This article and video shows someone with a really, really bad idea - the suggestion is that the U.S. Government could sell gold holdings right now to put a small dent in the budget deficit.  If there is gold in Knox (maybe Congress will win an audit), one could certainly argue that the best thing to do is hold on - The US may in fact go back to a gold backed currency (or at least gold be part of that backing) and to give it up now would be folly.  If anything, the U.S. should be trying to purchase up as much as possible while the dollar lasts.