Dead Statesmen, Living Ideas

People often refer to U.S. currency by the names of dead presidents, but the bills currently in circulation feature two deceased statesmen who never attained the highest office in the land: Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.

Musicians even talk about the blue faced $100 dollar bill when referencing commanders in chief who have perished in their songs. Artist Lauren Declasse raps on his song, “Dead Presidents”:

Dollar, Dollar, Dollar bills about Benjamins

Conglomerate all in my pocket

Time to bring out Dead Presidents.

This flagrant disregard for history is what runs rampant, not just in hip hop, but the culture at large. It just becomes more apparent when an artist makes it clear they have no idea which men were presidents of the United States of America.

It’s not hard to miss the fact Hamilton and Franklin get lumped in with the others. It’s also easy to see the majority of faces on American currency are dead presidents.

What’s not as readily apparent is whether or not the government should be involved with printing and circulating money in the first place. Why shouldn’t private banks issue notes based on gold or other standards?

Maybe we should think about getting the government out of the economy. That’s the gist of a proper country.

In order for rappers, artists, and filmmakers to discuss the truth about money they have to gain knowledge. Educating Americans of all ages about how money and the economy work ought to be paramount. You would think people who place such a high value on money they represent it in their art forms would be more of it, and to use it as they see fit.

But the association between money and government, made so clear by those faces on the bills, is so ingrained in the culture, it’s hard to imagine the U.S. switching to a purely private banking system.

Ayn Rand wrote extensively about the horrors that mount up when the government is too involved in our lives, especially in our economy. From wars to inflation, to killing and plundering, the government doesn’t make things better.

In a truly free market, everyone would understand the way money really works. Their complete understanding would in turn lead to a renaissance of productivity and innovation, in America, and by extension, the world. If people were permitted to see the power of money fueling creativity for individuals, not systems (and least of all, government-run systems), there would be no stopping their growth.

It must start with the States, though. Whatever America does, the globe takes notes, and either follows suit or attempts to best America. A fully privatized system, with the economy independent from federal, state, city, and local agencies, would embolden individuals to save and exchange funds in a completely free market.

The dead presidents the hip hop genre is so enamored with should be relegated to the past. Instead, currency should feature champions of liberty and capitalism. Miss Rand herself should definitely have her face on a note, as should Dr. Thomas Sowell, Dr. Leonard Peikoff, and Dr. Brook, and of course Michael Milken among others.

It would probably take another revolution to make such a change happen. After all, we’re talking about allowing every individual to exchange value for value, free from forced taxation. Payment for governmental services would be voluntary, and optional—more of a fee for service— and if people won’t pay for a military, police and courts, then they probably don’t deserve the republic whose stability would depend upon these things!

Those who wish to see an economy unencumbered by the dictates of some bureaucrat deserve the best. With the abolition of the Federal Reserve, inflation, stagflation, recessions, and depressions would all be problems of the past.

It wouldn’t be easy to achieve, but it would be glorious to live in a laissez-faire society. So we should start laying the groundwork now. There is no better time to fight for freedom than the present.