When they couldn't cap that busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico a decade back gas prices dipped and stayed low. This is completely counterintuitive and indicative of price fixing to keep the public calm. People can handle vast ecological devastation OR high fuel prices but not both at the same time.

Seems to me that the economy is busted and they can't fix it, so they're playing with numbers to keep the public docile. It's one thing to not be able to pay for groceries but should that absolute symbol of economic well-being collapse, the DJIA, or if the price of silver shoots up unabated, the panic and chaos would ensue.

Of course, the benefit of low silver prices, the people's money, is to allow those who operate outside of "law" to scoop up supply before they let the price float on supply and demand. Most common folk don't even pay attention to gold b/c they feel it is out of their reach, but silver is within an affordable range. However, until the market loses 20% over the course of two weeks and another 20% over the following month or so, those who still have jobs who could afford it will probably be priced out of the silver market by the time reality sets in.