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You missed the connection. Sorry for being unclear. When you say it is "based on confidence" you are incorrect. The Secret Service taking action to protect the integrity of the currency is much more concrete than that. Likewise laws and institutions (such as the treasury department) that can take action to prop up the money in hard times ensure that it is not simply "based on confidence." There are lots of people and structures that go to a lot of trouble to give fiat money a stable base. Whether or not they are effective is another story (I don't think they are). But if you want to have a discussion, you should consider those relevant facts.