And furthermore ...
The prices of silver and gold are *not* set by “the markets.”
Silver and gold prices are set by central banks. Both metals are used to siphon away money from savers.
The prices are both lower, relative to a couple years ago, because savers have less money and/or have their “fill.”
Savers now are sitting on “precious metals” that the central banks could ruin, easily.
Any time that the U.S. GUBMINT decides to get back the gold, in particular, and then re-sell it, some president can simply issue an executive order.
Given the fact that too many federal agents are ignorant and oblivious to the sources of power ... ie from whence does their authority stem ... such agents will just go along to abuse and assert their authority in blind reaction to that executive order.
An executive order to take your property, is theft. It is a crime. Yet, given the fact that too many of the public, will ignore their sovereignty and would prefer to sit at home watching their favorite sport(s ... particularly the athletic team of their favorite universities that are federally-funded ... but these sporters voted Republican?! ...) then there is no significant objection to the abuses of power by The President and by Judges and by so many government agents.
Members of this very forum, Free Republic dot com, are often thrilled at the abuses of police powers by government agents. They are only inclined to object to some executive order written by their opponent, but if some “Republican” writes an executive order to steal from their neighbor, zzzz ... and back to the college football game.
To wit: there is no liberty where the recliners are warm.
Unless, a Constitutional Amendment that anticipates such a move does it:
Fiscal Responsibility Amendment
Section I
The power of Congress to regulate the value of the dollar is hereby repealed.
Section II
The value of the Dollar shall be one fifteen-hundredth avoirdupois ounce of gold of which impurities do not exceed one part per thousand.
Section III
To guard against Congress using its authority over weights and measures to bypass Section I, the ounce in Section II is approximately 28.3495 grams (SI).
Section IV
The Secretary of the Treasury shall annually report the gold physically in its possession; this report shall be publicly available.
Section V
The power of the Congress to assume debt is hereby restricted: the congress shall assume no debt that shall cause the total obligations of the United States to exceed one hundred ten percent of the amount last reported by the Secretary of the Treasury.
Section VI
Any government agent, officer, judge, justice, employee, representative, or congressman causing gold to be confiscated from a private citizen shall be tried for theft and upon conviction shall:
a. be removed from office (and fired, if an employee),
b. forfeit all pension and retirement benefits,
c. pay all legal costs, and
d. restore to the bereaved twice the amount in controversy.
Section VII
The federal government shall assume no obligation lacking funding, neither shall it lay such obligation on any of the several States, any subdivision thereof, or any place under the jurisdiction of the United States. All unfunded liabilities heretofore assumed by the United States are void.
Section VIII
The federal government shall make all payments to its employees or the several states in physical gold. Misappropriation, malfeasance and/or misfeasance of funds shall be considered confiscation.