The federal government should default on its debt

The Treasury would peg the dollar to gold, oil Opens a New Window. , natural gas or silver -- or perhaps a basket of those commodities. By choosing a weak valuation, for instance, $10,000 per ounce of gold, compared to the current market price of roughly $1,290 per ounce, much of the debt could be paid down thanks to a much weaker dollar.

The federal government should default on its debt