Off-the-grid

I would love for all this to be true except for the 35% tax rate. I'm planning on long term capital gains of 15%. The next question will be - how long will it take our representatives to put us trillions of dollars in debt again? I really like the idea of our 25,000 dinar notes becoming half-price petrodollars. Of course, the down side is that the world will end if the US Government ever shows a profit!!! Peace and Prosperity

Gotta say I'm impressed with this analysis. My only real concern is the amount of secrecy required to keep some of the key issues of progress under wraps. Of course, that is my primary criticism of all the conspiracy theories out there. But I cannot deny the importance of the events and actions that HAVE been verified of late. The possibility of the US budget being tied to the RV is obviously speculation, but the timing and logic are very persuasive. I give this theory an "A." Our having a really good idea of what events MUST take place before the RV can happen supports the theory that announcements of said events will be held back to prevent a storm of speculation. The incredible conjunction of US and international advisers in Iraq the past few weeks certainly indicates things are coming to a head. And LAST BUT NOT LEAST - my own contribution of INTEL: I have good reason to anticipate a job offer next week! This will be the final piece in the puzzle so the Universe will allow the RV to take place! As I have posted before, there is no doubt in my mind that the Universe has a wicked sense of humor. So there you go folks - RV is indeed very, very close. Peace and Prosperity and a good, hearty laugh!

Sorry, but it reads like you guys are bashing cocklebur for thinking the immense rumor pressure we are currently experiencing is a sign that nothing is going to happen. I am not saying there are no pumpers, or that there are. If my business was selling dinar, finding and using dinar forums to drum up business just sounds like good (morally bankrupt) business. We all gotta admit the track record bears out his opinion. A repost by Adam today makes me think it unlikely the WTO was going to recommend Iraq for ascension now even if the RV does happen. Contractors still might be paid in dollars next month - we know Iraq has a truly poor track record for meeting deadlines - even their own - so not that great a sign of impending RV. I still hope for March. All the professionals, including UST employees - the Visas, etc., really make me hopeful. If not, the expo in April should trigger an RV IMO. The summit in May should trigger an RV. The protection expiration expected in June should trigger an RV. So tired of "should", "must", "surely". All our logic could be for not because we are missing key pieces of criteria unknown, critical players in this drama. Peace and Prosperity

So, the WTO was (is, has) going to assess Iraq's readiness to ascend around now, but the expected answer is "not yet"? I remember a recent article about the WTO having a vote in April. Is that the opportunity for Iraq anytime soon? I agree that need RV to ascend, do not need ascension to RV, but there has been a great deal of speculation that the RV would happen now to enable ascension. This article you reposted makes me think that ascension now was never expected. If so, too bad this didn't come up a coupla weeks ago. I didn't realize the rumors were this unfounded. They certainly sounded good to me, or that Iraq would hurry to RV to improve their chances to ascend. Or has that much changed since this article came out? Was the WTO in Iraq to try to get her ready by the April vote? Ahhhhhhh! Peace and Prosperity and Clarity

So, is Kuwait gonna request lifting Chapter 7 or not? Is the problem that the UNSC hasn't met yet to lift it? I keep hearing that it is done - no it's not - it is done?! I thought it was going to be lifted after the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister visited Baghdad a few weeks ago? I am so confused. I do not remember ever seeing a post of an official press release from the UN stating the end of the Chapter VII sanctions. Peace and Prosperity

Picky, picky, picky!! I'm still waiting for someone to see the image of a 1 dinar note in a crescent roll. Peace and Parsimonious Intel

I really can see Shabbs announcing it that day. After all this time, gotta be tempting. Good thing the rate wouldn't go into effect until Sunday, when our banks are closed. How about "One day only sale!" Your dinar can only be exchanged April 3rd for the first rate, after that, half off! Piece of Posterity

So I guess we don't need a fully seated GOI after all. Silly us, waiting for those last ministers to be chosen. Still gives me a reason to look for the RVed email tomorrow. Oh, that's right, I look for it every morning anyway! Peace and Prosperity

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Now that you know how rich you are going to be, I have a lot of soggy land for sale in Florida, and I need some capital IMMEDIATELY for another deal, so I'll sell at a steep discount to anyone who buys in the next 24 hrs..." Peace and Prosperity

Thanks Ore, for the explanation and civil tone. I disagree on the regular income - aren't the withholding forms we have to fill out at cash in (according to the UST) specifically for capital gains? Or is it just a general withholding? But in that case, how would they know how much to withhold? I'm back to thinking capital gains - that's why we need evidence of date of purchase. Now, I don't put it past our benevolent, broke, gov. to try to establish a windfall tax or something - in which case the lawyers we've heard about that have prepared for such will spring into action. Just so long is it all happens post-RV, so the gov. can't try to take the extra up front. I will be beyond p*ssed off if the cashing in process gets held up pending the courts!! "You're a millionaire, but your money is going to be held until this little matter is settled'" Boy I hope the US isn't pressuring Iraq to delay the RV to allow enough time for them to screw us. Of course, they could have set this up long before now if that was the plan. Also, I'm sure the US is doing just the opposite, because an RV has to be good for US in general. Regardless, I was not including state income taxes. Guess I should move to one of the states that don't have one. Peace and Prosperity

Well now - we've certainly heard a lot about the small denoms - they've been printed, delivered, the ATMs have been reprogrammed to handle them (probably not 1s and 5s etc., like ours, and we ARE NOT going to see them in circulation until post-RV (IMO, but what good are they until then?) However, proof of their existence would essentially be proof the RV is definitely in the works, and will be substantial enough to warrant their printing; SO WHY NOT SHOW THEM? Announcements are on TV saying it's coming, so why not back it up and SHOW ME THE MONEY! Come on Shabibi - allay our fears. Convince the people of Iraq, and the world, that you guys are not just all talk, but that some issues need to be dealt with first so the RV is done right. I can think of only one logical reason for not doing this. The GOI and CBI are afraid it would cause a riot and demands to RV immediately if the people know the currency is available. I suppose this would be a legitimate concern. What does everyone else think? Peace and Prosperity and SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!

Hah! Will the RV affect the political picture in the US? Shift the power structure by making more millionaires out of the common folk? Or will wealth turn more than half of us into republicans who were not already? Somewhere I saw democrats described as folks with a strong desire to spend other people's money for the greater good, and republicans want the gov. to run like a business and keep its hands out of their pockets. We should conduct a poll of current political leanings, then poll the exact same respondents a year after the RV to see if anything changes. Good social experiment. Peace and Prosperity

It never once occurred to me that our federal budget could be tied to the RV, so now I'm intrigued. Ore - where did you get 40%? Even short term capital gains tax is less. I also agree with Moto: surely the UST is holding a truckload of dinar. I just wish our gov. could figure out a way to actually earn money so it can do away with income taxes! We need some kind of nationalized industry (non-essential, so not utilities, for example) that supports the gov., and the budget tied to those profits, not our pockets. Oh well, I know a pipe dream when I see one. But come on, if we are going to be a capitalist nation, let's go all the way. Peace and Prosperity

If you have photoshop or any other photo program, look in the "file" submenu for a "save for web" option. Save as a .gif and the file should be much smaller, but look at file size before saving - you may need to reduce the image size to less than 100% to get below 500k. Hope this helps, since you are going to all this bother just to satisfy my curiosity. Peace and Prosperity Hey, I zoomed in a bunch, and blurry but identifiable. It's a video pic of the cat driving a car in from the insurance commercial "do dogs chase cats." So, thanks for the effort, but no longer needed. Hope the pic file modification tip helps in the future. Will probably need it to upload any photos to your gallery. Peace and Prosperity

Yeah, Ali's stopping the reserve option was purely a business decision. The way he was running that was resulting in a lot of work and tying up assets for a very small margin. I believe this is from Roger. I suppose any time he made this change would be when rumors were already flying, because rumors are always flying these last few months. Still have hopes for end of March. I do not give the contracts payment in IQD statement (rumor) too much weight, because even if it was true at the time, switching to IQD is the kind of thing that is really easy to delay. Peace and Properity

Thanks for posting this K98. I wonder how many more archeological sites wait to be discovered in the fertile crescent. Just as oil and gas exploration is incomplete in Iraq, I'm sure much of the country has yet to be explored by archeologists. I know that was true in Saudi when I lived there - the monarchy wanted everyone to focus on the future and everthing new they had accomplished. The past was of no consequence. They had no problem with our exploring extinct oasi (plural of oasis?) and keeping any artifacts we found. Peace and Prosperity

Whenever the RV happens there will be non-Iraqis working or serving in Iraq who hold dinar and will want to retire. I should think that any new personnel that arrive pre-RV will buy as much dinar as they can. I'm saying that this issue will never go away. As for military personnel, I will be surprised if the USA does not maintain at least one base on a permanent basis, like we do in Guam and Japan, for instance. We have Navy in Bahrain, Iraq would be a good place for Army and Air Force. This would also provide additional security for our investment in Iraq - so Iran doesn't try any sort of military action. And we wouldn't need to spend money building the bases - since they are already there. Just need the GOI to "invite" us to stay, not as occupying force but as "friends." All IMO. Peace and Prosperity

I don't see any posts confirming the names have actually been submitted, and it is now evening there. The GOI seems to think that saying you are going to do something to placate the people is just as good as actually doing it! And I agree with the others of us who think their definitions of "Soon" and "Shortly" are way different than ours. They might as well just say what they really mean: "Shut up and stop whining - we'll do stuff in the fullness of time, when we feel like it!" Peace and Prosperity

I thinking soon also, but we need parliament to seat those last ministers, and aren't they still planning on reconvening on Sunday? We also really need the HCL, but I think that can be done post RV. I hoped they would cut their mini vacation short, especially with the WTO folks in town, but maybe the Representatives weren't needed for that, just the cabinet and bankers, etc. Still trying to land a job so this thing can pop! Still going to feel like an a** telling whoever that I really appreciate being hired, but as of today I'm retired. Guess you're going to have to find someone else. Peace and Prosperity

Thanks for the insight Smee. I was the Customer Service Manager at a Montgomery Ward store around '88 and often dealt with customer issues with their store credit card. I agree that this will be tough for the average Iraqi to get a grip on, including the shop keepers who are used to "No cash, no carry!" Just getting everyone to understand their monthly statements should be interesting. I do, however, see the move to debit cards and electronic transactions in general as a necessary one. Iraq can't be an economic powerhouse without joining the 21st century. Peace and Prosperity

Not saying June is a reasonable deadline. However, I think the IMF reference to "revalue the remaining foreign currency denominated balance sheet items" in Just-Waitin's post above doesn't have anything to do with the RV, but more an internal item adjustment, like the values in the ledger for non-dinar holdings are based on 2003 rates of exchange instead of today. That said, the fact that they DO want to have those banks up to snuff no later than this June may be significant. Peace and Prosperity

You have a point D-Bunk. However, it is not too big a stretch, IMO, to replace "MUST" with "SHOULD" or "NEED TO" RV. But, as I have posted previously, we don't really know who is pulling the strings or the details of their agenda, or how much they care about the welfare of the Iraqi people, so we are in no position to make good predictions. If the players are the apparent ones, say the GOI for example, then we are hampered by their inexperience at leadership, diplomacy, lack of education and sophistication. Again, unpredictable. But we are all here at Dinar Vets, so sharing our ideas and interpretations and predictions is all we can really do, so let's enjoy doing it! I live for checking for the RV every night before I turn in and first thing in the morning! What else am I going to do for excitement? (Please don't answer that!) Peas and Posterity

Confusing at first Saw error of forum choice Clearly Off-Topic

Have shorts, have sandals, have little paper umbrellas. Call me when you buy that island. aaaaaaaaAaAa-aaaaaaAaAa-aaaaaaa Peace, Prosperity and a vine to swing from.

It has been a few years, but I have used my debit card in Canada. The receipt was in Canadian dollars, and I believe it showed what exchange rate was used for USD. When using the card at an ATM, it definitely showed the exchange. I would think it unlikely VISA would or even could make its card usable only within the borders of one country, and I am assuming the WTO has a rule about exchanging currencies when one is NOT deemed internationally tradable. Otherwise, why does the term even exist? Now, what I did not get from the article is any sense of timing. I simply take it as something that can only be accomplished post RV. So, if the GOI decides they want VISA, they have to RV first, so adds some pressure. They could make the ration cards VISA debit, thus eliminate duplication. One system instead of two. Let VISA pay to run the system, the GOI just loads dinar onto the cards of those who qualify, just like our unemployment benefits are done. Peas and Posterity