Satoshi Notebook | Our Broken Money

Our Broken Money

Our current monetary system forces us to run exponentially faster just to stay in place, while real wealth drifts ever further out of reach.

The K-Shaped Reality

We live in a world where Wall Street gets 30% richer doing nothing, while Main Street must work 30% harder just to maintain their position. This isn't a bug in the system - it's a feature. The current monetary paradigm systematically transfers wealth from the many to the few through a process most don't even understand.

                        A dentist generating 5% more revenue each year for a decade still falls behind when monetary inflation runs at 20% annually. This is the road to serfdom: working exponentially harder for a currency growing exponentially weaker.
                    

The Impossible Game

Consider these real-world examples from our current system:

                        • A company generates $50 million in profit but loses $100 million in cash value to inflation

                        • A million dollars in savings buys 34% less stock than it did just one year ago

                        • Housing prices rise 27% while wages remain stagnant

                        • Retirement requires 20x more capital than it did a generation ago

This isn't just unfair - it's mathematically impossible for the majority to win. The system forces everyone to become a speculator, gambling in increasingly risky assets just to preserve their purchasing power.

The Forced Gamble

Today's system forces even conservative savers into becoming unwilling speculators. An 83-year-old retiree must now guess whether Exxon is better than British Petroleum, or if Apple will outperform Google, just to avoid having their life savings evaporate.

The choices are stark:

                        • Keep money in savings at 0.1% interest and lose 20%+ annually to inflation

                        • Gamble in the stock market and hope you pick winners

                        • Speculate in real estate and compete with institutional investors

                        • Watch your purchasing power steadily evaporate

The Global Scale

This isn't just an American problem. Globally, we see:

                        • 66 countries have already lost their currency privileges

                        • Argentina's peso has lost 45-85% of its value in a year

                        • Venezuela's currency has collapsed 98% in a year

                        • Lebanon's currency has lost 90% in a year

The developing world serves as a preview of what happens when monetary systems fully break down. Without reliable money, entire societies can collapse into chaos.

The Foundation Is Crumbling

Our current monetary system has turned the very foundation of civilization - sound money - into a game of musical chairs. When the music stops, those without access to hard assets or insider knowledge find themselves without a seat.

We need a new foundation. We need money that:

                        • Cannot be devalued by authorities

                        • Preserves human time and energy

                        • Rewards honest work instead of speculation

                        • Provides true property rights to all