The truth about gold as money

Combine gold's heady price gains over the last several years, greater access to the gold ownership through products such as the SPDR Gold Shares, and concerns about the monetary stewardship of the Federal Reserve, and it's no wonder the idea of a resumption of the gold standard has gained some currency lately. Proponents would have us believe that the gold standard is a cure-all for government corruption, profligacy, and incompetence. The unvarnished truth, however, is that gold is no panacea -- one need only look at history for examples.