Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Why Bernanke Is Dead Wrong, And What It Means for Investors
Seeking Alpha ^

Posted on 11/21/2010 9:39:15 AM PST by deniss60

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke's big speech... leaves U.S. policymakers off the hook and takes their focus further away from the free-market reforms within their control to make -- the policy changes that would do much more to save what's left of the U.S. economy than anything China might do.

Bernanke would have been more constructive taking direct and sustained aim at U.S. policymakers in both parties -- it's their bad policy moves and avoidance of tough decisions over more than 30 years that's responsible for America's economic underperformance.

The metaphor that comes to mind is of an overweight runner blaming the fact he keeps coming in dead last on a few cheaters taking stimulants. Those other runners will eventually pay for their drug abuse in future races. Wouldn't Mr. Overweight be better off losing weight? And why aren't other racers complaining about the cheaters to the extent we are?

...how is more money printing the real solution to this problem? What good has it done for the U.S. economy so far? Why stop at printing around $600 billion out of thin air? Why not let her rip and add another $1.2 trillion, $2.4 trillion, $4.8 trillion?

There is no free lunch....

[...]

The only positive in all this is that America's politicians are losing their margin for policy error and folly...

Generating economic growth the old fashioned way -- by earning it and improving our business climate -- is becoming one of the few options left. The only question is, how long will it be before the option of improving the business climate -- inconvenient and painful for many politicians -- becomes the only viable one left and whether the U.S. will be too badly degraded at that point, too much of a banana republic, to fix itself.

(Excerpt) Read more at seekingalpha.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: bernanke; monetarypolicy; thefed; theqe2; wrong
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-51 last
To: Southack
I'm sorry - I saw a post that began with the humble phrase "You don't understand economics" Followed by the misstatement that "a plunging dollar would make a 401lk worth more"

Was that not you?

41 posted on 11/22/2010 7:00:25 AM PST by jd777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: jd777

In your desperation to “be right” on the internet (whoa, grand feat, that), you are still missing the context of a conversation between two other people that you’ve jumped into blindly.

The context involves the direction of prices during inflation.

One poster claimed that prices would fall during inflation.

I corrected him.

You’ve seen this correction, taken issue with it, and are making an entirely different argument about wealth creation, as in “wealth is not created by merely increasing prices.”

And that’s correct. Inflation doesn’t magically create wealth. Of course, no one was arguing differently, but that hasn’t stopped you from saying whatever it is that you have to say.


42 posted on 11/22/2010 7:07:59 AM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Southack

Sorry it was rude of me to intrude. I’ll let you be. But do us all a favor; Stop posting on economics.


43 posted on 11/22/2010 7:25:36 AM PST by jd777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: jd777

You’ve certainly got gall!

*if only you had an education to mach...


44 posted on 11/22/2010 7:28:06 AM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: jd777

You’ve certainly got gall!

*if only you had an education to match...


45 posted on 11/22/2010 7:28:16 AM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: Southack; jd777

glad i didn’t have to sit thru this chat in real time.

Still in favor of the QE2, creating money to buy treasuries. A permanent reduction of the corporate rate to 30% from the current 35% ... that is the type of thing needed to “stimulate”. Don’t expect it from the Obambi’s.

Taxing profits is destructive and many companies have very low profit margins or ZERO profit margins. Would be better to put a 0.5% tax on revenues and reduce tax of profit accordingly.

Companies like Eastman Kodak would not get a 30-year free ride on taxes.


46 posted on 11/22/2010 10:45:19 AM PST by campaignPete R-CT ("pray without ceasing" - Paul of Tarsus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: campaignPete R-CT

Where has QE ever been shown to have worked?


47 posted on 11/22/2010 11:59:02 AM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Southack

worked at what?
worked at stimulating an economy or worked at preventing a Deflation?


48 posted on 11/22/2010 4:52:26 PM PST by campaignPete R-CT ("pray without ceasing" - Paul of Tarsus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: campaignPete R-CT

Preventing deflation.


49 posted on 11/22/2010 7:39:08 PM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Southack

What are you worried about, with the dollar collapsing we’ll all be rich :)


50 posted on 11/22/2010 7:44:36 PM PST by jd777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: jd777

What I’m worried about is systemic deflation...such as what Japan has been suffering with for the past 21 straight years.

Debt is deflationary (magic printing presses and feats of mystical wizardry aside).

Deflation, you see, kills the buy-and-hold business model...leaving only a cash-flow business model for an economy to operate on, much like losing 4 cylinders of a good V8 leaves a high Dollar sports car with half power or less.

Run up more debt: get more deflation.

At this point in Time, inflation is a fairy tale while deflation is the monster at the door.


51 posted on 11/22/2010 7:50:17 PM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-51 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson