Even though those living in cold climates are eagerly looking forward to the warmer days of Spring, furnaces will continue pumping hot air throughout our nest; fireplaces will still require feeding logs, etc.

Thermostats will be turned up or down as the temperature dictates and failing memory does not overlook.

Should another cord of firewood be ordered? What's a "cord"? Most people associate the word "cord" with a thinned down version of a rope. Nope. A "cord" is not a thin rope. A "cord" is a measurement.

A measurement? How often do we need to use this measurement, and what does it measure? Well, most people don't use it. The only people who need to know what a "cord" is are those who don't have a tree in their backyard to chop down for fuel.

Those who buy fire wood in larger quantities other than the exorbitant price for a skinny bundle of twigs from the local home improvement center, will buy their wood by the "cord."

A "cord" measures firewood: 4 X 4 X 8 feet. That's a "cord" of wood. Unless the fireplace fan knows the measurements of a cord, chances are that he can get a loose cord. A loose cord is not the same as a lost chord; but there is a similarity in that the loose cord is close to being a lost cord.

When a cord of wood is delivered, the buyer should examine it with some care. It should be compact _ not loose; it should measure as stated above. If that cord of wood does not measure up to the fixed measurement for a "cord," the buyer should not pay the seller.

Or, if he has already paid the seller, then what recourse does the bilked buyer have? Well, he should contact the Department of Weights and Measures in his locale.

You see, the "Department of Weights and Measures" is supposed to be the "watch dog" to protect the consumer from the greedy, grasping, cheating, unscrupulous fellows plying their crooked trade among the many honest businessmen. From thumb-on-the- scale of the cheating butcher to the seller of shrinking cords of fire wood, the Dept. of Weights and Measures is like "Johnny on the Spot" _ there to protect you, the consumer, against fraudulent weights or measures.

The government has fixed weights and measures. The official weights and measures can be found in any good dictionary. You see, having a uniform system of weights and measures is essential for the activities of daily life.

How important is it? Consider for a moment: If you bought a "pound" of cheese that weighed 16 ounces, you would have purchased a glob of cheese at an officially specified quantity. Every pound of whatever we buy can be broken down into smaller quantities. But, these smaller quantities must add up to 16 oz.

If a quantity of something sold at a pound does not weigh 16 oz., it is not a pound. It may be less than a pound, or it may be more than a pound. But, it is not a pound!

When most people shop, they are extremely careful to make sure that they get their "pound of flesh closest to the heart." A scratch or a tiny dent has them hoping to lower the price `til it reaches almost-free.

Yes, we are very careful about these matters _ assuming, of course, that we shop sensibly and are not spendthrifts.

What is the point of all this? Simply this: If we are so concerned (and our governments are very concerned) about fixed weights and measures, how do we explain that neither we nor our governments exercise at least the same amount of care about money?!

Money, after all, is also a measure. It is a means of exchange, too. We measure the value of something not by weight but by money. How much does it cost? This is the `bottom line' of all our economic transactions.

Why does the cost of goods _ goods that did not require any more material input in their manufacture _ change?

Who manipulates our money _ that all-important means of exchange _ to the point that today we may be rich and tomorrow we may have nothing?

This may not seem important to some people, but it is important to the wage-earner and the businessman.

It is because money fluctuates from day to day that economic crises are artificially created.

Did you get that? Can you fathom this simple exposure of financial mythology? Let me repeat: Economic crises are artificially created by those who manipulate the means of exchange, that is, money.

No, you silly, neither God nor Nature are responsible for this. Unscrupulous, scheming, hard-hearted greedy for power human beings are responsible for those "mystical movements" commonly called "inflation" and "deflation." Manipulation of currency is nothing more than legalized robbery.

Take this outrageous example: A Canadian doing business in his country is forced to buy foreign goods for resale in his own country, not with Canadian currency, but with U.S. currency. What in the world does the American dollar have to do with the lives of people living and working in Canada? Why can't the Canadian simply deal with other countries with Canadian money?

Look what happens: As of this writing, the U.S. dollar ($1.00) equals $1.5027 Canadian. This means that the Canadian doing business in his own country must first buy US dollars to pay for merchandise he wishes to sell, not in the U.S., but in Canada! No big deal? It may not be a "big deal" if you're buying an ice cream cone. But, if you are buying something valued at $100,000 dollars (US dollars), and you were Canadian, you would have to spend $150,270.00 in Canadian dollars to buy those American dollars. It all adds up to a huge amount, doesn't it?

The moral issue is this: The laborer is entitled to an honest day's wage for an honest day's work. If the Canadian has to pay fifty percent more for the same loaf of bread that the American buys (Note: the quantity of raw materials is the same in both loaves), is it not a gross injustice to the Canadian?

Is the profit motive the highest value in the world of economics, or should economics serve man as God intended?

This money manipulation is not only practiced in international trade, it works the same way in almost every country to keep everyone who labors for his livelihood in perpetual debt and slavery. These are issues about which the people should be informed, and not so much the individual aberrations of political figures. Taking care of business will automatically take care of the monkey-business!

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