A gold-backed currency seems odd to me. Why gold? Why not something else? I watch my sons work using the 'system' to raise their families and know it was the one we used - work hard, play a little and save for your retirement. I think there is something wrong with this whole arrangement but I don't know what the solution is. You need their money to buy food, clothes, shelter your family and pay the bills. There is no avoiding it. Not everybody can survive on a farm growing their own food. I follow a fellow on Twitter who has this pinned tweet: 'I find myself reflecting on the random, unknown life of some Roman citizen, around the time of the fall. He's just trying to get enough olive oil for dinner, maybe fix that squeaky wheel on the cart. You know, just living as best he can.' Makes me laugh - nothing has changed.