One problem with this post about gold having the same purchasing power that it did 100 years ago, is that I don't see many people walking around and buying things with gold. All market systems are really just a complicated system of bartering. We exchange goods and service for currency and it goes the other way around. This especially evident in crisis situations like Katrina. No was walking around with gold bars for water or gas, even if you did most people water, gas, or ice.