Tariffs and sky high audio prices.

HILARIOUS!

No doubt! I almost added, "...well- assembled, anyway." Nor- did I mention things such as the Duelund(Denmark), Elna Silmic ll(Japan) capacitors, and HI-FI Tuning(Germany) fuses that I’ve installed. Some things are patently impossible to avoid, nowdays. Guilty, as charged! All a company need do(legally), to claim, "Made in USA", is perform one weld or install one screw/component. Soon, the only thing left, actually made here, will be all those Made in China STICKERS.

The U.S. economy needn’t be destroyed by another country’s actions or policies. A natural disaster(ie: Cascadia Subduction Zone, San Andreas Fault, Yellowstone Caldera, etc), or anything(on either coast) that even temporarily wiped out the electronic funds transfer records, regarding the billions of Dollars, moved EVERY day, via wire, would do the job. Every American citizen, would then be responsible, for what they owe the government. They’d pay, one way or the other. For such as can comprehend the significance: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/this-is-how-much-debt-your-country-has-per-person/ Those are simply facts. Digest them, as you please. As I quoted earlier, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Someone recently added that(somehow), “its different this time”. They forgot, "IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE!" Only time will tell. Could be another 200 years, or- tomorrow. Hopefully, we won’t be around to see the results of the current, tragic level of willful ignorance, so prevalent in this nation. "Misc Audio" thread qualifier: Except for my Canadian phono stage, everything in my home system is USA made.

Regarding the Gold Standard: “Those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” (Sir Winston Churchill)  

btw:    Entitlement my BUTT,  I paid cash for my social security insurance! Just because they SPENT the money, doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or handout. Congressional benefits(aka: subsidized healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days), now that's welfare! And someone has the nerve to call my SS payouts, "entitlements" ?

Remember, not only did you contribute to Social Security but your employer did too. It totaled around 15% of your income before taxes. If you averaged only $30K, per year,  over your working life, that’s close to $220,500. If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer’s contribution) compounded at a simple 5% after 49 years of working, you’d have $892,919.98. If you bought an annuity and it paid only 4% per year, you’d have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month. The average S.S. recipient, since 2011,  gets around $1200/month. The folks in Washington have pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madhoff ever thought of.    And; they put HIM in jail.. 

@oregonpapa - The only reason we have an economy; the US Dollar is currently the world’s standard currency. Too bad, it’s backed by nothing but trust that we can repay the debts, incurred by the government and owed by every American citizen, whether they’re aware it’s owed or not. China has been hoarding gold for decades(if not centuries) and it’s currency/economy is backed by gold. The US Dollar is backed by imagination("fiat money"). Just wait, ’til the rest of the world catches on, the Juan takes center stage in the world economy and renders your, "money" worthless. Keep your eyes open/coming soon, to a neighborhood near YOU(unfortunately/hope I’m wrong)! (https://www.rt.com/business/453600-china-gold-dollar-shift/) (https://moneyweek.com/499249/how-much-gold-does-china-have-a-lot-more-than-you-think/) and (https://www.dinardirham.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-fiat-currencies/)