Q: What basis do you have for thinking, in the long term, that Trump would be more favourable to gold holders than Clinton?
A: Trump is not part of the political or financial elite that run the USA. Certainly not a life time or hereditary member. His involvement in the electoral process as an option is very recent. It would be much easier for him to chart a new course than Clinton.
Q: Many people do not think that real change can come through the electoral process. They argue that one way or another, if Trump won, he would in time be co-opted by the system. What is your view?
A: Trump, from the start, has said a lot of nice things about the military and promised to increase military expenditures. New planes, better health care for veterans etc. My take is that he made his deal, or at least his peace, with the military industrial complex before he started active campaigning.
Q: Are not the Demarcates and Republicans both controlled by the same elites?
A: I do not view the elite as one cohesive monolith. It has always been groups within groups and shifting alliances with retiring and new members and groups that Jacky for position all of the time. Sometimes there are turf wars among members. Viewed in this light, Trump becomes very interesting.
Q: So, who do you think is sponsoring Trump?
A: Before I answer that question, we need to review some history. Starting from the second half of the 19th century there has been an ongoing debate in the USA: should America alien itself with the British Empire or the new arising German empire. The Rockefeller’s supported the German option, the Morgans the British. That is, of course, an oversimplification but never the less a good generalisation.
Q: Was it just about who will be on top or is there a substantive difference between them?
A: There are substantive differences. The German option is based on technological superiority. After Bismarck unified Germany, British industry could not compete with German industry. The British Empire was based on controlling the international drug trade; first, white sugar, coffee, rum and tea and then opium. They fought two opium wars during the 19th century to get and then maintain a monopoly on the sale of opium to China. With the profits from that, they bought China tea to sell to Europe and then sell manufactured goods back to, among others, India. The monopolies were maintained by military control of shipping lanes. Britannia ruled the waves. During the time that the British Empire ruled India, India’s percent of world gross product sank from 15% to 3%. The manufacturing role was saved for Great Britain proper. During the last quarter of the 19th century the Germans reduced the native population in Namibia by over half with the same industrial efficiency they displayed during the l940s. Germany lost official control over Namibia with the conclusion of WWI. Nevertheless German is still spoken there and the international commerce is mostly administrated by German speakers.
Q: You seem to favour the Germans. Do you think they are a better choice than the British?
A: It is not a choice between people. The British and German people are not the same thing as the empire. All empires have an ugly side. I am not taking sides.
Q: So which side is sponsoring Trump?
A: It is too early in this blog for me to express an opinion. I can however give you some points to consider: Trump lives on the 80th floor of a high tech construction he oversaw and develop. He spends more time in a private plane than a yacht.
Photo credit: Yelp.com via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND
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