Electronic cash illegal? (fwd)

[Mark Chen]

Derek writes:
> > As far as I know, the legal definition of a "dollar" in the US is still a
> > certain weight of silver, and payment in silver legally satisfies debts;
> > under current silver prices, that probably costs more than a 
> > $1 US Federal Reserve Note, so nobody bothers.
> 
> Uhh, no, US currency does not have any backing.  I believe it was
> Nixon who stopped it, possibly even earlier than him.  There _used_ to
> be Gold- and Silver-backed dollars, but no longer.

Correct.  Nixon dismantled the Breton Woods system in (I think) '71.


--
Mark Chen 
chen at intuit.com
415/329-6913
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