The Elite only look to invest their wealth in THREE things:
1. Precious Metals (Gold and Silver, mostly)
2. Energy (that would be, Crude Oil – at least up until now)
3. Real Estate
For centuries Royal (Re-als) have always claimed ownership over land. I don’t know how or when such a damned-fooled idea came about that only ONE person in an entire community should have exclusive RIGHTS to collect RENT from the rest came about – but it did. And since that time Royal Estates were established, where you could farm all you liked, so long as you paid some portion of what you made to those who – ahem – OWNED the Land.
If you think these people were silly for allowing this, consider that one day, Carbon Dioxide might be taxed – effectively bringing into play – the ownership of the AIR THAT YOU BREATHE!
Rent – is an amazing idea in itself. It meant that you could make a living from doing absolutely NOTHING. As long as you owned enough land, and as long as you had enough peasants/slaves/citizens to work it – you need not lift a finger to provide for your own sustenance. What a HOOT!
Farmed produce, unfortunately doesn’t last forever. So if you kept your share of grain, taxed from the hand of the hard-working peasant for too long – it would soon lose its value. So another STORE OF VALUE needed to be found. And there was no better than Gold. Here was a metal that would not rust or rot – no matter how badly it was kept. Best of all, it was SCARCE and required a great deal of effort to find and collect. Other precious metals with somewhat similar qualities – like silver were sometimes just as good – although not quite as scarce.
For centuries, only these two forms of wealth reigned supreme:
Land and Precious Metals.
One generated wealth – while the other, preserved it.
Enter: Crude Oil.
(Or, more precisely – Consumeable Energy Sources!)
Now there suddenly appears a three-point Triangle of Wealth. Oil had a multiplier effect on the growth of wealth that human society had never seen before in its history. It allowed society to COMPLEXIFY in a way that almost no one could foresee. It also created a NEW way to GENERATE WEALTH!
The Consumer – was born.
What happens when one day – the oil wells run dry?
The Consumer will Vanish. Only the Gold/Silver and Land – will remain.
Along with those who OWN THEM BOTH!