Many of the theories proposed on this board regarding where we're headed in the US and globally are quite interesting and many are, of course, very disturbing.

While I think things are bad, I don't think they are heading for the economic armeggedon forecast by some. What I think is that these bad economic times, plus the internet, where theories on matters economic abound and are so easily accessed, creates far too many instances of resonating and reinforcing ideas. So much reinforcing, in fact, that objectivity and experience get clouded.

I'm hoping many of you are off the deep end, although I freely admit you may not be, and it may be I who is way off in his thinking. To the extent that people think something a lot more awful than what we've experienced in the last couple of years is coming, then I can understand your desire to prepare.

Among those who frequent the ECU board, I imagine I'm pretty much at one extreme, but I like my extreme far more than the opposite. By the way, vis a vis a whole heckuva lot of other folk, I'd be viewed as pretty extreme in the direction of the doom that is forecast daily on this and like boards. It's certainly depends on one's perspective.

For example, I don't think gold will come close to $2,000 by this spring, nor silver to $60, but I still view investment in both as good ideas. Eventually, I certainly can see those PM's exceeding those figures, but surely not until 2012 or 2013. Wow, what will the condition of the world psyche be in May if silver's at $60?? I'd love to see ECU at $4.00, but not with $60 silver in May 2011!! I've read enough to be worried by what you guys post, yet remain skeptical of such a dramatic and vertical push in PM's any time in the near future. I can appreciate a mania stage in PM's, but believe it's still a ways off.

I'm not going to pretend that I know how and why materially worse times for the world will be avoided, but I think the odds are in my favor. And I think I'd better be right.