i respect you and your work kurt. to resolve your question regarding the path of this country, i feel you have already supplied the answer. any country with a fiat currency system cannot and will not allow a protracted deflationary cycle to exist. our government has made it very evident that they will do whatever is necessary to prop up the markets, asset prices and keep their jobs. the end game is inflation and we are headed in that direction to the degree never before experienced in U.S. history.