Steve Forbes Joins Ron Paul’s Call For Gold Backed Currency

Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes Magazine, said the U.S. should return to a gold backed currency to prevent further debasement of the U.S. dollar.  Mr. Forbes joins a growing chorus of intellectually honest Americans who view the Federal Reserve as the greatest danger to the American economy and way of life.

The quest to preserve the value of the U.S. currency and rein in the Federal Reserve has long been championed by Rep. Ron Paul.  Apparently, Ron Paul’s message is beginning to make sense to more and more Americans as they watch the purchasing power of their dollars decline daily.

http://youtu.be/3CG9UVagFQ0

Bloomberg is reporting that the public approval rating of Fed Chairman Bernanke has dropped to the lowest level in two years. Bernanke has an approval rating of only 30% compared to 41% in late 2009.  Bernanke’s response to every problem has been to lower interest rates and print money, which have done little to improve the fundamental financial health of consumers or the government.

According to Bloomberg, the public has grown increasing skeptical of increased debt and money printing since unemployment is still near 10%, home values are still in a free fall and the declining purchasing value of the dollar has lowered the standard of living for most Americans.  The Bloomberg Poll showed that a resounding two thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, with 55% expecting their children to have a lower standard of living.

Professor Bernanke can wax eloquent on the benefits of “quantitative easing” but the average American is smart enough to know that a country that needs to print money to pay its bills is in desperate financial condition.

Steve Forbes noted that the ability of the government to print money encourages reckless spending since money can be created out of “thin air.”  According to Mr. Forbes, if the country returned to a gold standard, unlimited spending could not occur.  Ironically, the ability to expand credit and print money is exactly why the government abandoned the gold standard.  The concept of a Federal Reserve and a gold backed currency have become almost mutually exclusive concepts.