Monday, March 19, 2012

Tyrannical Thugs

Dear Congressman,

Please examine the following piece of legislation:

U.S. Code § 486. Uttering coins of gold, silver or other metal
Whoever, except as authorized by law, makes or utters or passes, or attempts to utter or pass, any coins of gold or silver or other metal, or alloys of metals, intended for use as current money, whether in the resemblance of coins of the United States or of foreign countries, or of original design, shall be fined under this title [1] or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

What is the point of this law?  Go ahead, try to explain it.  If you think you've got it, and you think it makes sense, you ought to go back to the encyclopedia and look up "lawful money".  Here it is in the same body of law:

§ 411. Issuance to reserve banks; nature of obligation; redemption
Federal reserve notes, to be issued at the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the purpose of making advances to Federal reserve banks through the Federal reserve agents as hereinafter set forth and for no other purpose, are authorized. The said notes shall be obligations of the United States and shall be receivable by all national and member banks and Federal reserve banks and for all taxes, customs, and other public dues. They shall be redeemed in lawful money on demand at the Treasury Department of the United States, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, or at any Federal Reserve bank.

I think you already know that the Treasury doesn't actually redeem Federal reserve notes for "lawful money" as the law requires.  Why bother enforcing § 486 against legitimate businessmen like Bernard von Nothaus, while not bothering to enforce § 411 against one of the most important government agencies?

Would you people PLEASE get off your asses and fix this problem IMMEDIATELY.  You are in danger of being recognized as tyrannical thugs when you pick and choose which laws to enforce, and the victim is a private citizen and the benefactor is a government agency.