{Editor’s Note: This is the 6th installment of a series of articles attempting to address the 32 questions posed by Ron Paul in his recent farewell speech given in front of Congress. Check out the previous installment, Why Does Germany not Trust the Fed with its Gold}

The LA Times (and many publications like it) in its infinite wisdom lobbed a rather weak, very condescending answer to this question back in August (LA Times Article). To summarize their answer - "they don’t, you crazy conspiracy theorists!" In a rather mocking, nose-in-the-air piece, we are introduced to the concept in an almost laughable way…Some conspiracy theorists suspect that the billions of dollars' worth of bullion might have been looted in a dramatic heist, a la the movie "Die Hard: With a Vengeance." Others claim that the gold has been used in a shadowy government transaction, or swapped with gold-painted bars. It's even caught the attention of politicians like Rep. Ron Paul and members of Germany's Parliament.The article explains that Uncle Sam, in yet another honest display of transparency that we have grown so accustomed to from his numerous trustworthy endeavors, has given these crazed conspiracy nuts a bowl of proof filled pudding to swallow. Its downright disregard for the reasonable request of honest accounting from a regulatory cartel that demands it from everyone else is a troubling reminder of why this question will never be adequately answered-everyone’s in on it. The puppeteer special interests behind the scenes, their stringed dolls dancing the act in DC, and the plentiful state apologists in the media and academia all frame such questioning as absurd. Being “more educated” in the traditional sense teaches you that such questions and criticism of the infallible and benevolent government are just silly.    A quote from a Fed official included in the article compares such foolish audit demanding notions as "the gold bug equivalent of the birther movement.""The calls for audits are saying, 'We don't trust the government for the last 200 years,'" said Ted Truman, a former assistant Treasury secretary and Fed official.”Why are such sentiments as government distrust laughed away as small minded idiocy? Even if a full audit proved such “conspiracy loons” were dead wrong, is it not a worthwhile act of a transparent government to answer the questions?  I would love to tell the IRS that they are insane for requiring me to prove that I have paid my taxes in full, but unfortunately such diverting tactics only travel one way streets.  When you are audited, it’s for the common good that would otherwise suffer due to man’s dishonesty.This article’s proof of our lunacy in requesting such a ridiculous audit of gold reserves is insidiously based on ignoring the actual issues raised.  Sure, there’s some gold in Fort Knox, West Point, Denver and most notably the New York Fed.  As an anonymous Fed official so arrogantly stated in the article about the audit at the NY Fed “(the testing may finally prove that) "Goldfinger didn't sneak in at night" (and take the gold).” But what this smear piece and the smug mentality it speaks for misrepresents is the true concern of the so called “Gold bugs” that demand a full audit.  It’s not just a fear that the gold isn’t there, but more accurately a concern as to who lays claim to the supposed reserves.  The watered down version of Ron Paul’s audit the fed bill that was snuck in as an amendment to the Dodd Frank legislation revealed some very interesting results.  The GAO report of the mini audit highlights many self authorized “emergency programs” to stabilize the world financial markets. View the actual report here.  These stabilization efforts tally up to the tune of $16T in three years.  In case that number eludes you I’ll print it out with the zeros-$16,000,000,000,000.  That’s more than the entire nation’s yearly gross domestic product, more than the total debt it’s accrued in over 200 years, and more than some of the world’s largest companies, like Coca Cola could profit in over a century.  All of that without a whisper until that crazy “gold bug” Ron Paul got the nation on board with taking a peak at what exactly those guardians of our wealth and stability were doing behind the scenes.  This money, created exclusively on the will of the Fed, went to the big gambling banks and insolvent foreign nations, while the struggling American people argued whether Joe the Plummer or Warren Buffet should be taxed more.Under the guise of “emergencies” and jargon the Fed took it upon itself to go ahead and ensure that the poor practices of the few fell on the heads of the innocent many. If the Fed gives itself the authority to sacrifice the well being of the American citizenry to the bankers and foreign sovereigns, why is it so outlandish to think the same chicanery might be occurring with its gold haul?  The gold stocks at these locations have rightful owners, mainly the US Treasury.  But with the fancy $16T crisis handling revealed through the super restricted GAO audit of the Fed, it seems rather likely and pretty sane to question its handling of the gold assets at its fingertips.Disappointingly the big picture went unnoticed as the mainstream media emitted maybe a blurb or two about the historic findings of the Fed audit.  Without actively searching the non traditional media that has become my daily routine, I too may have been none the wiser.  Wouldn’t the news that some gold was missing or now belonged to private European banks meet the same apathy?  Perhaps, but maybe the tangibility of gold bars being handed over to foreign nations or large banks would more clearly highlight the criminality of these “emergency” procedures.  The $16T graciously handed over to the world by the Fed enjoys the advantage of being abstract.  Through linguistic bankspeak the concept of what actually occurred, the transfer of American wealth to exclusive bank cartels is hard to grasp for most.  Also the method used to fleece the public, monetary inflation, does not register as a tax or property seizure in the minds of the many.  But the unexplained absence or lost ownership of gold, a hard, absolute material that signals wealth in the minds of even children, might just make the most casual observer open his eyes a little wider.Funny business with the gold reserves would certainly shake the world’s cautious confidence in the dollar and its shady issuing bank.  The powerhouse of the Euro engine, Germany (Germany Gold Reserve Inspection) is among us crazy detractors who think that just maybe the gold doesn't quite add up. They hold a significant portion in the Fed vaults and they are starting to worry that it might not be as safe and reliable a warehouse as they once thought.  Finding the truth in the vaults could pack a serious blow to the waning world reserve status of the US dollar.Maybe all the gold is there.  We won’t know the result of the supposed audit until sometime in the future.  But even if it proves existent, its rightful owners will remain a mystery.  If we are to continue our unsustainable, debt driven, and inflation fueled trickery on the rest of the world, we better keep those vaults a secret.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!