(With apologies to Clint Eastwood, or whoever wrote his dialogue).
Well, DO YOU - ....? The U.S. is not alone in this, although it has taken this situation further. If you live in any of the "Anglo-Saxon" nations - the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand - you have been reassured by your government ad nauseum that they are doing everything they can to "protect" you. There is this difference post 9/11 though. Before that date, you were being assured that your financial future was "safe". Since 9/11, you are being assured that your PHYSICAL future is "safe". And how is this being accomplished? By threatening to lower the boom on anyone who looks in any way "sideways" at the government "protective measures" which are breeding like rabbits.
Anyone who thinks the situation through carefully can come to only one conclusion. Protection against a determined physical attack, whether the attacker is a terrorist prepared to die in the attempt or simply a thug after your wallet, CANNOT be provided by any government measures whatsoever. The only way to do it is to literally quarantine every single individual - separating that individual from all other individuals - so that any type of physical attack is not possible.
There are only two steps that a government can take to minimise the threat of attack, from terrorists or anyone else. One step is to remove any "causus belli" which might serve to lure terrorists. The other is to stand OUT of the way of any individual who chooses to defend him or herself - should such defense become necessary.
Now, expand the context. Since 9/11, too many people have let their actual or nascent fear of physical attack derail their thinking processes. They have not thought through the situation clearly. Can the government actually protect you - infallibly - from terrorists? Can it? The answer is clearly NO. Your physical preservation can not be guaranteed by anyone. The future is uncertain, and always will be uncertain. This is an inescapable fact - just as inescapable before 9/11 as it has been after 9/11.
In the "Anglo-Saxon" nations, governments have only very recently "taken over" the job of protecting our persons from harm. But for years, they have been touting their ability to protect our FINANCES from harm. Now, can governments do that? NO. Again, what governments can do is to provide the maximum opportunity for the individual to do the job him or herself. The way that government can do that is to protect, preserve, and defend a SOUND money, PROSECUTE any force or fraud used in place of voluntary exchange, and REFRAIN from any interference with the processes of the free market.
Those measures are exactly and precisely the ones which government have NOT taken, and have NOT been taking for decades now. The only difference between what was happening before 9/11 and what has been happening after 9/11 is that governments everywhere have greatly accelerated their financial debauchery. They have been creating "money" out of thin air at a greatly accelerated pace. The more financial malfeasance comes to light (eg ENRON), the more assiduously the government looks the other way. And interference with markets? We will answer that one in two words: WHAT MARKETS?
It is time, and past time, to think very clearly about all this. Governments which are clearly on a path which can end only in complete political repression cannot be relied upon for "protection". Governments which are clearly on a path which can end only in the destruction of the purchasing power of money can not be relied upon for future financial well being.
It makes no difference if one thinks all this is unfortunate, or despicable, or outrageous, or whatever. We are facing FACTS here. And the FACT is that the surest road to future penury is to rely on government to protect your financial future. Most of the world has no need to be reminded of this, their governments have reminded the people of it only to harshly and only too recently. Argentina, for instance, is merely the latest example.
Gold is being suppressed for many reasons, but in the context of this Commentary, one stands out. Physical Gold is a medium of exchange which government CANNOT control. This is the simple reason that the major effort of governments for decades past has been to BANISH Gold as a medium of exchange. To the extent that you hold physical Gold, you are NOT dependent on government to protect your financial future.
Yes, it is true that the purchasing power of the Gold you may possess has been greatly depreciated by the actions of your government. Yes, it is true that governments do their utmost to financially penalize anyone who seeks to be independent of them for their financial future. But if you think clearly through the situation, you will discover that if you want the best chance of riding out the uncertain financial future while preserving what your past efforts have brought you, you need to be financially independent - of government. To do that, you need to own Gold.
If you rely on government for your protection, physical or financial, you are taking a horrible chance with your future. Better by far to feel secure - with good, well thought through and rational reasons to do so - than to "feel lucky".