"And they send to him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they were come, they say to him, Master, we know that you are true, and care for no man: for you regard not the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute (taxes) to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them, Why do you test me? bring me a denarius, that I may see it. And they brought it. And He said to them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said to him, Caesar's. And Yashua answering said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to YHWH the things that are YHWH's. And they marveled at Him." Matt 22, Mk 12:13-17, Lk 20

Ya know, it has occurred to me in times past that our Lord Yashua has quite a sardonic sense of humor with us if we really pay attention to his words. For us to realize He knew the outcome of the Roman Empire when He spoke these words, makes it all the more clear what our priorities should be.
In essence all money is printed & distributed by the government, any government; it's theirs, let them keep it & use it for their own purposes. It only has the faith & credibility we give it. If we don't give it, it has none. Faith & credibility are YHWH's alone. Don't put your faith in man or man's institutions. Putting "In God We Trust" on American currency is a lie. Our government doesn't trust YHWH. It's more than self-evident.
Yashua is telling us to let governments have their money. Trust in Him, trade, barter & do what's right & pleasing in His sight, and with whom you're dealing. I've observed this in other countries, and it pleases both buyer & seller moreover.
Remember, governments are ordained by YHWH to keep the lost in check; even though eventually they fail...

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Volcker sees crisis leading to global regulation

By EILEEN AJ CONNELLY, AP Business Writer Eileen Aj Connelly, Ap Business Writer Fri Feb 20, 6:29 pm ET

NEW YORK – "Even the experts don't quite know what's going on."

Speaking to a number of those experts Friday, Paul Volcker, a top economic adviser to President Barack Obama, cited not only the lack of understanding of the global financial meltdown but the "shocking" speed with which it had spread across the world.

"One year ago, we would have said things were tough in the United States, but the rest of the world was holding up," Volcker told a conference featuring Nobel laureates, economists and investors at Columbia University in New York. "The rest of the world has not held up."

In fact, the 81-year-old former chairman of the Federal Reserve said, "I don't remember any time, maybe even the Great Depression, when things went down quite so fast."

He noted that industrial production is falling in countries across the globe faster than in the U.S., one result of the decline caused by the breakdown of unbridled financial markets that operated on a global scale.

"It's broken down in the face of almost all expectation and prediction," he noted.

Volcker didn't offer specifics on how long he thinks the recession will last or what will help start a recovery. But he predicted there will be some lasting lessons from the experience.

"I don't believe it will be forgotten ... and we will revert to the kind of financial system we had before the crisis," he said.

While he assured his audience of his confidence that capitalism will survive, Volcker said stronger regulations are needed to protect the world economy from such future shocks.

And he said he is concerned about the amount of power central banks, treasuries and regulatory agencies have acquired while trying to contain the meltdown.

"It is evident in the United States, and not just in the United States, the central bank is taking on a role that is way beyond what a central bank should be taking," he said.

Volcker stressed the importance of international cooperation in creating a new regulatory framework, particularly for major banks that operate across national boundaries — the reverse of what's happened in recent years.

"The more international agreement we have on where we want to get to, the better off we'll be," Volcker said.

And while major banks should be more tightly controlled and less able to make the sort of risky bets that led to their current debacle, Volcker said there should also be more oversight of some kind for hedge funds, equity funds and the remaining investment banks.

He scoffed at the notion that those entities must be free to innovate — stating that financial "innovations" like asset backed securities and credit default swaps have brought few benefits. The most important "innovation" in banking for most people in the last 20 or 30 years, he maintained, is the automatic teller machine.

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Soros sees no bottom for world financial "collapse"

Fri Feb 20, 8:58 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Renowned investor George Soros said on Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, adding that there is yet no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis.

Soros said the turbulence is actually more severe than during the Great Depression, comparing the current situation to the demise of the Soviet Union.

He said the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September marked a turning point in the functioning of the market system.

"We witnessed the collapse of the financial system," Soros said at a Columbia University dinner. "It was placed on life support, and it's still on life support. There's no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom."

His comments echoed those made earlier at the same conference by Paul Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman who is now a top adviser to President Barack Obama.

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Obama hits back at 'tea party' rant

#14 of 2009 Bank fails, 39th Overall