SHA256 cannot be broken at this time
Got it. What are the arguments for this? I guess more research is warranted on my part.
One can never prove something is not broken. The best evidence that it hasn't been sufficiently broken yet to exploit the mining algorithm is to look at the mining hash rate.
Of course in the usual crypto fashion, if you did have a way to construct blocks other than brute force (mining) you wouldn't want anyone to know would you, you would just take one "every now and then" to stay under the radar.
So, we won't ever know for sure this isn't going on.
With fiat however, we are guaranteed that it is broken and that private money printing is going on. Proof is everywhere.