Its not so much that gold and silver are rising, it is that the real value of the dollar is dropping. You are seeing the same thing in other commodities as well (eg, oil). I know our government assures us that that there is no appreciable inflation, but the marketplace says differently.
Precious metals tend to hold their buying power over time (with flucuations of course), but since all they do is hold their own, they make lousy investments. (tho they can help you sleep well in tough economic times).
