for a possibly implementation of a secure money system should the dollar fall. And while, as State Representative Galvaz said, we may not like the changes that have occurred in our economy, our job as parents, and their jobs as legislators, is to do our very best to give our children the best possible opportunities to succeed in the world in which we live. And while many of us, including myself, wish that we could return to a simpler time, the fact is, right now, we can’t. But what we can do, is work together to find the solutions that our children will need, no matter what crisis we face.

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