Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when the electric bill was something you glanced at, not something you braced for.) Monthly Household Electricity Bill (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — A typical U.S. household electric bill averaged about $60–$70 per month. 2025 Price — That same household now commonly pays $140–$180 per month, roughly a 2–3× increase just to keep the lights on and appliances running. Inflation has a way of embedding itself in necessities we can’t opt out of, quietly revising the cost of modern life behind the scenes. And when the measuring stick bends, even the invisible comforts we rely on every day begin to claim more of the hours we traded to earn them. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Mencken recognized that freedom is tested not by protecting agreeable ideas, but by tolerating those that make us uncomfortable. Systems that preserve liberty only for the popular or approved inevitably collapse into managed conformity. Bitcoin reflects this principle structurally: it does not judge intent, identity, or belief. It enforces neutral rules equally, allowing sovereignty to exist even when consensus fails—precisely where true freedom proves its worth. #bitcoin #Mencken #Freedom #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you’ve noticed the grocery bill creeping up on both sides of the Atlantic.) Weekly Grocery Basket (2020 → 2025) 2020 Price — A typical weekly grocery shop cost about $100 in the U.S. and £50 in the UK. 2025 Price — That same basket now commonly costs $135–$140 in the U.S. and £68–£70 in the UK, roughly a 35–40% increase for everyday food. What makes this stand out is not just the size of the increase, but the speed — this kind of change usually unfolds over decades, not a single five-year stretch. And when the measuring stick bends this quickly, the basics of living begin to claim noticeably more of the hours and effort we trade to earn them. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Abbey’s blunt clarity cuts through centuries of polite theory: concentration of power does not merely risk abuse, it actively selects for it. Bitcoin responds not by hoping for better rulers, but by minimizing the surface area where power can accumulate at all. By fixing rules in code and removing discretionary control, Bitcoin sidesteps the moral hazard Abbey identified, replacing trust in character with trust in structure. #bitcoin #Abbey #Power #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when replacing a shower curtain was an afterthought.) Shower Curtain & Liner (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — A basic shower curtain and liner typically cost $8–$12. 2025 Price — A comparable set now commonly costs $25–$40, roughly a 3× increase for the same vinyl, hooks, and afternoon chore. Inflation has a habit of soaking into household basics, quietly raising the cost of maintenance until it blends into the background. And when the measuring stick bends, even keeping everyday spaces clean and functional begins to demand more of the hours we traded to earn them. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Mariana’s insistence on consent cuts straight to the moral core of sovereignty. Authority that overrides the will of the individual ceases to be protective and becomes extractive. Bitcoin echoes this centuries-old argument in technical form: participation is voluntary, rules are known in advance, and exit is always available. When consent is embedded at the system level, power loses its ability to masquerade as legitimacy. #bitcoin #Mariana #Liberty #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when grabbing lunch meant a few bills and some change.) Fast-Food Combo Meal (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — A typical fast-food combo meal cost about $4–$5. 2025 Price — A comparable combo now commonly runs $12–$15, roughly a 3× increase for the same tray, same wrapper, and the same ten minutes at a table. Inflation has a way of revealing itself at midday, quietly stretching the cost of convenience until we stop calling it cheap. And when the measuring stick bends, even a quick bite between obligations begins to demand more of the hours we traded to earn it. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Molinari saw that freedom erodes when protection becomes a monopoly. When security is centralized, abuse follows quietly and predictably. Bitcoin applies this insight to money, removing coercive guardianship and replacing it with voluntary rules, verifiable ownership, and exit by default. Sovereignty survives where choice remains real. #bitcoin #Molinari #Liberty #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when having a bank account didn’t come with a monthly reminder.) Checking Account Monthly Fee (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — Many basic checking accounts were free or carried a small $3–$5 monthly fee if minimums weren’t met. 2025 Price — Comparable accounts now commonly charge $12–$20 per month unless multiple conditions are satisfied. Inflation often arrives wearing the mask of “terms and conditions,” quietly turning everyday necessities into recurring tolls. And when the measuring stick bends, even simply holding your own money begins to demand more of the hours you traded to earn it. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Kennedy’s observation speaks to how freedom is most often lost: not through open falsehoods, but through comforting stories that excuse expanding control. When myths replace scrutiny, power grows without resistance. Bitcoin cuts through this fog by grounding trust in verifiable reality rather than narrative—math instead of myth, proof instead of persuasion. In doing so, it restores a discipline of truth that sovereignty depends upon. #bitcoin #Kennedy #Truth #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when buying a board game felt like an easy gift.) Family Board Game (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — A popular family board game typically sold for $15–$20. 2025 Price — A comparable game now commonly costs $40–$60, roughly a 2.5–3× increase for the same box, same rules, and the same arguments around the table. Inflation has a way of settling into shared moments, quietly raising the price of togetherness until it feels like something to budget for. And when the measuring stick bends, even simple evenings spent face-to-face begin to demand more of the hours we traded to earn them. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

This line reframes liberty as moral agency rather than indulgence. True freedom is not the absence of limits, but the presence of responsibility—the ability to act according to conscience without coercion. Bitcoin reflects this distinction by removing arbitrary control while preserving accountability: no one is stopped from acting, but no one is shielded from the consequences either. In that balance, sovereignty becomes an ethical posture, not merely a technical one. #bitcoin #JohnPaulII #Freedom #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick — Strawberries 🍓 In 1995, a pound of strawberries might cost $1.29 Today, that same pound is closer to $4.99 Strawberries didn’t suddenly become rarer, harder to grow, or more luxurious — but the measuring stick we use to price them quietly warped. When money slowly loses its firmness, even the most ordinary pleasures start to feel like indulgences, and we mistake erosion for inevitability. #BentMeasuringStick #Inflation #SoundMoney #EverydayEconomics

Godwin’s insight cuts through centuries of political ornamentation: institutions exist to restrain injustice, not to manufacture virtue or manage outcomes. When systems grow beyond that mandate, they often become engines of the very harm they were meant to prevent. Bitcoin reflects this minimalist ethic by limiting what the system can do—no favoritism, no discretion, no moral posturing—only rules that prevent coercion. Justice, in this sense, emerges not from control, but from restraint. #bitcoin #Godwin #Justice #Sovereignty

Humboldt grounded liberty not in rebellion, but in human flourishing. When systems substitute centralized direction for individual development, they stunt the very capacities that make society resilient. Bitcoin aligns with this older liberal vision by removing paternal oversight from money itself, allowing individuals to coordinate, save, and plan without supervision. Freedom, in this sense, is not disorder—it is the necessary condition for growth that no state can engineer. #bitcoin #Humboldt #Freedom #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember hanging a new calendar on the wall every January.) Wall Calendar (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — A standard wall calendar typically cost $5–$7 at a bookstore or mall kiosk. 2025 Price — A comparable calendar now commonly costs $15–$22, roughly a 3× increase to mark the same twelve months. Inflation has a way of revealing itself when we pause to measure time itself, quietly charging more just to keep track of the year ahead. And when the measuring stick bends, even the act of counting our days begins to ask for more of the hours we traded to earn them. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Adams understood that liberty collapses not when force arrives, but when moral boundaries around ownership erode. Once property becomes conditional—subject to convenience, consensus, or crisis—power expands to fill the vacuum. Bitcoin reinforces this older principle by making ownership absolute in practice, not rhetoric. When property is governed by rules instead of rulers, sovereignty stops being theoretical and becomes lived reality. #bitcoin #Adams #Property #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when protecting your computer was a one-time purchase.) Antivirus Software (1998 → 2025) 1998 Price — A boxed antivirus program typically cost $39–$49 as a one-time purchase. 2025 Price — Comparable protection now commonly runs $70–$120 per year, turning security into a recurring toll rather than a solved problem. Inflation often slips in disguised as “updates,” quietly transforming ownership into subscription without much protest. And when the measuring stick bends, even staying protected in the digital world begins to claim more of the hours we traded to earn it. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat

Coke’s principle framed privacy as a hard boundary against power, not a privilege granted by authority. Bitcoin extends this idea beyond physical walls into the digital realm, giving individuals a financial domain where intrusion requires no permission because none can be given. Sovereignty begins where access ends, and freedom endures only where boundaries are respected. #bitcoin #Coke #Privacy #Sovereignty

Bent Measuring Stick (If you remember when grabbing batteries was an afterthought.) Pack of AA Batteries (1995 → 2025) 1995 Price — A pack of name-brand AA batteries typically cost $3–$4. 2025 Price — The same pack now commonly costs $10–$14, roughly a 3–4× increase to power the same remotes, toys, and smoke alarms. Inflation has a way of draining value quietly, one small replacement at a time, until the total feels heavier than expected. And when the measuring stick bends, even the background energy of daily life begins to demand more of the hours we traded to earn it. #soundmoney #bitcoin #inflation #purchasingpower #fiat