Is the US headed towards a socialist government?

[kandrathe]

Indeed, if one were to take the argument preposterously seriously, the most anti-Leninist thing you could do would be to fire up the printing press and hyperinflate prices.

Well, actually...

If the government prints money to cover their debts (which they have to do now), they will devalue the dollar and force the people in the USA (and elsewhere) who depend on the dollar to become dependent on the government. I believe it was Pol Potts who actually outlawed currency for awhile in Cambodia during their early communist conversion. So yes, it might be as you said, a Keynesian remark that Lenin agreed with rather than an actual proposition that Lenin hoped to implement. The end result of the process will still be the new New Deal where private industry will take the back seat to government controlled industry.

However, I would still maintain that we really are facing a time now when the value of the dollar will decline, and the cost of goods will rise. Many of my friends are already trading services directly and avoiding the exchange of currency, and most finance savvy people I know have put a substantial portion of their assets into precious metals. Just yesterday an accountant friend of mine told me about their exchange of an expensive dental surgery(not covered by insurance) for tax preparation services.