Financial Vampires: 10 Usurious Practices Sucking Workers' Savings Dry
Usury Revs into Overdrive in Today's World. The Systemic Siphon. Economic Architectures Engineered to Drain Middle-Class Prosperity. Another Sunday Silver Sermon.
OP-ED by Jon Forrest Little
Setting up the Problem:
God condemned usury as an exploitative practice that preys on the vulnerable. It violates principles of compassion, brotherhood, and justice, turning human need into profit and corrupting the fabric of community. This greed-driven act was seen as detestable, worthy of severe punishment
Modern Iterations of Usury
Predatory loans
Payday advance loans
Credit card debt
Traditional mortgage loans
Derivatives market, options, futures, bonds
Fractional reserve banking
Interest rate manipulation
Quantitative Easing (QE)
Inflation tax
Defense spending
Plus many many more dirty tricks
The Hydra of Usury: Modern Faces of an Ancient Evil
In our complex financial landscape, usury has evolved far beyond its traditional definition of excessive interest rates. Today, it manifests in various forms, each more insidious than the last, exploiting the vulnerable and widening the wealth gap.
At the heart of this system lies the Federal Reserve, wielding immense power through interest rate manipulation and quantitative easing (QE). While ostensibly aimed at economic stability, these tools often benefit the wealthy disproportionately. QE, euphemistically called "long-term interest rate monetary policy," injects money into financial markets, inflating asset prices and primarily benefiting those who already own significant assets.
This creates a Cantillon Effect, where those closest to the money supply reap the greatest rewards, while the average worker faces rising costs of living.
Fractional reserve banking, the backbone of our financial system, allows banks to create money out of thin air, essentially profiting from interest on funds that never existed. This modern alchemy fuels economic instability and recurrent financial crises.
The derivatives market, with its complex options and futures contracts, has become a playground for financial speculation. While purportedly used for hedging, these instruments often serve as sophisticated betting mechanisms, far removed from productive economic activity.
Credit card companies push the boundaries of acceptable interest rates, with some charging over 20%.
These rates, often targeting those with limited financial options, trap consumers in cycles of debt that can take years to escape.
Even more predatory are payday advance loans and car title loans, which can carry astronomical APRs, sometimes exceeding 100%. These "services" prey on the desperate, often leading to a spiral of debt and financial ruin.
Rent-to-own schemes, exemplified by companies like Aaron's, offer another face of usury. Marketed as a path to ownership for those with poor credit, these arrangements often result in consumers paying several times the retail value of items over extended periods.
In all these forms, usury continues to extract wealth from the many for the benefit of the few. As we grapple with growing inequality and economic instability, it's crucial to recognize and address these modern manifestations of an age-old practice. Only by shining a light on these shadowy corners of our financial system can we hope to build a more equitable and stable economy for all.
The Great American Mortgage Scam: A Modern Usury Nightmare
Turning your nest egg into a financial black hole.
The traditional mortgage, far from being the pathway to the American Dream, is a sinister trap of usury that would make medieval moneylenders blush. Today's homebuyers are caught in a web of financial predation, starting with realtors skimming 6% off the top.
Then come the loan sharks with their "fees" and "closing costs," followed by interest rates that would make a loan shark wince. Consider a $400,000 ranch-style home. Over 30 years, you'll pay double that amount, turning your nest egg into a financial black hole. But here's the kicker: that money doesn't even exist until you sign on the dotted line. With a mouse click, bankers conjure it from thin air, creating more money than the Federal Reserve itself.
This isn't building wealth; it's a gigantic siphon of usury, draining the lifeblood from hardworking Americans. The mainstream narrative of homeownership as a path to financial security is a cruel joke. In reality, it's an immoral party of usury, leaving millions trapped in a cycle of debt that would make Dante add another circle to his Inferno.
The Path to Ruin
In the shadows of our modern economy lurks a insidious force: the debt-based monetary system.
This dark path leads to endless cycles of boom and bust, spiraling national debts, and the erosion of purchasing power.
Politicians and central bankers wield unchecked power, printing money at will and fueling reckless spending.
Standing & Walking in the Light
In contrast, the light of a constrained monetary system—the bimetallic gold/silver standard—offers a beacon of hope.
This model imposes fiscal discipline, curbing excessive government spending and limiting the ability to finance endless wars. It preserves wealth, encourages saving, and provides a stable foundation for sustainable economic growth.
While not without challenges, this path illuminates a way towards financial stability and accountability, keeping the ambitions of politicians and war profiteers in check.
The Wall Street Mirage: A House of Cards Built on Debt
Wall Street's glittering facade is nothing but a smokescreen, a derivative of the debt market with no real connection to the economy.
While mainstream media and government mouthpieces trumpet low unemployment rates, the truth is far grimmer. Real unemployment soars above 24%, not the paltry 4% touted in official statistics—a blatant deception as layoffs sweep the nation.
As BRICS nations offload US treasuries, a second wave of inflation looms. Meanwhile, warmongering politicians and bankers have plunged taxpayers into 251 conflicts since 1990, bleeding the public dry.
The Pentagon's seven failed audits and trillions in "missing" funds reveal a system rotten to its core. From Ukraine to Iraq to Libya, modern-day conquistadors pillage global resources, making the colonial gold heists look like child's play. This isn't prosperity; it's the greatest fleecing in history.
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Jon Forrest Little’s opinions are not the opinions of those he endorses based on their ore grade, metallurgy, balance sheet, mineral resource estimates, management and jurisdiction.
not financial advice