You would kind of think that since Ron Paul’s presidential candidacy is no longer grabbing any headlines that any talk of a gold standard would be only in the confines of the Libertarians among us - and only wistfully then.

But in the last few weeks there have been no less than five mainstream news outlet stories on the potential benefit that would be derived from a return to some type of gold standard. Two of these came from the Council on Foreign Relations - not known to be friends of Libertarians but rather potential conspirators; one from the Asis Times and no less than two from the Wall Street Journal. Here is a link to the latest article.

The writer in the WSJ points out how the dollar has declined in value so much over the last few years, especially against the Euro, that Americans are in effect paying a hefty 50% tariff on imported goods. Not only that, but struggling east European countries whose currency is tied to the falling dollar are struggling to make free enterprise work and have to battle huge inflationary forces exacerbated by the decline in value of the U.S. Dollar.

It’s the solution posited and final statement of the article that caught me by surprise. Referencing Federal Reserve Chairman “helo” Ben Bernanke’s rhetoric about a strong dollar (while trading his capital for near worthless securities in hopes of rescuing foolish, greedy bankers), the comment is made that “A gold standard beats a gab standard”.

Really?

Isn’t the WSJ one of those promoters of Wall Street’s mantra about gold and silver being ancient relics with no utility in an investment portfolio? My how times change.

My advice is not to just sit back and read the news of the calamity falling around you. Take a look at the work from Casey Research and the guys at the Trend Letter.