As we all know, a recession is very bad for politics, especially in an election year. The much overdue market correction has been postponed once again by a massive injection of billions of dollars into the world economy. At a time when massive malinvestment of capital has been the ongoing theme, the US government/FED partnership instead offered four massive doses of more of the same to try and stave off the inevitable until the new President takes office:
First, the debased US dollar has boosted exports and helped the GDP to remain positive. As the Federal Reserve continues to print cash by the truckload and pass it to any institution capable of getting rid of it (for a profit, of course), this is likely to continue until a massive correction causes the fountain to finally run dry. Once the dollar has been inflated beyond the value of the paper it is printed on, the presses will fall silent for the first time since 1913.
Second, by setting interest rates below the rate of inflation, the Federal Reserve discouraged savings and encouraged borrowing and spending. They need more borrowing to get all of this hot new cash onto the market, which leads nicely on to:
Thirdly, massive government lending kept the financial service industry solvent and the mortgage lenders operating. The fact that it is morally wrong to tax one and give to another is compounded by the act of taxing the savers and workers and giving to the irresponsible and downright reckless amongst us. These people were not starving. They did not need an act of charity to tide them over.
Fourth, stimulus checks have kept Americans spending money that they have not earned but will pay for in higher (much higher) prices. The dumping of billions of dollars onto the American market is an act of outright theft against the world at large and the American people in particular. The best thing we as a people could have done with those stimulus checks is burn them. Apart from the moral wrongness of all this, the damage done by way of inflation will be enormous.
Although these government and Federal Reserve palliatives have succeeded in calming the immediate crisis (by saddling American taxpayers with massive liabilities), they have not removed the cause and the inevitable correction will be all the more painful to peoples the world over. Even the most insignificant life in the remotest part of the world is effected by the value of the almighty American dollar, making the crimes being committed against our monetary medium a true crime against the whole of humanity.
Instead of placing the blame firmly and squarely at the door of the Federal Reserve and demanding government redress of a sore grievance, the media machine will dutifully find anyone EXCEPT the real culprits to blame and We The People will be left to pick up the tab.
©2008 Larry Warrick, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Friday, September 5, 2008
Last modified: Friday, September 5, 2008
The views expressed in this article are those of Larry Warrick only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Larry Warrick is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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