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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
June 25, 2008
/ 22 Sivan 5768
Next president has big task of repairing monetary policy
By
Robert Robb
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The influence the next president may have on appointments to the U.S.
Supreme Court and thus the judicial policy of the country is well known and
widely discussed. It is likely to be a big issue in the election.
That the next president may have an equally large opportunity to influence
the monetary policy of the country, however, has gone virtually unnoticed.
There are currently two vacancies on the seven-member Federal Reserve Board
of Governors. Another member is continuing to serve, as permitted under the
law, even though Congress has not reconfirmed him. Another vacancy will
occur this summer. And Ben Bernanke's term as chairman ends in 2010.
The Democratic Congress is sitting on President Bush's Fed nominees. If it
continues to do so, the next president may have the chance to nominate a
majority of the board. Regardless, the next president will get to nominate
the chairman of the Fed, who historically has been a dominant leader on
monetary policy.
This opportunity occurs when the Fed has been doing a lousy job and
represents a threat to the American economy.
The primary job of the Fed is to maintain a stable currency. At this, it
has failed miserably.
The value of the dollar compared to the euro, whose central bank has
behaved more sensibly and steadily during these economically turbulent
times, has dropped over 50 percent since 2000. It has dropped 28 percent
just since Bernanke's appointment in February, 2006.
About a third of the price of crude oil imports can be attributed to the
depreciation of the dollar.
Inflation is running north of 4 percent and rising. The Fed says, not to
worry. Core inflation, excluding energy and food, is lower.
The rationale for excluding energy and food in setting monetary policy is
that their prices are volatile. And when they are, indeed, volatile - both
rising and falling - that's a sensible approach. When they are consistently
rising, however, excluding them simply understates the problem.
The Fed has neglected price stability to try to cushion the economic
fallout from the housing bubble bursting. However, even here, its actions
are deeply troubling. The longer the perspective, and the more that is
known, the worse the Bear Sterns bailout seems.
The Fed, in cahoots with Bush's Treasury Department, forced the sale of
Bear Sterns rather than allowing it to go bankrupt. Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson even dictated the terms of the sale to J.P. Morgan Chase. The
Fed facilitated the sale by assuming $29 billion of Bear Sterns'
questionable securities. The Fed also opened its credit window to other
investment banks.
Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, who tamed inflation in the 1980s, said
that the Fed had gone to "the very edge of its lawful and implied powers,
transcending certain long embedded central bank principles and practices."
Historically, the Fed had limited its lending to banks whose deposits are
federally insured. Now, no one knows who the Fed is willing to lend to or
under what circumstances.
Bailing out Bear Sterns and opening the credit window to investment banks
were supposedly necessary to prevent a total collapse of the U.S. financial
system. If the failure of a mid-sized investment bank can have that sort of
consequence, then there is entirely too much risk and opacity in the
system.
More regulation can only do so much to rein in excessive risk-taking and
opacity. The system is just too big, and regulations too easy to skate in
the world of international finance, for a cop-approach to work.
The only thing that will work is to make it clear that failure will be
permitted.
The next president needs to go to Wall Street and say, you're on your own.
No bailouts on my watch.
Then the president needs to appoint a critic of the Bear Sterns rescue to
replace Bernanke in 2010, to make clear that what the Fed imprudently
opened has been closed. And appoint inflation hawks to the Board to the
extent he has the opportunity.
Ordinarily, it is good if politicians ignore the Fed. The instincts of
politicians regarding monetary policy are almost uniformly bad. That's why
central banks need to have independence.
These, however, aren't ordinary times. Unfortunately, neither John McCain
nor Barack Obama seems aware of either the opportunity or the need, or up
to the task.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Robert Robb is a columnist for The Arizona Republic. Comment by clicking here.
Robert Robb Archives
© 2008, The Arizona Republic
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