Gold Standard - History

This article is a must read to start understanding how government's control over money hits your pocketbook.  The BLUF: they aren't smart enough to do what they want to do, and if they were, absolute power still corrupts absolutely.

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2013/04/26/the_great_recession_crisis_how_about_relearning__100282.html