I'm not quite sure what to think on the new stimulus package. Frankly I haven't read up on it enough to make an educated decision. I just found it to be hilarious how the SECOND the Republicans are out of office, they are suddenly so against it. It wasn't that long ago when they were saying we needed to save the economy with a stimulus package for their friends (oh yeah, and they never checked the CEO's HUGE bonuses - I guess it never came up at their golf game?)

As far as the gold standard...everything in this world has perceived value. Gold is not necessarily better than all other metals (there are many other metals that are more rare than gold). The big difference is that gold is universal (whereas platinum is not exactly as well known or accessible) and gold has a ton of uses. If dollars fell through (meaning, nobody believed in their value anymore) gold would still be worth as much as it is now (or more) because it has so many uses, making it worthy of trade.

I hope this is clear...I'm in a big hurry but wanted to finish my thought first.