[OT] why was private gold ownership made illegal in the US?

[John Young]

Socialism in the US, and elsewhere, transmogrified into other 
movements which adopted some of its aspects and mixed them
with other social and political intentions. To be sure, socialism
was such a mongrel itself, as was and is, capitalism. Hardly
a political ideology is not an opportunistic blend of what will
work, and which will evolve in a winning direction, hopefully.

Capitalism is infused with socialist benefits for its practitioners,
and democratic socialism pervasive in Europe is infused
with luxurious elitism which favors those who enjoy heirarchies.

Anti-political ideologies are about the only schemes which
do not hide what they are made of, have stolen from, deny
they are, all the while reaping rewards that come with
dissimulation.

Even anarchy as most often practiced benefits mostly its
promulgators at the expense of their followers -- yes,
anarchists are composed of dues-stealing leaders and 
dunned followers no matter what its ideolgues preach.

A most pernicious ideology is that of individualism,
particularly the "rugged" version, in which person espouses
a rejection of all ideology while gobbling among the
garbage heap of ideology for bits and pieces to confect
a seemingly unique brew of convictions which when examined
shows nothing more than what ignorance can engender in the
way of mongrelism triumphant.

Sometimes, praise allah, ignorance does surpass wisdom
in weeding out incestous ideologies, so contaminated by
each other's liftings and copyings and prevarications that
they are hulks without substance, and instead of these
skins of shallowest appearance grow a novel set of ideas
which fit the times, for a brief period at least. Those who
follow these novelties are considered mad by the main
street phlegmatics who may insist the sheriff kill the 
terrifying varmints, and the sheriff may do that provided 
deputies sent to do the pesticide are not members of the
rebellion always bubbling beneath the appearance of
law and order.