• The author, Tim Niemeyer, is an elementary school teacher and co-host of the Lincolnland Bitcoin Meetup.
• He has made observations while teaching that show how our current fiat monetary system incentivizes less-than-optimal decision making.
• Bitcoin can help to fix this by introducing sound money that is not controlled by those in power with their own agendas.
Understanding Fiat
I’m a teacher by day and a rabid Bitcoiner by night. I currently teach elementary music, and I truly love my job. It’s similar to being the co-host of Lincolnland Bitcoin in that I get to share my passions (music and Bitcoin) while potentially helping others develop a deeper appreciation for and better understanding of each. I don’t orange pill at school though; I feel it’s necessary to separate church and state, if you will. Still, being able to experience both simultaneously has helped me be able to develop a greater understanding of each. But appreciating Bitcoin has also given me a unique perspective in my work as a teacher, and I wanted to share some of observations I’ve made in almost two decades of being an educator about how our coercive fiat monetary system incentivizes less-than-optimal decision making and substandard relational habits… and maybe a little about how Bitcoin fixes this.
Helicopter Parents
One observation I’ve noticed in the past few decades is the emergence of helicopter parents. WebMD lists the following signs of helicopter parenting: they fight their child’s battles, do their schoolwork, coach their coaches, keep their kids on a short leash, are a maid in their own house, play it too safe and can’t let their kids fail. I believe most of these are a byproduct of living in a fiat system. When you have a system that allows humans to be in control of the money supply, it leads to them imposing their morals onto said money supply. Regardless of their intentions or justifications for such actions, this creates high time preference decision making which results in less optimal outcomes for everyone involved—especially those who bear its effects without understanding why or how it happened.
Inflation & Debt
Another result from having humans controlling the money supply is inflation—which robs us all via hidden taxes—and debt as we’re forced into borrowing more than what we can actually afford because prices keep going up faster than wages do (the median wage compared with inflation since 1970 shows this). This leaves many people feeling like they have no choice but to take out loans they may not be able pay back when unexpected things occur (such as medical emergencies or job loss). These loan payments become another form of taxation via interest payments which further reinforces our time preference decisions due its compounding effect on debt balances over time—not to mention its ability make even small purchases feel significant due its hidden costs getting added on top!
The Benefits Of Sound Money
By contrast with our current monetary system where humans are at control over its design features allowing them impose their views on said money supply (which often comes with unintended consequences), sound money like bitcoin puts these decisions into code so no one person or group can alter it as they please without everyone knowing about it beforehand! This eliminates high time preference decision making caused by inflationary taxes while also reducing debt burdens through its deflationary nature which works against compounding interests rates! Furthermore because Bitcoin isn’t tied any nation state or political agenda it provides true freedom from oppressive governments who seek control over citizens through manipulating currency values!
Conclusion
The purpose of this article is not badmouth any specific group or subset population (maybe fiat politicians though lol). Most everyone has justifications for their actions and choosing red or blue won’t really provide long-term systemic change due fact each side beholden inherent system – however there clear benefits sound money like bitcoin provides freedom oppressive governments seek control citizens manipulating currency values plus eliminating high time preference decision making caused inflationary taxes reducing debt burdens deflationary nature working against compounding interests rates!