The spike in 1970s oil prices was a direct reaction to the U.S. abandoning the gold standard. Oil-producing countries were no longer being paid in gold-backed dollars, so they raised prices from $3 to $40 per barrel to compensate for the currency's rapid loss of purchasing power.

A core function of money is to be the 'final extinguisher of debt.' However, fiat currency is created as debt, meaning every dollar is both an asset and a liability. This inherent contradiction makes the entire financial system fundamentally fragile.

A top Putin advisor's claim that the US is using crypto to devalue its debt is not genuine concern. It is a calculated geopolitical move to publicly discredit the dollar while promoting the alternative gold-backed monetary system that Russia and China are actively building together.

By creating a regulatory framework that requires private stablecoins to be backed 1-to-1 by U.S. Treasuries, the government can prop up demand for its ever-increasing debt. This strategy is less about embracing financial innovation and more about extending the U.S. dollar's lifespan as the global reserve currency.

The U.S. economy's ability to consume more than it produces is not due to superior productivity but to the dollar's role as the world's reserve currency. This allows the U.S. to export paper currency and import real goods, a privilege that is now at risk as the world diversifies away from the dollar.

Executive Order 6102 forced citizens to surrender gold so the government could unilaterally reprice it from $20.67 to $35/ounce a year later. This instantly devalued every dollar in existence by 41%, a move necessitated by years of money printing to counterfeit their own currency.

Central banks evolved from gold warehouses that discovered they could issue more paper receipts (IOUs) than the gold they held, creating a fraudulent but profitable "fractional reserve." This practice was eventually co-opted by governments to fund their activities, not for economic stability.

The US troop buildup near Venezuela isn't just about oil; it's a strategic move to counter China's growing economic influence in South America. China is establishing a gold-backed currency network, and the US is using military leverage on Venezuelan allies to disrupt this challenge to its hemispheric dominance.

The underlying math of U.S. debt is unsustainable, but the system holds together on pure confidence. The final collapse won't be a slow leak but a sudden 'pop'—an overnight freeze when investors collectively stop believing the government can honor its debts, a point which cannot be timed.