You should be commended for your calm, level headed reply. That’s almost always the best argument / response.
I would argue that while Obama won the votes you describe, it is more the case that Romney LOST the election due to a poor get out the vote effort, and the fact that many of the most “active” / committed Conservative types did not work for him or turn out for him.
It seems to me that for some people, precious metals are a type of insurance for more major SHTF scenarios: Ie., those where the US gov’t is largely incapacitated, there is severe societal breakdown, etc. Of course, one can then argue that in such really bleak futures, ammo and other survivalist supplies and abilities would be “worth more than gold.” :-)
Good comments. You know, I am a little bit more optimistic about society than many. I think 75% of people are decent, and I think that 75% would eliminate the 25% of slugs through good old fashion frontier justice, and Darwinism at its best. Things tend to take care of themselves in an emergency.
I wouldn't consider myself a prepper, though I do have an abundance of those "staples" you mentioned. It's just good common sense to have a stored survival supply that can last you a year. If the SHTF scenario is bad enough that it lasts past that, you got to wonder if life is worth living at that point.