Re: My View...

That's interesting about Switzerland. I know someone involved in major real estate morgage bundle deals, and Eurpoean banks were still buying like mad as the morgage defaults began to hit full force. Now they are all angry, but there is something to caveat emptor, and a lot was said at the time that should have given buyers a clue. But there has been such a mad fever to make profitable deals that the details were ofter ingored. Little items, like, to we have ALL the deeds, and signed paperwork? And then, if not, just how much is this asset actually worth? Because of the rush to the feeding trough, there would have been issues with the wholesale transfer of US morgages anyhow, even without the real estate market falling. Then the hedge funds that insured are defaulting, and saying things like sorry, we just don't happen to have the money to cover that one, and besides we aren't going to pay you anyway.
The next question, what would have happened to the properties had the US not agreed to buy them back, and how much of the US would have wound up owned by other than US nationals?
IDK on the BRIC countries, I suspect that Mexico and Canada are so intertwined into the US economy that if we go, so will they. Japan is so protectionist that it might survive quite a while, but I seriously wonder what fate will occcur to any foreign investment there. Not that I have much of anything to put anywhere, but what I do have will need to be stretched quite a ways, since social security will probably not be there when I retire, if I ever do that at all.
I agree with silver is better than gold, it's around 8 1/2 ish, 15 is quite resonable, gold is better than stock, stock is easier to sell than any precious metal, and it doesn't get stolen right out from under you.
I also like silver because it's cheaper, hence if somebody robs you, at least they have to work at it to haul off your life savings.
Biggest problem with either metal is haveing someone else 'keep' it for you for safekeeping, ...... If being 'kept' for safekeeping, second biggest problem is confiscation by the governement.
There is a reason that there is a myth about King Midas, precious metals can bite you in many ways. I don't disagree with your assesment, there is just a lot to consider.
Julie